Chapter 16

"Looking for a new job?" he asked, eyebrows raised but she could not guess even remotely what he could be thinking.

She finally found her voice. "Yeah... maybe in banking... or I could be a broker..."

"Well that's a shame!" he whispered loud enough for her to catch it. Laad Governor! she mentally screamed at him. He seemed to be following her everywhere, damn him. And trapping her in those silly questions which made him seem like he was all-too-clever. The nerve of him! She shoul not not care about what he thought. But why did he think it was a shame? What did that mean?

"What are you doing here?" Khushi fired back.

A teeny-tiny smile appeared on his face as he stared at her. "I often recruit from here. There're efficient. Have they found you something yet?"

God! Would he ever stop shooting questions like that at her? He should have been a lawyer. Because he always managed to freak her out. And he always managed to ask her questions she could not answer for. Damn him, the Laad Governor! "Errr... actually... I... I've got a lot of options open... I'm just considering what step I could take next..." Which, seriously, would be definitely getting out of here before Annabelle or anyone else came by.

"You took the day off to come here, right?"

Khushi fought the urge to roll her eyes and nodded. "Of course." What did he think? She'd pretended her dog had been sick and had to stay with it?

"So, what will you do now? Any plans?"

Here, she had to leave as soon as possible and he was curious about what she would do during the rest of the day. Unbelievable, man! Anyway, she should not say 'nothing', never ever. Even if she really had nothing to do but loiter in the streets till evening or bore the crap out of her at the apartment till Anji returned from her classes.

"Uhh... I... I've got a few important calls to make, maybe..."

Got your answer? Then, go now, Mr Raizada! Leave me alone!

"Ah! Well, I'll leave you then. Good luck."

She gave him a business-like smile as he turned to leave. She should have been happy. Laad Governor was leaving finally. Then why was her heart sinking into disappointment while his back was slowly retreating, disappearing behind the doors?

She let the pasted fake smile drop out of her face when he was gone and sighed deeply. She dragged her feet to the exit, regret washing over her. She should have been nicer to him, right? She should not have thought all those evil things about him. Maybe he was just curious? Or lonely? Or was it something else?

The conversation she had had with Anji came back to her. It was when she had returned and told her she had met Arnav Singh Raizada at Tanishq's wedding. Anji had been really excited. She had even suggested Arnav might like her, but Khushi had just scoffed. Now she thought about it, could Anjali be right? He was always interested to know about her. He was always polite to her. He had always been hovering about her during the days they had spent at Lucknow. He, who never ever smiled, had even grinned, smirked, smiled, and whatnot numerous times, dammit! And just with her!

Could it mean-? No! Hell, no! She was just imagining things. And it was all because of Anji and her stupid words. Forget it, Khushi!

***

"Khushi! So good to see you again! But Mark told me you had taken the day off."

Lavanya beamed at her friend and Khushi smiled back. "Yeah, but I had to return and assignment, so..."

In fact, she had gone back to the apartment, lonely and miserable as ever to find this latest pending paperwork her boss had given her a couple of days ago when she had returned. How it had happened, Khushi could not explain but she had sat in from of the computer immediately and in less than three hours, the job was done. She had decided to hand it over at once. She had just come out of Jeff's cabin. He had been utterly shocked. And now she could see similar signs on La's face.

"Kya hua, Khushi? Tu theek to hai?" (What happened, Khushi? Are you alright?)

"I'm fine, La!"

They talked for some more minutes before Khushi decided she had to leave. She had only reached the door when La called out her name.

"Khushi!" she swivelled on her toes to see Lavanya hurried towards her. "You know Arnav Singh Raizada? On a personal level, I mean?" she asked in a hushed voice.

Khushi's eyes widened. "Why?" she whimpered. How did La know? What did La know?

"You know, there was this press conference last night, yeah? Well I kinda bumped into him, and he started talking to me. He was great, really nice. Then... he asked me about you..."

Khushi's heart was thumping wildly in her chest. "What... did he... ask?"

"Well," La paused with a naughty voice. "He asked me if... if you had boyfriend."

Her mind went light, too light. She felt like she was going to faint. But thankfully enough she did not, it would have given La a piece of gossip. La could be her friend but everyone knew she could not keep a single thing to herself.

"La... I think... I need to go home..."

Khushi got out of there quickly. She did not even want to know what Lavanya had answered him. Or how he had reacted to it. Why the hell had he even asked that? Was Anji right? No way! He was such a great businessman, a tycoon more precisely, all self-made and flying so high. He wouldn't even notice a girl like her. There was already a throng of girls and women, single or not, drooling and dying at his feet at he did not even care to look at them, then why her? Why Khushi Kumaari Gupta, a small town girl, with big dreams and nothing else, not even the supermodel looks like the others had?

She walked blindly, not even seeing where she went. Somewhere in the back of her mind, alarm bells were going off, telling her someone was calling her name, but she continued walking in the breezy streets, eyes wide and her brain crammed with questions and possibilities, until she felt a large strong hand curl around her arm and tug her around.

"I've been calling you for so long? What's wrong? You did not even hear me."

She looked up into black coffee depths fringed with long, black lashes.

"Hello? Earth to Khushi! Are you there?"

The devil! "M-M-Mr R-Raizada?"

He rolled his eyes. "How many times should I tell you to call me Arnav?"

Khushi blinked in confusion. Was it her foggy mind playing tricks on her? Or was he really there? He smiled at her, looking at her short taupe summer dress by Magnolia.

"Aren't you cold?" It was then Khushi realised she had forgotten her coat at the office. She lifted her chin defiantly.

"No." He smirked at her.

"I guess... you're done with your 'few important calls', then?"

Say no, Khushi! "Yes," she like her bottom lip nervously. Amazing how her emotions were changing so quickly. He Devi Maiyya! Damn this man for everything he does to me!

"Good. Listen, I know you are a busy woman and all, but if you had this half hour spare, would you mind a little shopping?"