Invisible Pull

Arnav groggily woke up from his deep slumber. He refused to open his eyes and welcome the harsh sunlight that was pouring in through the french doors. Languidly reaching behind his head, he stretched his arms and legs, letting a yawn erupt deep from his belly. He was absently scratching his chest when he felt something jostling the bed. He couldn’t say he was really surprised or alarmed though. Ever since he’d become a married man…..no no, correction…..ever since he’d married his Khushi, there were a lot of strange things he’d become accustomed to. He’d learned early on that his deceptively petite little wife was not only a bed hog, but tossed and turned into the oddest of positions at all times of her REM cycle. As usual, when he thought about her antics, he felt his face involuntarily contort into a smirk. Why the hell was his wife so damn cute? His face now stretching out into a full blown smile, he reached his arm across the bed, searching for her. He felt around for a moment when he realized all he was catching was cool sheets. Brows furrowing, he finally opened his eyes and glanced at the empty space next to him. Where was she? He sat up as he visually scanned the room. Realizing she might’ve gone downstairs, he tossed the sheet away, ready to go look. His eyes were suddenly thirsty to drink in the sight of her. When he moved to get off the bed, he felt it jostle again. “What the…? Khushi?” he asked tentatively. He could’ve sworn he heard a soft, muffled reply. He scratched his head. Was he hearing things? He peered over the edge of the bed, on her side, and was greeted by the glorious view of his wife’s pink salwaar clad rump, sticking up into the air. If that wasn’t an open invitation, he didn’t know what was. Well then, good morning indeed he thought to himself, smirk back in place.

He leaned over the edge of the bed, slowly reaching out, ready to grab a handful of his luscious wife and start this Diwali off with a kick. Inching closer, he could see her wiggling around, hear her mumbling to herself, as his eyes lasered in on the tantalizing target in front of him. His palm was already tingling from feeling the heat emanating off her body. Just before he could touch his finger down, she popped out from underneath the bed, like an ostrich resurfacing its head after burying it in the ground. He was about to let out a burst of laughter when he finally got a good look at her expression. All traces of his humor vanished and were replaced with concern. He took in the worry etched on her face. “Khushi, what’s the matter?”

“Arnavji, I can’t believe…..I can’t find..…I think…I think I may have lost it.” She was trying to keep her tears at bay. She scrambled up from the floor and began rummaging through their closet.

He quickly got off the bed and came to her side. “Khushi, what did you lose?” He had a feeling this was not one of her silly musings. She rushed past him, flipping the comforter around on the bed frantically. He approached her again, gently grabbing her arms and bending until he was eye level with her. “Khushi…..tell me.”

“Arnavji…. when I went to get out of bed this morning and put my slippers on…..” she was trying to control her hitching breaths. She drew in some strength from his gentle hold and genuinely concerned gaze. “….I noticed I was missing one of my Amma’s payals. I’ve been looking for it all morning and I can’t find it anywhere.” Her vision blurred as she felt tears brimming her eyes.

He quickly glanced down. One of her slender ankles was in fact bereft of the pretty heirloom anklet that always rested there. They were so intrinsic to her that he’d even gotten used to hearing the sweet tinkling of the bells as she moved about, often signaling that she was close by. Knowing they were the only item she had as a keepsake of her mother, he knew how much they meant to her. He looked back up in time to see a fat tear slowly trickling down her cheek. Wiping it away for her, he hugged her close. “Khushi, don’t worry. We’ll find it. When did you see it last?”

She held on as tight as she could, wanting to crawl into him and bask in the comfort he exuded. She spoke into his chest “I don’t know”. She felt ashamed at her own admission, fresh tears leaking out. “I just noticed it missing this morning. What if I….what if I lost it Arnavji? And that too on Diwali? It’s like a bad omen. What would Amma think of me?” she choked back a sob.

He could feel her tears seeping in through his shirt, and it was breaking his heart. They just had to find her payal. “Khushi, I’ll help you ok? It has to be in the house somewhere. We’ll tell everyone to keep a look out for it.” He kissed the top of her head and embraced her tightly before letting go and holding her hands. “Khushi, we’ll turn the house upside down. We’re going to find it. Do you understand?”

