"Leave me, put me down!!" Khushi wriggled in Arnav's arms trying to get out of his hold.

Scoffing annoyingly, Arnav put her down on her feet. Immediately Khushi moved back few steps creating a reasonable distance between them which didn't get unnoticed by Arnav. He clenched his jaw angrily at her attempt of being away from him.

"What have you done?? Dadi-ji was already so much angry on me and now....now she has seen us like...like this! Why are you increasing my problems even more??" Khushi said irritatingly.

Gritting his teeth some more, Arnav moved towards her angrily, "You are my WIFE Khushi and I am standing in the terrace of my house and I don't think so that I am doing anything impugn to offend Dadi." He said trying to put some sense in her brain.

"What if she had heard about pheras??" Khushi asked. Her tone laced with a slight ting of fear.

Arnav felt his control slipping away at this. This girl was testing his patience from the beginning. Her so-called morals( as Arnav thinks ) were creating a rift between them and he couldn't bear this at all. After all that they went through, he just wanted to make her his in every way possible. He wanted to claim his rights over her, wanted to mark her as his forever and ever!

But Alas!!!

"What has gotten into you Khushi?? And what are these phares?? And how can be they so important than us?? Our feelings??" Arnav shouted.

"They are important Arnav-ji. They ARE!! Every ritual hold it's significance. We can't neglect any of them like phery!! They are the most important pillar of a marriage bond Arnav-ji."

Khushi tried to explain but to whom she was kidding?? Standing in front of her was her oh-so-desperate and too much in love with her husband who wanted to thrash every barrier between them.

"What has happened to you Khushi?? Why are you giving so much importance to these damn rituals? How can they be more important than our feelings?? What we want doesn't hold any importance??" Arnav gritted through his teeth.

"Fine!! There is no meaning to any ritual, no meaning of any thing, no meaning of pheras, no meaning of families, None of the rituals hold any importance, right?? Than YOU TELL ME WHAT'S THE THING WHICH HAS MEANING??" Khushi shouted in the end helplessly.

And Arnav Singh Raizada felt as if someone has stirred him to the core.
Seeing her in a red ghagra choli had undid his knots. He, who was trying to control his desires from a long time, who was trying to bury the strong affection which he was feeling for her deep in his heart, felt himself unarmed as she accidentally blurted out about their wedding night a day before. And now he just wanted to do it. He wanted to bridge all the gaps between them. He wanted her..no scratch that.. heck he desired her without any kind of barriers between them but it was like as if this stubborn girl had owed to test him and his patience.

She wanted to know which thing has more importance??

Which things has a meaning??

Fine than!! He will tell her..

Striding towards her, Arnav clutched her forearms and pulled her towards his chest roughly,

"THAT I LOVE YOU DAMMIT!!!"

And that's was the end. Khushi felt like everything around her has stopped. The atmosphere turned thick, dark and suffocating. Her breath hitched in her throat as his words rang in her mind. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung low. It was like she wasn't able to see or think anything else beside...

That I love you dammit...

That I love you dammit...

That I love you dammit....

He loves me...

He said he loves me...

He loves me...

Hey Devi Maiya!! He said he loves me...

Oh my...I can't believe this...

He loves me...

Arnav-ji loves me....

My Arnav-ji loves me..

And what else could she ask for?? There, in that moment, was there anything else which could be presented to her? Was there anything else which she could demand from him??

No..

There was nothing!!

Because what she had always wanted from him was gifted to her. Arnav had given her what she was dying for a long time!!

Arnav kept glaring at her for few moments before he released her from his grip with a light jerk. Khushi stumbled back a few steps but it was in too daze to notice any other things. Arnav stormed out of the terrace leaving a perplexed Khushi behind. A beautiful yet unbelievable smile adorned her lips as his words rang in her ear.

But the next moment, the smile vanished from her lips as she saw the retreating back of a very furious Arnav.

Khushi gulped her throat as she saw him walking away. She wasn't a naive to not understand the reason behind his anger. She had hurt his ego by pushing him away. And Khushi Kumari Gupta knew that how much of an angry lion he could be with his bruised ego!

She would be damned if she ever let him walk away like this and that too, after he had confessed his feelings for her openly.

So without wasting another second, Khushi ran behind Arnav.

She needed to tell him, he too needed to know that,

She too loves him, dammit!!!

**********