A few days had passed and Arnav had come to know about Khushi's parents by now. Through Aakash. He, who never had given any thought, to somebody else's problem, felt so bad for that girl. And she had been alone, unlike him, who at least had Di's support when he had lost his parents. Now he understood her aloof nature, which she managed to hide effectively from everybody, except from him. 'May be I observed that because I have been through the same.. But even Di has suffered the same thing. Why doesn't she see through Khushi like I did??' He wondered, as he lied down on his bed, waiting for sleep to take over him.
When Arnav still hadn't done so much as to even ask anything about Khushi, Anjali got worried, and asked her husband, "Shyaam... Do you think Chotey is taking this seriously??"
"Taking what seriously, Rani saheba?" he asked as he went through a thick book.
She snatched it and put a bookmark, as he sighed and looked at her with a tender smile, turning his full attention to his wife.
"Arnav aur Khushi. Do you think they both are taking this seriously at all??"
"You need to give him some time. You know how he is. It has been always work for him. At least until now!" he suggested.
Anjali grimaced, "That is not so according to the media here. They have tied my Chotey with almost all the models that he has worked with! They have practically made my brother a casanova! As if he does just that and doesn't work at all!!"
"Look Rani Saheba, I can't say if they were all rumors or if they had ACTUALLY happened. And even if such flings did happen in his life, may be it didn't mean anything at all to him. But he's intelligent enough to see that, what's there in between him and Khushi is much, much more than just what may be there in a fling. Let us give him some time."
Anjali looked convinced. They were about to sleep, when there was a knock at the door, "Di, can I come in?" Arnav's head peered in through the slightly opened door.
Anjali ushered him in and he asked, "Di.. Wo.. Khushi was telling she had exams. Umm... I just wanted to know if you knew whether they were over. Umm... I mean erm..."
Anjali and Shyaam smiled at each other, as Shyaam gave an 'I-told-you-so' look to his wife.
"We'll ask right now. But tell me one thing. How did YOU know that she had exams??" Anjali asked in a teasing tone as she picked up her phone.
Arnav just rolled his eyes, and stood there.
"Hello.. Khushi? How are you?.. I'm goood.. But Chotey is not... No. Don't worry.. Nothing serious.. He was worried for your exams... What do you mean?? Of course he remembers!!... They are over??.. Oh still one more to go... Okay then... all the best Khushi. Give my regards to all of your family... Bye." She cut the call.
"Sorry Chotey. You'll have to wait for one more week to meet her. She has one more paper after a week." she said, as Arnav stood tensely, with a frown on his face. He hadn't liked this teasing. Shyaam gave a 'Don't push your luck' kind of look to his wife, as he tried to change the topic, "Did you decide on anything on how you want to proceed with Mr.Khuraana?"
Arnav was about to say something, when Anjali almost pushed him out telling, "No!! No!! No!! No!! No business in my room! Go and sleep!!"
The next day, Arnav went to the coffee shop after work. He had been going there since a past few days. But he hadn't spotted Khushi, after their last meeting here.
But today he was fortunate enough. She didn't have any books in front of her. She just sat there, holding a mug with both her hands, drowned in her own deep thoughts.
And when he stood in front of her, she looked up at him and smiled. "Hey!!" she said, as she gestured him to sit.
"What? No books today??" he asked as he sat down.
She chuckled as she said, "No. There's only one lab exam left. Besides, I came here to get refreshed."
"Oh.. So how did your exams go?" He asked.
She was surprised that he actually cared. But she didn't show her surprise, as she told him they were good.
"Why am I being thrown daggers at?" she asked him.
"What???" He asked in a quizzical tone.
"7'o clock. Girl in blue." she said looking into her coffee cup.
He turned back to see Lavanya. She smiled patronisingly and he grunted as he turned back to Khushi, and said casually "She's my employee."
'Apparently, not just that!' Khushi thought.
"Why don't you want this marriage? And tell me the truth." he asked.
"I told you. I want some more time!" she said exasperatedly.
"Time to do what, exactly??" he urged, not ready to let go. He had been thinking over, and over, as to why she didn't want to marry. And moreover, why she didn't want to refuse this proposal herself!
"I... I want to complete my studies. I want to earn some money. And... you know how marriages are. I want to be in a position to help Bauji with the wedding, financially. And I can't say no to my parents, at all! Whatever they ask me, I HAVE to give them. Its my duty." She said, still not looking away from the coffee mug.
