Contract Commitment ▪︎ARSHI▪︎

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Khushi's eyes had graced over the poster in their living room numerous amounts of time but she had never really taken the words in. "Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers" she read aloud the quote by Voltaire, a man who much like her husband believed in the freedom to be whoever you wanted without judgement, she assumed that was why he'd spoken his proposition so outright without even a tinge of shame on his tanned skin. 

A week had passed since their initial conversation where he spoke and her jaw remained on the floor. Ever since the words escaped his mouth, her heart had pumped dizzyingly and she'd tried her best to stay as far away from him as she possibly could, so when he'd told her to take time to think about it, she'd done just that. 

Sunday had been filled with sorting out her filing cabinet, cleaning her office and deciding to redecorate her entire work premises, simply because why not? 

Monday passed during a multitude of phone calls to family and old friends that she likely didn't need to speak to but did just so whenever her husband walked into her home office she could excuse herself by claiming false busyness. 

Tuesday ticked by while she shopped for groceries, home essentials and things she didn't need but liked because she deserved to treat herself after the conversation that took her breath away and caused far too many sleepless nights. 

The next three days were spent at a spa, cleansing her skin while she cleansed her soul of all concerns that her husband would fulfil his desires in bed with another woman. It wasn't that she was jealous, but since they were married in the eyes of the law it felt odd, to say the least, to find him coming home late after spending all his energy on a night time woman for a few hundred. 

When the week had completed a full circle landing back on Saturday again, Khushi had slept in, scheduled business meetings late in the afternoon so she wouldn't have to cross paths with Arnav only to find a merger file on Kashlank Industries that she knew he needed for his meeting in thirty minutes. So, after having a go at herself in front of the bathroom mirror and bracing herself to see him again, she set off. 

Ananya peered over her computer "Mrs Raizada, what are you doing here?" Her smile was polite, grey eyes filled with eagerness at someone to talk to. 

"Hey Ana" she wrapped an arm awkwardly around her from over the desk. "Arnav forgot this file, he needs it for his next meeting" placing it down, she searched around slyly to ensure he was nowhere to be seen. 

"Oh, he's in the conference room, just through there" she winked, "Catch up soon?" 

Realising she'd have to drop it off to him herself, she paled. "Sure, see you" walking as slowly as humanly possible, she checked her hair in the glass, patted it down then used her hip to open the door "File, Boss".

Arnav jumped up from the chair "I wasn't expecting you" he lied, he'd purposely 'left' his file at home so she would have no choice but have to face him and what he'd said, he just hadn't thought she'd show up so late and catch him in his preparation time. 

Opening her mouth to say something, anything, she shut it abruptly in a goldfish like manner at the sight before her. 

Dressed in a dark grey blazer and trousers to match, his sleeves were rolled tightly to his elbows, but that wasn't what caught her off guard, it was the fact he had cartoon stickers of Winnie The Pooh all over his face.