Silent Whispers
-CHAPTER FOURTEEN-
Damsel in Distress
"No Meeti, I'm not mad," Shyam was heard telling his sister one lazy afternoon in the Gupta Lawfirm. "We can visit Nanaji next month."
Then gently brushing away her gratitude, he bid her goodbye and hung up the phone.
Shyam didn't know how his sister did it - how easily she ignored everything around her and just worked. You could throw a tsunami her way and she would still manage to finish that one report she was supposed to.
It amazed him endlessly to see her dedication and at the same time, he couldn't help but wish he was somewhat like that too. His cases would have been a piece of cake and not mention handling his mother.
"Hello."
He looked up to see Anjali walk into his cabin with a bright smile. Dressed in a light green chiffon kurti, she as always looked simply breathtaking. And before he knew it, a grin was plastered on Shyam's face.
"You seem happy," she commented, sitting down across him.
"Well so do you."
"I have a reason to, you don't."
He agreed, but had no plans whatsoever to accept it. "Well, today was a good day. I got work done, Meeti - thankfully - turned down Nanaji's request for a visit-"
"Let me guess," she interrupted. "Khushi has work to do."
Shyam paused, catching on to her sarcastic tone. "Is there a joke I'm missing?"
"I don't know. Haven't you noticed how much work she does? And more than that, don't you find it strange?"
He laughed. "Nope. I will find it weird if Meeti doesn't have work to do."
A line appeared on her forehead. "Has Khushi always been like this? I mean, Akash always said she was the smartest person in their class, but I didn't know she was a workaholic."
Shyam shrugged. "That's how she is. She likes to keep herself busy."
Anjali appeared to have noted his downcast gaze, for she quickly retraced her steps out of the murky conversation. "I guess it's a good thing. Bhai is pretty much the same!"
"So I have heard," Shyam answered, glad for the change of topic. Even though he trusted Anjali, he knew she was miles away from know the secret of his family. It was just too miserable for her. "But Meeti doesn't seem to agree."
She was surprised. "Really? Now that is news. I always thought both Khushi and Bhai would get along amazingly well."
"They get along alright. The fact that AR Designs is still in one piece is proof of that."
"How come?"
"Meeti's anger is... well, bad."
Anjali chuckled in response. "I can see that, strangely. But I always wondered - why do you call her Meeti' then?"
A fond smile spread across his face. "Because she used to be obsessedwith jalebis! My mom literally had to hide them when we were kids, just to save Khushi from devouring it all. Ever since then, I started calling her Meeti... for her sweet tooth."
She smiled. "In her defense, jalebis do taste good."
"Do they? I never really liked them much."
"What?! They are soo good! Especially when they are warm and soft..."
Shyam watched her lick her lips, relishing the taste of absent jalebis in her mouth. "And now I get why you and Meeti get along."
She grinned. "But you know what's even better than jalebis?"
He shook his head.
"Rasgulla!" she announced. "Now that's something to die for."
Shyam watched her closely, seeing the glint in her eyes just at the mention of a savoury dish. He didn't know what was it that drew him to her - her dainty smile twinkling on her face or her innoncent chatter echoing through the room. All of it was plain fascinating.
"Out of curiosity, what is your favourite food?" she asked.
He snapped out of his reverie. "Chole bhature."
"Good choice."
"Don't tell me that is your favourite dish too?!"
"Erm, kind of. I don't have a favourite dish... As boring as it sounds, I like everything."
Shyam frowned seeing her shrug her shoulders. "That's not boring at all," he said quickly. "It just shows that you aren't picky, which believe me, is agood thing."
His reply silenced Anjali, who stared at him lost in thought.
"Hello?" he said, trying to grab her attention.
She blinked and said, with her cheeks slightly colouring, "Thank you."
He smiled, happy to have caught her so pleasantly off guard. "You don't need to thank me for speaking the truth Anjali - it's my profession to do so."
Her blush deepened in response, causing him to smile even more widely. If truth were told, Shyam never thought he would see the day when he could make a girl blush. It was just one of those things that he neither had time or skill to pursue in his life.
But that afternoon, sitting with her in his temporary office (his permanent one was being renovated), he felt as if he knew how to have a casual conversation that wasn't about criminals or the Indian Constitution, right from the beginning. As if the art of making her smile was an inborn skill that didn't need any cultivation at all.
"Well apparently a good day can make you gracious too," she said, after a few moments. "Who knew?"
"Well, I wouldn't give all the credit to the good day... the good company deserves some too."
A smile worked up her face. "Well, thank you... again. But before you find another way to make me repeat that, I should go."
"Or you could stay and return my compliments by having a cup of coffee with me."
Surprise flickered on her face. "Coffee? With you?"
"Yes, with me. Unless you are busy...?"
Shyam looked her blank face, wishing he didn't give her the choice. As much as he knew that he couldn't and shouldn't force these things, he still wanted to make her agree to his offer. He even had a list of things to say while they made their way across the street to a cafe!
His prayers were heard, for she said:
"Well, if you think I would pass on the opportunity to see what else a good day makes you do, then the answer is no, I wouldn't."
He grinned, relieved to hear her say yes'. "You know," he said, as they both made their way out of his office. "You would have made a great lawyer if you answered all questions like that."
She merely laughed in response.
* * *
"And finally according to the most recent plan, the factory should be done within the next month."
Khushi looked proudly at Arnav. Having finished summarizing a hundred page report in less than ten minutes - a daunting task set by Arnav himself - she almost demanded to see his nod of approval. She deserved it and both of them knew it.