All she could do was nod. How could she not believe him? He was her rock. Feeling more resolute and gaining some hope from his determination, she wiped her eyes and allowed herself a small smile. “Amma, I promise I’ll find it” she silently thought. Immediately, he began searching with her, lifting furniture out of the way so she could have a closer look.

A few hours later, every drawer, pocket, nook and cranny had been exhausted, with no luck. He watched his defeated wife sink sadly onto the mattress, holding her face in her hands. He couldn’t bear to see her like this, especially on such a special day, and let this be the lingering memory of their first Diwali as husband and wife. He had to veer her thoughts off this for a while. Kneeling in front of her, he pried her hands away from her face. Her eyes flickered open, releasing more tears each time she blinked. It made his heart ache anew. “I’m so sorry sweetheart.”

Seeking his comfort, she burrowed into a tight ball against his chest. “Arnavji, it’s all my fault. I won’t be able to forgive myself.”

“Shhh. Don’t say that Khushi.” He gently ran his hand over her hair and down her back, trying to soothe her. “Everyone in the house is looking. We’re bound to find it.” Kissing her crown, he gently pulled her away to gaze at her face. Her nose and eyes had gone red, matching her tear stained cheeks. He cupped her face and stroked her tear tracks away with his thumbs. “Besides Khushi, do you think your Amma would want you celebrating your first Diwali as a newly married wife, sitting here all day crying?” He was pierced with her direct gaze and he knew he’d gotten her attention. “Do you think she wants to see the daughter she named Khushi, all melancholic and sad on such an auspicious day?” He really wanted to try and take her mind off it for a while, and although not wanting to resort to this, he knew Khushi’s traditions and respect for culture ran deep in her veins. Nothing would ever deter her from carrying on her self-imposed familial obligations and duties.

She sat up a little straighter, feeling like she had run out of tears for now. Her husband was right. She had a whole family and household that needed her help today. She couldn’t sit here and just ball her eyes out. She had to carry on. Her Amma knew she hadn’t done anything intentionally. And she might not forgive herself, but she would offer extra prasad to Devi Maiya and keep praying that she find the payal. Besides, she knew her Amma would frown upon her more if she let her in-laws down. “You’re right Arnavji.”

He might not have succeeded in finding her payal, but he’d do everything he could to put a smile on her face today. That much he could manage. “That’s my girl.” He kissed her forehead, before standing and offering his hand. Looking up at him with a small smile, she placed her delicate one in his and stood.

She quickly stepped up to her husband and hugged herself to him for a moment before letting go. “There are still so many preparations to do in the house Arnavji. I’m already so behind! I have to go get ready!”

He watched his wife go back into her usual scurrying mode. Once she’d left his sight, he silently shook his head. He had to, just had to put the dimples back in those cherub cheeks today.

Khushi had succeeded in keeping herself busy all morning. There was never a lack of work to be done at the Raizada house, especially during a holiday. But now, as she rolled yet another cotton wick for the diyas, losing count as to what number she was up to, her mind went into autopilot mode and started wandering back to this morning. She was trying to contain her sadness but it just kept creeping back, no matter how much she distracted herself.

"Khushi ji, are you ok?”

"Di....yes I'm ok. Did you need something?" Sometimes she wished she was as strong as her sister-in-law. That woman had lost so much and then somehow managed to reemerge, still able to smile radiantly at life.

"Ji, Chotte was calling for you upstairs."

"Thanks, Di." She put down the cotton and went upstairs in search of her husband. When she entered, he was stepping back into the room from the poolside. She took in his slightly disheveled appearance. His normally gel slick hair was now falling over onto his forehead in a soft coif. He had his sleeves rolled up and smatterings of random colors on his shirt, track pants and sneakers. "Arnavji, aap ne bulaya mujhe?" (“Arnavji, you called for me?”)

"Yes. I wanted to show you something." He took his wife's hand and brought her to the side of the pool where all his pots and plants resided.

