Chapter 4
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Chapter - 3
Flashback is in Italics.
After being pushed into the passenger side of her boss's SUV, all Khushi encountered was a cold silence from him. The break neck speed at which he drove on the busy roads of Mumbai, it gave her atleast a couple of mini heart attacks. But blame it on the last 4 months of hands-on training, except for praying to her Devi Maiyya and occasional shrieks, she could not utter a single word in front of him lest it makes him more mad than he already was. And why was he mad in the first place was truly beyond her? What did she do now? But then when did he need a reason to get mad at her these days.
He parked in front of a very modern building complex, which was opposite the Arabian Sea and threw the keys in waiting hands of the watchman, probably for proper parking, before again holding her wrist in his strong grip pulling her towards the building. Punching the PH button in the elevator, he left her wrist, closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. And Khushi, while rubbing her wrist in order to soothe it stared at his back, very curious as to where he was taking her. At this point she salvaged a little courage from inside and stammered 'Hum...Sir...I...' but instantly swallowed rest of what all she wanted to say in the light of one menacing glare that came her way. As they reached the top floor, he punched a few numbers on the electronic lock in front of the only door in the corridor. She was still new to flat system of Mumbai, and wondered why they were alone on this floor.
Arnav Aarti Singh Raizada - the gleaming golden name plate said. Is it his house? She wondered as they entered the swanky penthouse.
'You please take a seat. I'll go and call didiji' the maid informed a lanky 19 year old Arnav. He sat down on a rather royal looking couch, which was placed in a palatial living room of the bungalow situated in the posh area of Lucknow.
'Ji are you Arnavji?' a sweet voice halted his inspection of the living room that was screaming wealth.
'Ji' he stood up, but got confused seeing a very young girl in front of him. She did not look older than 15 years, and she was not.
'Hum Khushi. Keshav's elder sister. Maya aunty must have sent you. She highly recommends you' she said sitting down smiling, gesturing him to sit as well.
'Are you.. I mean...I was expecting to talk to someone a little older' he said skeptically.
An understanding smile graced the girl's face. 'It's okay. I am incharge of his tutions. I am authorized to talk about money as well. You see bauji is always busy and our amma is no more' she replied.
'Oh' he mumbled.
'Keshav is a little young for tutions but since our amma's demise he is lagging behind in school. We need a competent tutor for him. Maya aunty's daughter, she told me, has started getting very good grades since you started teaching her' she said sounding mature beyond her years. 'I would be very glad if you agree to teach Keshav as well. All subjects' she completed.
'How old is Keshav? What class?' he inquired.
'8 years old. 2nd grade' she informed.
Just then the curtains on the side door ruffled and Arnav saw tiny feet peeking from under it.
Khushi looked at the curtains too and lovingly called out 'Keshav. Betu come here. See your new teacher is here'.
Guts of this girl, he fumed. Flirting in his party, in front of him. BLOODY HELL!!
Saket Sharma. Ofcourse. High society bred eligible Marketing head of Maharashtra zone Saket Sharma. The man she danced three dances with. Laughed with. Giggled with. When she knew he was in the party. Hell! it was HIS party and she knew it. What does she want? What did she think? That he would not notice? Or she wanted him to notice? The girl definitely knows how to string people along with her beauty, doesn't she?
For first several minutes Arnav did not trust himself to speak and hoped she would, but she did not. It must have been a few minutes that they were standing in his living room and she has maintained a dead silence. Bored her eyes, infact her whole being into the expensive wooden flooring. Her changed demeanor from a smiling chatting woman in the arms of Saket Sharma to a immobile statue in front of him did not sit well with Arnav.
'What the hell are you playing at?' Arnav threw a huge white vase, yelling, crashing it mercilessly against the floor, instantly sending Khushi in panic mode. She scuttled to a corner with her hands covering her ears and eyes tightly shut. He had thrown this vase in anger alright, but also because he knew that loud noises unnerved her. It was amazing how he remembered small small things about the girl, no a woman now, he hated. After getting the desired result from his violence, he knew that it is time now to start the long over due interrogation.
'Why have you come here? In my office? Of all places why are you working here? And when the hell did Shashi Naath Gupta's daughter become so needy that she has to work?' he spat. Here. He finally asked the question he was dying to ask since last 4 months. 'WHYYY?'
'WHYYY? Why can't you stay for dinner? Jiji ask Arnav bhaiya to stay for dinner naa' little Keshav whined.
'Please Arnavji. Stay for dinner' Khushi complied with her little angel's demand.
'No Khushiji. It's late. I should get going' Arnav adamantly refused.
As much as he loved Keshav, Arnav knew his limits. He was a paid employee of Gupta's and staying over till late, specially when there is a young girl in the house and their father is generally not at home, was a bad idea. He may be a bas***d by birth, but his deceased mother had inculcated high values in him.
Keshav Naath Gupta, the cutest kid Arnav had ever seen, has taken an immense liking to his new tutor. Arnav adored the kid and the kid idolized him. It did not take much time for them to get along much to his sister's delight. Not only did Keshav look forward to study with his Arnav bhaiya everyday, his grades too were showing considerable improvement these days. In their father's long absences from home, Arnavji had become someone Keshav looked up to and Arnavji seemed to love him back equally.
She had put in a good word for Arnavji with her father who had immediately increased his remuneration. After his wife's death, Shashi relied heavily on his young daughter to take care of the household and her brother. And she did not disappoint. She was sincere and mature. She could see that her father was a broken man after their mother's death and thus did as much as in her power to ease his burden.
