Perfectly Flawed (Complete) (Under Editing)

Chapter One

"Yes Amma, I've just reached home. Will catch up later, bye Amma." Khushi struggled to balance her phone between her shoulder and her ear as she bent to place her duffle bag on the step. Peace, that is what Khushi had hoped for when she went to spend a week at her mother's, but how could she have achieved that when one man relentlessly plagued her mind every moment of her life?

But it seemed to her that it was only in her mind where he ceased to be. Expecting Shantivan to be as deserted as before, with Akash and Payal having shifted to their own pad and Nani, Mama and Mami ji in Lucknow to meet up with a few relatives, Khushi found herself humming a soft tune as she rummaged through her voluminous handbag, standing on the porch. Not wanting to disturb the Prakash brothers, she struggled for a few minutes before she found the key, and turned it in the lock.

"Hi!" Khushi gasped, her bag slipping off her shoulder, as Arnav walked towards her, with a slight smile on his face. Calming her racing heartbeats, she let her eyes drink in the sight of a man she had barely expected to be home before she slept.

Khushi, as always, waited for an explanation. But, Arnav, as always, saw no need for one. He seemed absolutely unfazed by the fact that he had, for the last two weeks, been returning home well after midnight, disturbing all Khushi's notions of marital bliss and harmony. A sudden anger erupted within Khushi, as she saw him so calm and unperturbed by her presence while she had been pining all the time for him. His practical absence from her life, even while she was at Shantivan, had pushed her to spend seven days away from her husband.

Looking into his eyes, she wondered if he even missed her.

Unaware of the storm of emotions raging behind the glazed hazel eyes, Arnav snaked an arm around his young wife's waist and leaned in to kiss her lips, when Khushi turned aside. The smile on his face faded when his sharp sight perceive that it wasn't shyness this time.

Nonetheless, he took her petite frame into a heated embrace and burrowed his head into the crook of her neck, breathing in her flowery fragrance.

Arnav waited for Khushi to melt into his arms as usual, but Khushi remained distinctly unaffected by his touch. Placing her palms on his chest, she distanced herself from him and walked towards the kitchen, while he balled up his fists, in an attempt to reign in his infamous temper.

"I didn't know I would get such a wonderful welcome."

The sarcasm wasn't missed.

Khushi looked up to find her husband shed the mask of the lover she barely knew, and revert to that of the angry man she knew all too well.

She looked up to find his eyes hesitant with guilt as he looked upon her saddened face. Khushi almost smiled to herself - Arnav always knew when she was hurt, but he never knew how much.

But this time, Khushi couldn't find it in herself to make up an excuse for his flaws. Wasn't the pain evident?

The distance was becoming too much for her to bear. As if the latest happenings after their scandalous marriage weren't enough. Counting backward from ten to one, Khushi put up a smile, with some effort and asked about his day.

Arnav leaned against the marble counter and took the freshly brewed black coffee from his wife's hands, looking at her with a searching eye. Noting mentally that there was something wrong with her, he decided to avoid a confrontation at present and answered her questions instead.

"It was pretty tiring. I do feel that Dogre's messing up with the quotations. Aman's looking into the matter," Arnav said in a disengaged tone. Khushi silently admonished herself for stagnating their conversation. Mildly fidgeting with her fingers, she drew closer to Arnav, acutely aware of the sudden stillness in him as he measured her gestures.