Forgive Her Anything (IPKKND AU) #Wattys2016

Chapter 25: Arnav

She calmed down slowly, her breathing gradually slowing and her fear subsiding. Arnav led his wife to the bed and made her sit against the headboard. He brought her water and rubbed her back as her tears slowed. He was filled with questions and burning with rage. He wanted to know what kind of dream had reduced her to this.

He tried to keep calm, knowing she needed him - his support and comfort. He climbed into the bed next to her and gently eased her head onto his lap, stroking her hair. When her eyes finally closed, he sighed and leaned back against the headboard. He would ask her in the morning.

Arnav woke up before Khushi, taking the opportunity to watch her sleep before gently waking her. She came to consciousness slowly and spent some time staring up at him from his lap before trying to get up. He let her sit up but pulled her against him when she tried to leave. He sat her in front of him, in the V of his legs, and settled her against his chest. He held her tightly.

"Khushi, do you remember last night?" Arnav asked softly, bracing himself in case she struggled to leave his arms.

She was silent for so long he thought she wouldn't answer. Anger at being ignored started to brew inside him.

"Yes," her voice came, quiet and afraid, and his anger flew apart.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

The strands of his ever-present rage gathered again. He'd never been able to handle defiance, especially not from the beautiful and brave woman in his arms.

"I'm afraid. It will hurt you," she continued softly, cutting through his anger again and leaving him raw.

Her nightmare would hurt me?

"Nothing will hurt me more than waking up to you afraid of my touch, Khushi. I want to know what made you so afraid."

Khushi took a deep breath and nestled closer to him, shivering in his arms, so Arnav pulled the blanket over her and tried to warm her up. She looked blankly at the wall in front of them and started speaking in a halting voice, so soft that he had to lean in to hear.

"I met Shyam in Lucknow, after I met you at Sheesh Mahal. Strange men were harassing me on the street, asking me to fall into their arms after seeing the footage. Shyam stood up for me. He said he lived in Delhi and gave me a business card. Then Amma and Babu-ji sent us to Delhi so I couldn't shame them further."

Shyam. She'd dreamt about Shyam and it'd scared her so much that she hadn't been able to recognise him.

"When we came to Delhi Bua-ji became very sick," she continued, "She needed medicine, I was trying to get it for her. That was the day I damaged your car. Then I needed to pay you back, so I called Shyam and asked him to arrange for a job. I started working for you, and Shyam convinced Bua-ji to take him on as a paying guest at her home. He lived with us for weeks."

Arnav wasn't sure he could listen to more. He knew how this story ended. He needed to get on a plane, march into Shantivan and kill Shyam with his bare hands. Khushi, seemingly oblivious, continued her story. Now that she'd started, Arnav sensed that she needed to finish, or she might never be able to talk about these things again. He gripped the bed sheets, tearing them, and tried to sit still for Khushi.

"Then you know what happened. On one hand, you and I kept meeting, kept fighting, kept getting closer to each other. On the other hand, Shyam became a part of our family, first winning Bua-ji's trust and then Amma and Babuji's after he convinced them to visit us. When Babu-ji got sick, Shyam manipulated the family into agreeing to an engagement between us. I resisted as long as I could. I didn't want to be engaged to him. After Nainital, I knew. I knew what you were to me, that I ... I loved ... lo-loved y-you. I asked Devi Maiyaa for a sign and she sent me three."

Arnav stilled, her halting confession catching him off guard.

He wondered if she still felt the same way.