Chapter 6
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[MEMBERSONLY]
EXPELLIARMUS 2013-07-03 04:06:34
4) Inhe raasta tu hi dikha...
Part One.
(All Flashbacks are in Italics)
The blue waters of the bay shimmered in the distance, forming a magnificent backdrop to the San Francisco skyline.
If she looked a little to the left, she could see the faint outline of the famed Golden Gate bridge as well.
Khushi sighed, and allowed the drapes to fall back into place. As she turned around, her eyes fell on the luxurious furnishings of the hotel room, and she wondered at the turn her life had taken.
Just over one week back, she was still in her cabin, waiting with bated breath while Arnav Singh Raizada calmly informed her about his so-called 'condition'.
She closed her eyes as the memories came back, and once again, she questioned the impulsive decision she had made...
"Yes, Ms.Gupta. I will go on this trip, but only under one condition."
"Condition?"
"Yes. I want you to accompany me on this trip."
His words left her in shock, but only for a moment.
She saw the premature glint of triumph in his eyes, and realized that he expected her to refuse.
And when she did, he would cancel the entire trip.
She couldn't allow that to happen.
She couldn't let him win, no matter what.
With that thought in mind, she sat down in her own chair before replying.
"And if I do, will you go along without creating any problems?"
His eyes widened slightly with surprise, but he replied immediately.
"Are you saying yes?"
"Are you?"
He leaned back in his chair, and smiled slightly.
"You do know what you are getting yourself into, aren't you? You will travel with me, alone. And we will probably stay in the same hotel, since I have rented out my home there . And also..."
That speculative glint was back again in his eyes, and she took in a deep breath before she interrupted.
"All that makes no difference to me, I know exactly what I am agreeing to. I will accompany you as your aide, and that's all there is to it. And now, if there's nothing else, can I start making my travel arrangements?"
He stared at her for a long moment, then finally nodded.
"Sure. By all means, let's go ahead and waste some more of the department's money."
Before she could say a word , he had risen from the chair and walked out.
Leaving her to wonder why exactly she had rashly agreed to do this.
And more importantly, why he had made this condition in the first place...
As she came back to the present, Khushi still found herself wondering about the same thing.
Everything had happened so suddenly...one moment he had been yelling at her, and the next,he was asking her to accompany him on a week-long trip? Nothing made sense, not even her own response to that challenge.
Why had she agreed to do this?
After he had left her cabin, she had gone about her other tasks, and had put off making the travel arrangements until the end of the day because she still wasn't sure if he would change his mind. But when the whole day had passed without any reference to the trip, she had finally gone ahead and asked the administrative assistant to contact the travel agent.
Throughout the week that followed, neither of them had spoken about the trip. It had been a particularly busy period as she had attempted to get Dr.Jha's recommendations passed while concurrently working on restructuring the Department of Health Research. Her boss had been equally busy with Parliament sessions and a live debate on national television.
The sudden avalanche of work hadn't reduced her increasing vulnerability to him, however. At random moments, she found herself staring at him, although she always made it a point to look away before he could catch her at it. For the first time in her career, she found herself being distracted from her work, and that fact made her more uncomfortable than anything else.
When one week had passed and it was finally time to board the flight to the States, a sudden wave of cowardice had made her reach for the phone and call Lavanya. Over the next one hour, she had told Lavanya everything, including the disturbing fact about the physical attraction that had caught her unawares. La had immediately tried to change her mind about going on the trip, but by then, it had been too late. The fact that they would be accompanied by a member of the health committee had failed to ease her mind, and she had called Khushi multiple times since then.
Khushi looked at the phone, wondering if Lavanya would be awake now. As if on cue, the phone rang suddenly and she picked up on the first ring.
"Khushi? Tum theek toh ho na?"
"I'm fine, Lavanya. I hope you haven't been worrying incessantly like last night...have you?"
"What else am I supposed to do, Khushi? Here you are, on your first foreign trip alone with a man who hates your guts...how can I not be worried?"
