Chapter 6

[MEMBERSONLY]

Chapter 6:

"Hi, I am Arnav, you must have heard about me right?" Arnav had never been so nervous. He did not remember a time in his life when he had been anxious about anything, be it his studies, business or for that matter, being in this kind of situation with a girl. This was the first time he felt so tongue-tied and had to think twice, before actually speaking. He was shocked by his own feelings, but what surprised him more, was Khushi's reaction to his question. She broke into peals of laughter, her giggling doing weird things to his already thumping heart. She looked so beautiful, so innocent, so dazzling that instead of getting angry at her reaction, he had a huge smile on his face. In a trance, he asked "Why are you laughing?" That question halted her laughter and she tried to control it, to answer. She smiled at him, her eyes twinkling with unshed tears of joy.

"You know how filmy that sounded? 'Hi, I am Arnav, you must have heard about me right?'" she said imitating Arnav in a fake manly voice. As Arnav looked at her questioningly, confusion clearly visible on his face, she continued, "Dude, don't you watch any Hindi movies? This was the exact same dialogue Shahrukh Khan used in the movie Dil Toh Pagal Hai. 'Hi, I am Rahul. Naam toh suna hoga'?" And again, she laughed heartily. Arnav just kept on staring at her, mentally thanking Shahrukh for actually having said such a cheesy dialogue, because it had made this very tense meeting, so light and casual. Khushi had opened up to him without a worry in the world. He himself relaxed a bit and said, "Well, I really didn't know that it sounded so filmy. I was just trying to make a good first impression."

Khushi's shocked face made him chuckle. Did Arnav Singh Raizada, the youngest business entrepreneur, the most eligible bachelor, say that he was trying to make an impression on her? HER?? Khushi blushed under his intense gaze; she could not help but smile warmly at him. "You don't need to make an impression, Mr. Raizada, obviously I know who you are. I read the papers, watch the news and I don't know if you recollect, but we also met at Ashadaan's Annual Function a couple of days ago..." Before she could continue speaking, Arnav had interrupted her, "Of course, I remember, Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta." And with that said, there was a very uncomfortable silence that lasted for two whole minutes.

Arnav sensed Khushi's discomfort, and wanted to kick himself for being the reason for it. This was some impression he was making. She looked so adorable, standing just a few feet away from him, a slight blush spreading across her beautiful cheeks, fidgeting with her dupatta. He somehow knew, that this woman was going to drive him crazy someday... and in a good way. Trying to make the situation more comfortable, he changed the topic to her work and asked, "So Ms. Gupta, you teach at Ashadaan?" With the question of Ashadaan, Khushi immediately brightened up and replied, "Yes Mr. Raizada..." And she was again interrupted by him saying "Please call me Arnav, Mr. Raizada sounds like I am the villain of some Hindi movie." She had gotten irritated with his interruption, but when she saw his dangerous killer smirk, she almost fainted. She could not respond for a few seconds. Gathering her wits, she again continued, "Only if you call me Khushi, Arnav." 'Arnav' - the name spoken from her mouth, sounded like he had just received the biggest award in the world.

She smiled at him and continued, "Yes, I teach at Ashadaan, but that is just because I love to. I actually work for Daily News as a writer." He looked surprised at that, "Oh! So talking to me might just give you some interesting scoop?" And even before she could reply, he knew he had offended her. Damn it! This was not going well at all. He saw the frown on her face and did not know why he felt so terrible about it. "Well, Mr Raizada I do not work for them as a journalist. I am a writer, and write the 'Good Life' section for them." In about ten minutes, there had been so many transformations in their conversation. From laughter to awkwardness, from formal to casual and now back to formal. He cursed himself mentally for ruining this so badly. As if to prove that it was just not his day, a girl pushed Khushi a little and hugged him warmly and said, "Arnav!! Where have you been?? I have been looking around for you since the party began."

Nisha Chopra, a model for AR Designs, and Arnav's family friend had just hugged him, pushing Khushi out of the way. He saw her expression change from shock to hurt. He had not heard a word that Nisha said. His entire being was concentrated on Khushi, who had taken a step away from him. He felt hurt and an unwarranted anger towards Nisha, who had ruined their conversation. He wanted to talk to Khushi, wanted to know her better, wanted to ask her out. Everything had just gone from bad to worse. He wondered what she was thinking of him. He hoped she did not think anything was happening between Nisha and him. Damn it! What a mess this party had been! He saw her silently walk away... his angel.

Khushi had been angry at first with the woman who had just pushed her, but when she saw her hug Arnav, something shifted in her heart. She knew Arnav affected her, but to this extent... was what she had not known. This unknown feeling of jealousy creeping through her innocent heart was not something Khushi was used to. So, instead of facing her emotions, she took the easier route and ran away from there. Little did she know that the party had just begun!

