Chapter 13

It was a sunday afternoon and Arnav was reading a few files sitting on the garden chair watching 'his family' play around in the garden. His three most precious people. Adit was playing with his cars all around the garden and Ayda was preparing tea with her kitchen set for her bua in a corner that she has set up as house. Kids had started walking now and  were trying to speak these days. Spending time with them has become incredible fun. All the blabbering that took place in attempt to form words amused the grown ups all the time.

 

Arnav's could almost feel the happiness burst inside him at the sight of Khushi smiling at him. She was beckoning him to come and join them, but he signaled that he was okay sitting at a distance with his work. He could not possibly stare at her from close-up, could he. Khushi was dressed in a yellow fitting chudidaar kurta with a flowing dupatta, and was rivaling the sunshine. Both with her attire and her warm tinkling laughter. This girl has been the sunshine of his life as well. Keeping him sane and thawing his heart with her warmth. 

She looks so beautiful. Long luscious black hair, which were open right now and swaying in the wind. Milky white complexion, a stark contrast to the hair color. Eyes that sparkle and smile that dazzles. She always looks so tempting in the dark of the night when they chit chat, where she does not bother with formalities with him anymore and wears her night suits in front of him, which are of course quite modest in his opinion. Her uninhibited demeanor in front of him makes him fall for her more. He has seen girls in awe of him, trying to impress him, trying to woo him, trying to please him and what not. But he had never seen a girl just being herself in front of him. Khushi never fish for compliments and yet his heart silently bestows a thousand of them on her. She never seeks his attention , but he is unable to divert his attention from her, no matter what. Why does she not behave like normal girls? Atleast a little. That would have helped a lot. 'But then you would have not fallen for her Arnav Singh Raizada', a voice in his mind chided.

A little while later Adya was in a mood of nap so Khushi gathered her in her arms and headed towards the nursery, leaving Adit in Savita's care in the garden. While she entered the house she heard some voices.  'Must be Arnavji and his lawyer'  she thought.  As she was moving towards nursery, she saw a man sitting opposite Arnavji, with his back towards her. Both were deeply engrossed into some papers lying in front of them on the table.   'This silhouette looks very familiar, even the voice is known'  Khushi told herself. She craned her neck to get a better view of the person who was sitting opposite Arnavji. As if sensing her, Arnav looked up at her from his papers and gave her a questioning look. The man followed his vision and turned back, and his eyes widened at the sight of girl standing in front of her, as did his smile. 

Akash Roy. Corporate Lawyer of Raizada Group of Companies. He was an intelligent man in his late twenties. From a good family and with a very pleasant disposition. He did his article-ship under Shyam Jha and became his blue eyed boy in no time. So much so that Shyam did not mind his friendship with Khushi and even referred him to his brother-in-law Arnav Singh Raizada when the latter was looking for a fresh corporate lawyer for his empire.

Akash moved forward and engulfed Khushi in a bear hug which she promptly reciprocated, making Adya shriek as she was suddenly suffocated caught in the middle of this display of affection. Arnav wasn't feeling very different from his niece at that moment. Akash stepped back  immediately much to the relief of Adya and her uncle.

'You answer me first. Where did you go? I am looking for you since a year now. How could you just disappear like this? No contact nothing. Did you know how worried I was? I went to your women's hostal and they said that one day you just packed your bags and left. That you left no forwarding address and have shifted with some relative. Did it occur to you that you should leave some address where you could be contacted? I went to Shyam Sir's house like a hundred times in a hope to find you there. But no. You just disappeared. I am really pissed with you Khushi, really really pissed.'  Akash scolded her without stopping.

'I am sorry Akash. It just happened so fast you know. I am sorry, I should have informed you. Just slipped out of my mind. I know it's no excuse but thats all I can say. I got so busy and caught up in stuff. You sit first, I'll tell you whatever you want to know'  she said pulling Akash down on the couch with herself and Adya opposite Arnav.

'Arnavji, this is Akash. A very dear friend of mine. He used to work under Shyam bhai. We know each other since around last 4-5 years now' she re-introduced her friend to Arnav.

Khushi forwarded Adya on her lap and said  'Meet Miss Adya Raizada Jha. The relative I shifted with'.  She took Adya's tiny hand and forwarded it to Akash for a handshake. Adya recoiled and buried her face and hands into Khushi, much to Arnav's pleasure. My intelligent baby.

'Yes, she and Adit are Shyam Bhai and Anjali bhabhi's twins. Arnavji is their uncle and now both of them live with him here. I also help take care of them'  she explained.

'I should have known. Why did I not look here? Ofcourse Adit and Adya are your only relatives now, and by default they'll live with ASR. It never crossed my mind'  he said more to himself than to anyone in the room.

'Now you know where I live. You can come here and meet me anytime. Right Arnavji?'  she looked at the master of the house with her huge expectant eyes and Arnav gave the most reluctant nod of his life.

If Khushi was confused, she did not show it. She has not seen Arnavji attend parties since the one year she is here. With all that had happened in this house it looked very obvious that he did not want to go out and party. And he did not ask her to come to any party with him for sure. This party must be important that he is planning to go. He mentioned that he has people to represent him at such parties, didn't he? That he prefers to spend his time at home. Whatever it was, she did not contradict him in front of Akash and stayed quite, as if agreeing with Arnavji. 'I'll ask him later'  she thought.

Akash's face fell in an instant. But he gathered his wits and said  'Great. You are also coming ASR. The clients will be very happy. We haven't seen you outside office since so long'. Then he turned to Khushi and said 'Guess I'll see you there then. We will talk then'.

Was he annoyed? Yes. Was he upset? Very. Was he surprised? Too Much. Akash Roy knows Khushi on such personal level? It did not cross his mind either, that they might know each other through Shyam jiju. But the kind of concern Akash showed, and that stupid hug, was more than what two normal friends would share. Of course! they were 'very dear friends' as Khushi has termed it. What the hell is that even supposed to mean? How dear is VERY DEAR? Arghhh... The ease with which she chatted with him irritated Arnav. And she also got him permission to visit her in this house. GREAT. To top it all, look at the audacity of this guy, asking HIS Khushi out, IN FRONT OF HIM. Had he not intervened timely this girl would have smiled her dazzling smile, and accepted. Why not? They go long back, don't they? DAMN IT, this Akash just appears one day and Khushi goes ga-ga over him, while it took him day and night of two bloody months to get her to even talk to himself properly. Everything set on a silver platter for this 'very dear friend' by Miss Jha. Not done. Jealousy was coursing like lava in the very being of Arnav Singh Raizada.

'You are not going anywhere with anyone, except me, Khushi. You be as friendly as you want to be, with anyone you like, but at the end of it you are mine. ONLY MINE'  declared the green eyed monster possessing Arnav.