"We aren't alone, remember? Payal Sharma is here with us..."
"I know that. But this whole situation still makes me uncomfortable.How was your day today?"
"It was...fine, I guess. Just the same as yesterday. There isn't really much for me to do at this conference, you know. There are a lot of speeches, and there was a lot of useful information in some of them. I made notes on a few, but..."
"How was his speech today?"
"It went off well, although he did get stumped by a few questions from the media. His inexperience wasn't prominent yesterday, but it made him trip today and..."
"Did he say anything to you?"
"We haven't actually spoken all that much since coming here. He is in the main conference section all day, while I am in the audience gallery most of the time. And after the conference , I came straight to my room last night like I told you. But tonight..."
"I remember. Tonight is the farewell dinner, right? Are you ready?"
"Yes, I'm just waiting for Payal's call and then we'll go there together. She's really nice, you know. Not very experienced, but still..."
"I don't care about Payal right now, Khushi. I'm more concerned about that dinner. You know that I'm suspicious about his motives in asking you to come here, right? And you will probably have to spend some time together at this dinner thing..."
"Lavanya, I can take care of myself. It's not like I haven't been able to handle things over the past two weeks, so this week should be no different. He can continue with his behavior, but I will not react."
"That's easier said than done, Khushi. From what you've told me about him, he still seems to be holding on to the past, and punishing you for it..."
Khushi closed her eyes, unable to stop herself from revealing something that she had always held deep within her heart.
Something that would make her life a living hell if she allowed herself to remember...
"He does have reason to, doesn't he? What happened all those years ago...it was a nightmare, Lavanya. And sometimes... I still hate myself for what I..."
"No! Khushi, stop this right now! I've told you before and I'll tell you again, what happened ten years ago was terrible, but it wasn't ..."
"La, wait a minute, I'm getting another call."
Khushi placed her call on hold and answered the other call, and spoke briefly to the caller before returning to Lavanya's call.
"La, that was Payal, I have to go now."
"Promise me that you'll call me when you get back."
"I will. And please remember to keep this from Bhai..."
"Don't worry. Now stay strong, and Khushi..."
"Yes?"
"Stop blaming yourself for what happened ten years ago. It's the only way you can really move on."
________
Arnav knew the exact moment when she entered the banquet hall.
He has stopped questioning this weird consciousness days ago, but sometimes, it still took him by surprise.
He stared at her across the room, and felt as if the breath had been knocked out of him.
The room was filled with politicians and bureaucrats from various countries, and there were a number of women in evening gowns and dresses.
But his gaze went straight to her, and stayed there.
Dressed in a simple muted bronze saree with her hair twisted up in a knot, there was nothing extraordinary about her appearance.
But the effect she was having on him was extraordinary, and he cursed himself for it.
He wanted to turn away, wanted to deny what was happening here.
But he couldn't.
Helpless in the face of his own unexpected vulnerability , he couldn't seem to regain control over his senses which were intent on betraying him.
As he watched, she turned towards Payal and said something that made the other woman laugh.
He remembered the other occasions when he had seen her do the exact same thing. He had even overheard one of the admin staff say that she had been aptly named, since she seemed to spread cheer amongst everyone else.
He suddenly realized what he was thinking, and was appalled at the direction of his thoughts.
How could he think of her as a harbinger of happiness, when what she had really been was a purveyor of doom?
That thought finally gave him the strength to turn away, and he walked over to a group of men from the sub-continent.
Moments later, he felt her presence again, and he took a deep breath before turning to face her.
It was inevitable, he supposed. As his secretary, she was bound to come up to him and greet him.
Throughout the past one week or so, he had actively been avoiding her. The sudden attraction that had flared to life between them had disturbed him greatly, and he had taken pains to keep himself away from her.
More than once, he regretted asking her to accompany him here. He couldn't even rationalize his decision, even to himself.
Why would he ask a woman he hated to spend time with him in a city he loved?
