Chapter 2 - Pebble Like Drops

"Oh god! Where's my lipgloss?!" Khushi groaned to herself whilst she stood in front of the large doors that led to Raizada Mansion, fishing inside her bag for her lipgloss. "Got it!" Her eyes brightened as she pulled it out of the bag, a victorious smile on her face. She took the brush out putting it to her lips when someone shoved her over to the side, the brush sliding over her lips onto her nose then knocking off of her hand. "No one here cares what you look like sweetkins!" Arnav laughed. She attempted to shove him back, "you are such an ass!" She retorted pouting. "Uhun? Tell me something I don't know babes," he winked. "Someones in a good mood today." He walked through the doors putting his phone to his ear, "yes Aman tell me, what have you done wrong now?" "Oh god Aman, always getting in the way of our bliss!" She snapped. He smirked and walked up the stairs, whilst she stood watching his back, making a face at him.

"Finally!" Anjali crashed into Khushi, "I missed you so much KKG!" She screamed into Khushis ear. Khushi hugged Anjali tighter then the both of them started jumping up and down in an excited hug. "Have I got gossip for you!" Anjali whispered excitedly, to which Khushis eyes widened and she beamed back at Anjali, eager to know what it was.

"Oh Khushi! It's great to see you here hunny," Arundathi Raizada smiled, as she approached Khushi, her arms wide open for a hug. "It's lovely to see you to aunty," she smiled back.

****

"So Arnav's going to get married?" Khushi asked a little bewildered at the thought. "Well that's what mama was saying. But you know how bhai is, he just walked away," Anjali replied, looking down, not new to her brothers behaviour. Khushis eyes moved around as she processed the thought, somewhere deep inside an unknown emotion stirred but she quickly dismissed it.

"Urgh he'll never change!" Khushi replied, waving it away. "Anyway? Where's Aakash?" She asked, unable to take the wait for any longer. She had been looking around since the minute she had got into the house, but he was nowhere to be seen. She narrowed her eyes and looked around again. "Oh! He never got home last night, we don't know where he is," Anjali replied, still smiling her soft smile. Khushis head snapped towards hers, "WHAT? He didn't come home last night? Where the hell is he?" She half-shouted, annoyance clear in her voice. She had warned him to stop getting drunk and staying over at friends houses and he had known fully well that she was coming back yesterday. Anjali watched as Khushi stomped away up the stairs in anger.

Arnav looked up to a fuming Khushi standing at his door. "What do you want?" He asked a little exhausted from all the work that seemed to have piled up in his absence.

"We need to talk!" She said, looking a little lost.

"Oh no! Please don't break up with me baby," he moaned clutching his chest.

"Oh god! Shut up! This is serious!" She replied, grabbing a chair and sitting in front of him.

"I'm so sorry baby, it was only a one night thing. I swear it won't happen again," he joked.

"Seriously Arnav?"

"Okay sorry sorry, what's up?" He asked, still laughing lightly.

"Your brother needs to start coming home at night," she declared, her eyebrows arched, her face a picture of disappointment.

He observed her face, seeing how quickly the excitement had faded from it and sighed. "You know there's nothing I can do about it Khushi. He's allowed to do what he wants to," his voice was gentle with a serious edge to it. She looked into his deep brown eyes and sighed herself and looked down.

"And seeing as I now have a chance. Out tonight?" He asked, the amusement back in his voice.

She looked up immediately, a smile gracing her face once more. "Now there's an idea!" She exclaimed, it didn't take much to make her happy.

****

Aakash scrunched his eyes open, his hand instantly going to his head and he blinked several times attempting to resist the throbbing pain in his head. He could feel a hangover coming on and looked around the spacious bedroom. He tried to turn over only to be weighed down by a slender, long leg over his body, a single payal dangling off of her leg. He took in her smiling face and moved her hair back slightly, kissing her ear, she smiled in her sleep and moaned. "Baby I need to go," he groaned back softly, moving her leg off of him  and got off the bed then walked over to the bathroom, needing to look presentable to a possibly angry fiancee.

