Infinite

Chapter 1

For all of you who wished there was more of Incandescent... (I hope you don't regret asking)

Heavy velvet drapery covered the huge ground to ceiling window of the penthouse bedroom and blocked out the bright, clear day that it was outside. Khushi, who was sleeping peacefully, had no clue about the precise time of the day nor was she interested. She fluttered her eyes open momentarily to the sound of a door closing and saw that Arnav was not there beside her. They had always been early risers so Khushi gathered that it must be some time early in the morning. But today, she was much too sleepy to get out of bed so she went back into a peaceful sleep, the soft comfort of her bed luring her right back in.

While she thought that it was Arnav leaving for his morning jog or the workaholic in him waking up early to attend to some work before she woke, it was actually Arnav coming in to check on her for the third time since morning to see if she was awake or if everything was alright. Arnav didn't know what to make of it. Khushi wasn't one to sleep in so much and she was always up the minute she realized he was up. For the first two hours, he had kept calm owing it to her pregnancy but the longer she slept the more restive he became.

It was all new to him. She might be the one carrying the baby and he was in no way comparing what he felt to what she might be going through. But, he was coming to realize that becoming a father came with it's own emotional baggage. Only the physiological challenges excluded. That, within a few days of learning that his wife was pregnant. When they had been to the doctor and seen that tiny being for the first time, what he had experienced he would never be able to put in words. Learning that a tiny heart already beat in that pea sized body and listening to that rhythmic sound was an incredible experience.

He paced around his apartment feeling at edge. She hasn't eaten. Was that alright?

Maybe he should call his grandmother or someone from the family. They would know. But if it was something trivial, he couldn't live down their teasing. He could call the doctor. But she was only sleeping a little extra after all.

He pondered over his options and finally decided that he would Google. And so, Arnav Singh Raizada googled. He couldn't be satisfied with one answer, of course. So he read everything there is to on that first page of search result and then some. It put his mind at ease for the time being that it can't be anything abnormal. Though some of the results also made him decide that next time he would make sure that he didn't Google anything related to her pregnancy.

After checking on her again, he went to the kitchen and whipped up a quick breakfast for himself and his wife. And then he checked on her once more before going into his study.

It was almost noon when Khushi groggily opened her eyes. The darkened room still looked rather inviting but a quick look at the clock on her night stand jolted Khushi from the remnants of her sleep. She hurriedly got out of bed and after refreshing herself, went to find Arnav. On the way, she saw a glass of juice, a bowl of oatmeal, sprouted salad and some fruits on the table. Lord governor, she muttered and chuckled. He was such an angrez. Assuming it must be for her and owing to her rumbling stomach, she ate quickly and went to find Arnav.

Khushi opened the door to his study and found him seated behind his desk perusing a huge file. He was wearing a loose black shirt that was unbuttoned at the top and as he flicked the papers, her attention was drawn to his forearm that was visible due to the sleeves being folded to the elbow. As if in a trance, she watched the movement of his hands, admiring and found him look up just then.

She reddened at being caught staring.

"Hi." He said in a breathy voice that sent her pulses raging.