OS: Winner take all (3), pg 19

madmaxine thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
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Hello lovely people! Happy Saturday to you all, wherever you may be. For those who celebrate Pongal, a very Happy Pongal. I'm here with a series of OS's...3 to be precise, on the sangeet and events thereafter. They will be 3 independent stories, so I don't want to call it an SS. (Actually, I'm not quite sure how to define an OS versus an SS..but never mind that!😳). Anyhow, here is the first installment. Hope you likes! 😊

OS: Winner take all (1) : A hairy proposition

"I won!" Khushi couldn't keep the note of triumph from her voice.

"So you did," Arnav crossed his arms and looked at her. His look was inscrutable. In truth, he was mad. Hopping mad that she'd beaten him. But he decided not to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he was riled at being beaten.
She walked towards him slowly, her every movement marked by the sound of her "ghungroos". She had surprised everyone by going back to her Kathak roots for the sangeet. No flashy Bollywood number for Khushi Kumari Gupta. Nope. She'd decided that to win that Natraj idol, she needed to impress with substance, not merely style. And being a trained Kathak dancer in the tradition of the Lucknowi gharana was a distinct advantage. She'd dressed for the part too. She'd elected to wear a green anarkali woven with gold thread and encrusted with semi-precious stones. She'd removed the heavy dupatta she'd pinned to her hair during the dance and now wore it loosely draped around one shoulder. The beautiful hair ornament she'd worn was still in place, its delicate gold strands falling onto one side of her forehead. A maangtika sat in the centre parting of her hair. She wore several bangles on each wrist. A thick necklace encrusted with kundan work encircled her neck. Matching jhumkis hung from her ears, almost down to her shoulder. The mehendi on her palms was simply done. She had a small dark circle painted in the centre of each palm, and the tips of her fingers were colored burnished orange. Heavy chains hung from each finger down the back of her palm to join into a thick bangle encircling her wrist. Knowing she was heavily dressed, she'd kept the make up minimal. Powder, eye-liner and a touch of lipstick were all she wore. She looked gorgeous.
He stared at her, not able to take his eyes off her. Truthfully, he hadn't been able to take his eyes off her since she'd made her surprise appearance for her "showstopper" performance this evening. She'd disappeared halfway through the evening's proceedings to "get ready". He hadn't known she was going to get ready to knock his socks off. He smiled as he remembered her entry on the dance floor an hour or so ago. The one thing Khushi Kumari Gupta knew was how to make an entrance. Flamboyance was a trait she possessed in plenty. She'd had the lights turned off completely, and she'd walked in to the centre, only the sound of her chiming ghungroos indicating her presence. Then a spotlight had come on to reveal her, sitting in the centre of the floor, head bowed, legs tucked underneath her. And when the first strains of music had begun, she'd lifted her head up and mouthed the words along with Kavita Krishamoorthy.
Yehh Kiski Hai Aahat, Yeh Kiska Hai Saaya
Huvi Dil Mein Dastak, Yahan Kaun Aaya
Hum Par Yeh Kisne Hara Rang Dala
Oh Hum Par Yeh Kisne Hara Rang Dala
Khushi Ne Hamari Hame Maar Dala
She'd looked him right in the eye as she'd sung that last sentence, a look of mischief lurking in her own. It was like she was telling him, "Yeah dude! I know what I'm doing to you here. I'm killing you." And the look was gone in a second. Almost like it hadn't happened.
She'd danced her way elegantly through the song. The movements were slow and sinuous. No frenetic "desi girling" here. Every emotion was enunciated through her expressive eyes.
Haan Magar Dua Mein Jab Yeh Haath Uthaya
Haan Magar Dua Mein Jab Yeh Haath Uthaya

