Chapter 38

Let me know your thoughts on the story and the chapter. Happy reading

                                                                                   ------------------------------------------

Chapter - 38

Every time Khushi repeated the same ‘Namaste’ in the same lifeless way as he moved from one person to the other. She had no interest in knowing any of them. All she wanted was for it to end so that she can go home. And it was then she heard Mr.Oberoi say “And this is Mr.Arnav Singh Raizada.”

The minute she heard that name, she instantaneously sprung her head up and her caramels were met with his chocolate brown orbs. At that moment Khushi felt everything around her freeze. Continuing, Mr.Oberoi said “This is Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta. The heiress to the Gupta empire.”

Extending his hand Arnav said in a poised tone “Hi! Ms.Gupta. Nice to meet you.”

But Khushi just kept staring at him rooted in her position. Only one thought was continuously ringing in her head “Hey, Devi Maiyya! I never thought I would meet him again and definitely not here. Not like this. So, Why? Why is this happening?”

Absentmindedly Khushi slowly extended her hand. Immediately reaching out, he held it in his with satisfaction while applauding himself for his decision.

**Flashback**

Shoving the suit back in the box Arnav returned to his seat repeating to himself that he doesn’t care. That there is no point dwelling on things when he will not even meet her ever when his gaze fell on the file lying on the table. In an effort to keep his mind occupied with something else he started going through it. Halfway through a frown appeared on his face both confused and puzzled. “Could it be?” he thought as he typed a name on his laptop but no picture or any other information came up in the search. “But if that man’s name is next to this one then it got to be her. I will take my chance. I have to go.” he mumbled, making up his mind. Slamming the file on the desk he picked up the phone and dialed Aman. “Aman! I will be attending Oberoi’s party. Book my flight. You are coming too.” he ordered as he stared at the guestlist which read ‘24. Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta and Mr. Shyam Manohar Jha’. He thought to himself “I know this is you Khushi. How silly of me to have never asked for your full name? You wanted us not to meet again. But we will meet again. And that too very soon. Now that I know who you are, I will keep finding ways to meet you. And this time I won’t be giving in like before.” 

*** End of Flashback ****

Interrupting their little reunion Shyam budged in saying “ASR! we meet again.” Becoming aware of her surroundings Khushi snapped her hand away from his and looked away. Shyam kept speaking as he extended his hand “You are acting as if you are meeting us for the first time...” 

Cutting him short Arnav replied matter of factly, clearly disregarding his hand, “But I am.” Taking his hand back silently Shyam looked on and  Arnav explained “I only knew Khushi as Payals soul sister. But today I am meeting her as Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta. I had no idea, she is the successor of the Gupta corporations. In my defense there never was a picture or other information of her anywhere so there was no way I would know.” he said his eyes fixed on her.

“You are very funny, Mr.Raizada. Whichever way you met her she is still the same, isn’t it?” Mrs.Oberoi questioned intrigued.

“Well! The answer is yes and also no.”, he replied with a smirk. 

“I don’t get it. Anyway, I love the color of your suit. Or maybe I should say this color compliments you well. You should wear more like these than your usual darker shades. But what made you change your taste?” a lady standing next to Arnav asked 

“It was a gift.”, he answered straight away. Hearing that Khushi’s gaze quickly shifted to him and she finally noticed that he was wearing the suit she gifted him.

“So, he got it? That’s great. The color does suit him. He is looking very handsome. And the size is perfect as if it is custom-tailored for him. I did a good job even though it was my first time buying clothes for a man, right Devi Maiya?” she murmured lost in thoughts, feeling proud of herself while checking him out.

One look at her and Arnav knew what she was thinking in her head. Chuckling inwardly he mumbled under his breath “She is as transparent as ever” when the lady next to him spoke again, questioning “A gift? From who? Don’t tell me you have a girlfriend? But wait, it is you, so that notion is definitely wrong. Tell me who?” she asked, trying to snake her hands around his biceps.

