Desert Rose

Chapter 18

His mouth claimed her lips in an urgency that suffused her entire body with an intense, uncontrollable longing for fulfilment. She responded with an abandon, opening her lips to allow the insistent thrust of his tongue. Her entire body shuddered with excitement as her dhak-dhak began in full force....

Khushi woke up with a start as her heart had started clamouring wildly. She opened her eyes almost expecting to see the chocolate eyes staring back at her. But all she could see was an empty bed.She had been dreaming about him again.

She couldn't believe that it was almost a month after Payal and Akash's wedding --- a month of discoveries for Khushi in her new household.

On the night of the Sangeet, she had cried herself to sleep when Shyam had told her about Arnav and Ria. In the days following the wedding, she had kept out of Arnav's way, talking to him only when absolutely necessary. After two weeks, Arnav had left on a business trip.

In retrospect, Khushi realized that she had no right to feel so possessive about someone who didn't love her in return. He had married her due to a sense of responsibility and nothing more.

But she missed him. She missed seeing him through the mirror as he came into the room sweaty from the gym. She missed seeing him at breakfast. She missed seeing him before she fell asleep across her pillows.Did being in love make one weak and pathetic like it did her?

She remembered her resolve about giving him his freedom after Akash and Payal were settled in their married life. But Khushi had soon realized that it might be easier said than done.

Mamiji, still upset that things had not gone her way, had turned out be quiet the tyrant. Naniji, much progressive than her daughter-in-law, inspite of her age, had decided to go on a pilgrimage along with her friends. So in her absence mamiji was having a field day. She had made it very clear that she no longer wanted to eat food prepared by Hariprakash or Lakshmi, as it was the duty of the new daughter-in-law to cook. She also expected Payal to get the pooja room ready for the early morning aarti and then press her legs every night after dinner. She left no stone unturned to treat like the hired help.Of all the things, it was mamiji's snide remarks about the pregnancy that hurt Khushi the most.

Payal being anaemic,in addition to suffering from severe morning sickness was having a tough time coping up. Luckily for them, mamiji was too lazy to supervise for more than a few minutes, allowing Khushi to cover up for her wherever possible. She woke up early to get the pooja ready for the aarti and then managed to prepare breakfast. Later on, she helped Payal prepare lunch and dinner, making sure she did minimal work.

Though Akash was a very loving husband,he often took a very neutral position --as far his mother was concerned, which was in no way useful to Payal. He continued to go on his weekly boys' night out leaving Payal all alone. Khushi realized that Arnav was right about him. He was not ready for marriage.

The one person Khushi could count on – her sister-in-law, Anjali -- was just too busy. The reason for that was that Anjali ran an NGO in collaboration with Dr Manav. She accompanied Dr Manav on his rounds of the smaller villages where they worked closely with the local Panchayats regarding issues like basic healthcare and education. Khushi had once accompanied them on one such trip and was amazed at the selfless work they did together.

'A year ago, I was in a deep depression Khushi,' Anjali had confessed to her. She had found out that she could not conceive because of a uterine defect. That was the reason she had decided to stay in Raisar as the loneliness in Delhi had been driving her crazy. One day, Manav had taken her with him on one of his rounds, to one of the villages where Anjali had seen women with problems much greater than her own. She had found her purpose in life. Arnav had agreed to her idea of starting an NGO and had funded her organization.