Chapter 20

Farah

@farah53

Hey, all..I am finally able to bring Part 18 here...But before I post, I have to mention a couple names..First,thank you, maverickmartin for accurately understanding what Khushi wanted... No, contrary to popular consensus, she didn't want a Bollywood romance..She wanted, & I quote, maverickmartin:

P.S. So basically, what Khushi wants is the all-time classic Rabba Ve moment!!

Exactly!

& then, about this update, It's gonna be dedicated to La(asrcraze) & Jess (jessicad), for there is a 'gust of wind' there..

It's gonna be dedicated to Liya(Aveiro), for there is a 'Christiano Ronaldo' there..

It's gonna be dedicated to Soni(.._sonii_..), for there is an 'SRK' there..

& most specially, it's gonna be dedicated to Sami(SamiyaIPKKND), for there is also Taylor Swift there... Enjoy!

Part 17

Part 18

Khushi clutched the massive iron gate of the exclusive & much-too-expensive-in-her-opinion restaurant Diva, & bend over as she felt the right side of her stomach clench. She had been running as soon as she had got off the metro, & as she consulted the wide banded masculine watch on her right wrist, she saw that it was 2.15pm. She was late for her intrusion in Rohan & Arnav's luncheon. She zoomed forward, clutching the file to her chest tightly, as she sent a silent prayer up to Devi Maiyya, hoping that they hadn't already left the premise. But when she was about to step on the first set of stairs, she saw Rohan standing at one side of the stairs, looking as if he was waiting for someone. Khushi let out a breath of relief & jumped in front of him, "Bhaiya!"

Rohan was so shocked with both her sudden presence & her sudden scream, that he almost dropped his Samsung Note I out of his hand, & barely saved it by clutching it to his chest, & then he looked at Khushi incredulously, "Bachchi! I would have dropped it! Don't do that!" Khushi waved a hand dismissing his words, "Yeah, yeah. I know, your Notebook is you jaan. Where-" But Rohan cut her off this time, "What are you doing here? IS everything OK? & how did you know I'd be here?"

Khushi took a break from scanning the surroundings, searching for Arnav & flashed Rohan an annoyed look, "Everything's fine. Anjaliji's with Jiji. Abby told me you'd be here. You left this-", suddenly she stopped as she felt it. As if she was suddenly the only one standing still, so still that, she felt the light breeze blowing the light tendrils that have gotten loose form the casual bun she had hastily tied her hair in, the wisp of hairs flowed & tickled her jaw, & abruptly, instinctively, she felt her gaze drawn to the direction where the diner's have parked their cars. But there were just rows of cars there, no people. She looked back at Rohan confusedly. What was happening to her?

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The moment Arnav had put his hand on the door handle of his Audi, he had felt it. Something in the aura surrounding him shifted. It was utterly to feel like this, but he felt the air around him somehow became cooler, crisp. As if he had suddenly lagged behind the time-space continuum... As if, she was around. Isn't this how he felt every time he had been in Nikunja in the last week, when she had been avoiding him? Arnav automatically looked towards the main gate of the restaurant premise, & there she was! Bending over, clutching her side, presentinging a breathtakingly pretty vision in the pink short dress & white cardigan & an oversized shoulder bag, from which notebooks & pages were overflowing, letting everyone know her occupation.

Arnav clenched his jaw as his mind registered the cardigan, were there still scars left by that creep? & then as he saw her talking with her brother, articulating with her hands, he shook his head, & got inside the car, flinging the door shut a lot more forcefully than he had ever done. He had made a resolve, which he hadn't forgotten yet, & he was going to bide by that, even if the temptation to do otherwise took the pretty form of pink clad beauties!

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Khushi was about to ask Rohan about Arnav when she heard the sound of a powerful engine revving right behind her & she spun on her heels to see Arnav sitting behind the wheels of his car, looking directly at Rohan as if she was a see-through ghost. Then he wound the window of the passenger side down & said to Rohan in a clipped voice, "Get in. I'll drop you at your office." & Khushi bristled like she was an eggplant put in a pan of piping hot oil. Nobody treated her like this ever before. Like she was invisible. Khushi was about to stomp her foot down, when Rohan called her, "Bachchi, but this file isn't even important that you had to run all the way down here to hand it over!" Khushi looked over at him & all her irritation at Arnav channeled itself onto Rohan. She pressed her lips, & got out between clenched teeth, "Fine. So much for a mere 'thank you'! I think I'll go now."

Khushi flashed an annoyed look at a passively watching Arnav & was about to march off, when Rohan clutched her wrist. "Sorry? I just thought of your own inconvenience." Then he looked over at Arnav, & shouted, "Didn't you say you were going home to meet Dadiji? & you also had to pick Anjali up from our house, na? Take Bachchi along & drop her off home? I'll walk the small way to the office." & without waiting for either of the silent persons to say something, he held open the door of the passenger side of Arnav's car & helped a baffled Khushi in. & then swiftly gave two sharp rasps on the door to indicate that they should get going.

