IPKKND SS: Walking On Sunshine [Link to Thread 2] - Page 74

November was a pleasant month in Delhi. The sun wasn't out to give you a heat stroke and winter hadn't cast its frosty spell either. So it was decided that the school reunion would be a sports day out.

Khushi hadn't been this excited for days. The last time she had seen all of her friends was before she had returned to Lucknow. Ten whole years had passed since then and she was dying to meet everyone. Lavanya had organized the get together and Khushi suspected that she was definitely up to something. She had been very busy for the past few days but had refused to tell any of them what she had been doing. Whatever it was, she didn't mind as long as it was fun. She applied some gloss on her lips and pressed them together. This was another thing Lavanya insisted that she did every time she went out.

She checked her reflection once again in the mirror. She was dressed in a red pullover and skinny jeans. She had pleaded with Lavanya till she had made the dress code simple casuals. Khushi slipped on her Dilli Haat sandals and opened her bag to see whether everything was inside. She had been given a list by Lavanya, instructing her on what all to carry to the reunion. The list was quite unusual and Khushi smiled to herself as she imagined the numerous things her friend might come up with.

She walked down the stairs and saw that Akash and Payal were ready and waiting for her. Payal was wearing a white cotton skirt and a full sleeve pink top. Her hair was in a loose pony tail and she had kept her post marriage jewellery to the minimum. Akash was looking quite handsome in a blue collared bush shirt and beige cargo pants.

Khushi grinned at them and they walked towards the car. This was the part she always dreaded. Akash and Payal would insist on sitting next to each other which meant that she would have to take the seat up front next to the driver.

These days she found it very difficult to make eye contact with Arnav. Especially when other people were around. She was becoming increasingly aware of how good looking he was and she would look away, mortified, when he caught her on her occasional staring sprees. Strange things happened to her whenever she was around him. Her heart beat would accelerate on its own accord and her breathing would quicken as well. She had completely given up hope on her cheeks which would treacherously turn different shades of pink and red not just when he was around but whenever he was mentioned in her vicinity.

It didn't help that he was wearing a white polo neck and denim jeans either. It made him look even more attractive, if that was possible, and the fact that he hadn't gelled his hair made Khushi heart thud against her chest. He looked so young and oh so appealing.

They drove towards the farm house and Arnav kept sending Khushi his customary glances through the rear view mirror. They reached their destination and found that almost everyone was already there. Khushi jumped out of the car and ran towards where everyone was standing. She was so excited to see them all - Rey, Shriya, Gargee, Krani, Gunjan, Jabeen, Shradds, Dee, Devanshi, Charu, Aman, Aditya, Armaan, Manav, Arjun, Samrat, Uday, Viren, Virat and Mayank. She squealed in delight and hugged each and every one of them, reliving countless happy memories from the past.

Arnav sauntered along from the car and all the girls immediately turned towards him. Khushi watched as they took turns and embraced him, ignoring the slight ache in her chest.

Just then Lavanya arrived and announced that the party was going to start and the first thing on their agenda was a paper dance.

Everyone looked at each other excitedly, recalling the days when they used to play this game during birthday parties and get togethers. What made it more interesting was the fact that partners would be chosen randomly and it would always be a guy paired with a girl.

Since her fianc wasn't present, Lavanya would be acting as the referee and impartial judge.

She picked up a chit from the first bowl.

"Rey."

And one from the second bowl.

"With Aman."

Rey shrieked in delight and high fived Dee before going and standing next to Aman. Everyone knew that she always had a huge crush on him since their school days and things hadn't really changed much so many years down the line.

Lavanya continued picking up random chits from either bowls. Shriya did a fist pump as she was paired with Anurag. Gargee and Krani were a little disappointed because they had wanted to be partnered with Anurag as well. He was a simple guy, polite and very handsome. He had been extremely popular in school and college as well. Their disappointment was short lived though because they were soon paired with two extremely good looking young men as well. Gargee waved at the reserved Manav who nodded shyly. He was a quiet person and had worked hard to achieve top marks in all his subjects. Krani smiled at Arjun who grinned at her. They had been quite close in school but had parted during college. This was a welcome reunion.

