Rabba Ishq Naa Hove - Season 3 - Part 27

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Chapter 27


Khushi’s POV


I look at myself in the mirror wearing the loose black T-Shirt which Arnav gave me tonight. He never wore it before still it has his essence on it, as it was in his wardrobe for a long time. I can smell his cologne on it. I can feel his touch and surprisingly I don’t cringe away from having it on my body. It makes me feel wanted, desired. No!! I shouldn’t have these feelings for him because I don’t want him in my future, do I? I snap my eyes shut recalling how he got angry when I told him today while shopping the wool for Maa, that after he frees me from this relationship and returns to India, he can find another wife for himself who can give him babies and hence fulfill Maa’s desire to see her grandchildren. Would Arnav re-marry? Will I get into a relationship with another man in future? The mere idea of having another man hovering over me, kissing my lips and touching my body makes me cringe and I open my eyes in frustration. Why does it feel so disturbing? Maybe once Arnav actually divorces me and I be single again, this absurd feeling of not wanting any other man touch me, would go away. But I don’t want to date again so soon. I want to stay single for some time, enjoy my career, earn some money and most importantly save some to be financially independent forever. I smile at myself in the mirror loving those plans and then head back to the bed to sleep. Oops. The water in my flask is over. I need to refill it before I hit the bed. Taking the flask with me, I make my way out to the kitchen and just when I reach the living room, I see Arnav there, sitting on the couch, typing something on his laptop. The moment he realizes I am there, he raises his gaze from the screen only to give me a once over, a hungry one if I am right, and that’s when I realize I am wearing his given Black Tshirt and he is probably appreciating the way I look in it. I haven’t worn any pants below but the T-Shirt is long. Not very long. Just barely covering my thighs. I look away from his dark gaze and almost make a run towards the kitchen to fill my flask.

I fill it quickly and during my return, I promise not to even look at him. But when I come out, I realize he is gone. Arnav is not in the living room. I shouldn’t have mind that but my heart does. It’s such a strange feeling, so ironical too. The man I didn’t want to give a look at, especially when I am hardly dressed up, is abiding by my rules and behaving exactly the way I wanted him to but I am not happy. I return to my bedroom, get under the sheets and shut the lamps lying down. Is this Arnav’s way to win my heart? To woo me? To make me desire him? Can he again manipulate me? With all these thoughts running in the back of my head I doze off.

Arnav’s POV

I returned to my room after seeing Khushi wearing my T-shirt and roaming in the house, probably to fill water in her flask. God knows how much it tempted me to follow her in the kitchen and do those forbidden things to her right there but that wouldn’t be right. Even if she would have let me touch her again, I wouldn’t want her to tell me the next morning that she still had no feelings for me. Something which I did months ago when the morning after we consummated. This time when I touch her again, it would be because she loved me back. I want nothing less than her love in return to my love for her. So, despite all the temptations, I shut my laptop when she was in the kitchen and came back in my room. Would she think about me and wonder why I did that? Would she think I am manipulating her again by abiding to her set rules for this one month? Wish I could know what she was thinking exactly at this point of time. With all these thoughts in my head, I finally hit the bed.

*****************

A Week Later

I can’t believe it’s been a week already that me and Khushi have this arrangement of being normal to each other. Yes, we have been in talking terms now. Just talking. She is still not open enough to share anything with me apart from the general topics. She has her shoots most of the time and I have always ensured to pick her up whenever she is done. We drive back straight from her shoots to the penthouse and we speak only things related to Maa. Today when we are driving back, Khushi gets a call from Maa on her phone. She looks a bit surprised what it could be before answering. I ask her to put the phone on speaker which she does, so that even I hear their conversation.


“Maa? Is everything okay?” Khushi worryingly asks.

“Yes. What will happen to me now when I have my children around?”

We both sigh together.

“Did you leave from the shoot?”

“Yes, just started.”

