Jaane Doh Naa
CHAPTER SIX
The Difference Between Red & White
"Yes,"
Arnav confirmed. "About fifty bouquets."
"But
sir, roses are out of season!"
"I
don't care Aman," Arnav continued in his no-nonsense-tone. "I want them here in
an hour. Is that clear?"
Aman
was silent.
"I
said," Arnav repeated, a bit more loudly. "Is that clear?"
"Yes.
Of course sir!"
"Good."
And
with Arnav hung up the phone and looked out the window, sipping his morning
coffee. The sun was loud and clear that day, reminding him once again of the
girl for who he gave up everything. He let out a sigh as his eyes saw her
reflection appear on the glass panes of his wall sized windows. She was
laughing like always, her hair in a braid, the bindi in its rightful place on
her forehead… just the way he liked her.
Arnav
suddenly turned away from the image, as memories suddenly flooded his mind. He
didn't want to dwell on the past, for it brought neither joy nor insight. It
made him sorely miss her, even though she was right in front of his eyes
nowadays. Ofcourse, that was a whole other issue. She may well be infront of
his eyes, but he didn't see any of the comforting resemblences of the eighteen
year old who fell into his arms in Lucknow.
She
was a completely new being. He almost felt foolish to have stuck around for
this long, trying to win her back. What was he expecting? If she managed to
stay away for two years, what hope did he have to convince her of coming back
now? As she rightly pointed out to him, her home was here now.
His
phone buzzed, distracting him from his thoughts. "Yes?" he said, picking up on
the first ring.
"Sir,"
Aman said timidly. "There are only about twenty bouquets available."
Arnav
refrained from swearing. "I told you
I need fifty of them!"
"I
know sir," Aman replied quickly. "But, most of them have to be pre-ordered, so
there are only about twenty or so available in the next hour."
"Goddamnit,"
Arnav said. "Is this what I pay you for? To tell me you can't do your job
right?"
Aman
didn't answer.
"Fine,"
Arnav said, frustrated. "Get them all. And make sure they are red. I don't want
any other colour."
Aman
cursed his luck as the phone was cut for a second time in a row that morning.
Finding red
roses at 8 o'clock in the morning was definetly not in my job description, he thought to himself. Why the hell did she have to like red roses?!
Orchids are nice flowers too! Cheap and definetly in season!
* * *
"Bring
them in," Arnav ordered, beckoning the two delievery boys into the boutique.
It
was 9 o'clock and the boutique was empty, save for a tired Ayesha sitting near
the counter, checking their sales for the last month.
"Whats
going on?" she asked, getting up to watch the commotion.
"Good
morning Ms. Kapoor," he answered, before passing more instructions to the boys.
"Why
the hell are you bringing in so many roses?" Ayesha asked stunned over the
enormous bouquets of red roses that were being brought in.
Arnav
didn't answer her. "Place that one in that corner," he commanded.
"Mr. Raizada," Ayesha said, irritated. "I
asked you something!"
It
was well over twenty minutes, when the boys had finished setting up and left
collecting their tip, that Arnav decided to answer.
"Khushi-"
he began.
"Is
not here," Ayesha interrupted. "She won't be back until after lunch."
"I
know," Arnav said. "I thought Khushi needed the surprise."
Ayesha
looked around her boutique, which now resembled a florist shop and said, "This is your surprise?"
"Of
course," he said. "Red roses are Khushi's favourite."
Ayesha
burst out laughing. "Seriously?" she said, between fits of laughter. "Roses?"
Arnav
frowned, not understanding what was so funny in the situation. In his opinion,
his surprise was well executed. Aman had done his job well; the bouquets were
not only exquisite, but elegant as well. And arranged as they were around the
boutique, it was nothing less than paradise on earth. Khushi was sure gonna one
hell of a time, turning this down!
"Whats
wrong?" he asked finally, when he found nothing amiss in his arrangements.
Ayesha
hiccupped herself to seriousness and said, "what do you want her to do with
this surprise?" she asked. "Open a side business selling flowers?"
"Excuse
me?"
"I
mean," she explained. "What exactly did you buy all these flowers for? And that
too all the same – red roses?"
Arnav
couldn't believe he was being questioned. Never did he think he had to give an
explanation for his gestures, emphasizing their significance and symbolism.
They weren't in English class anymore, justifying romantic acts in godforsaken
novels!
"I…
I," he began, trying to find words. "I just thought she would be happy. Red
roses are her favourite."
"Oh
lord," she said, exasperated. "Save me from seeing this horror."
Arnav
was now annoyed. "Look," he said. "If you have a problem, then tell me straight
up. Don't run around in circles. I don't have time for it!"
Ayesha
snorted. "Sure you have time," she said. "This is Khushi we are talking about."
Arnav
merely shrugged in answer. He had no intention of accepting she was right!
"I
feel so bad for you," she said with a pitying expression on her face. "So much
work, all gone down the drain."
"What
do you mean?"
Ayesha
sat down comfortably on the sofa before saying, "Its very simple Mr. Raizada,"
she answered. "Girls like things which have a meaning. Not these pointless
types of surprises."
"How
is it pointless?" Arnav asked. "She loves red roses!"
"First
of all," she answered. "lets clear up one thing. Who the hell told you she
likes red roses?"
"Umm…
I just know?" It sounded more like a question, than an answer.
"Clearly
you don't," she objected. "Because Khushi doesn't like red roses."
Arnav
was stumped. … doesn't like red roses?
Was that even possible? "Yes she does," he argued. "She likes all these
romantic things. Gifts, surprises, roses!"
"She
used to like them," Ayesha answered.
