Moments (IPKKND Secret Romance #2) (aka Our Moments)

Chapter 12: Arnav

17 December

*****

Kitna pyara wada hai in matwali aankhon ka, [What sweet promises these intoxicating eyes are making,]

Iss masti mein soojhe na, kya kar daalun haal. [I don't know what I'm going to do in my joy,]

Mohe sambhal. [Steady me.]

*****

Payal answered the door when he knocked, inviting him inside for tea and breakfast. For the second time on two weeks, Arnav found himself seated on Bua-ji's couch, waiting for Khushi to make an appearance. Payal served him tea before settling down on the smaller sofa, explaining that it was only her and Khushi at home as her Bua-ji had gone to meet her Amma and Babu-ji at the station. They were returning from their healing retreat.

He made polite conversation with Aakash's fiancée, recognising with a jolt that they'd never had the chance to speak properly. He'd spoken to her twice - when he'd apologised for his role in breaking her marriage, and during the farce that Khushi had cooked up to bring Aakash and Payal together. He'd liked that she was honest and direct, polite and deferential, but not weak by any means. Now, as they discussed the next steps for Shashi's treatments, he started to understand her better.

She wasn't like his Khushi, that much was obvious. Like Aakash, she was soft-spoken and down-to-earth. The timbre of her voice changed when she spoke about her sister, however, and Arnav saw that she was as fiercely protective of Khushi as Di was of him. He still remembered the dressing down she'd delivered when he'd brought Khushi home, unconscious, after the incident in the guesthouse. The more time he spent with her, the more Arnav realized that, after Bua-ji, Payal might present the biggest hurdle in his and Khushi's plans.

Arnav looked up when Khushi finally came into the room. The serene, satisfied smile on her face let him know that she'd done this deliberately. She'd wanted him to spend time with her sister, this woman who was going to become his sister-in-law twice over. He smiled back at her, already plotting his revenge for her manipulation, and drained the last of his tea before standing up.

"Payal, do you want to come with us?" he asked, "Aakash is home today."

"Thank you, but no," Payal blushed, "Someone has to get the house ready for Babu-ji's return."

"Oh," Arnav turned to Khushi, "Do you want to stay back and help?"

"I ..." Khushi wrung her hands, "I already told Anjali-ji I was coming and she's organised for a jeweller to visit."

They hastily completed their goodbyes and left Payal waving at them from the front door. The first thing Arnav noticed when he sat in the driver's seat was that Khushi had brought another CD with her.

The second was that she wasn't wearing his ring.

Khushi organized the music while he drove, but looked at him in askance when he stopped the car as soon as they were out of sight. Arnav leaned over the console to kiss her, first her cheeks and then quickly, almost chastely, on her mouth. She gasped, and his fingers curled into a fist in an effort to remain in control. She wasn't ready for what he wanted.

"Hi," he whispered, "I missed you."

Smiling, she brought her hand up to caress his cheek. "Me too."

He took her left hand in his and then raised an eyebrow at her, watching as she blushed at his unspoken question. She reached into her bag and showed him the ring, tucked safely into its box.