#ipkkndff

Author : Meera

Status : Completed and available on Meera’s blog

Genre: Romance, Angst, Fluff

“Keep Reading” to read my two cents on the fic. Contains a few spoilers

Author: AnamikaGK

Status: Completed and Available for Purchase on Amazon

Genre: Angst, Romance, Drama

"Keep Reading" to read my two cents on the fic. Major spoilers ahead!

Chapter 3

TW- A little warning, this chapter contains dissociation - H xx

He stood there with his back turned against her.

He appeared to be taking in all the changes that had been made to the room, during his absence. It was back to its original form of grey, black and white - all traces of Khushi had been erased.

Khushi was momentarily stunned, frozen at the sight of him; was it truly him or was she hallucinating again?

Khushi felt her senses blend into one another, that dreaded numbness crept up on her once again; it was a feeling that was unknown to Khushi - she struggled to articulate the emotion. All she knew was that it was something twisted and wrong … an unnatural sensation that made her feel more corpse-like than human, a sickness. She feared her mind was beginning to slip away like fallen sand in a desert as reality seemed to have become a question.

The strange, sudden urge to touch- to test his tangibility overcame her ; was he truly present or was this the Arnav whom visited her dreams?

He must have sensed her presence as he turned around. His eyes once again took in her entire form, his expression remained unreadable. Khushi instinctively took a step back.

As per their usual dance, Arnav took a step forward.

‘‘Khushi …’’ He softly let out in a gentle murmur.

Once again she was hit by his sharp, intoxicating scent; he was real. He had to be - his scent cut through her fog of confusion like a sword.

‘’Are you okay?’’ He asked her. His tone was measured.

It was curious, Khushi felt something hidden in those three simple words. This particular question, that he had a habit of asking her, was a deeply cherished possession of her heart but today it seemed different, she felt something underlying in the words…something beneath the surface, something consuming.

Arnav’s dark eyes no longer blazed with intensity, instead they were like a black-hole that drew Khushi in. There was a pit in her stomach as she noticed glimmers of emotion in his eyes.

All her doubts fizzled into nothingness as she was wrapped up once again, in his arms.

He held her in the way one would handle a porcelain doll - delicately. He had never held her so carefully before…

He began to lightly stroke the back of her head, a gesture that was so small - so seemingly insignificant but it's profoundness had the power to reduce her to tears.

A single tear drop was followed by many as if a dam had burst open. Her vow not to cry in front of him had already been broken.

She silently sobbed into his shoulder, grasping him tightly - choking on her own cries.

‘’Shhh... I’m here now, Khushi. I’m going to take care of everything. Shhh.’’ Arnav cooed, his voice was a whisper of comfort, the words were a balm to her wounds. He held onto her for what felt like hours, anchoring her racking body.

But Khushi stilled almost at once, as she felt a ghost of a kiss placed on top of her forehead; the warm, fluttering sensation had stopped all her tears in their track and left her in a state of temporary paralysis.

She was suddenly aware. Of everything. All at once.

The kiss had sobered her.

Khushi would later blame Devi Maiya for what she would do next - not knowing what possessed her; she gave Arnav a hard, forceful shove.

Arnav had clearly not expected the reaction as he stumbled back a few steps from the impact,his dark brows knit together in shock.

Khushi hurriedly wiped her tears, her heart hammered wildly.

A mix of anger and adrenaline burned through her veins but despite her tumultuous state, Khushi couldn’t help herself from shooting a quick glance around the room; through the glass doors and windows, in case there had been a prying eye.

It seemed to have become ingrained into her being; this sense of paranoia - the paranoia that someone might discover the truth of their marriage. Even within their own bedroom, there was no real moment of privacy. Authenticity had become a luxury and unfortunately, they were afforded none.

She knew he felt it too. The paranoia.

Khushi saw no one in her line of vision however the doubt was still deeply etched into her mind. Her husband’s unusual behavior didn’t help ease her worry.

Something about him was off.

Khushi pursed her lips tightly as she waited for his rage; her body trembled as she attempted to prepare herself for his yelling, manhandling, condescendence or whatever was to come but a moment had passed and nothing had happened, not even a glare.

Arnav had remained rooted in his spot as he studied her silently. There was not the slightest bit of anger on his face.

Khushi could almost see the cogs turning in his mind, she wondered what he was he thinking as he gazed at her intently.

