SS: Open Your Eyes

 Part 1

Arnav woke up feeling happier than he had in months. His eyes instantly went to Khushi who was curled up on her side of the bed with the majority of the blanket wrapped around her. He smiled at the sight before slowly prising some of it away from her to cover himself up to his waist as he sat up and watched her sleep. He wanted to pull her closer, wrap his arms around her again and stay like that forever but the dark shadows underneath her eyes stopped him. He didn't want to risk waking her by touching her.

Yesterday had been a terrible day for everyone but Arnav was relieved that finally everything was out in the open. Di would have trouble adjusting to life without her husband but in time she would realise she was better off with him. Even Arnav hadn't realised just how sick and twisted Shyam had been. To cheat on his wife was one thing but to attempt to murder the father of a woman he claimed to love was above and beyond anything Arnav could have expected.

Khushi had understandably been shocked and devastated by the news that this man that she had once trusted and welcomed into her house could be so ruthless. She'd wanted to go home straight away to see her father as soon as Shyam had been arrested but Arnav had convinced her it was too late at night. He'd promised to take her first thing in the morning and she'd been pacified slightly by his promise but the tears still continued.

Arnav had held her in his arms and wiped away her tears; first with his hands and then with his lips. He'd placed soft kisses all over her cheeks before moving down to her jaw and then the corners of her mouth. If Khushi had shown any indication of being uncomfortable Arnav never would have continued but she was responsive and it had been Khushi that took the first step by attempting to unbutton his shirt.  When her fingers fumbled slightly, Arnav took over, disposing of his shirt rapidly before helping Khushi out of her clothes.

She pulled him towards her again and kissed him, running her hands over his shoulders and back. Arnav broke the kiss briefly, if Khushi kept this up he wouldn't have any control left. The view of her naked body was enough to make anyone lose control and the feel of Khushi's soft hands on his body was almost too much to bear. 'Khushi, are you sure?'

He saw the passion in her darkened eyes which served only to increase his own passion, then she nodded and kissed him again, biting his bottom lip as she unbuttoned his trousers. When she came into contact with the evidence of his desire Arnav reached his limit and he pushed her back onto the bed and took off his trousers and boxers before joining her back on the bed. Arnav didn't stop until he'd kissed every part of her body and made her cry out his name multiple times.

They hadn't talked afterwards, Arnav had been unable to speak, so dazed was he by the experience and Khushi had been exhausted. She had eventually fallen asleep on Arnav's shoulder with her arms around his waist and legs entwined with his. Arnav had pulled her close and kissed her hair, finally able to speak, 'I love you.'

It wasn't how Arnav had intended their first time together to be. He'd been planning on waiting until everything with Shyam was sorted before telling Khushi that he was in love with her and he wanted this marriage to be real, to continue, even after they'd exposed Shyam. But he didn't regret it at all. How could you regret something so beautiful, so perfect, and so right?

He continued to watch her until rays of sunlight began to filter in through the curtains making the contours on her face shine. He didn't want to leave her, wanted to be there when she opened her eyes but he knew she'd be impatient to visit her parents when she did and he didn't want to make them late so he got off the bed slowly, careful not to wake her. However he couldn't resist kissing her lightly on the side of her forehead before he went to shower.


Part 2

Arnav was disappointed to find Khushi wasn't in bed when he returned. The bed was made and their clothes that had been strewn on the floor from last night tidied away. She'd probably gone to shower in one of the guest bathrooms which she often did if they woke up at similar times. He smiled to himself as he dressed; hopefully soon Khushi would be comfortable enough around him that they could shower together.

He got ready quickly and made it downstairs just in time for the pooja. Everybody was already there and Arnav stood in his usual place behind Khushi kissing her again lightly on the cheek while everyone had their eyes closed causing her eyes to open briefly in surprise. Once the pooja finished Khushi went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast avoiding Arnav's gaze. She was probably feeling shy after last night and Arnav would have gone after her and given her something to truly be shy about if the mood in the house wasn't so despondent.

