The Unwanted Bride

16 - Lights Out

Typed: 15/12/2023
Chapter 16: Lights Out

Author's POV:

Khushi was still asleep when Yug woke up the next morning. Her legs were cocooned in between his for warmth and her arms tightly wrapped around his midriff, fast asleep. He touches her shoulder, running his hands up and down, tickling her. Khushi is in a deep slumber that she doesn't even move a bit.

Yug moves his hand from her shoulder and grazes her cheeks with the back of his hands, leisuring the moment. Praying it lasts longer. Hoping it repeats. With a faint kiss on her jet-black hair, Yug gets out of the bed, covering her with the blanket and puts on the same navy blue jogging suit to go for his early morning runs.

Khushi wakes an hour and a half after Yug has left. Unlike the first morning, she's not looking for her husband. She's well aware of his routine runs. Instead of going for a shower, she wears just her suit top and gives her father a call.

Her phone is adjusted between her ear and shoulder while she opens the curtains, letting the sun rays fall in her bedroom too. "Hello, papa." She greets him. The call was unexpected for both of them. They barely spoke when they lived under the same roof so a phone call is a shock. He greets her back before she says, "did you get to speak to Yug? When you both met for the first time and during the arrangements?"

There's silence and she can hear her father's breathing. Carefully he says, "we spoke, yes, why are you asking?"

Once happy with the view in front of her, Khushi lets go of the curtains. Her left hand takes hold of her phone and right hand runs up and down her upper waist, as if to give her moral support to have this conversation. "Did you speak about—" she lets out a nervous breath. "—everything?"

Another pause. "I spoke to him about everything that was necessary," Khushi's eyes still on the mountain, purposely distracting herself. "Did something happen?" Anxiety is strong in his voice.

Khushi lets out a sad gasp. She hates talking about her past, about Samar so she never brought it up in a conversation. She was hoping her father would have the conversation with her in-laws and husband before they got married. Of course, it did come across her mind as to whether Yug knew or not but she selfishly ignored it. Khushi ignored the thought out it. Until after last night. Until now.

"Papa," it's a screech. She's close to yelling, "how could you not tell him? He's my husband." I should have brought it up during our courting period. I should have. But she didn't, afraid of his reaction and her own. She hated reliving it all.

Something uneasy creeps in her stomach and she touches it. "Because you deserve happiness and I couldn't afford such a good proposal go to waste!" His reasoning didn't justify his acts. "Besides, nobody knows around us about it. Keep numb, Khushi." He waits for her reply but she doesn't. "How is he? If he kind to you?" She can hear the worry in his tone.

"I love how it takes you three days to ask me whether he's kind to me or not." Her voice is curt and she doesn't hide her hatred in it too. Eyes watery but will not let her cry and give up easily, "that too when I call you." She hangs up, clutching her phone in her hand painfully tight.

She flinches when she feels two hands snaking around her stomach, pulling her back to his body. "It's only me," he reminds her of his presence. Even though she recognised the touch after a bit and heard his uniquely deep voice, Khushi still tilts her head to double-check. Yug smirks, kissing her nose, "don't believe me, huh?"

Khushi bumps her temple with his, leaving a tingling kiss on the corner of his lips before turning her face back to the big window, staring out. She exhales out her tension and places her hand on top of her husband's. "How was your run?"