Chapter 4

"Khushi, why don't you two come in my car? I can get the driver to drop you guys off back?"

Before Khushi could reply, Arnav cut in, "That's okay. Khushi and I will come in my car, Akash. I too can call you that I hope?"

His terse tone left no scope to take his words for anything else but a snub made Khushi scowl and Akash look down uncomfortably before shrugging and making his way to his car - a gray Audi.

"Whats wrong with you today?! Karele ka juice peeke aaye ho kya?!"

"Get in the car, Khushi."

And saying so Arnav opened the passenger door of his car for Khushi, waiting by the side for her to get in, his face turned away from her but she knew that a vein was throbbing somewhere near the left side of his forehead and she could see that his jaw was clenched and her own temper flared at the sheer idiocy of his behaviour!

Why was he making such a bad name of the company and his own in front of Akash?! Was the one thought that made her head throb but not wanting to make a scene and make matters worse, she got into the plush seat, banging the door shut before he could even begin to close it for her.

She made a show of putting on her seat belt and as soon that was done, Khushi defiantly turned her head towards the window, crossing her arms tightly in front of her chest as Arnav slipped into the driver's seat and clipped his own seatbelt, pausing for a minute before starting the car.

She watched the morning traffic rumble by, ignoring the beggars on the street who came up to the car and knocked on the rolled up window gesturing for money repeating what all the magazines and newspapers told her about the begging chains in her head but then all of it dissolving into a hazy pool as a young woman with a sick looking child sleeping over her shoulder knocked on the window softly, tiredly and sighing Khushi sought a 50 rupees note from her purse and rolling down the window handed it to the woman, returning her blessings with a smile of her own before promptly rolling the window up again.

"You do realize that that woman probably had the hired the baby from someone and had it drugged to make it appear sick and sleepy?"

"What?" she turned towards the sullen faced man next to her as his voice interrupted her thoughts about the poverty in the country.

"I said that the woman you just gave that crisp 50 to is probably hiring and drugging babies to make women like you feel guilty about sitting in an AC car while the poor sweat it out in the killing heat and then try and make yourself feel a bit better by paying her some money."

She looked at him with an incredulous expression on her face but he never looked her way, his eyes fixed on the red light which soon blinked orange before turning into a bright green and they sped off again, following the gray Audi in their vision.

"A ray of sunshine, aren't you?"

Arnav's lips lopsided into an ironical smile at her taunt but he said nothing, infuriating her even more.

"Seriously, Raizada, what is up with you today? You were never exactly the example of good behaviour but today it's a bit much even for you."

"Is it, Gupta? Did I offend you by being a bit too straight with the new boy toy of yours?"

"Boy toy?! What the hell do you mean?!"

"Oh please, Khushi, everyone with eyes instead of shining dollops of honey could see that the man was trying to please the pants off you...literally."

There was a long tense pause as the words tumbled out of his mouth, his eyes narrowed in anger and his hands clenched on the steering wheel and from the corner of his eyes he saw how Khushi stiffened at his remark before regaining her composure, the thinning of her lips showing exactly how furious she was.

"You are disgusting, Arnav...just like you have always been."

Was all she said before she turned her face to look out of the window, now seeing nothing in particular, her vision hazed by the red of the hot anger she was feeling and the dull throb of memories of a painful tugging at her heart.

Arnav's jaw slackened as he took in her rigid persona, the enormity of her words hitting him where it hurt the most and he too withdrew himself from the conversation the silence was trying to ensue, finding solace in imagining the different ways he could manipulate the staircase that would lead to Akash's room such that he had the maximum chances of falling flat on that cheesy face of his.

*****

"So I hope you guys have a better idea about what might appeal to the entire family now?" Akash asked them lounging comfortably in a shiny leather armchair in his father's office as the maidservant served them all lemonade and left the room, closing the door deftly behind her.

Khushi picked up her cool glass of lemonade, the fingers of her other hand making patterns on the perspiration before speaking up, knowing that Arnav although had mellowed down from whatever trip he had been on since the morning after meeting the family and getting down to work he was still not up for a proper conversation with Akash.

"I do have some ideas, Akash...but they are very hazy at the moment...I mean it has to be a huge house, well obviously, but it has to be something that is comfortable for all the occupants of the house as of the moment and for future generations too..."

"Hmmm...thats true. Well I am sure you and Arnav will come up with something...all I really want to stress is on the fact which you yourself noted just now - it has to fulfill the needs of all members of this family...like for example a Mandir has to be there but at the same time we will need a gym and recreational room too...you know what I mean?"