It didn't fit with his own mood of elation but he certainly didn't want to rub his own happiness in Di's face and so he managed to keep his hands to himself all through the almost silent breakfast although he couldn't control his eyes. If it was possible, Khushi looked even prettier today than she ever had before although she was wearing a plain dark outfit with none of her usual embellishments, almost as if she was in mourning.

He was looking forward to finally being alone with her in the car when Di and Nani announced that they wanted to visit Khushi's parents too. Arnav closed his eyes in frustration as he heard them; it was almost as if he wasn't meant to be alone with Khushi today. He looked over at her frequently during the drive, she looked even more sad than she had last night and Arnav disregarded the fact that Nani and Di were in the back of the car and took Khushi's hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. 'Babuji's fine Khushi, nothing can happen to him now. I promise.'

She squeezed his hand back but her expression didn't change. Arnav held onto her hand until they reached the house and he had to park. He felt Khushi's reluctance to let go and would have leaned over to kiss her if they had been alone in the car. He couldn't understand why she was so distraught. Last night she'd wanted to come here desperately but now that they were here she didn't seem to want to leave the car.

Once they got inside Arnav felt so proud to see the calm and collected way Khushi explained to her family members about Shyam's truth and his eventual exposure last night. She had been similarly calm last night in the midst of all the drama. Only when they were finally in their room and alone had she broken down and cried in his arms.

Arnav felt another stab of frustration when Khushi announced she wanted to stay longer at her parent's house but he couldn't blame her. She had hardly spent any time here since their wedding, afraid of finding herself alone with Shyam and his psychotic tendencies.

'Just ring me when you want me to pick you up,' Arnav said to Khushi softly as Nani and Di said their goodbyes. He saw the same reluctance in her eyes again. He understood that she wanted to stay with her parents but she also didn't want him to leave. He held her elbow and led her outside towards the car so they could speak privately. As soon as they were by the car Khushi threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest and sobbed loudly.

Arnav pulled away slightly to wipe her tears, 'Khushi why are you crying? Everything is fine now and pretty soon Babuji will get better too. He can't hurt you anymore. I won't let him come anywhere near you and Di ever again. I promise.' He leant down to kiss her but was interrupted by the sounds of Nani and Di leaving the house. He settled for giving her a quick reassuring hug instead.

Arnav could see Khushi in the rear-view mirror watching them drive away still looking tearful and he felt devastated although he didn't know why. They would see each other in a matter of hours anyway.

Part 3

Arnav spent the rest of the day working from home, anxiously awaiting Khushi's phone call. He couldn't wait to see her again, to hold her again and love her again. It was after dinner and Khushi still hadn't rung and Arnav paced in his room as he rang her and waited for her to answer. The phone rang endlessly until it went to the automated voicemail settings.

He'd wanted to speak to her in private but he'd settle for anything so he rang their house phone and smiled to himself as he waited for Payal to call Khushi.

'Arnavji?'

'Hello Khushi? I rang your phone but you didn't answer.'

'Oh' It's in the bedroom so I' that's why I didn't answer.'

'Okay, well I'm just going to leave now so if you get ready, I'll be there in about half an hour.'

'Arnavji!'

'Khushi?'

'Erm' actually I don't need' I mean I was thinking I could stay here tonight. It's been so long you see and'.'

'Khushi,' he wanted to say no, he wanted to demand that she came home instantly, came back to him but he couldn't refuse her softly spoken request. ''I'll miss you tonight.'

'I' Arnavji, I''

'It's okay Khushi,' he replied smiling. 'I know your parents must be around.'

'Yes' they're right here'.'

'Goodnight Khushi.'

'Goodbye Arnavji.'

Arnav couldn't sleep. This was the first night since their wedding that he was sleeping alone. Last night had been the first night they'd even touched while in bed but he missed her. Usually he slept on the very edge of his side leaving Khushi the majority of the space on the bed for all the tossing and turning she usually did. It was impossible. He couldn't get to sleep. The bed was too big, too empty and too cold.