Confused, she followed him out. She was searching his face for an answer until he indicated for her to look at the floor. When she looked down, she saw a big beautiful rangoli. A massive paisley with intricate loops and detailing, colored with the most vibrant hues of a rainbow. She smiled as the reds, oranges, yellows and pinks warmed her spirit. "Arnavji, kitna sundar hai! (Arnavji, it’s so pretty!) Di must've done this. She's so good at making them." She knelt down to get a closer look at the elaborate design.

Squatting down aside her, he stared at her profile for a moment, taking in the smile he’d been craving to see on her face all morning. When she turned to look at him, his heart skipped a beat. He forgot how simplistically beautiful she was sometimes, especially when she was happy. Her brow furrowed for a moment before she picked up the end of her dupatta and stroked it along his cheek.

“Arnavji, you must’ve been sitting too close when Di made this rangoli. You have some color on your face.” She continued to gently wipe away at the red tinted powder in his stubble until he enfolded her hand in his and brushed a kiss along her knuckles.

“Di didn’t make it….I did” he confessed in a mumble against her hand.

“Aap ne?” (“You did?”) To say she was surprised would’ve been an understatement. “But why?”

“Because I wanted to see this on your face.” He gestured towards her growing smile. Unable to resist, he leaned forward to kiss the upturned corner of her mouth.

Her Arnavji was so sweet. He’d made her this beautiful rangoli just to cheer her up. She cupped his face and stroked her thumb along his jaw where traces of the faded red powder still remained. Her eyes lingered on his boyish grin, before looking into his gaze. She leaned towards him, intending to kiss his cheek when she lost her balance and fell onto him.

Arnav quickly wrapped his arms around his wife, securing her to his chest as his back landed against the brick floor with a thud. “Khushi are you ok?” Her eyes were scrunched closed with her hands tightly fisted in his shirt.

Khushi slowly opened her eyes realizing he’d broken her fall. “Arnavji, I’m okay.” She leaned up to take a look at him. “Are you….OH MY GOD!” Khushi gasped in horror.

“Khushi, what happened?!” he asked bolting upright. She stared down at the floor wide eyed, her hands covering her mouth. He watched as her face crumpled and her eyes grew wet.

“Arnavji, your rangoli….”

Arnav followed her line of vision. His eyes settled onto what was now a big blob of mish-moshed colors. “Sweetheart, it’s alright.” He reached out to grasp her arm, wanting to reassure her, but she brushed him off as a tear spilled over, onto her cheek. She quickly stood.

“I’m such a mess. First this morning’s fiasco, now I ruined all your effort, and on top of that your clothes! I can’t do anything right today!” She couldn’t control the tears from leaking out on their own volition as she admonished herself.

“Khushi, seriously it’s ok. I’ll make another one…. just don’t cry. Please.” He couldn’t stand the distance between them and again tried to draw her into his embrace, but she resisted.

“Arnavji, I’m so sorry.” She cupped a hand over her mouth as she turned and ran away. She’d screwed up everything. He didn’t need to see her as a blubbering mess as well.

“Khushi!” Before he could protest, she was gone. He watched as her dupatta flailed wildly behind her. He thought about chasing after her, but she’d been so resistant to his consolation that he didn’t want to push her. Maybe she just needed a little space, he thought to himself as the nagging ache resettled in his heart. He had to think of something else.

He’d kept an eye on her throughout the afternoon from a small distance. Even though she’d continued on with all her pending tasks and preparations for the evening pooja and party, he knew she was masking her sadness. Now leaning against the door to their bedroom, he watched as she absently put her jewelry on.

The whole day had been one big cluster of chaos for her. She knew the second she’d lost her payal that today would not go over well. She desperately wished it to be different though. Her first Diwali with her husband, and absolutely nothing was going right. She couldn’t even muster the strength to politely smile. She just didn’t have the heart to do it. She let out an exasperated sigh as she struggled to close the back of her earring. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on the task at hand when she felt warm, blunt fingers take over. She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror to find her Arnavji standing behind her. Her eyes traversed his length, taking in his sleek form in the fitted white sherwani. He looked so dapper, she thought with a sigh. They locked eyes in the mirror as he deftly clasped the earring for her and bent down to kiss the top of her head. She swiveled on the stool to look up at him as he took her hand in his.