****

Khushi moved her head back, fixing her hair at the same time and stretched her neck. "Urgh! Khushi! Flights are never good for you!" She moaned to herself, massaging her neck. She bent down to fix her shoe, her fingers brushing against the glitter dust on it.

"Hey sweetheart can I get you a drink?" A deep voice came from next to her, she looked up to see a guy she had never seen in her life staring down at her cleavage. She looked to her chest then his face and scowled, arranging herself back on the stool. She watched his face, it was handsome, she had to admit. "Hmm not bad Khushi," she thought to herself. Almost instantly Arnav came and stood behind him, a smirk firmly planted on his face. He was dressed in a white shirt, half tucked into dark blue chinos, her eyes flickered over him and she gave him an approving look, smiling slightly. He winked back and pointed his eyes towards the guy sitting opposite her. She fixed her hair and winked his way, sending him a cheeky smile, then straightened herself on the stool looking straight at the guy seated next to her. "Sorry babes, I'm only into women," she pouted sadly, stiffling a smile. "What?" The guy asked bewildered, his eyebrows knitting together. "A gorgeous girl like you?" The smile was back in its place, he was trying to charm her. "Yeh babes, sorry but you know I believe I know someone who would be interested," she winked, stroking his jaw with her nail and he looked down at her finger, slightly flustered. Arnav placed his hand on the guys shoulder, right on queue. "Hey baby," he coyed, lightly stroking the young mans face, his eyes smoldering. "Do you want a dance?" He continued, feigning a feminine voice and bringing his face close to the others. "What the hell?" He exclaimed, shoving Arnav back and stumbled off of the stool as he ran off in a hurry.

They both burst out into a fit of laughter, high fiving each other. "Aw ghosh, when did we last play that trick?" "It's been too long!" He exclaimed back, shaking his head with laughter. "Too bad he wasn't into you!" She wiped tears from the effort of laughing too much out of her eyes.

"Shots to khushi!" She exclaimed extending her shot glass forward. "and shots to gham!" He clinked back. They swigged back their shots, letting the liquid flow through them.

He twirled her onto the dance floor, their feet already moving to the beat, their bodies swaying to the same rhythm, their scents mingling and engulfing them in their own sphere.

She felt his hand brush along her waist, sending a tingle down her spine and she turned round to face Aakash, as he grabbed her  and pecked her lightly on the cheek. She reveled in the happiness, joy coursing through her as she took in his fragrance for the first time in months. "I missed you," he murmured into her neck, "me too," she chimed back softly. She started moving to his awkward beat, her body swaying slightly out of tune.

It was nearing 3am and she lifted her head up to see Arnav walking out of the club with a tall, slender girl in a short black, sequined mini and disapproval moved onto Khushis features nstantly. She moved back, grabbing Aakashes hand and led him out of the club for a breath of fresh air, the atmosphere suddenly stifling her mind. She somehow always found herself feeling a little too jealous at seeing Arnav in someone elses arms.

A memory: 

Khushi ran up the steps, two at a time, with a smile that looked like it would be permanently plastered to her face. "Sorry!" She screamed back, having almost knocked a guy over in her haste. She slid to a stop in front of Arnavs door and knocked several times, shuffling her feet in her excitement to give him the good news. The door cracked and she jumped into her dance, jumping from side to side, "I passed! I passed! I passed!" She exclaimed, then came to an abrupt stop, her eyes jumping out of her sockets, her mouth gaping open, with half formed words, her body frozen to the spot as she stood in front of a girl wrapped in a bed sheet, shooting daggers at her. "Who is it baby?" She heard Arnavs voice from inside the room, dripping with sleep. She took a deep breath in, arranging her thoughts, turned on her heels and immediately stormed away, her mind filling with disgust as she closed her eyes attempting to erase the images of the half naked girl who had been standing at Arnavs door. She didn't so much as look at Arnav after that incident for almost two weeks and spent that night crying herself to sleep. That was the first and last time she would have her heart broken. 

****

Khushi sank into her large bed, smiling at thoughts of Aakash and closed her eyes smiling to herself, falling into a deep sleep.