Arnav gave a powerless shrug & drove the car off. & Khushi sat there, slowly buckling the seatbelt in, & trying to remember exactly what her game plan had been after the part where she'd bump into Arnav accidentally. Unfortunately for her, maybe it was the sudden speed with which things had progressed, or maybe it was Arnav's close proximity, but her brain was drawing up a blank.

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Fifteen minutes into the ride, & Khushi was about ready to scream. She couldn't stand the silence. & she knew this was her golden chance to try & talk & mellow things out with Arnav, so that they could at least think about starting something normal, but she had no clue where to start. She stole a glance at him sideways & then nervously reached out to put on the car radio. To her immense joy & surprise though, she heard the melodious music of one of her most favorite songs 'Crazier' coming out of the radio & without thinking further, she clapped her hands, & turned towards Arnav, "Taylor Swift! Don't you just love her? She's one of my favorite artists! & she just writes so touchingly!" She gushed effusively. Then she looked at him expectantly, as if expecting him to mirror her views.

Arnav looked over at her when he felt her staring at him eagerly for some time, & then looked over at the radio, trying to register what the words of the song said, although concentrating on something would be so much easier if the scent of vanilla coming from her wouldn't engulf him completely. A couple of seconds later, he bit out disinterestedly, "It's juvenile!" Khushi felt her jaw drop at the unfair remark, & she said before she could stop herself, "Oh come on, Arnavji! You must listen to music. Everyone does!" Arnav averted his face from her enthusiastic face, because the excitement only seemed to make her look more vivacious, & said off-handedly, "I used to listen to some hard-rock while I was in Harvard." Khushi felt herself leaning towards him, expecting him to say something more, but when he didn't, she sat back in her seat dejectedly & stabbed the button to change the station.

But she immediately sat up again as a Cricket commentary floated in from the radio. She excitedly looked over at Arnav again, "Cricket! Do you remember Arnavji, how you used to play cricket every afternoon in our front yard-" Arnav cut her off with a curt, "I remember. In fact I have a scar to remind me of that every time I look in the mirror!" Khushi looked over at him tentatively at his mention of the incident. When she couldn't decide if he was angry or annoyed at her, she ventured unsurely, "Do you still follow cricket?" Arnav shrugged & more than a couple of seconds later provided, "I don't have so much free time. I try to catch a soccer match or two in the late night if I can, though."

Khushi jumped up & grabbed the topic like someone clutching at straws, "Soccer! I like it too. Do you follow Premiere League? I support Real Madrid by the way! & Christiano Ronaldo? God, he's amazingly handso... I mean talented." Khushi gushed at finally being able to find something they both liked. But her enthusiasm died the moment she saw Arnav's quelling gaze on her. His eyes flashed something that she couldn't quite fathom & he bit out curtly, looking ahead at the traffic fixedly, "Just another pretty face. He's nothing compared to Messi! & RM could never stand in front of Barcelona!" Khushi stared at him indignantly for some time & then just because she didn't want another slinging match with him, mumbled under her breath, "Know-it-all Laad Governor! Would it hurt him to just pretend that some of our likings are similar?" She slumped her shoulder & debated if she should try one last time, considering this Rakshas issued all sorts of weird feeling in her entire body. Then she asked in a small voice, "Do you even watch movies?"

Arnav looked over at her with curious eyes, What was up with her? Then he answered her while shrewdly studying her features, "Course I do!" Khushi looked at him with hopeful eyes, "What's your favorite movie? DDLJ, QSQT, MPK, KKHH, HAHK, or something else?" Arnav bent his head fully towards her & looked at her as if she had just got out from a mental asylum, & asked in an incredulous voice, "What the-?" & Khushi realized he had no idea what she was talking about. She asked sadly, "Arnavji, what's the last Hindi movie you watched?" Arnav looked over at her & answered vaguely, "I was in London when Ra.One premiered there. Unfortunately, I went for it." Khushi jumped up so violently in her seat that Arnav was again compelled to say 'What the-?", as she charged on, "Unfortunately? SRK looked so cool in blue contacts! & Chammak Challo? It's my favorite disco song! Akon rocked it big time!"

Arnav put the gear to parking as he stopped at the red sign & finally turned to look at Khushi fully, & asked in a deceptively neutral voice, "Akon? Isn't he the one who sings, 'I wanna f**k you', Khushi?" & as Khushi's face flooded with deep crimson, he held her gaze for a couple of seconds & then he turned away to look ahead & said in a dry, humorless voice, "No wonder you know what comes after 'What the-?' so well."

Khushi looked at his face for a couple of seconds to try & understand why he was behaving like that with her today. Then she felt the hurt & feeling of insult finally catching up with her, & she leaned against her side of the window & looked out of it dejectedly.