“Khushi, come with me.”

She inched up her sari with her free hand, not wanting to trip on it as he led her out their room and down the stairs. His hold on her hand was gentle yet firm, giving her some much needed strength to get through the rest of the evening without falling apart. Before she realized it, he was buckling her belt, seated in his car. “Arnavji, where are we going? Pooja will start in about an hour. We have to be there!”

“Don’t worry. We won’t be too long.” He reassured her, dropping a kiss on the back of her hand before holding it against his thigh as he drove.

Khushi had no idea where he was taking her until they stopped in a seemingly familiar locale. He helped her out of the car and held her hand as he led her down a small pathway. She saw the neatly trimmed shrubbery, the small white picket fence and of course the gigantic tree that her husband had helped his mother plant when he was a child. He took her to a nearby bench and sat next to her.

“Khushi, the first time I brought you here was before we were married. And you promised me that we would come and get Ma’s blessings after the wedding. I’ve never come here for Diwali either.” He fully turned to face her, letting their knees touch as he held both of her hands in his. “This place always brings me peace, so I thought it might do the same for you.” Releasing one of her hands, he reached into his pocket. “Khushi, I know you’ve been upset over losing your Amma’s payal and these can’t ever replace that. I also realize they’re not from your Amma, but it was Ma’s wish for my wife to wear these. They belong to you.” He slipped his mother’s kangans onto her wrists. The first time he’d given them to her had been under unorthodox circumstances, and eventually, with good reason, she’d stopped wearing them. But now that she was his forever, it was time for his mother’s kangans to assume their rightful place again.

Khushi felt a mellow breeze pass by, caressing her arms and rustling the leaves of the huge tree that towered nearby, sending a few stray ones to shower upon them. She cupped his face in her palms. “Arnavji, these are from my Ma as well. I will always cherish them.” Feeling an ease she’d been missing all day, she pulled her husband into a tight hold. They sat like this for a while, sometimes talking, and sometimes silently conveying unspoken words before heading back to Shantivan. Just in time for pooja, she clasped her hands and closed her eyes in front of Devi Maiya, thanking her for all the blessings in her life, the biggest one being her Arnavji.

After all the guests had arrived, he’d watched Khushi go into hostess mode, fluttering about. She was every bit the butterfly her Bhua ji deemed her to be. But now, among the throng of people milling around, his wife stood alone, by the large living room window, looking up at the sky. He saw a faint smile touch her lips as she looked down at her wrists and traced a finger over the kangans he’d placed there a few hours ago. She looked into the sky again, her gaze seemingly fixed on another spot before her smile faltered to be replaced by rue. Not able to withstand her turmoil, and angry at himself for not being able to help her, he turned on his heel and trudged up the stairs.

As Khushi reigned in her sadness yet again, she saw her Amma’s star twinkle at her. Her thoughts drifted back to the garden when her husband had lovingly bestowed his mother’s kangans upon her. He’d been trying to cheer her up all day and she’d been so wrapped up in her own emotions that she hadn’t even thanked him. Instantly she turned, searching through the crowd of people, looking for that one face that always made her heart beat rapidly. “Kahan hai voh?” (“Where is he?”) she thought to herself. As she glanced upstairs, she noticed their bedroom door was slightly ajar. She quickly went up and came into their room, feeling an urgency to see him. After searching the room, she stopped short of stepping out poolside, her eyes finally landing on him. She watched as he crouched down and lit the diyas that rimmed the edge of their pool. A year ago, that had been her, decorating his pool. She gazed at all the fairy lights that were strung about and how they illuminated around him, creating the aura of a halo. He really was her angel wasn’t he? He always swooped in to save her, regardless of how big or small the conundrum, usually one she’d gotten herself into, was. How things had changed in a year. She didn’t love him any less, no. If anything, her feelings for him had grown infinitely as he’d opened up to her day after day. She clutched her heart as she watched him. Even now, she knew he was lighting those little votives just for her. Wanting to be near him, she blindly took a step forward. Abruptly her foot caught on the ledge of the french door, propelling her head first. She let out a shriek, bracing for her body to collide with the hard floor. But it never came. She felt herself hanging midair, suspended by warm strength. When she cautiously opened her eyes, there were dark cinnamon ones gazing back at her.

