Chapter Seven - Say Something
It's not that Akash didn't love his brother - it's that he probably loved him too much. Arnav Singh Raizada was a proud man... Too proud for Akashs' liking. And he knew his cousin well enough to know that he wasn't one to knuckle under that easily.
So the way Akash would put it, would be that he was merely trying to give his cousin a little shove in the right direction
He could clearly see that Khushi had a massive impact on Arnav, and from what Anjali had told him - it was the same vice versa. And his Di's wish? Was to see her Chote happy again. Truly happy.
He paused for a moment as he remembered his Di's words last week after she had found out that Khushi had come to AR Designs for an interview
'Akash, you better bloody well make sure you do something to get those two back together again! I don't care what you do - but you make it happen!'
It was a different matter that he had been more or less convinced (scared) by Anjali's hysterical face - the distress and eagerness forming a look so dire that caused Akash to nearly run away from her in pure horror.
But what made him so different? Nothing did. Because Akash as well wanted to see his brother happy. And if he had anything to do with it, he would make damn sure him and Di both got their wish.
So to hire Khushi against Arnavs' wishes was only going to do wonders in the near future right? Asides from the fact that Miss Khushi Kumari Gupta, hurtling hot mess, was quite literally one of the best designers he had witnessed in his 23 years - he indeed had other ideas for her arrival
'They'll thank me soon enough'
He smirked to himself as he grabbed an apple off the dining room table and tossed it in the air before catching it with his teeth - wincing at the impact as he mentally mapped out his ingenious plan.
'Get ready to be tormented Bhai'
~
A piercing beep was violating her peaceful slumber, with an attitude so disturbingly cocky she could sense herself murdering it with her bare hands. Even in her sleepy haze she mumbled profusely to herself
'How can you murder a sound Khushi Kumari Gupta?... Chup kar aur so jao!'
She buried her head further into the sensuous sinews of her pillow, revelling in the sheer warmth as she rubbed her face up and down on her fluffy companion - a dreamy smile etched all over her contented face.
Her satisfaction was short lived as the shrill tones sliced through her serenity once again - blindly sticking a hand out of the covers to wave it off. When it refused to stop, Khushi shot up, throwing the covers off her in frustration as she groaned at the offending mechanism - swearing at it a good few times before slamming it shut.
'Stupid piece of shit'
Sighing, she looked at the time and figured she may as well get up. She stretched her arms - stifling a yawn as she swiveled round on her bed to place her feet on the on the floor. She made a move to get up when her eyes widened as the realisation dawned on her; as she realised just what her day had in store for her.
Today... Was her first day at AR Designs
'f**k my life'
~
Khushi stumbled out of her bedroom - one hand rubbing her sleep filled eye, whilst the other was seemingly clamped between her teeth as she bit down on her thumb nail incessantly whilst muttering to herself.
'Hey Devi Maiyya... Make sure I handle myself today. I can't afford to let him win'
She may have kept herself calm in front of him, but she knew her resolve would weaken each and every single time she would see him. And the worst part of it?
The worst part was how good he looked.
Even in her stunned silence, she had uncannily managed to examine him in all his entirety. She could barely stand to deny it.
He looked good... really good
6 years had so clearly done him proud - forming him in to a man so handsome that she could barely adjust to it. To Khushi, Arnav had always been a beautiful person - That boyish face coupled with his shaggy hair was enough to make any girl fall for him. Khushi of course had been no different.
But now? He was a man. An oh-so sexy man. When she had fallen in to his arms, she could feel his every muscle pressing against her body - those strong, toned arms that she would always seek comfort in. He still had that boyish face, but now he had that rough, messy stubble that had her itching to reach out and stroke his face. Her mind reverted back to the intoxicating dreams she'd been having about him... His face had remained in his 17 year old self - but now? Now she had his rugged features etched so deeply in her mind that she could feel herself become weak at the thought of those strange fantasies. Khushi stopped her shameless thoughts just as she realised where they were heading.
Gulping audibly to herself, her heart sank at the thought of how hard this was actually going to be for her.
'I need some Jalebi's'
~
Walking down the stairs, file in hand as he sipped on his black coffee, Arnav Singh Raizada could safely say that he was not looking forward to the day ahead - Or the rest of his foreseeable future for that matter. He knew full well that Khushi was going to be here any moment, and the fact that she had not even attempted to contact him over the past week was still aggravating his every brain cell. What had made it worse, was that Di had come back home that day looking extremely pleased with herself. He shook his head as he remembered just how dejected he had felt that night
ooo
Anjali walked through the doors of the Raizada house, her eyes still red and blotchy from her visit to see the Guptas. She couldn't have cared less however. Why?
Because she had her little sister back. And she was going to keep it like that - she'd been through life without her, and she wasn't going back to it. Ever.
She was suddenly pulled to the side by a very concerned looking Arnav
"Di.. Where have you been? Itni der tak kahan thi aap? And why are your eyes so puffy? Have you been crying Di?'"
The sheer anxiousness in her brothers eyes made her heart weep all the more as she realised just how happy she was in that moment. Everything was slowly starting to fall back in to place... And now? Now it was her brothers' turn to regain his happiness. She placed a tentative hand on his face - nodding enthusiastically in a bid to reassure him that everything was indeed, OK.
"Chote... Hum theek hai. I went to see Khushi."
She watched as Arnavs face formed in to myriad of expressions - each one more confused then the next.