She chose to look straight at him again as she sang the next sentence, a saucy smile playing on her lips.
Khuda Se Dua Mein Tumhe Maang Dala
Maang Dala Allah Maang Dala Allah Maang Dala
Madhuri herself couldn't have done it with more aplomb, he'd thought. That "I know what you're thinking, but only in your dreams" smirk she'd thrown at him while singing that line. And again, it was gone in a fleeting second. He wondered if he was imagining things. And then he'd decided that where Khushi Kumari Gupta was concerned, his instincts were rarely wrong. She'd meant to tease him, and she'd succeeded.
She'd finished "Maar Daala" and the applause had barely died down when the beats to "Pyar kiya toh darna kya" began. Now he could truly appreciate her Kathak skills. She made it look effortless. She performed the complicated steps to the first tukra with ease. She pirouetted around the room several times, her skirt flaring out around her, showcasing her slim, churidar clad legs as she spun around. This time there was no funning. She didn't look at him or anyone else. She focused on the dance. It was an intense performance. She made him wish he were back in his "Sheesh Mahal", and she was dancing in the large, mirrored room they'd played in as kids. Like Madhubala in the original song, her movement would've been reflected in the many thousand mirrors that adorned the walls of the room. Her every smile would be amplified a thousand times over. Every expressive, come hither look, reflected in the many crystals that hung from the huge chandelier on the ceiling . A thousand Khushis pirouetting, only for him, he thought. Since he was dreaming, he thought wryly, why not be specific. She would dance. And dance to this song. But only for him. There would be no one else.
He'd been jolted out of his reverie by thunderous applause. He'd missed the last part of her dance, so occupied had he been in imagining her private dance performance. "Kinky, Arnav!," he thought, since that was a dance performed by a courtesan for her love, in open defiance of propriety. Not that Khushi Kumari Gupta was ever proper, he thought smiling. He'd joined in the clapping, thinking there was no way he could better this lethal combination of Madhuri and Madhubala that she had channeled for this performance. And there wasn't. She'd won hands down. And now, she stood in front of him, ready to claim her prize.
"So, Arnavji, ready to pay up?" she asked imperiously.
"What do you want?" he sighed.
"I want you to..." She trailed off. She'd been about to tell him she wanted him to apologize for every time he'd ever been rude to her. She even had a 17 page list tucked into her purse. She'd spent 4 nights writing it, painstakingly remembering every aukaad, haisiyat, and keemat he'd thrown at her over the past 7 months. She wanted an apology for every teeny, tiny, itty-bitty insult he'd ever thrown at her. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to say it. She knew he hated losing. Because they were very much alike. She and Arnav Singh Raizada. Stubborn, easily annoyed, and poor losers. And for some reason known only to God, she couldn't say it. Well, she knew the reason, she sighed inwardly. Because he would hate to do it. And she couldn't make him do something so against his nature. It was cruel. So, she decided to ask for something else. Something that would annoy him. But not something that would entail his swallowing his pride.
"I want you to...er...grow a mustache!" she said hastily.
"Say what?" he asked again, gaping.
"I want you to grow a mustache." She said, smiling at his astounded look.
"You want me to grow a mustache?" he said, as if he hadn't heard her.
"That is correct. Yes."
"But why?"
"Ever since the girls drew one on your picture during the Kanya Puja, I've been intrigued by the idea. I want to see you sport one. And mind, it has to be a proper mustache, curling at the ends. Not some watered down version. OK?" she asked, biting her lip to keep from laughing. His dismay was apparent. He would not like sporting a mustache, she knew.
"Dammit Khushi! Couldn't you pick something else?"
"I could'"
"So?"
"But I don't want to. I like this idea much better." She giggled and ran away, leaving him fuming. She turned back suddenly," So, will I see a mustache on you next week?"
"Yes," he bit out, extremely unhappily. He was not looking forward to this.
One week later
"Chotey, what's this?" asked Anjali, her brow creasing.
"What's what?" asked Arnav.
"This." She said, pointing to the fuzz on his upper lip.
"Oh. That. I am..er...growing a mustache," he replied stiffly.
Anjali burst out laughing. "Whatever for?" she asked.
"Oh, I dunno. For a change, I guess. I was tired of my old look," he replied uncomfortably.
"I think he means for Khushi, Di!" said Akash, winking at Arnav.
"What?" asked Anjali, looking struck.
"Khushi won the sangeet. Bhai and Khushi had a bet. Whoever won the sangeet would have to do what the other person said. Khushi won and asked him to grow that...thing!" said Akash, shivering at the sight a little.
"How did you know?" asked Arnav exasperated. He'd been hoping to carry this off as an eccentric mood swing, and not reveal that he'd in fact, lost a bet. To her.
"I am married to Khushi's sister!" yawned Akash. Anjali wanted to laugh, but she stopped herself because she could see her Chotey was mad. "By the way Bhai," said Akash, "That excrescence that you call a Mustache, to paraphrase my favorite author, it looks like a piece of Mulligatawny soup stuck on your upper lip!" Anjali burst into laughter. Akash grinned, amazed at his own brilliance. Only Arnav didn't see the humor in the situation.
One month later
Arnav was working in his office when someone knocked on his door. "Come in," he called. Khushi walked in looking stunning in a white salwar suit with a cream and gold dupatta.
"Namaste Arnavji!" she said, eyes sparkling.
"What do you want?" he wasn't feeling particularly charitable towards her.
"Oh..nothing. Just to see you."
"I am working. This is my office."
"I know. But I thought it better to come see you here than at home."
'Why?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Oh you know, at home either Hari Prakashji or Nanheji or Anjaliji or Naniji, or Mamiji, or nowadays even Jiji get in the way," she said.
"What a lot of Jis!" said Arnav, amused. "Spit it out Khushi. I'm busy."
"You can shave it off now," she said quickly.
"What?"
"The mustache. You can shave it off now. It's been a month. You can go back to being yourself now."
'You came all the way here to tell me that?" he asked, perplexed. He would never understand this girl, he thought.
"No. I came all the way here to do this," she said. She walked up to him. He was still sitting. She perched herself on his lap, then ran her hands through his hair, down his cheeks and finally over the thick mustache he now sported. It even curled a little at the ends like she'd requested. It suited him, she thought. She quite liked it. Then she bent and kissed him fully on the lips, his mustache prickling her lips as they kissed. Before he knew what had happened, the kiss was over. She got up and smiled at the look on his face. He looked shell-shocked.
"I just had to kiss you before you shaved it off. I've never kissed anyone with a mustache before," she smiled. He took a minute to absorb what she said. And the only thing he understood was something he didn't like. "She'd kissed other men? Men without mustaches? Were they better? Did his mustache get in the way? Damn!" he thought. He ran behind her as she exited his office. Unfortunately, he couldn't yell, as his entire office was curious to see what happened between Fire and Ice, as they'd dubbed Khushi and him. Instead, he whispered loudly, "Does that mean you've kissed other men? What the! Khushi, wait a minute! Khushi!" But she was gone, waving a hand at him as she got into the elevators.