He stole a glance at Khushi who looked at him apprehensively. While he was about to speak she involuntarily shook her head, as if requesting him not to take her name. But acting indifferent while hiding his smirk, he kept going and said with a smug “That’s personal.”

A sense of relief swept through her body as she thought glaring at him, “Is he playing with me again, that too before all these strangers? Argh! he is unbelievable.”

                                                                                            ----------------------------

Arnav kept stealing a peek at her from the corner of his eye. Sensing her being uncomfortable, he wonders if it was due to her dress. He never saw her wearing western clothes before. She wore a black crochet tulle ball gown with off shoulders and as always looked stunning. 

Khushi was feeling nervous being surrounded by people and seeing them indulging in some kind of discussion which she had no idea of. Feeling out of place she stood there frozen when Shyam moved a little closer, bent close to her ear, and whispered angrily “ Khushi! What are you doing? Don’t just stand there like a pole. Do I have to teach you how to talk?” Then he calmly moved away with a smile plastered on his face.

Even though Arnav couldn’t hear what they were whispering about, just the mere sight of her next to that man, made him burn with rage. He was jealous and that is one emotion, the sense of rivalry resonates well with his character.

Still not having a clue as to what to say Khushi stood there contemplating when she felt a strange shiver run down her spine making her uncomfortable and restless. Fully aware of the reason behind it she took a quick glance at him.  And there he was, shooting death stares at her. The rage in his eyes was clearly visible even though he was not standing close to her. All the earlier nervousness and predicaments now seemed irrelevant. Unable to understand the reason for this sudden change in his demeanor she strained her tiny mind to figure out but failed miserably. His gaze intensifying by second, she didn’t know what to do and how to handle herself or the situation she was in. Her thoughts slowly taking over, she got lost in her memories of him for a few minutes before quickly composing herself. She realized there was one thing she was sure of. She didn’t want Shyam to know about him. She cannot let him know about them.   

“Ms. Gupta, you are not saying anything. You seem like a very secretive person. I mean in all these years I never saw you in any of the business or non-business related events. Are you trying to hide something or do you not like parties?” one of the guys standing there asked teasingly.

And before Khushi could answer Shyam said with a big smile “You are partially right, Jatinji. I and Papa always beg her to come but she keeps saying her kind of parties are different and more fun. And you know dad. He adores her too much to force her to do something she doesn’t want to. Even today she came only because papa urged her saying it was Mr.Oberoi’s party.” 

Khushi was quite distracted right now to take interest or even listen to the conversation. She just kept staring at the girl who was next to Arnav, fuming she spoke through her teeth, “Hey, Devi Maiya! Who is this girl? She is very beautiful. Shyam did introduce her to me but I was too occupied with him to pay heed. Even earlier she was falling on Arnavji. What is her relation to him? And why the hell can’t she keep her hands to herself?”

“And I am very happy to be the first one hosting her.” Mr. Oberoi said. Then turning to Khushi he asked, “So Khushiji, when are you planning to take over the business?”

Again Shyam intervened, “Oberoi Saab, Khushi is still young. Let her enjoy life a little. Anyway, dad and I are there to take care of things for her. Also, she hardly shows any interest in the business. Whenever dad tries to talk about the business she escapes smartly using his love for her against him and many times I end up getting stuck between these two.” he chuckled.  

As Shyam was busy becoming her mouthpiece she couldn’t help but stealthily observe him and her. Arnav even though appeared to be in conversation with someone still managed to keep his focus on Khushi. Seeing her from the corner of his eye he could easily say that she was disturbed by the lady next to him. “And you keep repeating there is nothing between us, Khushi. It is pretty evident that you are getting affected seeing this supermodel next to me. Your eyes tell me everything your voice fails to. Well, two can play the game.” he thought as he placed his hand on the model’s waist. 

Oblivious of his intentions Khushi fell for it and spontaneously her eyes turned to saucers as she threw an accusatory look at him mumbling “Not very long ago he was confessing his love to me and look at him now, all lovey-dovey with whomever. Is this his love?” Suddenly realizing what she was saying she calmed herself down as she told herself “You wanted this, Khushi. Remember you asked him to move on and find someone special for him. Now he is moving on. You should be happy, right?” as her face fell, depressed.