"Not anymore. If you haven't noticed Khushi is not the same anymore."
"So?"
he asked. "She might dress different now… but her tastes are the same. They
can't all change!"
"Well
they did," Ayesha said, crossing her legs.
Arnav's
mind was in a fix. He somehow couldn't get himself to believe that Khushi no
longer liked red roses. The thought itself was very absurd! At the same time,
he couldn't deny what Ayesha was saying either. He himself noticed the many
changes in Khushi; she no longer cared for her family, she even rejected her
babuji's jalebis! What more proof did he need to know that she wasn't the same?
She is the same, his heart
whispered, full of hope. She still loves
her dad… her family… and even you.
"Why
so quiet Mr. Raizada?," Ayesha asked, when he continued to stand in silence.
"Okay,"
Arnav said, making up his mind. "So what does
she like?"
"Lilies,"
she answered promptly. "White lilies. Khushi supports a peaceful atmosphere."
"Of course," he said sarcastically. "She
herself is so peaceful that she
supports peace, right?"
She
ignored the jibe. "So, I suggest you remove this flower shop from my boutique."
"Why?"
Arnav said, looking around. "Its beautiful."
Ayesha
groaned. "Please," she said. "Lets not go over this once again! She likes white
lilies and what you want to do with that information is up to you!"
And
with that she resumed looking at her accounts.
Grudgingly
Arnav dialed for his manager again. "Aman," he barked. "I want white lilies."
"B-but
Sir," Aman protested. "The red roses, I-"
"Just
do what I say Aman," Arnav interrupted. "I want enough white lilies to fill the
entire boutique. And yes, get someone to get rid of the roses."
* * *
Khushi
entered the boutique, happy with the successful meeting she just had with some
clients.
"AYESH!"
She called. "WE HAVE BUS-"
She
stopped mid-sentence, upon noticing the transformation of the boutique. It was
decorated beautifully with many bouquets of white lilies, in all shapes and
sizes. Khushi was stunned to behold such a sight and the words escaped her
mouth before she could realize, "What the?!"
Ayesha
emerged from the designing room. "What happened at the meeting?" she said,
completely ignoring the flowers.
"What
is all this?" Khushi asked.
Ayesha
shrugged as Arnav stepped out from the corner. "It's for you," he said, a coy
smile lighting up his face.
Khushi's
face hardened. "We have business Ayesh," she said, turning to her best friend
and completely ignoring the other. "They want us to design for their wedding
next month."
"YIPEE!"
Ayesha exclaimed. "That's seriously awesome!"
Khushi
nodded and began walking to the designing room. "I have a list of outfits they
want for all the ceremonies. The engagement is first, I think they skip-"
She
stopped just in time to catch herself from falling. Arnav appeared to have
suddenly stepped in her way.
"When
I talk to you," he said very calmly. "Then atleast have the courtesy to reply."
Khushi
snorted. "It's a bit rich coming from you Mr. Raizada. The man who has zero
ethics is talking to me about courtesy!"
Arnav
didn't reply and instead waited for her to answer his unsaid question.
"What?"
she asked, when he didn't move out of her way.
"Well?"
he said, with a pointed look. "What do you think?"
Khushi
looked around the room. No doubt, it was beautiful, but she only saw his name
stamped across each and every flower. So, all she said in reply was, "Atleast
you could have bothered to find out my favourite flowers. But I guess that would
be expecting too much from you."
Arnav
was aghast. "But white lilies are your favourite!"
"Since
when?" Khushi asked, giving him a 'are-you-stupid?' look. "Red roses are my
favourite flowers. And they have been ever since I was kid!"
And
then it suddenly fell into place. Arnav wordlessly turned to Ayesha, who appeared
to be enjoying the scene with a smirk plastered over her face.
"I
am glad to see how much you know about me," Khushi said coldly, before
disappearing into the designing room.
"How
dare you?" Arnav said, through gritted teeth once he made sure Khushi was out
of earshot. "How dare you lie to me?"
"Why?"
Ayesha said, sarcastically. "Are people forbidden to lie to you Mr. Raizada?"
"Yes,"
he said. "Yes, because no one messes with me."
"Well
then," she replied, equally angry. "I guess you haven't been dealing with real
people then. Because I am not going to take any of your 'I-am-better' crap. I
don't even bow down to god, what makes you think I will to you?"
"I
don't need you to bow down to me," he retorted. "but atleast don't interfere
with your friend's life. Whatever I am doing is for her own good!"
"What
good?" she snapped. "Haven't you done enough damage already? Don't you think
she is much better off without you in her life?"
"No,"
Arnav objected. "You are wrong. She needs me and you know that very well too."
Ayesha
let out a sarcastic laugh. "And you turn out to be dumber than I thought.
Khushi doesn't need you. All I know is that I am not going let you come back
into her life, because she had enough with your games."
"This
is not a game," he said. "This is reality. Khushi can run all she wants, but
she will always end up coming back to me."
"Says
who?"
"Says
me," he answered confidently, his rage at being misled suddenly vanishing. He
somehow couldn't get himself to be mad at Ayesha anymore, when the truth of
what he said dawned to him. "And I promise you that Ms. Kapoor. You can hide
your friend all you want, but don't forget that I was here a lot earlier than
you. I was in her life two years ago, I am here now and I will be here
forever."
And
with that he walked out coolly from the boutique.
"Ayesha?"
Khushi said, taking a peak into the room. "Are you coming? And is the Laad
Governor gone?"
Ayesha
glared at the empty doorway, through which Arnav left seconds ago before
saying, "He was always gone Khushi. Today is no different."
________________________________________________________
comment:
p_commentcount