Payal was busy with her boss and colleagues. It was their office party and she needed to meet new clients and business associates. She had left Khushi with a couple of friends, but Khushi was no longer in a mood to enjoy this novel experience. This party had turned into something, she did not like. An unknown feeling had engulfed her heart and it dampened the never-dying spirit of Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta. To make things worse, that kamini Nisha something, had to dance with Arnav right in front of her. She knew that he was not bothered about Nisha, because she could see him glancing in her direction, every two minutes. This had slightly brightened her mood, but to see him in another woman's arms was so difficult. She was getting more and more convinced of her attraction towards Arnav. She had never felt this pull before, yet she knew that they were very different from each other. Their lives were poles apart and the woman in his arms right now, was probably more suitable for him. Tall, beautiful, short dress, make-up... looking absolutely gorgeous.

'She looks so enchanting', that's the only thought that was going on, in Arnav's head. He wasn't bothered about what Nisha was blabbering. He had only accompanied her to the dance floor so as to not jeopardize their friendship as well as professional relationship. She was one of the lead models of AR. Yet, he could not help feeling bad about how his first conversation with Khushi had gone. He looked at her again, as she stood a few feet away, trying to ignore him. He smiled inwardly because he knew that she was affected by his closeness to Nisha. This kind of jealousy should be happening after a few first dates. And the two of them had not even begun talking properly. She looked so beautiful in blue, calm like the ocean from the outside and a storm brewing up within. He would have to find a way to talk to her again. "Arnav are you even listening to me!" the shrill words of Nisha broke his line of thought as he tried to concentrate on what she was saying.

"Hey, beautiful!! Want to dance?" Sumer came and coolly stood beside Khushi. She was surprised for a moment, but then smiled at him genuinely. "Hey Romeo, you want to die?" came her quick reply. And both of them burst into laughter again. There was something about Sumer's presence that always made Khushi feel comfortable. She didn't know why Payal hated him so much, and made a mental note to ask her later tonight. Sumer noticed Khushi's eyes going back to Arnav time and again, so he said casually, "That's Nisha, and she is so hot, no? She is AR Design's favourite model. I have shot with her a few times. She fancies Arnav and it looks like, he reciprocates her feelings too." Khushi glared at him, but he was busy looking in Arnav and Nisha's direction. Yet, from the corner of his eye, he did not miss the anger that flared on Khushi's face. He thought mentally 'Aaag dono taraf barabar lagi hai. Let me just add some fuel to this fire.' "Khushi, if you are not dancing, at least come to eat something with me. Badi bhook lagi hai, yaar!" He saw her frown turn into a big smile at the name of food, as she said, "Yeah, lets go. This Payal is also going to take a lot of time to finish up and as usual I am famished."

As they walked out of the hall, a pair of angry eyes bored into them. What the! His best friend had just walked out with his angel. Yes, she was his, damn it! He excused himself and left Nisha, standing alone on the dance floor. He did not care for anyone or anything at the moment. All he knew was that he had to speak to Khushi. He was going in their direction, when he was stopped by Mr. Dhawan, a very old and important client of AR. He could not avoid this conversation and was dragged into a discussion which lasted for quite some time. His mind was distracted throughout by thoughts of Khushi being with Sumer.

On the other hand, Sumer had gotten to know Khushi better. He came to know that she and Arnav had met before, at Ashadaan. She told him about how she was brought up in Lucknow, what Payal meant to her and how she lived her fun-filled life. To say, Sumer was surprised, would be an understatement. This girl, was the most admirable girl, he had ever come across. Very lively, despite so many hardships. She was a gem, and his idiot friend was hell-bent on ruining everything. So, he put in a good word or two for Arnav, telling her about how hardworking he was. The way he had taken all the responsibility off his father's shoulders, the way he loved his family. Sumer laughed a little thinking, that he had suddenly become a matchmaker. Actually, he knew that the currents passing between Arnav and Khushi were very strong and neither would be able to ignore them. They just needed a little push in the right direction.

"Sumer, seriously tell me why is Payal so angry with you? She is usually very nice to everyone. Zaroor aapne hi kuch kiya hoga!!" Khushi admonished him. Sumer laughed and said, "Nahi yaar! I really don't know what I have done to make her this mad at me. I just used to go to her office for some photo shoots. I tried flirting with her, like I do usually. You know na, nothing serious, but she got all angry. So I moved on to her friend and flirted with her. That is all! She has been all 'Angry Young Woman' on me since then. I think she felt bad ki maine usko zyada ghaas nahi daali." Both of them burst into uncontrollable laughter, neither noticing a angry Payal again glaring at them. And, when they did, Khushi was dragged in the same manner, like she was dragged a few hours ago.