Only Devi Maiyaa knew what was going on in that mysterious head of his.

Khushi felt naked under his eyes, as if he was dissecting her…he said nothing nor did he move from his spot, but his gaze made Khushi feel like an animal being watched in a zoo…as if her soul was being unearthed from within her.

She desperately needed to shield herself from his eyes, those dark eyes that seemed to bore right into her. Khushi sniffled a final time as she turned and walked towards the cupboard.

‘‘Khushi, turn around.’’ There was no trace of malice in his statement but Arnav had made it clear in his tone that he wasn't requesting.

Khushi puts away the dress that she had been playing with and turns around, he’s suddenly standing very close to her.

Arnav’s finger gently brush aside her stubborn fringe of hair, his touch felt featherlight and ticklish. Khushi intakes a sharp breath, her golden eyes widen a fraction.

‘‘Arnavji…?’’ Khushi’s voice cracks as his name slips out, her throat felt sore and dry from having cried so much.

Arnav’s hands carefully cup her face.

‘‘Are you sure you’re okay?’’ He stresses out his question, once again.His eyes meet hers, searching for answers.

Khushi blinks, her mind and heart were at war. Her fierce heart wanted to yell at him, to shout, to push him again but her foolish heart also desired for his comfort and affection - for another tender kiss and embrace. Her stubborn mind won over.

‘‘yes, Arnavji, I’m fine’’

All traces of concern had immediately vanished from Arnav’s face, all emotion had been covered under a stoic mask. His eyes however, remained deeply pensive.

Khushi took this as her chance to leave, he doesn’t stop her.

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A very, very belated happy new year to you all!!! ❤️ I’m sorry I didn’t wish earlier, I hope you’re all well and that 2023 is a blessed year for us all xx

And to kickstart the new year, here’s another chapter! It was a headache to post on tumblr, random paragraphs kept getting erased and despite checking twice, I’m still paranoid there’s a missing paragraph somewhere!💀😭

Please, please proceed with caution when reading this, there’s mentions of dissociation and poor mental health and the last thing I would want is to unintentionally trigger anyone 💕

But I really hope you enjoy this chapter :)

I’m publishing my first ever Arshi FF to an audience of potentially 0 people :D Thank you @phati-sari for providing the best collection of fanfiction I’ve ever read! It provides inspiration to others (read: me) to try their hand at writing as well!

This fic takes place just before our favourite duo heads to Buaji’s during their fake marriage track - when Arnav has started temporarily forgetting their issues more and more frequently

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"Yeh lijiye aapke paise”, said Khushi, brandishing an assorted collection of currency notes in his general direction. She took in her husband’s nonplussed expression and offered further explanation – “Wo aapne jo hume Holi ke din 300 rupaiye diye the.. hum lauta rahe hain. Dabba service se jo munafa hua, humne socha sabse pehle udhaar chuka dein. Lijiye! Arre lijiye na.. Aapke hi paise hain”

When Arnav offered no reaction except to look utterly shocked, she took his hand in hers and gently placed the notes on his open palm. “Dhanyawad Arnav-ji”, she said softly before turning to leave, suddenly unaccountably shy under the intensity of his gaze. The role-reversed familiarity of the situation seemed to jolt him into action and he tugged on her withdrawing hand. “Aur interest ka kya?”, he asked in the low voice that always gave her goosebumps.

She turned to find him closer than she expected and was immediately mesmerized by his scent, his eyes, his towering personality.. She wasn’t sure whether time stood still at moments like these or her pounding heart made the seconds seem to stretch forever. Her world narrowed to the honey-caramel of his eyes as he stared intently at her, the heat of his skin as he ran his thumb over her knuckles, the heart-stopping half-smile he tilted in her direction, as the inches separating them seemed to shorten until they were a breath away from each other.

“In.. interest?”, she managed to stammer. “Haan. Poora udhar chukana hai na?” he whispered back. Khushi was rapidly losing her train of thought, not that it would have helped her make sense of his behavior. A sudden idea struck her and she glanced out of the open door and French windows; surely someone must have been watching to prompt her husband to behave thusly.

Their lack of audience threw her already scrambled thoughts in a tizzy and she turned back to him, hoping for…something.. only to find that he had already moved away. He glanced at the sofa, the side table, the pool, the doorframe - anywhere but at her – and then gave her a furious look before slamming her “repayment” on the table and stalking angrily past her and out of the room.