“Great. I am texting you the restaurant address. Both of you reach there.”


We both look at each other before I respond to Maa.

“Maa? What’s going on?”

“Family dinner, Arnav. We never had one, did we. Today I decided of having dinner out. Is there a problem?”

“But Maa. What about your diet?” Khushi queries.

“Don’t worry, Shyam has told me what I can eat out and what not. You both just reach there. Okay? Bye.”


She disconnects the call and within a minute we get the address on the phone.

“This place is few blocks away from here.” Khushi mentions. “Let me put it on the GPS.”


She quickly changes the destination on the device and I drive accordingly. We park the car and get down. The restaurant has a good romantic vibe and a similar soft music plays in the background too which is enough to give the romance feels. I’m dressed in casual dark blue jeans and a white shirt, the one which Khushi bought for me the other day for giving her my black T shirt. I just wanted to check her reactions seeing me in it and just what I expected, she had given me more than her normal count of once overs right from the time I’d picked her up from the shoot.


“Hello Sir, Hello Ma’am. How may I help you?”

“We have a reservation.” I mention.

“Sure, Sir. On what name?”

“Arnav Singh Raizada?” I say, a bit unsure if Maa used her name to make the reservation here. And where is she? Even Khushi is looking around for her but so far we can’t spot her.

“Oh yes, you do have a reservation Sir. A corner table for two.”

“Two?” Khushi retorts. “We are three of us.”


He looks back on his phone to check the database and denies

“But your mother booked the table only for two of you. On the names of Arnav Singh Raizada and Khushi Singh Raizada.”


Khushi stares at me and I shrug, asking the manager to give us some time to make a call first. He excuses and leaves away.

“I don’t have a damn clue about it. You think she fixed us?” I ask Khushi.

“Of course she has,” Khushi mutters and seeing her reluctance for having a dinner date with me alone, I dial Maa on her phone.

Maa answers the call immediately.

“Reached?” she asks.

“Maa. What is all this? You said this is a family dinner.” I argue.

“It is a family dinner, Arnav. You and Khushi are a couple and you both need to spend some time with each other, discussing about your relationship.”


I look at Khushi who shakes her head in dismissal.

“Maa, you could have told us. Khushi is tired and I..”

“Is your relationship that out of love that it can’t sustain even one dinner date together?”


Worry laces in her tone which I hate to even think can weaken her health.

“Fine. We are having dinner here. See you soon.”

Khushi stares at me utterly surprised that I am agreeing to this. I disconnect the call and put it back in my pocket.

“We don’t have to do this. Lets cancel the reservation and spend some time loitering around before heading home. She’ll never come to know.”


Khushi exhales.

“Though I like the idea, I am hungry and this place looks … good.” She admires the restaurant. “Besides we can’t eat at home as Maa will think we had dinner here. And who knows maybe she might even call up here to confirm we are dinning and not leaving this place.”


I clench my jaw.

“I don’t want you to do anything against your will or for other’s happiness, Khushi.”


There is a pin drop silence as we both stare at each other.

“I mean it,” I add. “If Maa comes to know I will tell her I didn’t like this place and we ate elsewhere. C’mon.”

I am about to leave when Khushi grabs my hand. This is the first time she has willingly held it. I look at our handhold and then back in her eyes.


“My stomach is growling. I can’t keep looking for other restaurants and wait till we reserve a table for us. Here we already have one. Lets eat here.”


Only when I sense she is really not doing this for anyone else but herself, I agree to it. The table is at the most secluded area, near the glass wall where we have a nice view of the road too. I pull a chair for her and once she is seated, I take the one opposite to Khushi. We are about to place the order when the server gets the wine bottle.


“That’s your wine, Sir. Let us know when you are ready to order.”

I turn to Khushi who shrugs.

“Looks like Maa has planned some more surprises for us.”


She is right. I agree.


“You still want to eat here?” I recheck.