"Anything for you, sir?" the waiter interrupted.
"A black coffee." He said, and was about to say sugarless, when she said it. He sat with a smirk on his face.
"What???" she asked when he kept on staring.
"How did you know that I drink sugarless coffee?" he asked.
She blushed as she answered, "Jiju said you were diabetic. So..."
He actually wanted to tease her further. But there were more pressing matters for now.
"So.. What makes you think that you can't achieve your dreams after your marriage?" he asked.
"Why do I get the impression you WANT this marriage to happen??" she asked, looking at Arnav suspiciously.
"Gosh! I really like it when you start talking all formal. You do it when you're angry, don't you?" he asked, a huge grin on his face.
"I wouldn't know, would I? Because I've never felt angry on anybody in particular!! And I didn't know that my vocabulary was the point under discussion here!!" she angrily said, but by the end, she noticed that what Arnav had said was true.
She looked up at him, to find him fighting very hard to control his laughter. One second they were staring at each other, and the next second, they burst out laughing.
And after laughing for sometime, Arnav had this wistful expression on his face.
Khushi's smile faltered too, as they both realised what had just happened.
One laugh together had brought them miles closer.
"There is no need for you to go all RANKLED now. I was just STATING the FACTS!!" Arnav said copying her style of speaking. She just rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. But her lips did curve in a small smile.
The waiter came in with the coffee. Arnav took a sip out of it and welcomed the warmth and the strong aroma. "Since erm... Since when are you... erm..." she hesitated.
"Diabetic?" he completed her question as he took one more sip.
"Since I was 8." He answered.
"Oh... And.. you.. don't eat.. sweets.. AT all???" she asked.
"Nope. I wasn't a fan of sweets even before that. And Di prepares some sweets for me with sugarfree sometimes." he answered frankly.
"Wow!! Wonder how I would cope with a situation like that. . . Given the fact that I LOVE sweets!!" she said looking thoughtful.
"Its not that difficult. When you have no other way, you get adapted soon enough." he said.
She looked at him, her eyes getting that dejected expression. "True.." she whispered.
Arnav put his hand on hers, and looked into her eyes, before telling, "I heard. Sorry."
Her eyes filled up as she turned away, and stood up immediately. "I.. I need to leave.." she said, and was outside, when he held her elbow, "Khushi..."
She refused to meet his eyes. He pulled her and made her sit in his car, and looked at her, after he sat beside her. She sat there, all tensed, her fists balled, and her jaws clenched, stopping herself from crying. At that moment, she looked just like a sad child to him.This sad Khushi pulled his heartstrings. She made him feel sad and vulnerable. She made him FEEL!!
He didn't even think of how or why she affected him like this, as he took both her hands in his as said, "Its going to be alright child.."
She looked at him at that, her lips had gone down at the ends, making it a perfect upright U.
He pulled her into his arms, and she came without fight.
"When??" she asked, her voice filled with despair. He cupped her face in his hands as he replied, "Soon.."
Khushi noticed that his eyes had a smidgeon of moisture in it. There was this note of promise in his voice which soothed her. She gazed into his eyes, and her eyes fell on his lips.
Arnav looked at her plump lips too, and automatically bent towards it. They slowly pressed their lips together.
Khushi's cell phone rang, bringing them both back to their senses. She just sat there, her eyes wide, and not bothering to pick her call.
"Khushi..." he said, his voice showing concern which he felt for her at the moment.
"Haaan??" she asked, still in a daze.
"Your phone.." he reminded.
She bent forward and lifted her hips off the seat, to remove her phone from the pocket of her jeans, Arnav watching all this intently.
"Yeah?? Yeah.. Ok.." she said in a soft voice, and cut the call to keep her phone on the dashboard of his car. She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his gray ones, which, she observed, had darkened to a shade of slate gray. "What was that?" she questioned. She didn't have a name for the feeling that she felt now. And obviously, even Arnav didn't.
"I dunno..." Arnav said, wondering what WAS that about!
"You can't give irresponsible answers like that! You're a grown-up!!" Khushi said, her voice displaying her irritation.
He chuckled as he replied, "You make it sound as if I'm an eighty year old!"
"And you make me sound as if I'm an eight yer old! Whats with "CHILD"??!!" she asked.
"Like it or not, from my point of view, you'll always be that! A child!!" he said with a huge grin, as he started driving.
And both smiled to themselves, as they realized that they liked the aspect of "always". . . . . .
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