Chapter 2

[MEMBERSONLY]

Chapter 2:

Chandni Chowk was a unique part of Delhi; actually one could call it the heart of this great old city. It is an area situated in old Delhi surrounded by walls on all sides with gates to enter it. A city in its own right, it had the charm of authentic India. With colourful markets spreading across the streets, aromas of delicious food wafting into the dusty air. This place was vibrant, noisy, always bustling with energy and had a warm feel to it; just like one of its residents. Khushi Kumari Gupta, a young beautiful girl of 22, an orphan who lived in a rented house here. A go-getter, free-spirited and always bringing a smile to everyone's faces like her name suggested -- 'Khushi'. The children of Dilerganj Road loved their Khushi didi. She would play galli cricket with them on Sundays, bring them chocolates and gifts once a month and would often spoil them with delicious home cooked food. They adored her as much as she adored her life which to her, was just perfect.

Khushi originally hailed from Lucknow. She had lost her parents at the age of eight and was put into an orphanage called Ashadaan by her relatives. She had been a brilliant student completing her studies in Literature with a scholarship. She had been the pride of Ashadaan. After graduation she had chosen to work for the same orphanage's branch in Delhi as a teacher. She had got everything in life from this place and she wanted to give other children like her, the same privilege. She worked as an assistant writer for a small newspaper house, so as to keep alive her dream of becoming a writer. Life was absolutely complete for her. Neither the sorrows of her past nor her growing up in an orphanage had dampened her spirit. And what more could she ask for, when she had friends like Akash Roy and Payal Sharma by her side?

Akash was a friend from college who doted on her. He was her support system in all difficulties. She could rely on him for anything and everything. Theirs was an unspoken bond that was important to both. And Payal Sharma, what could one say about her? She was Khushi's friend since childhood. They went to the same school in Lucknow. When other school children teased Khushi about being an orphan, Payal took on the role of a protective older brother and defended her. When Khushi missed her parents, Payal would wrap her into the warmth of her embrace. When there was gossip to be shared the two girls giggled like best friends even today. And now, they were far away from home in a big city like Delhi, still together and always there for each other.

Today, Khushi was late. No scratch that, she was extremely late. She had to reach Ashadaan which was almost 45 minutes away from her small house in Dilerganj. Due to the office hour traffic, it was taking even more time. It was the Annual Function today at the orphanage. The teachers and students had been practicing for weeks now, for the event. Many big industrialists, the founders and some celebrities had been invited. This function provided a platform for the Managing Committee of Ashadaan to showcase the talent of its children, and in return received substantial donations from these rich people. This money would then be used for running of the orphanage. Khushi taught the children languages, as that was her forte. And along with that, she also taught them dance, which was her first love. She loved dancing, on any song at any time. Payal was used to a crazy Khushi dancing while cooking, while watching TV, while eating, and sometimes in her sleep too! So it had been her responsibility during this event to choreograph all the dances. And oh no! She was so late!

Khushi was speeding to cross a signal, hoping to beat the red light, so that she wouldn't have to waste another five minutes waiting for it to turn green again. She had almost reached Ashadaan - it would take her about ten minutes more. And then crash! She had banged into the car ahead that had braked suddenly. 'Hey, Devi Maiyaa!!' she thought. Why now??!! She got off her beloved 'dhanno'. Yes, she called her favourite and only scooter 'dhanno' inspired by the movie Sholay. It was an old Vespa, in her favourite yellow colour. She had purchased it from a friend of Akash's father's and was actually a fourth hand purchase. With her minimum income, this was the best deal she could get, and she was actually very happy with it. And here, this bloody idiot of a driver had broken her headlight! She got into an argument with the driver of the car, which quickly turned into a more heated one. She noticed the crowd that had gathered around, and also became aware of the jam they were creating. But Khushi was a woman of ethics... and if it was the driver's mistake then he had better pay for the damages. People had started grumbling about the chaos created. She pulled off her helmet and turned around once to answer back, a man who had been continuously annoying her with his taunts. Finally the driver, whose car she had banged into, got frustrated and gave her the requested amount. And as soon as she could get out of there, she started her 'dhanno' and rode off!