Khushi looks at the wine bottle.

“That’s my favorite wine. So, yes. We are eating here.”

Okay. I take the bottle from the server and once he leaves, I serve it in our glasses. She raises her glass to toast.

“What are we toasting for?” I ask.

“To the coming freedom.” She mocks and just like that my mood turns sour. Khushi is observing my expressions too closely these days as if she doesn't believe I would let her go away from my life that easily. Least does she know this time, I would go to any extent to hurt my heart to bring a smile on her face. I raise my glass and clink with hers.

“To your upcoming freedom,” I reply with a smug smile before sipping the wine.


Khushi sips hers and then we check the menu to decide what to order.


Khushi’s POV


This is Arnav and my first dinner date together and I don’t know what I am supposed to feel about it. Definitely, its not romantic. It’s sad. Especially his expressions when we clinked our glasses. Whatever!! We order and seeing me eat only limited, Arnav is quick to point that.

“You are hardly eating. You said you were hungry, didn’t you?”

I nod.

“You are forgetting, I am a model now. I have to eat limited to look thin.”

“A little flesh here and there wouldn’t be much,” he argues in a teasing tone.
Our gaze meets again and I don’t know if it’s the wine or what, I probe on this specific remark further.

“You are into curvy woman then?”

Arnav nods in denial.

“The only woman I’ve ever touched is you. And you are not curvy.” He sips his wine, but my cheeks flame with an unknown feeling. Our gazes don’t drop yet.

“Maybe in future your choices change.”

“Only if your body changes.” He instantly replies.

I don’t understand.

“What?”

Arnav exhales heavily before leaning over the table to explain me the meaning behind his words.

“I’ll adore you in every size, Khushi. You being slim, curvy or bulky, I rarely care. Whatever you are, I’ve always loved you for that.”


Though I feel the heat from my cheeks spreading throughout my face I put my glass down and give him an annoyed look.

“You had me once. You can’t have me ever again. Start thinking of another woman in your life, Arnav. I am never returning to you.”

It hurts him. I see that on his face.

“I know you are never coming back to me. But what has that to do with me finding another woman?”


I can’t believe he is asking me that.

“Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have needs in future.”

“What needs?”

God! Is he seriously so lame? Or he is just testing me? The server returns, serves us some more dishes and then leaves.

“You know what needs.” I argue. “And don’t you say that you wouldn’t have it only because you can’t get it from me. No man I know can stay without these things forever.”


Arnav grins. Like seriously? Grin? He is pissing me off now.

“Forget me,” he mentions. “What about you? Being a woman, you too will have those needs. What will you do then?”

“I’ll find a man who takes care of it” I snap it out.


The moment I do, I see Arnav fisting his fingers over the table. He looks away from me as if clearly agitated.

“Wow..” he chuckles sipping some more wine then.

“I am being honest unlike you.”

“What the hell made you feel I am not honest in my reply?” He barks.


I don’t know how to reply to that and it feels like Arnav has so much to say more.

“Six years Khushi. Six years I hated you wrongly and still have desired only you for all those carnal things I want to do to a woman. I can sustain without it for the next six births but I cannot even imagine touching another woman intimately.”


I am speechless. How should I reply to that?


“But you don’t worry,” Arnav adds. “You never loved me, right. So when you have those needs, you are free to find a man who takes care of it. But just a piece of advice. Don’t ever look into his eyes when he is inside you and into the moment. He might take it as you love him. The mistake which I did when we consummated our marriage.”


What the hell!! How could he talk to me like that? We are almost done with the dinner but Arnav doesn't even wait for the dessert. He pays the bill and storms out. No he can’t leave like that. Not tonight. I follow him out and turn him around reaching the car.


“Don’t you dare judge my character again, Arnav. Even I have no intentions of flirting with men or lying to them about my love. I am no longer that woman, you know. If I let any man get intimate with me again, it will be out of love. So I WILL look into his eyes when he is inside me. Don’t you effing give me that piece of advice.”