“So Ms.Khushi, what are you doing now?” a young man around the same age as her asked. 

And finally, she spoke gently “Ji, I recently gave my engineering final exams.”

“Engineering!?” Mr.Oberoi questioned, surprised. Then he added “The Heiress of Gupta textile empire and engineering? I don’t understand.”

The earlier young man said excitedly, “Wow! Engineering? I wanted to do that too but my dad...” he pointed towards Mr.Oberoi while speaking “wanted me to study business. Where is your college? US or UK?”

“Ji, Mumbai only. It’s ..”

Mr.Oberoi cut her off even more shocked. “What!? Why? I mean Shyam you went to one of the prestigious business schools in the world and she is studying engineering? That too in Mumbai? I don’t get it.”

Pausing for a brief second Shyam answered hastily as he looked at Khushi “I know people will ask such questions. I even warned dad about it. Now you only answer Khushi. At home, you always have answers to everything” 

With no clue as to what was happening Khushi just stared at him blankly. And Arnav who was observing her could clearly understand that something was amiss.

“Well fine. I will only explain. You see Mr.Oberoi, Khushi was adamant that she will not leave dad and go abroad. She was stubborn with her decision to do engineering. Dad ended up giving in to her whims and fancies as always saying she will learn business when needed.”

The Khushi, Shyam was portraying before everyone and the one he knew seemed like completely different people. Trying to make sense of it Arnav asked Khushi, “So, Ms.Gupta what are you planning to do now?” 

Her attention fully on him, she stuttered “That…. I..” unable to come up with an answer.

Again Shyam intervened ready to answer when Arnav tauntingly said “Come on, Mr.Shyam. Let the lady speak for once. You have been answering on her behalf this whole time.”

But Shyam was not ready to back down. Clearly annoyed, he said arrogantly “Don’t get me wrong Mr.Raizada. Khushi doesn’t usually attend these kinds of parties, so she is not very comfortable speaking. Anyway, dad will soon be announcing what he has planned for Khushi. It is better for us to not say anything right now as paparazzi are always ready for some scoop.”

“Oh! That sounds exciting. I am already curious about it.” Mrs.Saxena said, faking her excitement.

Oberoi Junior who is totally smitten by Khushi approached her and asked her for a dance which she readily declined. Shyam who is standing right next to Khushi overheard them and did damage control. “Don’t take it the wrong way. You see she is not very good at the dance so she is a bit skeptical. And also she already asked me for a dance, I hope you understand.” he said as he smiled at her and forwarded his hand for her to hold. Throwing a quick glance at Arnav she silently and hesitantly took his hand.

While walking towards the dance floor Shyam said displeased, “What were you thinking saying no to him like that? Do you even know how much business we get from his father? We need him for our business. I am warning you, make no mistake again.”

“But I..”

“Don’t give me your stupid reasons. He was just asking you to dance with him, not to sleep with him. Next time say yes. Understand?” he said using an aggressive tone.

Shocked at his remark Khushi glared at him in disbelief.

Completely shunning her, he said devoid of emotion “Stop staring at me and make yourself useful.”

With a heavy heart, she swallowed her pride and followed his lead. 

Just as they were about to start dancing Khushi’s eyes involuntarily fell on the person passing by her line of sight. She immediately knew it was him even under the lights flashing on the dance floor. He sat at the bar right under the bright lights making it easy for her to clearly see him. Holding the glass in his hand he looked directly at her with eyes filled with anger and resentment that a sense of guilt swept through her. Like a magnet, her eyes kept going back to him irrespective of what she was doing. 