Dee had been praying fervently and was delighted when her name was partnered with Armaan. Shradds couldn't contain her excitement because she had been paired with the tall, mysterious Uday - a member of Delhi's Royalty. Devanshi blushed slightly as Samrat gave her a light hug. He was a very spontaneous guy, an extrovert and completely opposite to his best friend Mayank, who had been paired with Gunjan. Everyone was a little disappointed for Gunjan as she had a very serious partner but little did everyone know that they had both attended the same college and had become very close friends.

Payal got Akash and everyone 'oohed' and 'awed' at them. Tall, dark and handsome Virat was partnered with the warm and bubbly Jabeen.

Khushi gulped as she realized that there were only two pairs left to be decided. She and Charu were the only girls left and their prospective partners were Viren and Arnav.

Lavanya picked up the penultimate chit and read it out.

"Charu."

Charu smiled and looked from Arnav to Viren. Both were extremely good looking but it was a well known fact that any girl who set her eyes on Arnav was smitten at first sight.

"With Viren."

Charu sighed but smiled broadly at Viren. He was a wonderful guy and she would really enjoy the game with him.

Khushi stood stock still as the glaring fact dawned on her. She had been partnered with Arnav. She gulped a couple of times and lifted her eyes to look at him. He was standing there, as handsome as ever, regarding her with his head tilted slightly to the side.

"Alright guys, let's get started!"

Good natured teasing and yelling continued as one couple after the other was eliminated. Khushi could hardly keep her attention on the game. It had started with her and Arnav standing in front of each other and swaying slightly to the music. But it gradually changed to them moving closer and closer and closer will she had to press herself onto him to stop herself from stepping out of the paper. There were two couples left - Krani and Arjun and Arnav and Khushi.

Everyone had just finished teasing Devanshi and Samrat for being too lost in each other's eyes to notice that they had been dancing outside the square piece of newspaper. Lavanya clapped her hands and asked them to fold the papers once again. Khushi's eyes widened in shock as she saw how small the platform had become. Arnav stepped onto it and barely managed to fit his size eleven feet.

"There's no space for me. G-guess we'll have to forfeit."

"No way. Arnav Singh Raizada never loses."

He beckoned to Khushi and asked her to take off her shoes and stand on his feet. Khushi stared at him incredulously, wondering if he had lost his mind. Apparently he hadn't because he kept his gaze locked intensely with hers. Seeing that she had no other choice, Khushi placed her right foot tentatively on his left. A sensation akin to a jolt of current ran through her and she closed her eyes and tried to steady herself. She placed her other foot on his but as soon as she distributed her weight equally on both, she felt herself falling backwards.

A strong pair of hands instantly went behind her back and Khushi's cheeks began their usual game of turning red. She looked up to see him gazing down at her, a soft look invading his molten brown eyes.

"It's ok. I've got you."

Khushi nodded and placed her hands lightly on his shoulders. There was enough touching going on as it was and she tried to keep it to as less as possible. But fate and Lavanya had other plans for her. As soon as the music started, they began moving awkwardly but Lavanya's dissatisfied clucks broke through the air.

"Ok you two, whatever that is, it isn't dancing. Buck up or else you'll get disqualified."

Arnav tightened his grip around her waist and Khushi realized that this would not do. She snaked her arms more securely around his neck and held onto him tightly. She was the boat and he was her anchor. Whichever way he moved, she followed because she was practically glued to him. A warm sensation slowly pervaded the pit of Khushi's stomach. She felt herself relax into him and breathed in his manly scent. How had she not noticed that he smelt so good before now? And his muscles were rippling through his top, making shivers run down her spine. She tilted her head slightly in the crook of his neck and locked eyes with him once again. Time stood still as she felt herself drowning in a sea of delightful shades of brown.

She felt a light tap on her shoulder and a strange humming noise near her ear. She tried to ignore it and concentrate on the gorgeous view in front of her but the damn thing was very persistent. She jerked her head towards the noise and found herself looking at the very smug and knowing faces of all her friends. She wondered why everyone was looking at her like that.

"Uhm Khushi the song ended ten minutes ago. You guys won."

She realized what position she was currently in and jumped back as if she had been electrocuted. Forget about being happy about winning, she was mortified about losing herself in Arnav's arms like that. She looked across and saw him gazing at her with that unfathomably intense look in his eyes. Feeling suddenly very exposed, she muttered something about getting a drink of water and rushed away.

Arnav watched as a vision of beauty fled from in front of his eyes. His fists clenched as the feeling of her soft body against his ran fresh through his mind.