Piece of Me

Background: Khushi goes to AR to take her Devi Maiya's statue and find herself trapped in the storeroom with Arnav. What if they had a decent conversation for once?

Khushi entered the AR storeroom with hurried steps in hope of just grabbing her Devi Maiya's statue and getting out of here as soon as possible. She didn't want to face anyone in this office, especially Arnav Singh Raizada. That's why she had chosen Sunday to come in but when had her fate ever listened to her after she met that Laad governor? He was in his cabin, standing and staring at her like he... she didn't even want to complete that thought. She just didn't know what to make of him. How dare he order her to come up to his cabin to 'talk' after what he had done? If only she wasn't feeling so hollow because of her favourite goddess's missing statue, she would've never come back here again. 

She craned her neck to spot her things when her eyes focused on the red and gold fabric peeking from above the cupboard. She grabbed the stool and extended her hand on the cupboard trying to reach the statue but failing. She had finally caught hold of it when she heard Arnav's enraged voice.

'What do you think of yourself?'  Arnav boomed coming into the storeroom and shutting behind the door. How dare she ignore him? He didn't give a damn about this girl but he just wanted to tell her once and for all that he didn't deliberately send her to that abandoned guesthouse. Why was it so important for him to make her understand that, that he didn't get.

Khushi, who wasn't expecting Arnav to come down, was caught off guard and before she knew, she was tumbling down the wobbly stool. Hey Devi Maiyya, why me? This was her only thought before she fell fully expecting to break her bones. Multiple things happened at once. Arnav jumping to save her, Khushi falling on the bean bag, and Arnav landing on top of her losing his balance with her Devi Maiya's statue in his hand. It was sudden but his body pressed against hers was proof that it had happened. Her reaction was instant. Her heartbeats started to rise and she gulped nervously looking down feeling Arnav's gaze on her face. 

Arnav couldn't move. He tried but he couldn't. He didn't know what it was but something kept him captivated. Her eyes, they were hazel with flecks of gold. And her skin was spotless sans any makeup. His gaze moved down to her lips that were inches apart from his own and that's when he saw her eyes flick down nervously. She was scared. Of him? He didn't know why that bothered him. It should give him pleasure. But he immediately got up and gave her a hand to help her. 

Shock would be an understatement for Khushi when she saw Arnav giving her his hand to help her up. For a second, she wanted to refuse and get up on her own to show him that she didn't need his help. But she didn't know why a part of her deep down that she had hidden so well till now made her give her hand in his as he pulled her up. She stumbled on him and held his shoulders for support. She immediately disentangled herself from him not wanting those unwanted emotions and taking her Devi Maiya's statue from his hand, was about to walk out of the room when she noticed that the lock was broken. 

'Hey, Devi Maiya. What is this? We are trapped.' Khushi exclaimed. 

Arnav was startled out of his thoughts about what had transpired between them. He looked at Khushi panicking by banging the door screaming for help, biting her nails and muttering to herself. He rolled his eyes and searched his pockets for his phone to call the peon. Dammit, he forgot his phone in the cabin. He was about to open the window to look for the guard when Khushi beat him to it, shoving him in the process and ignoring his what the. She opened the window, shouting for some help and panicked some more. He found it a little amusing though. 

So much for getting out of here without any drama, Khushi thought. She looked over at Arnav just standing there. Why wasn't he doing anything? She kept on shouting hoping that someone would hear her and come to their aid. But none of that helped. She opened the window and felt the strong breeze kiss her face. Her dupatta that has a mind of her own, flew over to land on Arnav's face. She turned away from him feeling exposed.

Arnav felt her soft dupatta on his face carrying her fragrance with it. He looked at her through the see-through fabric and understood. Uncomfortable. That is what she feels without her dupatta. He took it off and offered it to her turning his face away to give her much needed space and privacy.

