The Time To Love

Whom To Blame??

Arnav was sitting in his cabin busy in his thought. It had been two months to that day......the day they had a secret between them......a secret still unknown to him. Since that day the relationship was not the same.......the spark......the craze......the teases.......everything that pulled them closer had suddenly disappeared. Khushi went silent nevertheless taking care of his needs. She cooks the food, does the household works, arranges their bedroom and his study.......but even house-maids do these things. The only thing that keeps reminding him that she is his wife is their nights. But thinking about those Arnav's heart sank. Their love making was moving to a direction where it could only be termed as plain ***......the craze to forget everything in each other, that desire to consume the other....all that is replaced by pure animalistic needs. They were human beings after all......a true man and woman. Oh....how he wish to love her like never before......to cherish her like no man ever did.

He wanted to talk it out to her but if only she listened. He wondered what has suddenly happened on that one day that strained their relationship to this level. Thinking about the last months he remembered the incidents that added salt to the already dirty and infected wound.

Khushi entered Arnav's study happily where he was working on the last minute paper works of some project. She wanted to talk to him something important.

"Kya Hua Khushi....?" She heard Arnav ask......his eyes still busy reading the file.

Khushi felt irritated.....was this project more important to him than her? Suppressing her bubbling anger, she asked him to look at her.

"Tell me the matter Khushi......this is an urgent work......I'm listening to you!" was the reply she got.

Finally letting go in anger, Khushi walked to him and shut the laptop hard. Arnav was shocked at the sudden action at the same time angry at her too.

"What the hell Khushi, you know how important this is?" Arnav asked shoving the file onto the table.

However Khushi was like going crazy. She took up the file from the table and not giving a second thought tore it up into pieces. She didn't know what she was doing.

"See now, your important work is no more to be completed......" Khushi was about to continue when Arnav interrupted holding her by her arm.

"Do you even know how much this deal costs.......are you mad Khushi......You know how important this branch is to AR.....still...." Khushi cut him this time pushing him and getting out of his hold.

"Oh yeah right....I know how important this is to you and your family......Well guess this is what happens when all of a sudden you grow rich......you would start feeling that thirst for money......but let me tell you I have no such care about it.....I was born to a well established family.....not like yours who had grown rich in the last few years......Who knows.....maybe you might have cheated someone to get all this money.......ask your dad....."Khushi would have blabbered more had she not felt a stinging sensation on her left cheek.

Arnav would have listened to any **** she uttered but not a word about his family. He knew she was not a silent shy kitten.....of course not......she was an over-pampered doll of her parents and brother. Born in a rich family, she never knew the importance of money....not like she spent a lot but she never cared a lot for it. However he was not like that. He had seen the rise of AR with his eyes......seen how much his dad worked to make it like it is today. And Khushi had today hit him at the bad nerve......

He did not want to slap her....hell he did not even want to hurt her with a slight touch. But somewhere in his heart he knew she needed it. Looking at her who was staring at him red eyed and teary, he knew the damage was done.

"You slapped me Arnav.....? Who the hell gave you the right to hit me?" Khushi yelled.

"Don't shout Khushi......if you have the rights to talk ill about my family then I do have the rights to slap you. Pati hoon tumhara........"

"Pati Ho To Kya Hua......you'll slap me? I've never been slapped in my life...."

"I never wanted to slap you Khushi......it's you who made me do it.......You..."

And the argument continued.....

That day was just the beginning of the cold war happening between them. They do everything for the other.....they still cared for the other. But their big fat ego stood in between.

The worst part in all this is that he cannot figure out what went wrong that day and that girl is hell bent on not sharing it with him. His frustration was increasing by seconds and all that he took out on his employees and at times on her too.......sometimes shouting at her and at times taking her to bed as a tension reliever. Their relationship is strained.....he knows it.....but why this nagging feeling that it is not Khushi's fault? There is always a feeling in his heart that he is to an extent responsible for all this, if not completely.

Arnav finally closed his eyes leaning back on his chair with the last thought lingering in his mind.......he doesn't deserve Khushi.

**********

Khushi was sitting on the bed thinking about the same incident. She knew she deserved that slap. Even she felt ashamed of the way she talked about Aadesh uncle......no now her dad. She knew him since long....she knew how an honest man he was.....and one of the reasons she married Arnav was that he was his son. Also, she had no rights to talk about his family but that day it was some devil that entered her that moment which made her do all that. She was never an arrogant girl but was sure a pampered one. So, when Arnav slapped her it had hurt her ego.....thought she knew she deserved it, she couldn't just accept it!

Their relationship had taken a real bad turn. Every time they spent their nights in each other's arms, her heart broke million times missing that passionate Arnav.......that man who loved her......the man whom she had given herself to. But she was the one who started it right? Then how could she blame him?