IPKKND FF: Masquerade [Chapter 18] Updated 10 Sept - Page 65

Devyani Raizada sat on the sofa in the living room and sipped her tea thoughtfully. There were so many preparations to be done for the wedding and Chote had rushed off for a meeting. Granted that he might not have been the most helpful person when it came to such preparations but at least there would have been an extra hand to lend help if it was required. She spotted Akash talking urgently to someone on the phone and ushered him towards the seat next to her. He finished his call and came and sat down beside her.

"Yes Dadi?"

"Is anything wrong Akash? You seemed flustered."

"Oh! Yes actually Di just called to inform that Payal's engagement ring still hasn't been completed."

"That's not good news. The engagement is in less than ten days. We will need it as soon as possible so that we can send it back if it requires any adjustments. I thought Mehra Jewelers were reliable."

"I know Dadi. That's why I'm a little bit worried. Plus the work load in office has increased because Bhai is not in town. The only thing that's keeping me going is Shyam. He has been so helpful these few days. I don't know what I would have done without him. He's such a busy man but whenever I call him, he answers all my questions readily."

"Ah yes! I too like Shyam bitwa a lot. Yesterday when he came for dinner, I felt that there was something very simple and honest about him. A very pleasant person indeed. Anjali is lucky to have gotten such a wonderful client."

Akash nodded his head. Shyam Jha was fast becoming like an older brother for him and he was really grateful for his help and assistance. He would have to tell Bhai about it as soon as he got back. They would definitely benefit from maintaining a good relationship with him.

…

Khushi had never seen a more different bunch of people living under the same roof. It confused her as to why she felt a strange undercurrent over there. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal but something about the place bothered her. And she couldn't quite put a finger on it.

They had had breakfast in the morning and she had seen how Lalit had been completely ignored while Anahita was treated like a queen. Veer as usual reserved his menacing glance for anyone who tried to come near him while Dinesh had been fawning about Anahita. The four young girls had kept to themselves while Arjun had tried in vain to make some conversation with Arnav.

Later that morning, Khushi found Arjun sitting on one of the plastic chairs with a faraway look on his face.

"Hello Arjun ji!"

He seemed to snap back to reality on hearing her voice and turned to look at her. His warm brown eyes sparkled as a smile lit up his face.

"Hello there Khushi. How are you this morning?"

"I'm absolutely delightful! I can't tell you how exciting it is to be in an actual circus. I'm so looking forward to seeing your act. When do you guys perform next?"

"In a couple of days. Will you be here till then?"

Khushi's face fell a little on hearing that question. She was not sure herself of what was going to happen the next moment. There was no way she could tell Arjun about what she planned to do in the future. What with the unpredictable and ever anger Arnav Singh Raizada and a mysterious set of goons out to kill them, she could never really be sure of what would happen next.

"Ah well, I'm not really sure about that. But if we are here then I'll definitely watch all the acts."

"By the way Arjun ji, is there some kind of problem regarding Lalit ji? I mean everyone…"

Arjun sighed heavily and looked down to the ground. Khushi was indeed very perceptive to have figured out about the undercurrents running through their troupe. He knew that lying to her wouldn't be a good idea. She seemed to bright to fall for deception.

"Hmm, so you noticed did you? Yes Lalit isn't a very respected member of our circus. It's got to do mainly with his act. He's a clown you see. And it's his job to goof around and make people laugh so people don't treat him with a lot of seriousness. I try hard to not make him feel too left out but it does show sometimes."

Khushi nodded her head. She now understood what the problem was. Because he had a rather silly act, people didn't regard him with the respect of an equal. She had seen how Arjun had tried to bridge the gaps but it wasn't really enough. She felt really bad for Lalit because he had been the one who had saved them when they had been on the run.

…

Anjali fingered the fabric of the material. It wasn't exactly what she was looking for. She needed something a little silkier but not as delicate as this one. Something that was elegant but very strong as well. She shook her head and thanked the owner of the shop and turned around to leave. Just as she got near the door, the salesman called out to her to tell her that she had forgotten her phone at the counter. She wasn't watching where she was going and bumped into someone.

She looked up to meet cold, grey eyes and she took a couple of steps back in surprise. She slowly got a better glimpse of his face and she realized that he was very handsome indeed. He had a strong jaw line and a sharp nose. His mouth was drawn into a thin line and there was something forbidding about him. He cleared his throat and indicated with his eyes that she was blocking his way and Anjali blushed as she quickly made way for him to pass. She watched as his tall, lean frame walked into the store and spoke confidently to the owner.

She went back and retrieved her phone and turned to leave. But not before getting a glimpse of the person she had bumped into.

Who was he? And why did he look so familiar?

…

Arnav cursed under his breath and paced about the room. He needed to get back home and he needed to get back soon. But the problem was he had no idea where he was or how he would get back. He couldn't discuss the matter with Khushi because every time he looked at her face, an insane rage would boil inside him. He really couldn't handle being near her let alone have a civil conversation with her.

He heard a soft tapping at the door and looked towards the entrance to find Anahita standing there with a slow smile on her face.

"May I come in?"

Arnav nodded his head but frowned, wondering why she wanted to come in.

"I'm afraid we haven't had the pleasure of speaking to each other yet. My name's Anahita."

She thrust her hand forward and Arnav shook it warily.

"Nice to meet you."

"I couldn't help notice that you're somewhat bothered. Does it have something to do with this circus? Perhaps I could be of some assistance?"

He shook his head curtly and looked the other way. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to this stranger right now. He hoped she would take the hint and leave.

"Or maybe it has something to do with that girl? You know, the skinny one who looks like she's been dragged through a pool of rainbow colors."

Arnav realized immediately that she was talking about Khushi and for some reason it irked him. He didn't like the fact that she was talking this way about her and the restraint that he had been keeping because she was an unknown woman suddenly snapped.

"Mind your own business. And don't you ever talk like that about her again."

With that he stomped off leaving a fuming trapeze artist behind.

…

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