Chapter 7

some serious talks

-you will choose the name of the collection of your creations…khushi, now!

He takes away one book from her hands and the pencil from her mouth…

-could you try to concentrate with what I'm talking about for just ten minutes!?!

He asked angrily…

-I spend all my free evenings and weekends' just prisoner of your AR company…giving you all what I can give for those outfits…now, please, I have to study!

-you said that they are your babies!...you don't want to name them!

Khushi looks at him…biting her lower lip…

-right!

She said…

Professionally, their relation is perfect…

Personally, khushi doesn't know anything…absolutely nothing…

They are like teenagers friends; the only difference is that they could share one bed in the end of the day…

They fought…tease, challenge, work perfectly together but nothing else…

Nothing …

Means she sometimes forget that he's actually her husband!

He's her boss and her good friend and her enemy sometimes too…but not her husband…and she get used to respect this fact: he doesn't want to their relationship to move forward…

She looks at him…all lost

-take all your time…you can answer me tomorrow…oh! and no one is in home today, they all go to visit Anjeli in laws you know…means…

-means?

-we can eat out for example…at some good restaurant!

-I told you that I have to study

-then we will order something here

-I have no time to eat Arnavji

-what???...I can't believe!…you love to eat!….what about pizza?

-with lots of cheese!

He smirked, satisfied…

-but instead of ordering…I prefer to have it out khushi, I need to breathe! It's been six months that we are only working, come on!…I will help you studying after!

-really?

-promise! I'm taking all responsibility!

-ok…

****************************

Her pizza coming…khushi gets excited…

She's wearing a light yellow churidar…so simple but wearing it, she's looking even more innocent and beautiful…

She attacked the first part with so much appetite that Arnav was mouth opened…

And he filled her cup with some coke…

Thanks god…the restaurant was little full of people that no one has the time to look at their direction…

Khushi is moaning…

It's the best pizza she ever had…

-dear God!...my angel!

A guy who is coming their direction…opens already his arms…smiling so wild…

-No way…you!

She gets up and runs to him…

She doesn't hug him but almost…

She holds his both hands…

-NK!

She pinches his cheeks…

-my one and only Naidkishore!

-and my one and only angel!

Arnav coughs looking at the man coming from nowhere flirting with his wife…calling her "my angel"…

Her one and only?

Is that so?

-oh…Nk..let me present to you…Arnav singh Raizada…he's my…

-your boss? Right?...

NK holds Arnav's hand respectfully to greet him…

-I'm sorry to cut your business dinner my angel!

-no…no…no…he's my husband!

-oh really?...no way…it can't be!

Arnav's anger reaches a level that he couldn't even speak or breathe…

He kept just hearing both of them, fixing his intense gaze on khushi…

-yes but he is my husband!…Arnavji?...this is my best friend…the best of the best…Mr. Nandikishore!

Nk shook his hand again with Arnav's hand almost forcefully as Arnav won't any contact with this man…

-Nk! Stay and share the dinner with us, what say?

Arnav was barely finding any oxygen to breath…

-I want to join but I can't…I'm with my date…

NK pointed one tall and beautiful girl sitting on a table in the other side…

Khushi giggled and beats his shoulder playfully…

-finally?

He winked…

Khushi smiled…

Arnav fumed…

-I'm goanna take your phone number and we have to talk!

-it's me who goanna take your number, Angel!...it's been so long!

Khushi saved his number in her phone too and then she wished him good luck for his date and gestured bye to him…

In those minutes…she forgets totally about Arnav…who is just waiting for her to finish talking…he stands up…holds her hand and drugged her out of the restaurant…

-Arnavji?...Arnavji?...but…

He just opens the car's door for her and waits to that she gets in but she looks at him…

-and the pizza?...I still hungry!

-get inside the car!

That was the last sentence she heard…

Their entire trip back to home, he's silent…

She tried to talk with him but couldn't obtain even one answer or comment…

********************

He tried but he couldn't take it easy…accept all what happened seems to be impossible…

Jealousy…

is this jealousy?

A so bad, mean and pitiful sensation…

But right now…he could only feel that…

-when you drugged me out of the restaurant…you hurt me…look!...look at my wrist!

Khushi said when they finally enter the RM…

Arnav barely looks at her wrist and then fixed her eyes but she was unable to look straight at his eyes…she looks here and there…

-look at me Khushi!

He pulled her chin up…

-who is that man?

-he's NK…my friend…I told you!

-I have many friends khushi…but no one…no one called me MY ANGEL before!