While talking about the 'Angry Young Woman', Sumer had completely forgotten about 'The Angry Young Man' that he would have to deal with. As Arnav drove back home, with Sumer sitting beside him, the silence had started killing both of them. Arnav wanted to choke Sumer for even talking to Khushi. He had not gotten a chance to talk to her again, as someone or the other had interrupted him. He had seen her leave with Payal and so wanted to offer them a lift. But again his best friend had interfered and their departure had been delayed. Sumer tried to do some small talk, completely ignoring Arnav's foul mood. Arnav had been absolutely quiet, giving away nothing, just trying to control his irritation. As they approached Sumer's home, Arnav stopped the car. Sumer unbuckled his seatbelt and turned towards Arnav and said, "Bro, if you don't do something about Khushi, I will. She is very cute. Don't let her go." And saying that, he got out of the car leaving a stunned, yet grinning Arnav behind.

As Arnav got home and changed into his shorts and t-shirt, he switched on his music system and lay down on the recliner. The retro songs soothing his soul, calming his tensed nerves. Tonight was a very different night, unlike the one a couple of days ago. Even though both times, his mind was filled with the thoughts of Khushi, he was at peace today. He had accepted that he was attracted to Khushi and also knew that he had to find some way to get to her. A few more casual meetings could initiate their friendship and he could get to know her better. As the melodious voice of Kishore Kumar reverberated in his room, he hummed along to the song...

Aap ki aankhon mein kuch mehke hue se raaz hai
Aap se bhi khubsoorat aap ke andaaz hai.
Aap ki aankhon mein kya saahil bhi milte hai kahin
Aap ki khaamoshiyaan bhi aap ki aawaaz hai
Aap ki aankhon mein kuch mehke hue se raaz hai

On the other hand, Payal had been ignoring Khushi completely. Khushi had tried various techniques to convince Payal, but she just had been very angry about Khushi's behavior. As the girls got into their bed, Khushi spoke mockingly in Payal's buaji's voice, "Arrey Payalia, humka maaf kar bhi do... abhi kaan pakad le ka?" And at that, Payal had to burst out laughing. She just could not remain angry with her darling Khush. The girls chatted for a bit and fell into a peaceful sleep. At least one did, while the other twisted and turned, until the break of dawn, occupied in the thoughts of Arnav.

As the sun came up, Arnav awoke with a new zeal. He had made up his mind to visit Ashadaan to meet Khushi, on some pretext or the other. He freshened up and had his breakfast quickly. After entering office though, things had gotten really bad. A supplier had backed out at the last moment and to sign a new fabric retailer, he would have to fly to Ahmadabad. Ideally, Arnav loved to work, and all these things had never bothered him. Today however, he was upset with the thought of postponing his meeting with Khushi. He would be coming back to Delhi only after 3 days and he knew how torturous they were going to be. He arranged for all his reservations and drove back home to pack his things. After hugging his mom, Nani and Anjie, he left for Ahmadabad.

Khushi had been extremely anxious and restless for a couple of days after the party. What was happening to her? Fate had made her meet up with Arnav twice so far, but that could not go on forever, right? She could neither concentrate on teaching nor on writing. This Arnav Singh Raizada was driving her insane. There was definitely something that was working in their favor, though, and she got the opportunity that would allow her to meet the man of her thoughts.

After three whole impatient days, Arnav was finally on his way home. His heart rejoiced with the thought that he could finally go and meet Khushi the following day. Just the thought of her made his stress and exhaustion vanish. Her bright face, her beautiful laughter, that he had captured in his heart, brought a huge smile on his face. And as he walked through the doors of Raizada Mansion, he heard the same tinkling laughter. Was he dreaming? His mind was surely tired and he was now imagining Khushi was around. But as he walked into the grand hall, his daydream turned into reality. His heart skipped a beat to see Khushi standing amongst his mom, Nani and Anjie and talking to them animatedly. Unknown to the reason, for the first time in years he truly felt that he had come home.

Chapter 7

I hope you guys enjoyed the update. I know some of you may have wanted more of Arhi, but frankly when the actual conversations and meetings of Arhi start, there will be back-to-back Arhiful chapters. After all is a love story of Arnav and Khushi. Till then bear with me.

A BIG thank you, to all of you'll for your lovely comments.
This update is especially for, shruti46, Afya, sun_shine_girl, 1chilly, crazy-ash, SPraba, kondhili, Sisbamboo1, TwilightStar_JP, pixiegirl, Angel2001, Barun_Gf, kooldewdrop, psarada, PhenoixTears and Dj_arshifan... I know there are too many... but how can I not thank all of you'll for taking out a little extra time of your busy lives and telling me just what you loved in the update...

Dedicated to the permanent residents of my stories, Vandana and Chitra
To all the madness & crazy times,
sisters at heart & partners in crime.

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