“Tum teekh ho?” (“Are you ok?”)

She shivered as his raspy voice stroked over her. Feeling the heat from the palm of his hands on the skin of her waist and back, her throat went dry. Taking a gulp, she nodded. “I think so…” As he carefully stood her upright, she felt pain shoot through her foot and let out a distressed gasp.

His eyes frantically searched her body for injuries as he froze her in his arms. “What is it?!?”

“Arnavji, my ankle…..” she hissed out in pain, keeping her foot from touching the ground.

He looked down at her foot and noticed how one of her shoes had been left behind on the ledge of the doorway. Swinging her arm around his neck, he scooped her up to seat her in the nearest poolside chair. Kneeling down, he gently placed her foot on his thigh, raising the end of her sari a few inches. “Let me see.” As he gingerly placed his hands on her foot again, she covered one with her own.

“Arnavji, it hurts….” She couldn’t keep from wincing.

“Shhhh. Just close your eyes.” She immediately did as he asked, while he examined her ankle. The second he moved his fingers to hold her heel, she leaned forward and gripped his shoulder, biting her lip, bracing herself for the pain. “I’m sorry sweetheart. It’ll be it quick, I promise.” He watched her face as she nodded, showing her full trust in him. Not wasting any more time, he gripped her foot and maneuvered it to alleviate the pain. He heard the breath she’d been holding in, whoosh out in relief.

She felt the pain immediately dissipate and eased her grip on his shoulder. “Arnavji this is déjà vu. I twisted my ankle last year during Diwali also.” When she looked up at him, she was scorched by his intense gaze. She squirmed under his fiery scrutiny and began to rise but was deterred by his steady hold on her foot.

“I remember Khushi. Maybe some things happen again for a reason.” He looked down at her delicate ankle, and placed a soft kiss atop her foot, before he pulled her missing payal out of his side pocket. When he’d come upstairs to light the diyas, knowing how much she loved them and determined to cheer her up, he’d caught a glint of silver sparkling in a small crevice on the floor beneath one of the poolside chairs, illuminated only by the stars in the sky. Pure relief had washed over him as he picked up the elusive anklet. When he’d looked up into the sky to silently thank her mother for letting him be the one to stumble upon it, yet again, he was positive the bright star had twinkled right back at him. He locked eyes with his wife as she stared intermittently between the payal and him. “Maybe things happen again so we get a second chance to fully understand things we didn’t the first time around.” He re-clasped the payal around her ankle.

Her eyes had pooled with tears, happy ones this time as she cupped his face. “Arnavji, you found it” she replied reverently.

He glanced at the payal before looking back at her. “It always has a way of coming into my possession somehow. Maybe it was your Amma’s wish for me to always be the one to return it to you.” He saw a tear escape from the corner of her eye and lifted his palm to catch it. “These are more precious than diamonds Khushi. Please don’t cry.” He pulled her into his embrace and rubbed light circles across her back as she held onto him tightly. Cupping her face, he placed a lingering kiss on the softness of her cheek. “Stay right here, I’ll go get the balm” he whispered before moving away. When he returned to the poolside he found Khushi standing by the wall, tinkering with a string of lights. “Khushi! Why are you standing!? I told you to stay seated!!”

“Arnavji….voh…the lights were flickering so I came to fix the plug for the wire…” she was hoping to be reseated by the time he came back, but sometimes her husband was just too quick for her. As she nervously glanced at him, she could see him approaching her, fully peeved.

“Will you ever just listen to me?”

She began to step back with every step he took forward. God, why did he look like an agile panther stalking its prey? Especially when he had that look in his eyes. Her heart was trying to hammer out of her chest. “Arnavji….it’s not a big deal.....I was just fixing…..umph.” Her back had effectively hit the wall and her devastatingly handsome husband was now looming over her. His expression suddenly changed, softening, as his eyes searched hers before cupping her face.