"Yes, of course...I am thinking a large bungalow with three floors and terrace of course. The ground floor for your Grandparents and Parents, office, library and Mandir and the first floor for your room and three guest bedrooms and the third floor can be a studio apartment of sort for you like your own personal space which can be developed further as and when the need arises. Of course there will be a lift connecting all floors and each bedroom will have a designated interest space like a small alcove for books or painting or sewing whatever it may be. And we can have a basement for a gym and other recreational activities along with storage etc. Also a small complex by the side for your help...four single rooms and two double rooms - all equipped with kitchen and bathrooms. Next to it would be your 5 car garage with foyer having space for another three-four? There will be gardens on all sides and the backyard will have a swimming pool and barbecue facility? I mean all this is just an idea right now but for starters what do you think?"

There was a silence in the room broken only by the slight whirring of the AC and Khushi looked at Akash nervously, her eyes also darting back to Arnav who sat very still next to her, his face showing no reaction, and then back to Akash before she lost patience and prompted him to say something using her eyes.

"Wow! That's brilliant, Khushi! I mean I would love to see this on paper but as far as it sounds, it sounds brilliant! You seem to have thought about everyone!"

Khushi flushed a pleasant colour of pink at the compliment and thanked Akash for the same but the stoic silence Arnav was maintaining did not let her feel at relief completely and she turned to face him again, asking him what he thought in as even a tone as she could manage, still having not forgotten or forgiven the incident in the car.

"Great."

Came his one word reply before he downed the lemonade at one go and kept the glass on the table, standing up straight and looking pointedly at the door, signifying without a doubt that the meeting was over.

Khushi knew that Akash was looking at their exchange curiously and now tinging pink with embarrassment at Arnav's constant rude and unprofessional behavior, she too got up deciding that the sooner they leave, the more pleasant things could be left and smiling she took Akash's leave, fixing an appointment with him for the day after tomorrow, promising to come up with a rough plan at least by then.

*****

"Drop me at the office."

"Why office? I will drop you straight home."

"Drop me at the office, Arnav."

"Your house is on the way to my house so whats the problem?"

"You. You are the problem. You have been a problem for Merlin knows what reason since the morning and what you did back there just now...I just...forget it. Just drop me at the office."

"You mean when you came up with a plan of the house without even consulting me first? What was I supposed to do? Applaud my own undercutting?!"

"Your undercutting?! Undercutting?! HOW THE HELL WAS THAT YOUR UNDERCUTTING?!"

"Yes, my undercutting. We are partners on this project but you go right ahead and waltz in with your damn idea without even having the decency to talk it out with me first!"

"Whats wrong with you, huh?! Waltz in with my idea, really?! Which part of 'for starters' did you miss?!"

"The part where you did not even consult me or take me into confidence first!"

"I was not making a damn pitch, Arnav! It was just random musing! It was not official!"

Arnav took a sharp right at the turn, honking an auto out of his way before replying, his eyes glinting in the slanting sun as it dipped for the day.

"Random musing, yeah right. You and that Akash fellow were engaged in a 'who impresses the other the most' bloody battle and I had to sit through the moony eyes and the hearty giggles!"

Khushi stared at him for a moment before laughing out a slow mocking laughter.

"You are delusional, you know that right? Take a bloody left from there, Arnav! I am seriously not in the mood. Drop me at the offi-WHAT THE HELL! I told you to take a LEFT! Stop the car, Arnav, stop the CAR!"

"I am dropping you home, Khushi, and that's that. And no, I am not delusional. Anyone could see what you two were up to!"

"Just stop the car, Arnav."

"No. And answer me na if you think I am wrong?! Why don't you?!"

"STOP THE CAR."

"ANSWER ME!"

"No, I wont. Its not like you ever answer any of my questions ever, Arnav. And besides I am not going to entertain your shitty claims."

"Did you ever bother to ask questions, Khushi? No, you did not. And you know why because you think you are a bloody know-it-all! It was pathetic earlier, Khushi, and its pathetic now! You have not changed one bit, have you?! Always the bloody know-it-all! ALWAYS! And what you were doing back there'impressing him with your stupid design! It was PATHETIC, GUPTA!"

An eerie silence engulfed the car as no reply came from Khushi's side and Arnav turned towards her only to find her leaning her head back, her eyes closed tightly, her fists clenched in her lap, her forehead creased.

Fuming he concentrated on the road again, the silence slowly but steadily getting to him as he honked harshly at the car in front of him, overtaking it and the rest, rolling down his window hoping that the noise from the outside would make the silence within less uncomfortable, less daunting, less painful.

And it was then that she spoke.

Softly but firmly, her voice almost drowned out in the din of the traffic but which did nothing to hide the pain, the hurt, the anger underlying her soft tone.

"Just because I am a woman, my random musing of an idea becomes a proposition to please a man?"

"What?" he yelped, "I never said that!"

"You did, Arnav. You just never realize what you say or do, don't you? I don't ask questions because the answers are so clear in what you say and what you do. It has always been."

And then there was silence again.

Next Chapter - Page 15

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Not proof read. Also I am not an architect, so excuse the flights of imagination when it comes to the designing...and in any case, imagining is not all that bad, right?

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