Not even thirty seconds into the dance and Khushi already managed to stamp on Shyam’s leg. Hissing in pain he glared at her with rage as she looked at him apologetically. But in her defense, even the best dancers fail when their minds and soul are elsewhere. Glancing again in his direction she saw a bartender helping him with something in a rush and a few pieces of glass lying on the table. Wondering what happened she stepped on Shyam’s leg again and he glared again. This saga continued for another minute when Shyam finally had had it and demanded “What the hell is wrong with you? I am sure you are doing this on purpose. I will deal with you later. Now stand in some corner quietly till I am back. And when I say quietly, I mean it. No talking to anyone, be invisible. Got it.”

The instance Shyam stepped away Khushi’s gaze shifted to the bar counter but to her dismay, he was nowhere to be seen. “Where did he go? And what happened earlier?” she wondered as her legs automatically moved in that direction.

“Excuse me.” She called the bar-attender who was helping Arnav earlier. Grabbing his attention she  asked, “What happened to the person sitting here a minute ago?” 

“Oh! Mr.Raizada?” he questioned.

“Yes! I saw broken glass. Is he ok?” she asked promptly.

A little skeptical, he contemplated whether to answer or not when Khushi said sincerely “I am his friend. I need to know what happened so I can help him.”

Finally speaking up, he said nervously  “He broke the glass he was holding. I mean with his bare hands. The glass was not even that fragile. I am sure he applied a lot of force. He squeezed it so hard that it broke to pieces in his hand and he got hurt. I offered to get him help but he declined and walked away. Please don’t complain about me. It was not my fault.” 

“No. No. Don’t worry. I won’t. Can you show me which direction he went?” she asked, getting restless.

“He went towards the garden, I think. I am not sure” he said, apologetically.

“No problem. Thank you! And can I ask you for a favor?” she requested and he nodded instantly. Thanking him again Khushi explained everything. Noticing a restroom sign ahead she said “Let us meet near the restrooms in 5 minutes.” and disappeared as he concurred.

Making way towards the garden she repeatedly chanted “Please be there. Please be there” overcome by uncontrollable emotions. 

                                                                                               --------------------------------

Arnav was lost in his rage as his mind kept replaying the image of Khushi dancing with Shyam. Burning with jealousy and feeling betrayed he stared at the red roses which were dawning thick red hue just like the blood that is freely dripping from his wound while ignoring the pain those broken glass pieces that pierced into his palm inflicted. Breaking the silence that surrounded him, he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and his heart knew she was there. 

Finally spotting him standing next to rose bushes, she let out a sigh of relief. Coming to a halt behind him, all the restlessness and anxiety slipping through her voice, she asked sharply “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” he asked mockingly.

“I don’t have time for this. Turn around” she demanded.

“Why should I listen to you? Who are you? And who am I to you?” he taunted. Not listening.

Using every ounce of sanity she has left, she took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself when her eyes fell on his hand. Shocked at the sight before her she immediately reached out for his hand. The second he sensed her touch, he snapped her hand off him, and finally turning to her he accusingly asked, “What are you doing? Who said you can touch me?”

Controlling herself very quickly from the shock of his action, she said curtly, “No one. And I don’t need anyone’s permission. Now let me.”

“What is this? I don’t need your sympathy. I have had enough. It is my fault to have let my heart rule over my mind. My fault, to think that not all people are bad. I should have stuck with my beliefs. I learned my lesson. Now leave me alone.” he spat all his anger. 

She just stood there silently staring at his arm. That silence, that disinterest to not look at him when he was speaking only added more fuel to his frustration and rage. Just as she was about to hold his arm again, he snapped it away from her one more time almost shouting “What do you want from me now?"

Her eyes still cast down, she requested “Please let me dress the wound. You are bleeding badly.”

Even though a part of him felt happy to know she cared for him the other was still annoyed. Not ready to accept her help, he said indignantly “Why do you care? Go have fun with your fiance. I am a nobody to you anyway.”

At last, she lifted her head, looked straight into his eyes, and implored “Please!”

                                                                                    --------------------------------------------------------                                                              

Don't forget to like and comment. 

- Hope

your reaction

26

nice

2

awesome!

5

loved

0

lol

0

omg

0

cry