“Khushi, are you sure your ankle’s ok?”

His voice was smooth as butter as it floated over to her ears. “Ji. Thank you for alleviating it.” She tried a small smile even though her pulse was pounding at his close proximity.

He brushed her bangs away from her face as he stroked his thumbs across her jaw line. “I think there’s something else that was meant to happen a year ago as well….” he trailed off as he leaned in closer. He watched as those pretty pink lips quivered once again, almost begging to be kissed. Even though her hands were not fisted in her sari this time, her eyes still shyly averted his gaze, to stare at one of the buttons on his sherwani. She tentatively placed her hands on his chest and he instinctively knew it was not to push him away, but to draw him closer.

She slid her hands up his chest and wound them around his neck, letting her fingers tangle with the silky ends of his mane, touching the back collar of his top. He inched even closer, only a few scant millimeters separating them, when she let her eyelids fall shut. She tightened her fingers in his hair, unable to bear the anticipation when there was a loud peal from a cell phone. Her eyes flew open and took in his disbelieving frozen expression. She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a bout of uncontrollable giggles. “Aman ji, na?”

He quickly reached in his pocket and chucked the still ringing phone over his shoulder, taking satisfaction in the plopping sound it made when it landed in the pool.

“Arnavji!” she couldn’t believe her husband had just done that.

“Khushi, I’ve gotten a second chance. To rectify and tell you… show you what should’ve happened a year ago! I was futilely trying to fight this invisible pull we have, but now I realize how right this is. I realize this was your Amma’s wish, for us to be together. It’s why I found your payal the first time, why I held onto it, and why I found it again today. There are unexplainable factors and forces drawing us together and I’d be a fool to let anything get in the way, especially a stupid phone call! You’re bound to me Khushi and I’m not letting the chance to show you I love you, slip by me this time.” He was a mere inch away from letting his lips brush over hers as he felt her rapid breaths fanning over his mouth. She’d already closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss. Letting his nose nudge the tip of hers, he whispered “Khushi, you didn’t wish me a Happy Diwali yet”.

Her eyes flew open, staring intently at him. Even though she saw teasing humor dancing in his, he was right. She hadn’t wished him all day. Wrapping her arms around his neck again and pressing her body up against his, she stared at his mouth. “Happy Diwali Arna….”

He’d been teasing her, but the second he felt her press into him, all thought had fled his mind. Needing to feel her mouth under his, he sealed his lips to hers, not letting her finish her sentence. He gently cupped the back of her head and wound his other arm around her waist, drawing her closer. The desire to have her was beginning to consume him. His lips tingled from feeling the pliant give of her soft plump ones against his. He tried to keep the kiss tender and loving but was losing control when his wife had latched onto his bottom lip and given a soft suck.

She went on tip toe, wanting to be closer, and wanting him to consume her. Her heart was thundering as she tentatively darted her tongue out and traced his top lip, feeling his stubble tingle her taste buds, before she felt his tongue glide against hers. As his kiss took over her, she felt as if she were floating on a cloud. The heady scent and taste of her husband was giving her a high. This is what nasha must feel like, she thought to herself as he continued to plunder her mouth. When he broke away from the kiss, allowing her some air, he was scooping her up to carry her into their room.

He’d coyly maneuvered them to their bedroom, without breaking their kiss once. His lips had been hungry for hers, and she’d kissed back with equal fervor. Quickly sliding the door shut behind him, he pulled her in close to himself. Spanning his hands across her back, he untied her dori. “I really missed you today” he admitted against her lips. It truly gave him pleasure to know that she was happy again. She let out a moan before sealing her mouth over his.

She slid her hands down his chest, her fingers brushing the bare skin at the open V-neck, before nimbly attacking the tiny row of buttons. She felt his mouth kissing a path along her neck as he unpinned her pallu, letting it drop to the floor. When she glided her hands across his naked chest and shoulders, he released her for a moment, allowing her to slide his top off his arms. Her eyes drank him in. All that tan skin, sleek muscle and unleashed power…..all mine, she possessively thought as she wondered about where she wanted to touch him first.

