After lunch, Arnav decided to play his kind of movies for them to watch. According to him, he was welcoming her into his home, his lifestyle.. so today they were going to do everything according to his likes. The Salman Khan movie he had put on before was an exception to lift her mood.
Khushi accepted it without thinking twice. Of course, she was always curious about him and his mysterious lifestyle. But she deeply regret it now. Not really!
"Eww... ye kaisi movie hai Arnav ji? I think I'm actually going to be sick," she groaned, her nose wrinkling in disgust. She turned her face away from the screen, burying her face against the solid warmth of his chest to escape the sight of a particularly cold-blooded action sequence.
They were tangled together on the L-shaped sofa, a heavy chocolate-brown blanket cocooning them against the chill of the AC.
Arnav chuckled. He pulled the edge of the blanket over her head, shielding her from the horrifying scene playing on TV. "It's just this one scene, Khushi. It'll be back to the plot in the next scene."
"Don't you like rom-coms?" She peeked out from under the blanket, offering him her endearing puppy eyes.
"No," he replied, his voice laced with a teasing confidence. "Only crime thrillers. Dark, gritty, and logical."
Khushi pouted, a grumble escaping her as she reluctantly turned her attention back to the TV, though she kept her hand firmly gripped on his shirt.
"Think about it," he whispered into her hair, his tone dancing with mischief. "You still have time to run away from me."
The playfulness missed its mark. Khushi stiffened, looking up at him hurt. "Why would you say that? It's not enough that everyone else is hell-bent on proving that we're not made for each other and now you're joining them? If you don't believe in us, then-"
"I'm joking, baba," he interrupted softly, his expression instantly softening as he realized she took his joke seriously. He tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer.
She settled back against his chest, listening to the steady, reassuring beats of his heart, "Mujhe aise majjak bilkul bhi nahi pasand," she mumbled, her pout evident in her voice.
"I know, I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. His hand moved in slow, soothing circles over the blanket covering her back, as he leaned down to catch her forehead with a tender, coaxing kiss, eventually resting his chin on her head as they drifted into a comfortable silence.
Khushi felt as though she had woken up in a parallel universe where the cold and robotic Arnav Singh Raizada had turned into a man she barely recognized but had always hoped for.
While he had softened over the months, he usually remained the Laad Governor, arrogant, robotic and frustratingly distant. But today he was different. He was talkative. He was gentle. He leaned into her touch without the usual flicker of hesitation, offering hugs and kisses with a natural intimacy that left her momentarily speechless.
The realization hit her like a lightning bolt. She sat up straight, her sudden movement making Arnav blink in confusion. She turned to him, her gaze narrowing with mock suspicion, "What happened to you?"
Arnav shrugged, a trace of a genuine smile playing on his lips. "What happened to me?"
"You're not you," she insisted, pointing a finger at his chest. "The ASR, the Genie, the Mr. Cold Light that I know... You're behaving so differently today."
"Don't you like the change?" he asked, his voice husky as he smirked.
Khushi's smile widened, "I love it! But I'm also curious what made you change overnight? Till yesterday, you were the man who never thought about marriage and ideal life partners and today, you're openly confessing your feelings to me."