For trivia lovers: The original Pyar kiya toh darna kya song was shot at the Sheesh Mahal in Lahore, hence Arnav's Sheesh Mahal reference.

Akash's favorite author (and mine!) is PG Wodehouse. The mulligatawny soup lines were spoken by Jeeves, butler to Bertie Wooster when Bertie attempts to grow a mustache. 😃

Alrighty..tell me what you think people. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Cheers!

Vidhya

For my other works, check out my brand new Index. 😊

For Winner take all (2) and (3) see here and here.




Edited by madmaxine - 13 years ago

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.hea. thumbnail
14th Anniversary Thumbnail Stunner Thumbnail + 5
Posted: 13 years ago
#2
res

Me first 🥳
Loved it to biits..I could feel the atmosphere😍 Really did justice to the part.
🤣🤣 I can't say about the humour though! 🤣
Edited by -Murphy369- - 13 years ago
farheen75 thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#3
ADR with a moustache well that's interesting...nice idea though...thanx for the pm.
smitar thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#4
Astounding! Your attention to detail makes the story all the more enjoyable. Hats off!
veds275 thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#5
Awesome...Awesome...Awesome..do I really need to scream any louder..??...😉...It's paramount wala good...Please update the next part...😃
darkninja thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#6
awesome god i love khushis idea 🤣
anyways pm me ur nxt update
647669 thumbnail
Posted: 13 years ago
#7
this was interesting
haha arnav in a moustache
i cant imagine it
but khushi kissed him would love to see how this goes
thanks for the pm
mirnalini thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#8
That was brilliant!
I hope she does a kathak piece in the show as well. It'd knock Arnav's socks off!😆
winniepooh thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#9
Awesome ...waiting for the next in the series...
N0306 thumbnail
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Posted: 13 years ago
#10
this is was just perfect to lift my mood.. thank you... khushi kissed him out of the blue... loved it...

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