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As she finally shut her mouth up & fell into a sad silence, Arnav allowed himself to fully take in all of her loveliness. He felt really good about himself. He had been able to cling to atleast some of his resolve of avoiding her. If it wasn't for Rohan shoving her in his car, or the fact that he couldn't help but notice how unbelievably lovely she looked in Pink & how her cheeks mathced the color on her dress, or how the whole of his car & his whole existence seemed to have been engulfed by a sweet vanilla scent threatening to drive him to insanity, he would be totally on track of his task of avoiding Khushi.

But now he really didn't like how she was sulking sadly, looking steadfastly out of the window, & after a couple of minutes of debating with his very argumentative inner voice, Arnav asked tersely, "Why are you sulking now? What were trying to do, asking all those silly question?" Khushi flashed him a purely annoyed look over her shoulder & said, still looking out through the window, "I was trying to get to know you, thinking there might be more to you than the two dimensional Rakshas you always seemed to be! But why did I even bother? I might not know you any better, but by now I have got this much, that you & I have nothing whatsoever common between us! We are as different as chalk & cheese!"

Arnav's jaw fell open as soon as he heard her claim that she had been trying to gt to know him. His first reaction was 'What the-?' of course, but his second reaction was puzzlement. Why would she want to know him better, when she had it all figured out like the smarty pants she was & she even gave the verdict on any hypothetical relationship they might've ever had. So now, what was the Spanish Inquisition for? Then he again looked over at her & saw how subdued she looked. All because she thought they had nothing common between them?

"Khushi?" Khushi heard the barely audible whisper, that voiced the gentlest of questions, & she looked over at him, turning her head slowly. As soon as she turned to face him, she saw his eyes falling to her lips, & lingering over them & Khushi's eyes immediately followed suit, tracing the outline of his ridiculously beautiful lips. She was instantly transcended back to the shades of the Gulmohar & Peepul trees & the feel of his lips caressing hers, slowly & insistently. Then she looked up as she heard him speak in a low guttaral voice, "Were you thinking about... Our kiss?"

Even if Devi Maiyya had got down to earth & threatened Khushi with a massive bat to smash her head in, Khushi wouldn't have been able to look into his intent eyes & lie at that moment. So she just nodded. Once. Jerkily. Arnav looked on at her, unblinkingly, for a couple of seconds, then he set the car in motion, finally responding to the loud honkings surrounding them, & said in a clipped voice, looking straight ahead, "Me too." Then he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, & said casually, "There you go. We have one thing in common!"

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Precap:

"What is this vanilla scent that keeps coming from you?" He asked in a totally frustrated tone, & then halted with a catch in his voice, as if he couldn't believe he had just said that out loud. He stole an appraising glance at her face & saw that she was looking at him with rounded eyes & her lips slightly parted in her surprise at his completely out-of-place, out-of-the-blue queary. Arnav shrugged mentally, & the voice in his head suddenly piped up, Well she is not the only one you've shocked with that weird question! Seriously? Arnav cursed his own inner voice with a cuss word so crass that he cringed himself & he wondered, what her reply was gonna be. Was she going to act outraged, or shocked, or all haughty with idignation, like she had done when he had commented on the length of her dress? Arnav briefly closed his eyes in frustrationas he remembered that ocassion too. Why did he keep asking these peculiarly tactless questions to her?

He came out of his hopeless inner fight when he heard her tentative voice say softly, "It's my conditioner. It's designed for climate control. You know how extreme Delhi's Winters & Summers are? It keeps my hair at least marginally managable. It's very good actually. I'd recommend it..." Khushi charged on nervously. She felt so many butterflies fluttering in her stomach, that she felt sure any minute they were just gonna be drilling out of her stomach to continue their flutterings outside. She just knew, she had to keep talking, so that she didn't have to look at him & so that he won't see the love that must be pouring out of her eyes right now! He asked about the way she smelled. He noticed! & it was just way too much for Khushi to take in without getting all flustered. But as she kept on blabbering, not even knowing, what she was saying, she suddenly felt a hand pressing her right one that was nervously clenching-unclenching, lying over her lap.

She looked up at Arnav's unblinking eyes, which looked almost liquid right now, & the caramel had turned into pools of melted chocolate. & before he could say snything further to make her even more flustered, she babbled on, "Not that you need conditioning! Your hair looks fine. They look great. A little less gel, maybe? But still, they look good that way too. Crisp & unyielding. Just like you! Hai Devi Maiyya, why am I saying all this? SAVE ME!"

Part 19

& about precap..How can Khushi be so sensible one moment & yet so juvenile the next instant??Well, she's sensible, but she's still a 21year old in love for the first time in her life, that too with a man who has got the persona of ASR & the face of Barun SobtiSo, we'll cut her some slack, OK?