This trip would have been the perfect opportunity to get away from the woman he had wanted to get rid of two weeks back, instead, he had brought her here, where there was really nothing to distract him except for the hours they spent in the conference.
Admittedly, the conference was proving to be eye-opening in more ways than one. The media interaction had left him aware of his own shortcomings, and he had resolved to improve on those.
But despite all this,he couldn't keep his thoughts from straying to her. He still found himself looking for her whenever he had a moment to spare. During the conference, his eyes constantly went to the audience gallery, his spirits sinking when he couldn't catch a glimpse of her.
After the end of the conference last night, there was really no excuse for them to meet, and he had gone to his room feeling unsettled.
Everything that was happening with him, to him, disturbed him greatly.
Why now, and why this woman?
He had no answers to those questions .
And now he had no more time to speculate because she was right there in front of him, her easy smile in place as she politely greeted the others around him.
When her eyes finally came to rest on his, he felt a frisson of excitement and cursed himself for it.
He schooled his expression into a polite mask , and watched as her eyes cooled in response.
"Good evening, Sir."
He could just nod in response, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see Payal's puzzled glance that shot his way.
Dammit, he was more civilized than this!
He turned to one of the men on his right, and resolved to be courteous and professional as the occasion demanded.
"These are the real miracle workers of my department. None of what we do would be possible without them."
As an opening line, it was perfect, and he watched the conversation flow smoothly as the man began to question Khushi and Payal about their work.
He looked away, trying to keep his thoughts from veering in her direction.
His gaze wandered over the banquet hall of the Marriott , and he felt an inexplicable sense of calm descend over him.
In fact, despite the turbulent attraction he seemed to be battling from the past few days, he had felt at peace ever since the plane touched down at SFO International airport.
Because this was where he felt at home.
This was where he was comfortable, at ease...and unhindered by reminders of the past.
He had taken a few hours out of his busy schedule and caught up with things at work, although he still hadn't found the time to actually visit his headquarters in the Financial District. He hoped to rectify that tomorrow, since the official part of this tour was now over. The other delegates would return to their respective countries tomorrow, but he was stuck here for the rest of the week, when he was supposed to tour the hospitals of San Francisco. Hopefully, he would be able to take some time off and visit his office, where some urgent matters regarding expansion awaited his attention.
He sighed inwardly.
What wouldn't he give to be able to stay back at his office and never have to go back to that corruption-ridden hellhole again?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of low, melodious laughter, and he turned quickly towards Khushi.
The laughter had transformed her face, and he took in a sharp breath as desire struck him hard in that moment.
As he stared, he saw the man whom she was talking to move closer as he spoke, and a rare emotion took hold.
Without conscious thought, he moved between them and took her by the arm, ignoring the sensation that ran through him at the touch.
She raised surprised, wide eyes to his, and he quickly addressed the other men before she could object.
"Excuse us, but I see a familiar face across the room, and I would like Ms.Gupta to meet her."
Without waiting for a response from the men or Payal, he quickly steered Khushi across the room, not stopping until they reached the buffet line. Luckily, the group they had left behind was out of sight now, and he turned towards a bewildered Khushi.
"Whom would you like me to meet, Sir?"
Nobody.
That was the answer,although he stopped himself from voicing it.
"I...I lost sight of her now. I'll take you to her when I see her again. But for now, shall we eat?"
"Eat?"
"Yes, Ms.Gupta. This is a dinner party, remember? "
"I know that, but..."
He picked a plate from the table and placed a napkin under it, then handed it to her.
"I see that they have some California specialties here. Would you like to start with those?"
He could see the myriad questions in her eyes, but he chose to ignore them as he started placing appetizers on her plate.
There was no way he could explain this to her.
He could just imagine her reaction if he went up to her with something like...
I wanted you to come away with me before I was tempted to punch that man in the face, because I was overcome with a bout of something that felt suspiciously like...jealousy?