For herself, she tried to forget the absence of her mother in the most crucial phase of a girl's life and the pain that comes with being motherless, in two twinkling eyes of Keshav. He was her life, who had bloomed back to life in Arnavji's shadow.
'Bauji is no more' she said in a whisper, taking her hands off her ears. 'It's just me and Keshav now' she suddenly looked so drained out.
Arnav's eyes narrowed. So Shashi Naath Gupta is dead. But she has still not explained her sudden appearance in his office. About loosing her father, he has seen far worse losses in his life, and still sees them on daily basis in his line of work.
'So? Why are you here? What do you want? A husband like Saket Sharma to take care of you like daddy dearest?' he spat.
'I am here to work and earn my own money' a long doused fire flared up in her huge eyes.
'And that can be done only in MY office in this whole world' he lashed out. 'What happened to their inheritance?' the lawyer in him couldn't help but wonder inspite if everything.
'I did not know it was YOUR office. I was not even your secretary. You got me transferred' Khushi knew that today was her only chance to speak up, when she was being given a chance to speak.
'Now you know' he looked into her eyes. 'Resign' he said icely.
'Fire me' she retorted.
'Oh! Gupta princess prefers to be fired by a lowly bas***d rather than resigning. That's some development' he jibed.
And Khushi flinched, like some has slapped her, like someone has shown her her ugly face in the mirror.
'Arnav, you never told me about your family' she rested her head on his shoulders. They were sitting on the banks of Gomti river, where Arnav had come to meet her after his college.
'There is nothing to tell. My parents are dead' he stiffened. He longed to talk about his mother but his past was a pandora's box which was best kept shut. He did not need anyone's pity. Neither for himself, and most definitely not for his mother.
'But still, I want to know about them' she persisted.
'WHY? Why the hell do you wanna know?' he snapped, partly in anger, partly because of helplessness.
'Because... I am your... I mean... never mind. Let's talk about something else' she gave up sensing his discomfort. He as it is stayed high strung, and she did not want to agitate him further.
Somewhere while taking care of her little brother, Khushi's care got extended to his handsome tutor as well. She was drawn to this intelligent and self respecting boy, whom her little Keshav adored. On his part, Arnav resisted those shy smiles, those beautiful kind eyes, those concerned gestures and those sweet words with all his might till the last vestiges of his self control gave up. He tried his best to dissuade her from this relationship. Never the one short of practical thoughts, he knew that this thing between them was anything but practical. Arnav loved kids, and Keshav was no exception and he did not want Khushi to get swayed by that.
But Khushi was sure that her feelings were not limited to her brother's equation with Arnav and refused to let him be. Packing food for him as he never agreed to dine at their place. Taking care of him when he fell sick. Showering unbridled affection and admiration whenever he seemed low, which was often owing to juggling his life between studies, part time jobs, tutions and fending for himself on daily basis. He eventually gave in. Hungry for attention and love, he was just a young boy after all. Forced to grow up before time just like Khushi, much more cruelly albeit. His lonely soul found solace in her embrace, and she found her home in his arms.
But Arnav knew that he can not hide his dirty past forever. He will have to tell Khushi someday soon.
Arnav stood there, infuriated and yet affected, by the stream of tears that was making its way down her pale cheeks. Her eyes were downcast, her figure was defeated and the defiance that had cropped up in her voice a while back was lost in muffled sobs. Eleven long years he wished to see this regret, this helplessness on her face. Eleven long years he had cursed her and yet pined for her. Eleven long years he has lived with her betrayal.
Time has brought her where he so wanted her to be. Out of her rich respectable society to onto her two knees. In front of HIM of all the people. At his feet. At his mercy. All that he wanted to see was in front of him. But happiness still eluded him.
'Get lost Khushi' he hissed. He still did not know what to do with her. God only knows what power she still held over him that he was not able to relish her pain after being treated like dirt by her.
'Please.. listen to me.. just once' she managed to croak. It was clear that he was still stuck in that moment for her enormous error. And if her words were still so badly stinging at his heart, than he should know the whole truth.
Eleven years is a lot of time. She had thought, and thought a million times, had agonized over about what happened and what she did. And she had long figured that what was supposed to be her selfless gesture, it actually fell in cowardly category where in order to save herself from feeling inadequate in front of the boy she had loved to death, she has hastily thrown him only under the bus. But she thought he would move past it, which he clearly hadn't. And her reappearance in his life must have made matters worse if anything.
'I want to tell you the truth' she said
'What truth? There is only one truth and whatever you said that day IS the truth. It is the truth I have lived all my life with Miss Khushi Gupta' he said wryly.
'My version. I had lied then' she confessed.
'No you did not. IT WAS THE TRUTH' he closed his eyes in anger.
'NOT MINE' she cried.
'Nothing you would say would change anything' he spat.
'Not even if I say I did it for you. For your happiness. For your sake' she pleaded.
'SERIOUSLY? Like ... F**KING SERIOUSLY? MY SAKE? Dammit ... are you for REAL woman? ' he was shivering with rage now. 'TELL ME. You played with my feelings for MY sake? Or did you break my trust for MY sake? Or did you destroy the very last shred of my dignity for MY sake? No... Wait... you made me feel like trash FOR MY SAKE? RIGHT?' he bellowed.
'Y...Yes'.
Hope you guys liked it!! To be continued in next chapter.
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