As she eyed him down, her gaze singeing everywhere it lingered, he’d deftly removed her choli and bra. His mouth had watered at the sight of her plump breasts, peaked with rosy nipples and flushed with desire. He’d allowed her to caress her hands down his chest and torso to untie his pants. When he cupped her breasts and lightly massaged them, his clever wife didn’t waste any time as she removed both his bottoms and inner briefs with one hurried tug. Her hands inched inwardly on his hips, drawing dangerously close to his manhood as he stepped out of his pooled clothing, before he brushed her hands away and tugged at her hips. “You have some catching up to do Khushi.” He sat on the side edge of the chaise as she stood in front of him. She placed her hands on his shoulders as he quickly unraveled her pleats and following her suit, tugged her petticoat and panties off simultaneously. He closed his eyes as the scent of her arousal filled his senses. Leaning forward, he dropped wet kisses along her flat stomach, dipping the tip of his tongue into her navel. He nuzzled his way across to one hip bone before nipping at it and soothing it with his tongue. He chanced a look at his wife’s face and he could tell she was lost in total abandon. The only thing anchoring her was her hold on his shoulders. Wanting to drown her in pleasure, he hoisted her left leg over his shoulder and drew her closer to his face.

“Arnavjiiiii!!!”

Her shriek had died mid-sentence and turned into a moan as his tongue leisurely lapped down the damp valley of her femininity. Reaching the soft wet give of her entrance, tasting her arousal, he stiffened his tongue and drove it deeply into her. As he continued to stroke in and out of her, he felt her hands move to his head and tug roughly at his hair. Knowing that his usually gentle wife was losing control turned him on immeasurably. Drawing her even closer with one hand steady on her rump, the other at the back of her thigh, preventing her from buckling, he eased his tongue back up to wrap around her clitoris before giving it a soft suckle. He felt Khushi’s body stiffen before she began to push his head away.

“Arnavji, it’s too much, please.”

He continued to alternately suckle at her sensitive bundle of nerves and dart into her pulsing core until her hips began to move in rhythm with his mouth. When he felt her slide her hands across the back of his scalp and pull him even closer, he rapidly fluttered his tongue over her clitoris before enclosing it between his lips. He gave a soft, suctioned tug, sending her over the edge as she trembled uncontrollably in his hold. Losing her balance, she fell limply as he caught her in his lap. He held her close as she straddled him, burying his face in her fragrant hair. He moved the thick, silky black mass to one side, dropping a kiss on her neck before lightly blowing over the sheen of perspiration on her skin, cooling her off.

As she felt the cool air caress over her skin, she found the strength to wrap her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Her sensitive nipples were abraded by his chest as he reciprocated and roamed his hands up her back, bringing her closer. Tracing her cheek along his stubble-roughened one, she turned her face until they were forehead to forehead, nose against nose, their lips but a tiny breadth away.

He tilted his head to tenderly kiss her pouty lips. “Wrap your legs around me, sweetheart” he hoarsely whispered against her mouth.

She rearranged herself as he’d requested, desire hitting her hard as she felt herself opening up for him. Keeping their mouths connected in a soft brush, she felt him reach between their bodies and glide his erection up and down her slickness, refreshing her arousal all over again. When she felt him tenderly circle around her clitoris, spreading her wetness even more, sharp pleasure zinged through her, making her heart pound within her chest. “Arnavji…” she tightened her arms around him in fear of falling apart in his hold.

He circled his sensitive head around the perimeter of her dripping entrance, sweetly torturing himself in the process. He stroked his other hand down her hair and back, soothing her, dichotomous to his need to drive her wild. “Khushi, tell me what you want” he softly breathed into her ear.

When she felt him slowly swirl around her overly sensitive clitoris once again, she captured his bottom lip between her teeth and gently bit down. “Arnavji, I want you.” Locking her hazy eyes with his equally lustful ones, she admitted “The only thing I need is you”.