His fingers tightened on the fork he was holding as he gave a name to the unprecedented emotion that had swept through him moments earlier.
One that had prompted him to lie, just so that he could get her away.
Alone.
With him.
Dammit!
What the hell was happening here?
He couldn't believe this.
Everything was spiraling out of control, and he felt like he was adrift in an ocean of uncertainty.
"Sir? I think that's enough for now..."
Startled out of his reverie, he looked down at her plate and realized that he had spooned too much onto it.
He looked up at her, and realized that she was staring at him with an intense, questioning gaze.
Eager to prevent the questions her intuitive mind would no doubt come up with, he quickly tried to divert the conversation into more professional waters.
"So what did you think of that last talk by the French Minister?"
She stared at him, and he had the distinct impression that she knew exactly what he was doing here.
But her next words told him that she had decided to play along, for whatever reason.
"It was...enlightening. Their system is very different from ours, but you have to admit that we do have some problems in common."
"Would you care to elaborate on that?"
Her eyes took on that enthusiastic gleam that he was beginning to know very well, and he suppressed a smile of satisfaction as he directed her to a nearby table.
Over the next hour, he lost all track of time as they dissected and debated upon the various new perspectives that they had been exposed to.
Once again, he marveled at her innate ability to gather information, and her knowledge of world affairs.
No matter what he thought about her on a personal level, professionally he had no doubt that she was close to perfect. Her work was impeccable, and her enthusiasm was contagious.
She wanted to fight the system, and he was amazed by how much he wanted to fight it with her.
But he also knew that it wasn't the right fit for him.
His heart still yearned to get back to what he loved doing, and only the thought that this stint in politics was temporary kept him going.
He was jerked back to reality when she suddenly stood up, her eyes moving behind him to someone else.
"Ms.Gupta?"
"I'm sorry, Sir, I must go to Payal. This is her first time at an international event, and I've left her alone for long enough..."
Before he could say anything, she had walked off briskly towards Payal.
Leaving him alone, and wondering just why he felt that way when he was in a crowd of over a hundred people.
_______
A couple of hours later, the party was winding down and Arnav was ready to head back to his hotel for a good night's sleep.
He almost laughed at the impossibility of that thought.
He hadn't had a full night's sleep in ages, so why would tonight be any different?
In fact, his thoughts would be even more troubled by the realization that this attraction was greater than anything he had ever felt before.
Nothing seemed to get in it's way.
Not his professionalism, which he prided himself on.
And not his hatred, which he couldn't ever let go of.
What kind of pull was this anyway?
Throughout the past couple of hours, he had struggled to keep his eyes off her. A couple of times, he had caught her staring back as well, but he didn't quite know what to make of that...
The vibration of his phone distracted him,and he quickly glanced at the display before moving to a corner and answering the call.
"Sheetal? No, that's fine, you aren't interrupting anything. The party was winding down anyway. "
He listened to what she was saying, his eyes still fixed on the saree-clad figure in the far-end of the room.
"The expansion papers? You want me to take a look at them tonight? But I was planning to come in tomorrow anyway..."
He stared at Khushi, who was now moving towards the door with her own phone raised to her ear.
"No, I can do it tonight. Since you are in the area anyway, you could just drop them off. Fine, I'll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes."
He cut the call, then spent the next few minutes talking to the few people he had spoken to earlier.
He exited the banquet hall and took the elevator down to the lobby, and found Sheetal waiting there for him already. Dressed in an ivory shift dress, she looked like she had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine.
She walked towards him with a welcoming smile,and he wondered just what the hell was wrong with him.
Why the hell wasn't he attracted to this sophisticated , interesting woman who shared his passion for adventure?
Even now, why was he thinking about the woman he had left behind in the hall, a woman who had destroyed so much and deserved so little?
"ASR, so good to see you after so long!"
She put her arms around him in a friendly hug, and he returned it for a moment before drawing away from her.
"How have you been, Sheetal?"