Khushi grabbed her dupatta from him and covered herself. It made her feel safe. He made her feel safe. This man was an enigma and she, for the life of her, couldn't ever understand him. She was about to go fetch some water from the cooler kept in the storeroom when she saw him drinking water and filling it up again. She waited for her turn. But this day was surely turning out to be full of surprises for her when she saw his hand waving the cup of water in front of her face. She took it and drank it slowly, feeling tingly deep down on drinking from the same cup. Before she could faint at this extra dose of niceness from him, she sat down on the bean bag. 

'Looks like we're stuck.'   Arnav said taking off his coat and rolling his sleeves before sitting on the floor beside her comfortably. He kept a good distance between them for his own sanity. 

'I need to go.'  Khushi mumbled. When she had left her house this morning, nowhere had she expected such an adventure-filled day. Arnav Singh Raizada sitting beside her and making conversation without screaming at her or reminding her of her status. That was a first.

'I need to talk to you.'  Arnav spoke again ignoring her little request. He couldn't get them out of here till someone realizes they're stuck. He wasn't happy with the situation either but it sure did serve his purpose. She would at least listen to him now. Her silence told him that she was ready to hear whatever he had to say. So he carefully chose his words, 'I didn't know what the situation a the guesthouse was. Yes, I was angry at you and didn't want to see you. But I didn't want to hurt you. Workers are always ordered to check the entire building before locking up. I would've never sent you there if I had known.'

This was the most Arnav Singh Raizada had ever talked to her in the entire time they'd known each other. The most civilised conversation too. Khushi looked at him for a long moment. He was looking at her and his eyes held the sincerity. He was telling her the truth. He hadn't apologized. He would never do that. But he had explained to her that he would never hurt her like that intentionally. Khushi wanted to believe that. And she did. 

Arnav saw her nodding and felt relief wash over him. There was this need to clear the air. The restlessness that he had felt, the feeling of emptiness and something incomplete that he had been feeling for days after that guesthouse incident left him instantly. He had come to work on a Sunday hoping that it would help but what had actually helped? A decent conversation with Khushi Kumari Gupta.

'I'm scared of the dark.'  Khushi explained. She wasn't sure why she felt this sudden urge to tell him that. His face reflected the shock that she herself felt. Was she really going to tell this man her story? She couldn't bear to look at him and see sympathy in his eyes. Anything but that. She continued, 'My parents died in a car accident when I was 8. I was with them and it was dark.'

Arnav couldn't believe what he was hearing. An orphan. Just like him. It brought back so many memories that it felt hard to breathe. Her averted eyes told him what words couldn't. She wouldn't like the fake sympathy everyone seemed to give to people like them. No one could understand. But another thing pulled at his heart. Her scared and tear-stained face in the dark flashed in his mind and he felt awful.

'I'm sorry.'  Arnav blurted out. It was genuine. Her wide eyes did nothing to hide her surprise. He himself was but it was necessary. The man who had prided himself at not apologizing ever speaking those words so smoothly was surely astonishing but she needed to hear those words. 

'My parents died when I was 14.'  He didn't know when those words escaped him. He didn't tell her how. She didn't need to know the gory details but she needed to know that he knew exactly how it felt. 

Khushi looked at him and held his gaze. She nodded at him. He knew. He understood. There were no other words. His apology had flabbergasted her. Arnav Singh Raizada had kept his larger than world ego aside and actually said the word sorry. It wasn't a fake consolation on her parent's death. It was an honest apology for all of his unintentional and intentional mistakes. She could feel every harsh word and action of his washing away. She couldn't help but give a little smile albeit hesitantly, for the fear of breaking the moment they were in. Was it a dream?  

Arnav looked at her and felt lighter than ever. The corners of his lips twitched on its own accord and he returned her smile with a ghost of a smile of his own. Who would have thought that being trapped in a storeroom on a Sunday with Khushi Kumari Gupta could turn out so peaceful?

Together they waited for the door to open in companionable silence. No more words were needed. They had shared a moment, a piece of themselves with each other. They didn't know what tomorrow will bring but it was a start at least.