Upon hearing her sweet confession, he surged forward, finally entering her. As her slick heat enveloped his length, inch by inch, he could feel her clenching around him. He began his rhythm, thrusting in and out, elicited by the soft moans of encouragement escaping his wife’s lips. He could feel her swollen sex gripping him with each push and pull, trying to greedily hold onto him. Placing his hands on the base of her spine, he tilted her hips up and pulled her closer, driving himself deeper into her. He watched her suck in a breath as her pupils dilated. Catching her face in his trembling hands, he kissed her lush mouth, diving his tongue in to stroke languidly against hers, tasting her sweetness. He could tell she was straining against him. Leaning his forehead against hers, still cupping her face, he softly brushed his lips over hers. “Khushi, breathe with me sweetheart.”

She slid her hands down his chest, along his abdomen and rested them against his ribs. They were perfectly aligned, torso to torso, nose to nose, breaths intermingling. As he took a deep breath, she felt herself following him, completely sharing the small space between them, feeling his body expanding and relaxing. As she rose and fell with him, she marveled at all the power and life she felt beneath her palms.

He continued to lazily stroke in and out as their breaths continued to mingle, tantrically. She was the sole reason he existed today. She alone breathed life into him. She was his oxygen and all that he needed to stay alive. How had he survived without her presence in his life? He’d been a mere hollow shell before she’d come along and he knew she’d been the one to revive him. Grasping her curvy hips, he oscillated them, grinding her in a deep circle against himself, ensuring to brush along all her nerve endings as he penetrated deeply. He continued to swivel her body atop his as he saw her spiraling towards her release. He felt her digging her nails into his flesh as he relentlessly kept thrusting. When she threw her head back in abandon, bending herself over his arm, he leaned forward and captured an invitingly flushed, rigid nipple into his mouth, suckling as he bucked up inside her. On a high pitched keening cry, she found her release and continued to grind against him, leaving him helpless to her convulsing pulls and driving him to his own orgasm.

She held onto her husband fiercely as their melded bodies found a blissful calm. As she continued to breathe in sync with him, she felt his arms tighten around her, before he lifted her up with him as he stood, their bodies still intimately joined.

He gently lowered her to the mattress and lay her down, kissing her puffy, pink lips as he slowly pulled out. Lying next to her, he gathered her into his side and held her. As she shifted and snuggled even closer, he saw the reflection from the diyas outside lend a soft, incandescent glow to her already shimmering skin. He kissed her forehead as he stroked his open palm along the curve of her hip and up her slender arm.

As she lie next to her husband, feeling him beneath her hands and hearing his even pulse and breathing against her ear, she wondered if making love with him would always be like this. Always start off teasingly, build up into a frenzy, escalate into a tidal storm and then settle into an ethereal calm once they’d tumbled over the crest. Letting out a contented sigh and giving him a light squeeze, she secretly hoped that it would. When she peeked up at him, she saw that his eyes were closed. “And so, my dark angel sleeps” she thought silently as she traced a finger along his stubbly cheek, smiling to herself. As she leaned up on an elbow, she noticed her reflection in the glass door, a lot of the diyas having burnt out leaving a blanket of darkness outside. She carefully got up and slid out of bed, wrapping a sheet around herself, intending to close the curtain. As she looked out the door at the few lone diyas that still flickered, she had a thought to relight the rest. Just as she put her left hand on the door’s pane, she felt her husband’s heat behind her as his hand came to cover hers.

“Kya hua?” (“What happened?”) he asked softly, wrapping his right arm around her waist and dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder.

“Arnavji, most of the diyas died out. I was just going to light them again.”

Gently turning her around, he settled his arms around her waist, holding her against his body. “Sweetheart, we don’t need them.”

“But Arnavji, it got so dark…..”

He slowly shook his head and placed his forehead against hers. “When I’m with you, there is no darkness, ever. You light up my world, Khushi. Nothing else.”

She smiled as she traced her hands along his broad shoulders, stopping to frame his jaw and reach up on tip toe to kiss his soft lips. “Happy Diwali, Arnavji. I love you.”

Tightening his arms around her waist, he leaned his head down to meet her mouth, lips touching as he spoke “Happy Diwali sweetheart. I love you too”.