-he's my best friend…it's always been me, Mira and NK…from the childhood…but he left Lucknow years back…for his studies…

She felt all of a sudden the urge to give her husband all the information needed…

-Mira?

-she's our friend too…you know Mira?...she comes in our wedding…our…

Their wedding…

What a bad memory!

Khushi fakes a smile and then walked towards the kitchen…

He follows her…

He's still had many questions yet…

He saw her drinking a cup of water…

And then she starts searching for something…

Oil…

Flower…

Sugar…

In awkward moments like that…she prefers to cook something…

The bad memory of their wedding…

She doesn't want to cry or to show to Arnav her real emotions towards his rejection in their first days of their marriage…

Arnav wasn't able to see anything about her mood modification…

All what he suddenly see was one tear…falling from her eye that she wipes as fast as she could…

-khushi?

He noticed it…

-did that really hurt?

He holds her hand, wanting to verify her wrist…but she took back her hand so fast…

-no…no, it doesn't!...I just…just…miss my friends and family…and…why I'm here…I mean…

She forced a smile but it was sincere this time…

-I should go and study!

She said looking at him and then she almost runs to the room…

She closed the door…

She needs to be alone for a moment…

She hoped he will not follow her…

She locked herself in the bathroom…he will not follow her here…

She could…cry like a baby…alone…

****

-khushi…open the door!

He asked softly, knocking the door…

He gives her all the time she needs to be alone…

But he can't give her more than one hour…

-khushi…

She gets out…

She's smiling…

-I had a long bath…now I'm relaxed…I could study well!

-really?

-yes! I'm sure!...what?...pizza!

Khushi noticed the box of pizza on the desk and she runs to see it…

-you ordered it?

-you didn't finish your dinner!

-thank you Arnavji!

-have your dinner…

Arnav knows that there is something wrong…

That could be due to her meeting with that NK?

No!

That's ridiculous…

He's just her best friend…

Why he has to be so stupid to not see that…NK is only her friend…

All lost in many thoughts, he opens the closet searching for his clothes to change…

The sight of her suitcase, which she kept like that since the day she decided to leave, made him look at her…

She's eating her pizza and looking in a fashion magazine same time…

He looks back at the suitcase…

She doesn't unpack it since that day…she arranged her clothes there…and it becomes her closet…she never arranged her clothes next to his like in the first days…

He takes the suitcase out and he opens it…

And without thinking twice, he starts arranging her clothes next to his in the closet…

Khushi noticing it…she comes to him…

-Arnavji?

-what?...there is so much space in the closet…why to keep your clothes here?

Khushi takes back the clothes that Arnav already placed in the closet and puts them in the suitcase again…

She closed the suitcase…

-I…prefer to keep them here…I already messed all your room…

-our room!

He answers like she always said to him…

-yes…but I prefer to keep all my clothes there!

-why?

-both of us know that…

-that?

He asked firmly and she gets troubled…

Doesn't he know?

-I'm not here for so long, Arnavji…

-what do you mean by that?

She walked pass him and comes back to her papers and studies…

-damn it khushi…you can't avoid such discussion!

Khushi ignored his angry tone and pressed her fingers on her pencil…

-Answer my question!

-Arnavji…you know that our marriage is an arranged one and…I understand perfectly that you don't want or accept this marriage at all, from the start…what I mean is that I…I'm waiting for the best opportunity to talk with my parents about our…our…I mean our separation

The last word that she said hesitantly was like a whisper…

Why he's feeling like he's angry against the whole world…

But he couldn't say anything to her…

After all that's what he had wished before…

But he changed…he's trying…why she can't see that, damn it!!!

He changed…he's giving this marriage a chance…

He's trying…but she's not noticing that at all…

-and do you want this separation?

-I…

-khushi…do you have any intention to leave this place?

-I just…do you have any intention to accept our marriage?

-yes, damn it!...yes! I'm...I'm not the kind of guy who could run away after being engaged…khushi…imagine that you're not able to accept any kind of a relationship and you find yourself married…cherry on the top: it's your grandpa who choose your wife to you…when I find you in my bed that night…I wanted to leave all the RM…all delhi…all India to not have to face you…but I come back because I know that you're my responsibility now and …

-the problem is that I don't want to be just a responsibility Arnavji!

She looks straight in his eyes…she's hurt…

-khushi…listen…(he seems searching for the right words) you're not just a responsibility!

They look at each other and both feel like there is some intensity in the air…

-you're more than that…I…

He added…

-you should study right?...come…I will help you studying and finish your homework so fast!