He rang Khushi hoping that the sound of her voice would calm his restlessness somewhat but the phone only rang until the automated voicemail kicked in. Arnav made a mental note to get Khushi to record an actual voicemail message. Then in future even if she couldn't answer, he'd still be able to hear her voice even for a few seconds. He put the phone back on the bedside table and lay staring at the ceiling until sleep finally overtook him.

---

Arnav dialled the number again, frustrated at not having even spoken to Khushi for over 12 hours. He'd rang her house again only to be told she'd gone out to the temple but this was now the 6^th time he'd tried her phone since this morning and she still hadn't answered. The worry that something could have happened to her was eating him away and he tried once again. It went to voicemail just as it had every other time he'd rung and Arnav shoved his phone into his phone angrily as he strode out of the room.

He saw her immediately sitting on one of the benches outside the temple and he noticed she was crying again. Her head was in her hands and her loose hair obscuring his view but he knew she was crying.  Arnav walked over to her quickly, anxious to be by her side.

He put a hand on her shoulder as he called her name and she got up immediately and backed away wiping her tears. 'Arnavji! What are you doing here?'

He saw her phone lying on the bench next to her and he tried to step towards her but stopped when he saw she was only stepping further away from him. 'Khushi, what's wrong? Why didn't you answer my calls?'

'Please leave Arnavji, please leave.'

'Khushi?' Arnav was confused now, he didn't understand what could be wrong with her.

'Please don't make this more difficult for me. Just leave.'

'Difficult? Make what difficult?'

'I just want to forget everything that's happened, the past 6 months' no the past year. I just want to forget it all. You being here' it just makes things more difficult.'

'Forget?' Arnav tried to make sense of what Khushi was saying but it was almost like a puzzle. He had all the pieces but he just couldn't seem to make them fit together.

'I just think it's easier if we do this now. It will be easier for them to deal with everything in one go rather than in bits and pieces. I don't want to wait for them to get over this whole thing with Shyamji and then have them be devastated again when we get divorced.'

Arnav watched as Khushi turned and started to rush back towards the temple. Suddenly all the pieces fit and he ran after Khushi and stopped in front of her blocking her path.

'Divorced? We're getting divorced?'

Part 4


'Arnavji, I'm sure you can make it as fast as possible and I won't hassle you for anything at all. I don't want anything.'


Arnav felt his rage begin to take over, 'divorce! You want a divorce Khushi! You want to forget the past year? Or do you mean that you want to forget me? Well let me tell you something. We are not getting divorced!'


He shook her hoping to get a response but when he saw the fear in her eyes he felt himself instantly calm down and feel guilty. This wasn't like before. She was his wife, he loved her, and he shouldn't raise his voice towards her even if he was angry. He shouldn't be responsible for upsetting her but rather he should be the one taking all her problems away.


Khushi averted her gaze from his to look at the floor,' I... you said, you promised. You said that we only had to stay married until Shyam was exposed. You promised. We made a deal, we signed a contract!'


'A contract? A deal? Right I see,' Arnav took a step back from her and took in another calming breath. 'So was it part of the deal when you used to stay up late waiting for me to come home from work? Was it part of the deal when you bought those plants for my birthday? Was it part of the deal when we... last night? Was that part of the deal too?!'


'I... Arnavji... I don't...' She was blinking back tears and Arnav felt himself melting but he held onto the anger inside of him, furious with her for even thinking about divorce let alone saying it out loud.


'It wasn't part of the deal when I would bring home jalebis for you. It wasn't part of the deal when I watched all of those ridiculous Salman Khan films for you. It wasn't part of the deal when I went to all those damn poojas for you! And it definitely wasn't part of the deal when I fell in love with you!'


She gasped and her hand flew up to cover her mouth.