"Busy. It's not an easy task to manage this empire all by myself!"
"You're doing an impressive job, I've told you that already. And now you've been working after hours, trying to get these papers ready for me...thanks, Sheetal."
"Here's the file, before I forget. Are you coming in to the office tomorrow?"
"I might, if I find the time. But more than that, I just wish that I had a day or so to just drive out and do something exciting..."
"Like spelunking through the California Caverns, for example? It's the perfect weather for it, you know."
"Don't tempt me, Sheetal. This is a work visit,and I really don't have the time..."
She smiled and moved closer, laying a hand over his as she spoke.
"I know that, ASR. It's just that I know how much you love this, and you must miss being able to..."
"Excuse me, Sir. I'm sorry to intrude..."
He turned around abruptly, dislodging Sheetal's hand in the process.
Khushi stood behind him,and he wondered why he hadn't known that she had come into the lobby.
Her eyes were on Sheetal's hand, and he watched as the two women sized each other up.
He quickly made the introductions, then addressed Khushi again when she failed to speak up.
"Ms.Gupta?"
Finally, she raised unreadable eyes to his.
"Sir, I just came here to tell you that tomorrow's hospital tour has been cancelled due to an earthquake preparation drill."
"What? So...we have the day off tomorrow?"
"Yes. That's what I wanted to..."
Sheetal's voice cut across Khushi's, and he turned to face her again.
"ASR, this is the perfect opportunity for you to do the cave expedition! You could drive out to the Caverns in the morning, and come back by nightfall!"
He stared at her, excitement building within him as he considered the possibility.
This was the only chance he would have for a while, and he wanted to take full advantage. Once he returned to India, he would once again live the staid, predictable life of Arnav Singh Raizada, M.P.
Just once, he wanted to be Arnav again. The risk-taking daredevil who never thought before leaping...
"I'll do it, Sheetal. Can you email me the tickets to the expedition?"
"Consider it done! And ASR..."
Sheetal's eyes moved past him to Khushi.
"...maybe Ms.Gupta would like to join you as well?"
"Oh no, I have other plans. There's so much to see in San Francisco..."
He turned to Khushi as she spoke, and felt an inexplicable anger course through him . Apparently, this strange attraction was wholly one-sided.
Why else would she look as if she was ready to run from the first opportunity to be with him?
As the rage took over, he did the only thing he could.
He lashed out.
"Of course she has other plans. This isn't Ms.Gupta's cup of tea, after all. She believes in taking risks, but only in her safe, secure little world. Something like this would be...beyond her, I think."
Khushi's eyes flashed with anger, but before she could say a word, Sheetal spoke up again.
"Well then...I should really get going now. I'll email you later, ASR. And it was nice meeting you, Ms.Gupta."
She turned around and left, and he waited until she was out of sight before turning towards Khushi.
Only to find that she was halfway to the other exit, as well.
His anger reached new heights as he realized that she was avoiding him, and he hurried to catch up with her.
"I was right, wasn't I? You would never do something like that."
She stopped with her back facing him, and spoke in low,measured tones.
"I told you, I have other plans."
"What happened to the 'Sir'?"
Slowly, she turned to face him, her eyes filled with questions again.
Questions he couldn't, wouldn't answer.
And so he lashed out again.
"Just because I behaved civilly with you during the banquet, don't assume that things have changed between us, Ms.Gupta. I only did that out of professional courtesy,and to keep up our image. For all purposes, you are still my secretary, and I'm your boss."
She stared at him for a long moment, their eyes dueling in a battle for supremacy that neither wanted to lose.
"I haven't forgotten...Sir. Either that, or anything else."
She turned to leave again, but he still couldn't let her go without having the last word.
"I never thought that you were a coward. But it turns out that you are, in more ways than one."
He walked out past her towards the valet desk.
But even as stepped into his car, he couldn't get rid of the feeling that she wasn't the only coward here.
Not entirely.
________
Please scroll down for Chapter Four, Part Two.
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