But when did he ever do what she wanted him to?
"Okay," Arnav said, his hand stroking his chin in thought. "Get me the plan the builder sent us."
Khushi let out a disappointed sigh.
It was more than two weeks since she joined the famous AR Designs and still there was no appreciation whatsoever in her boss. On the contrary, he piled more difficult and laborious tasks for her to do.
Khushi knew it was childish to expect praise, but it pricked her endlessly to see him clump her in the grey mass of his employees. She wanted to stand out; she wanted to be known. She had the brains to prove herself and definitely the sense to bowl him over.
But all of this was neglected by Arnav, who it appeared only considered her to be nothing more than an imbecile. Would it hurt to tell her she was good? Or at least acknowledge her hard work, if not everyday, then once in a while?
She shook her head, feeling as if she was asking for an eighth wonder of the world. He was never going to appreciate her; she should just move on.
So, clearing her throat, she said, "And where, Mr. Raizada, would I find this plan?"
He merely pointed to his bookshelf in response, not even bothering to take his eyes off the laptop in front of him.
Khushi gritted her teeth, but refrained from a retort.
I guess Mr. Annoying Raizada is too busy to walk two steps and get the file himself...
However, her thoughts vanished as soon as she saw the bookshelf in question. Humongous in size, the shelf occupied almost one whole side of the room, housing numerous books and files. Even the thought of locating the file requested, made Khushi feel faint.
Giving an indignant look at Arnav, who was still staring at his laptop, she grudgingly went to the shelf and began to swift through its contents. When she had finally found the construction report in question, however, she realized it was out of reach.
Khushi cursed her luck.
Her day, it appeared, wasn't going to improve anytime soon. So, without further ado, she stood on her toes - quite a difficult task considering her three-inch stilettos - and stretched her hand up as far as she could, when she felt a sudden presence behind her.
It was Arnav, who was standing far too close to be allowed.
"Do you mind?" she asked pointedly.
"Yes, I do," he replied, his breath tickling her exposed collarbone.
She instinctively rolled her shoulder, trying to brush away the strange goose bumps on the nape of her neck.
"Now kindly move," he continued, not at all bothered by the proximity between them. "So that I can get the file and save you the trouble."
"What do you think I am?! A damsel in distress?," she snapped. "For your information, I can help myself, so save your concern for someone else. In fact, there are plenty in this office who would love your help."
Khushi heard him smile, before answering calmly, "I'm sure there are, but unfortunately, it's you who is in need of my concern, not them."
"Oh please! I can get that file without your help."
Then ignoring him (and also the fact that she would fall onto to him should she miss), Khushi jumped in an attempt to grab the file. To her bad luck, she did miss and predictably, went tumbling into Arnav, who caught her shoulders just in time.
"Careful," he advised delicately in her ear. "We can't have you breaking a leg over something so silly."
Khushi jerked away, trying to put as much space between them as possible. His arms around her felt strange and not to mention his breath in the hollow of her neck.
"Let me get this straight," she retorted, her patience dwindling. "If I break anything today, it's gonna be your fault. Now, can you move so that I can get the damn file?!"
But Arnav didn't move. He defiantly stood behind her leaving only an inch or so between them.
Khushi took a deep breath, struggling to push her ire away. She didn't know what was it that drove her nuts - his unyielding resolve to get the file and prove her weak or the strange warmth pulsating around him. It made the pit of her stomach knot wildly.
Deciding not to dwell on pointless matter, she tried to jump for a second time, when she felt his hands strongly clamp down on her shoulders.
"What-"
"You see," he explained. "I can't have you keep trying hopelessly to get that file. It goes against my policy of saving valuable time."
Arnav then leaned closer (if that was even possible!) and calmly grabbed the file. With one last look at her outraged expression, he walked back to his chair.
"There," he said. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"
Khushi angrily made her way back to his table. "I could have gotten it-"
"Yes, and I can fly."
"Mr. Raizada-"
"You can't do everything Miss Gupta. The sooner you realize you can'tcontrol this world, the better off you will be."
"I know I can't control-"
"Good. Then you should have no problem accepting my help in such a pointless task."
"If it was so pointless, then why didn't you go get it yourself in the first place?"
Arnav looked at her. "Are you seriously considering arguing with me on this?"
Khushi bit her lip in contemplation, but didn't answer.
"I'm glad to see we are still using our common sense."
A silent gasp escaped her mouth upon hearing his jibe, understanding full well that the "we" only referred to her.
"Now if your self-esteem is past being threatened," he continued in a dry tone. "I want you to take lead on the construction of this factory along with Jai."
And off he went, firing instructions in full speed, leaving her no choice but to note it all down. It appeared that the day she could outwit Arnav Singh Raizada was yet to be born.
Comments (13)
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Jai Shri Ram @SoniRita
+ 32
5 months ago
Anjali shyam convo cute n adorable as always
Jai Shri Ram @SoniRita
+ 32
5 months ago
Khushi is too stubborn n still wants approval/praise from ASR for her work ugh.
coderlady @coderlady
+ 8
1 years ago
Khushi is looking for approval. She keeps feeling she has to prove herself.
Jai Shri Ram @SoniRita
+ 32
1 years ago
Nice one, loved anjali n shyam convo.
MorallyGrey @WildestDreams
+ 32
1 years ago
Great chapter! I am in love with Anjali and Shyam. Their convo is so cute