Arnav stepped closer to her again, speaking softly this time. 'Khushi I'm sorry but how can you even... after last night...' he felt a niggling doubt in his head. Maybe everything wasn't as perfect as he'd imagined. 'Is this about last night? Did I rush you? Do you... do you think I forced you?' He let her go and turned around running a hand through his hair, 'I'm so sorry Khushi, I never meant to... I mean, I wanted it to be perfect, I didn't want to...'


'No!' She replied instantly, 'no Arnavji, it's not... I mean you didn't... I wanted... it was perfect.'


He turned back around to look at her, 'then?'


'How... How can you...? Didn't you hear what he said? Because of me my father is paralysed, because of me your sister almost died! How can you love... If something had happened to Di, you would never be able to forgive me, you'd hate me!'


He couldn't bear to see her tears and pulled her against him cradling her head with one hand against his chest as she sobbed into it just as she had done the day before. 'Nothing happened Khushi. Di is fine. She's perfectly healthy and now what we know what he's been doing to Babuji he'll get better as well. Please Khushi, it's not your fault. None of it.'


'But it was because of me! If he had never met me, if he had never like me, none of this would have happened. How can I face Babuji? How can I face Di?'


'How is any of this your fault? You didn't encourage him, you didn't force him to hurt your Babuji, you didn't force him to hurt Di! He did all that himself. Even if something did happen to Di or Nani or anyone else, I would never blame you Khushi.He made his own choices and if you are going to blame anyone, you should be blaming me.'


She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him, confusion etched on her face.


'If it wasn't for me, you never would have met him. If I had never released that tape, then he wouldn't have had to save you and you wouldn't have trusted him in the first place.


'No... no Arnavji, it's not your fault. You don't have to do this.' She pulled away from him again and wiped her face roughly leaving random tear tracks still on her face.


'Khushi, I know what I promised, I know what the deal was. I promised you that I would let you have your freedom as soon as Di was safe.'  Arnav moved forwards and gently made Khushi look up into his eyes. 'But I made other promises to you as well remember? I made those promises in front of your Devi Maiyya, so now tell me Khushi. Which promise do you want me to keep? I promised to share my happiness and sorrow with you and so far all we've done is the sorrow part. Won't you give me a chance to share my happiness with you?'


She didn't answer but there was so much confusion in her eyes Arnav wished he could just make it all go away. He took a deep breath and stiffened his resolve. He could do anything to make Khushi happy, even if it would mean he'd be in pain for the rest of his life. 'Khushi if you really want a divorce. I'll... I'll agree. I just have to hear you say it one more time. Just tell me you don't want to be with me and I'll give you whatever you want.'


'I...' Khushi began to speak before she looked down again at the floor. It was over a minute before she spoke again, causing a spark of hope to glimmer in Arnav's heart. 'I don't want a divorce. Not now, not ever.'


Arnav felt his heart almost reach bursting point at her words and he pulled her towards him until there was no space between their bodies. 'Me either. I want this marriage to last, I want it to be forever, I want to be with you forever. I love you Khushi.'


He watched as Khushi absorbed his words and the despair finally began to leave her eyes. Before she could say anything in protest due to the setting and the crowds surrounding them he covered her lips with his. She kissed him back hesitantly at first before returning his passion.


'I think we should continue this in the car,' Arnav said breathlessly when they finally came apart.


Khushi blushed and nodded as he took her hand in his and lead them towards the car, 'I love you too Arnavji.'

Arnav stopped walking when they got to the car and looked down at her harshly, 'don't call me that.'


'Huh?' Khushi looked at him confused as he opened the door and ushered her inside.


He sat in his own seat and leaned over towards her. 'Just say Arnav,' he smirked. 'Like you did last night.'


Khushi blushed again as he looked at her mischievously 'I love you Aa... Arnav.'


'I love you too Khushi, I love you too,' he whispered against her lips before kissing her again.


'Let's go home, Arnav.'


'Gladly!'