People had been anxiously waiting for her at the orphanage, because she had still to conduct the last minute rehearsals. She was already 10 minutes late. Her saving grace was the thought that chief guests of such events were usually late. All these luminaries worked according to the Indian Standard Time, which meant they would be late by at least one hour. But today, quite a few of them seemed to have reached the venue already. Moreover, there was a buzz that the main guest of honor would arrive in the next 10 minutes. Khushi had read about him in the newspapers, some Arnav Singh Raizada. She knew his father was a great industrialist and was sure that his son was only living a lavish lifestyle, due to his father. She had already conjured an image of him. He must be like those typical rich spoilt brats, 'ameer baap ka bigda hua ladka!' A snooty, arrogant man, who would walk into the function, attends the event while typing on his Blackberry throughout, and walk away within 15-20 minutes. With these thoughts ringing in her head, she began doing the rehearsals with some small boys.

The soft music of the song 'Girl you are my Chammak Challo!' played on the system while Khushi swayed her hips and did the typical hand movements with the kids, just like SRK, her favourite hero in the original song. Hayye! Thinking about him itself turned her into a gooey puddle. She was a die-hard romantic and adored the king of romance. Khushi was totally absorbed into dancing to the tunes of this song when there was a sudden buzz around. Everyone scampered around the entrance to welcome someone. Suddenly she felt a breeze in the air. She took a few steps towards the bushes that gave her a perfect view of the entrance. And then she saw him. She saw Arnav Singh Raizada in his ultimate glory.

His face was radiant like the sun, reflecting warmth as he greeted a few people. His short, gelled hair was set perfectly over his chiseled face. He had a sharp nose that perfectly divided the most scintillating pair of eyes. The sun was shimmering and its bright rays lent a natural hue of yellow to those caramel orbs. His broad shoulders and toned body could not be hidden under the well-fitted, crisp black suit that he wore. The tan colour of his skin created a mesmerizing contrast to his white shirt which in turn reflected the glow on his face making him all the more attractive. The photograph in the newspaper that she had seen had done complete injustice to the handsomeness that she saw in front of her. Her heart began to thud in her chest 'dhak dhak!'

Just at the moment when she had convinced her fluttering heart to tear away her eyes from Arnav Singh Raizada, a little girl tripped right in front of him. He bent down and picked up the girl, who had started crying. Khushi could not hear what he spoke to her, but to her surprise, the girl soon broke into peals of laughter. And with that, Khushi experienced a different thrill, as goosebumps broke out on her pale skin. What she had witnessed was Arnav Singh Raizada's one thousand watt smile. A smile that could have actually melted her, if it had been directed towards her. His pearly white teeth embellished his perfect handsome face. She saw the small girl give a kiss on his cheek, as he set her down. And Khushi Kumari Gupta felt a pang - a pang of jealousy, an emotion that she had never experienced before. Jealous of a little girl who had managed to make Arnav Singh Raizada laugh, and then had gone ahead and kissed him. She saw him walk towards the seating area and take his place, right in front of the stage. Her 'dhak dhak' had finally managed to reach a crescendo. Khushi realized one thing; she had got this 'bigda hua ladka' all wrong. With a smile on her face, she headed backstage, with the beautiful image of a smiling Arnav Singh Raizada, imprinted in her head, or was it the heart?

Chapter 3

Hey guys, sorry for the delay in update... hope you guys enjoyed it!!

Thank you all for your lovely comments on the first chapter...

Special thanks to Afya, Dj_arshifan, Chetna19, Nidshubh007, kondhili, Crazy4Sobti, PhenoixTears, 1chilly, Barun_Gf, Angel2001, ssyahoo, pixiegirl, SPraba for always making me smile with your kind words.

This chapter as usual is for Vandana and Chitra' my 'MUSES' for writing.

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