The Mirage and Oasis...New FF: Chapter 13 updated - Page 48

'I can't stay with you' Khushi said fidgeting with the handbag.

'Excuse me! Who says I want to stay with you. But if you heard the lady, we don't have a choice' Arnav said

'Of course we do. We can look for other places' Khushi said.

'All conferences will be here. Added to that fact the lady just told us the hotels are running full' he said.

'Well how can we go with what she says?' Khushi said.

'Ok. We won't go with what she says. Please go ahead and roam around entire Simla and come back and you will find me here. in the cottage,' Arnav said.

'You know I can't do that without you. Please let us try at least the nearest hotels,' Khushi pleaded.

'Ok get into the car. But I am keeping this booking. If we don't get any other place we are coming back here and you are not going to fight about that' he said commandingly.

So for the next 2 hours Arnav and Khushi looked around all the good hotels, motels and cottages in Simla and did not find two separate rooms in many and not even one in some.

It was pretty late into the night when they headed back to the hotel, collected the keys and entered the cottage.

'I can't stay here. Dad will kill me' Khushi said abruptly.

'Now a new tantrum! Does it ever stop?" Arnav asked

'I am serious. My Dad does will kill me if he knows I stayed alone with a man' Khushi tried reasoning with him.

'Do I care? If you are sissy enough to be scared of your Dad, then you should not be working and coming on official trips.' he raged when Khushi interrupted.

'But I never knew this would happen,' Khushi said

'Then you should know and face it now. Anything can happen when you go out of the 4 walls of your house and you should be adult enough to face it. By the way who is going to tell your Dad. I won't. And you definitely cannot' he said.

'But I never lie to my Dad. If he asks what will I say?.' Khushi asked only to be rudely interrupted,

'Have you heard of lying by omission. You don't have to mention anything, which is not lying,' he said,

'But, what if he find out somehow?' Khushi said again.

'I don't think the problem is your Dad. I think it is you. What are you afraid of Khushi? That I will eat you up?' he said inching closer to her.

Khushi moved back in fear, because his proximity really did affect her.

'You think I can't resist your pretty face is it?" he said coming within an inch of her.

'N...No. Not at all' Khushi said.

'Good because I don't feel attracted to school girls and you are not my type of school girl even' he lied.

He watched her flinch, but did not show any emotions.

'I am tired Khushi and I am going to sleep. Feel free to do whatever you want. You can go home walking, in the car or the next available flight or train.

But remember if you go back and ditch my conference, then you won't have a job to come back to,

And one more thing. If you stay, you will not throw any tantrums or you are going to see a far worse side of me,' he warned.

He saw her lower lip quiver, as if to control her tears. Arnav looked away angrily and stormed out of the room into one of the bedrooms.

Khuushi watched helplessly as he marched off leaving her alone. She sat in the cottage hall and let the tears fall.

This was not how it was supposed to be.

She was supposed to be enjoying this trip.

She was supposed to be in Arnav's good books.

But right now he was angry with her.

And she felt guilty.

But she was terrified of what would happen if her conservative Dad ever learnt of this.

And then she was also scared of one more thing.

Proximity to Arnav Singh Raizada.

She already had a crush on him.

She was worried it might become difficult to handle if she stayed so close to him. She wasn't sure she would not make a complete fool of herself.

Khushi walked up and down the hall the night, worried about what to do. But did she have a choice? She could not go back on her commitment to the job. She was not afraid of losing the job, but about failing a commitment.

But if she stayed, she had to keep quiet about things to her parents, something she did not like. But she had no choice.

She had to stay, but she could not stay in peace.

She wanted to go into the bedroom. But sleeping alone in a new place terrified her.

She tried putting on the TV to calm herself.

It worked and she dozed off in the sofa.

That is how he found her in the wee hours of the early morning when he came to get water.

Fast asleep in a reclining position, the TV in full blast.

Her hair was dishevelled. But she had changed into some kind of pyjamas with lots of teddy bears in them. She had some kind of a photo frame in her hand.

He came close to her and gently untwine her fingers.

He saw that it was the photograph of her favourite goddess, which she also kept on her table,

Gently he lifted her and took her into the adjoining bedroom and put her down.

She immediately buried her head deep into the pillow.

He covered her with the blanket.

Khushi Kumari Gupta would have rejoiced at the fact that Arnav Singh Raizada looked very disturbed as he left the room.