"What? Y- You actually went over there? But... How? Did she even say anything to you?'"
His mind went in to overdrive. What did this mean? Would she talk to him? Had she forgiven him? But wait... Why should he care?
"Yes Chote she did. She's hurt, but she's still my baby sister. You don't know how happy I am right now Chote."
Arnav was frozen with shock as Anjali went to hug him, her happiness causing a purposeful sting to course through him. His mind went blank; his thoughts failing him as all that raced through was the one remaining fact.
"What about me?"
ooo
Breaking out of his reverie, he looked around at the workstations below him and realised he had inadvertently stopped mid stair-well, causing a few of the employees to look at him suspiciously.
He mentally cursed himself for acting like such an emotional fool and quickly composed himself before looking back down at his file - taking another sip of his coffee as he ambled down the rest of the stairs authoritatively. He couldn't let them think that their new manager was a nutcase after all.
If he hadn't been so intent on making his impression, he would have seen her coming.
But he didn't.
So the next time he looked up, the sight in front of him made him stop right in his tracks again.
She stood in front of him, her trained eyes boring right in to his as she remained standing in the same position; almost daring him to say something. He took a moment to take in her surreal presence - the faint aroma of jalebi's sifting through the air between them. He smiled inwardly as he figured she'd been making them again. He instantly cringed in regret as he realised he had probably been the reason for this.
He noted that she had opted for flats and smart trousers today - he figured to probably avoid the debacle of last week's performance. He noticed that she had left her hair loose as well. He didn't always like it when she left her hair open - it always disturbed the full view of her precious face.
But today, he saw that she had grown it - it sat perfectly straight below her slow heaving chest; spilling over her shoulders as it accentuated her soft features. In his eyes... She looked perfect.
He realised he had been staring a moment too long as he glanced at those same features, slowly becoming impatient. His mind seemed like a vacant container waiting for some sort of sensible thought to pass through. But it never came. So as he felt him self become all the more desperate by the minute, he grabbed her hand as he sensed her take a step to the side of him.
'Khushi'
He felt her soft hand become rigid within his own - looking round to see the forlorn expression cemented in to her glistening eyes. She just stared at him for a moment. And in that moment, Arnavs mind was racing as he strived to perceive her thoughts. And in that moment, as he remembered his sisters' new found happiness... He had hope.
But that moment came and went. He felt her hand withdraw from his own - feeling her every caress slipping through his palm as he witnessed the sheer disgust that was dripping from those expressive eyes. The air around him went cold, the warmth of her hand leaving behind a sheen of ice on his rough hands as he just carried on looking at her. Her was face blank, her eyes full of revulsion - and that was the last thing he saw as she swiftly turned away from him and slowly paced across the room... away from him
She hadn't said a single thing
He watched in silence as she walked up the stairs and up to Akash's office - The glass walls showcasing their every move.
He watched as she shook his hand before Akash leaned in to hug her. When had they become so familiar?
He watched as she said something to him
He watched as he said something back, grinning down at her
He watched as Khushi threw her head back and laughed
And by this point, it was safe to say that Arnav Singh Raizada was quite simply... Jealous.
~
Asides from the fact that it felt so wrong to feel so happy at seeing his cousin in such a tortured state, Akash thought his plan was working quite nicely. He grinned as he thought about just how little he was having to do to make it all work.
'Bhai really doesn't know how to handle himself in front of Khushi'
He was currently viewing, what could only be described as an ill-attempt at controlling emotions - The emotions of Arnav Singh Raizada.
Akash chuckled silently to himself - thoroughly enjoying the show in front of him. Arnav had barely even noticed that he was in the same room, and Akash was taking great pleasure in knowing what the cause of this insanity was.
It had been easy enough. From what Anjali had told him, it didn't look like Khushi was ready to forgive him any time soon, if that. So he was counting on her lack of acknowledgement towards him - and Akash was ecstatic when she had walked away from Arnav so defiantly.
What had made it even more perfect was the fact that she would be working in close proximity with Akash... Meaning Mr Arnav Singh Raizada was going to want to tear his limbs apart.
Perfect
~
He'd had enough.
Did he really mean that little to her that she wouldn't even take a second look at him? He envisioned the look of pure loathing she had given him. It had seemed so grim - fused with such a blank face. He thought about how that face had once laughed at him; how it had once smiled, joked and encouraged him. And now? He could see that same beautiful smile that had once upon a time only been reserved for him, now being lapped up by Akash. He wanted to scream. He wanted to grab his cousin by the collar and throw him down the stairs for being able to spend the whole day with his best friend; being able to hear her soothing voice and watch her every expression as she spoke so animatedly. Did he even know how lucky he was?
'That should be me dammit!' he thought to himself angrily.
Arnav didn't know what to think anymore - the only thing he could comprehend at that moment was the fact that he hadn't even heard her voice yet.
'How is that even possible?!'
He needed to know what she was thinking - He knew she was hurt but he had every right to at least talk to her. He was going crazy not knowing what was actually happening.
He needed answers... and he was adamant that he was going to get them!
Grabbing his keys of the desk, Arnav stormed out of his office - slamming the door that followed him, leaving behind a very smug looking Akash.
'That's right Bhai... you go get your answers.'
ooo
Ok... I tried to update a little bit quicker for you guys this time 😃
Hope you all liked it!
Shay X
Edited by shay1990 - 12 years ago
Anupamaa