Arnav slides his arm and pulls me to his body. He is back to the rough ASR he was when we were newly married.


“Why not me?” He asks, first in utmost anger and then repeats in a pleading tone. “Why the hell can’t that man be me again, Khushi?”


Tears spring in his eyes and here my heart starts aching again as if it cares for him. We gaze at each other for long before Arnav realizes he has forcefully pressed me to his body. He leaves me and then rakes his fingers in his hair.


“Damn!!!” He roars in anger and punches his fist on the car. “I tried,” he mutters turning to me again. Tears rolls down his cheeks. “I tried to act and make myself believe that I am ready to let you go Khushi. But I can’t. You give me one month or one year or even one birth, I cannot let you go ever.”


He punches his fist on the car glass this time. A crack appears on the glass and it bruises his fingers too. Before he does more damage, I hold his hand and pull him to me.

“Stop.. Just stop hurting yourself.”

I try to look at his fingers but he forcefully pulls away and steps back.

“I am toxic for you, Khushi. If you stay close to me now, you’ll become my obsession again. I can’t let that happen if that’s not what you want.”


What does he mean? What will he do then? He keeps the car keys over the bonnet of the car.


“Go home” he demands.

He starts walking away from me. I don’t know where he is going. He wants me to drive home though. Alone. Tears cloud my vision too. Am I crying? Of course I am. But I am not crying for myself. But for him. For Him!!

“Arnav..” I call him out but he doesn't stop. He keeps walking in the dark alley until I don’t see him anymore.


What the hell just happened?


To be Continued.

NEXT PART

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I Found Love - eBook releasing on Amazon Kindle September 2022.

𝘽𝙇𝙐𝙍𝘽
𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐚
I know to make money, a hell lot of it, and that’s what has made me the man I am today. But a tenacious woman named Alisha Sethi, owning a prime property that I wanted in Mumbai’s hottest real estate sector, stood in my way. Though I kept women at bay, there was something in her I couldn’t ignore. Alisha’s one condition smashed down the barricades of my heart, and despite all the hot and cold conflicts, she turned into an obsession I couldn’t get over. No matter how far she planned to test me, lest did she know when I was dared, no one but me won the challenge.

𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢
I firmly believed my prince charming was just a dream away. But all I got was a pompous and demanding as hell real-estate billionaire, Armaan RaiSinghania, who was continually hounding me to negotiate a deal with him for his next project. I’d sworn never to give up fighting for what I believed in, and yet, one night, one earth-shattering moment changed it all. I’d waited for a romantic lover and got a fiery inferno instead. Armaan might live in the illusion of winning me over, but lest did he know the game had just gotten interesting.

𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚’𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐭?

𝑨 𝑭𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒗𝒔 𝑰𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒊𝒛𝒛𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝑨𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒂𝒊𝑺𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒂, 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉𝒂 𝑺𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊, 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆.

Note: The models used for the book cover and the posts here are nowhere related to the story, its characters or this novel.

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Rohan Oberoi and Ishika Bhatia's love story is releasing after my upcoming book "I Found Love"

Until then enjoy this teaser.

Rohan Oberoi has been an integral part of the book ‘Mr and Mrs Kapoor’ and ‘Love By Chance’.

Readers have loved him as Vansh Kapoor's best friend and a protective brotherly figure to Vidhi, raving over their cute bickering all the time. But, no one noticed his unrequited love, his sorrow behind the mask of the happy go lucky persona he exuded.

And, now it’s time to reveal his love story.
Are you excited?

To get to know more about Rohan and Ishika, do not miss reading the books:
Mr and Mrs Kapoor
Love By Chance

Rohan Oberoi and Ishika Bhatia’s love story will release in October end. Stay Tuned.

Note: The models used for the book cover and the posts here are nowhere related to the story, its characters or this novel.