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This story starts from the famous Diwali night, the night where things took a major turn in the history of IPK. The month which we'll never forget and the track, we all fell in love with...I'd steer the story in the way I've always wanted...
I'll try to do justice to this FF of mine. Please comment and let me know the points where I lack or even suggest the turn of events you'd like. Unlike the CVs, I'll try to move this story in the line of popular demand. :)
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FF: The ever smiling eyes.
Chapter 1
Raizada mansion was dressed like a bride. The whole house was decorated in shades of blue...different shades of blue. Lights adorned the walls, pillars and railings, beautiful twinkling lights! The twinkling lights seemed to resemble a hazel pair of eyes, the eyes which never failed to light up the whole world, a pair of ever smiling eyes.
"Khushi ji?" Anjali Jha, a beautiful lady clad in a green saree called out. The hazel eyes turned to look at the woman and instantly lit up all the more, if that was even possible.
"Anjali ji? I was looking for you. See I've brought sweets for all of you. Happy Diwali Anjali ji", her exuberant face revealing her excitement! Anjali smiled at the girl and wished her the same. Khushi ji was one hell of a girl. She never failed to cheer up anyone. The whole atmosphere around her seemed to be ever smiling and held an air of warmth...something which she had never felt in anyone else's presence. Anyone can fall in love with her. "Anyone", she thought fondly. She enveloped her in a warm hug.
"Anjali Ji, Nani ji kahan hain?" She asked Anjali, looking everywhere but not being able to catch a glimpse of her beloved Nani ji. Anjali smiled at her enthusiasm. She wanted to tell Khushi about her hard work being paid off. The moment of victory for her and Khushi had finally arrived. Nani ji had accepted Lavanya as her Bahu. Wife for her chotey. Her brother. And, she simply couldn't contain her excitement.
"Khushi ji?" She asked a visibly worried Khushi, who was still not able to locate her "pyaari" Nani Ji. "Haan anjali ji?" She turned to face her. She saw Anjali grinning ear to ear and instantly brightened and asked, "Anjali ji? What happened? Did something good happen?" Her eyes belying her curiosity.
"Ji Khushi ji...Nani ji has finally accepted Lavanya as the Raizada's potential Bahu." Anjali gushed. To say that Khushi was happy would be an understatement. She felt as if all her hard work had paid off. All her pain, all her head aches, all her anxiety had finally paid off. She hugged Anjali again. And jumped excitedly up and down and thought,"Finally, NO laad governor and his screaming/shouting/scolding from tomorrow."
But the instant this thought hit her over-excited,hyper-active brain, her face fell. Her eyes dimmed. Her smile faltered. "But then wh-y do I suddenly feel empty? I should be happy..and I AM HAPPY." She forced herself to think. To feel. But alas, she couldn't. She was shook from her reverie by Nani ji's bear hug. And she tried to smile again, only to fail at it.
"Khushi bitya, hum kahat naahi sakat hain ki hum kitne khus hain. Aapka kitnao dhanyawaad karenge toh-" Devyani Singh Raizada was cut off by Khushi's severe glare.
"Nani ji. Bitiya bolti hain aur dhanyawaad deke paraya bhi kar deti hain?" She said, tears glistening in her eyes while she desperately tried to smile. Devyani shook her head fondly at Khushi's little emotional outburst. Trust this girl to jump from one emotion to the next in seconds. She saw her tears and smiled to herself and thought," Ee Khushi bitya bhi na! Kitni pyaari bacchi hai. Bhagwaan kare inke saare sapne poore ho". She fervently prayed to god.
"Khushi bitya? Ismein rone waali kono baat naahi. Hum toh bas..." She trailed off. No one knew the reason of her tears weren't Nani ji's heartfelt 'Thank you', the reason was something else. Or rather someone else.
She again tried to smile, succeeding a little bit this time. "Khushi bitiya, chaliye, Ms. Kas-, humra matlab hai Lavanya aapko dhundhat hai...chaliye?". Khushi smiled and nodded her head. The ladies walked towards a group of people, where Lavanya stood, clad in a beautiful peacock blue saree and was talking animatedly with a group of ladies. The instant she spotted Khushi she excused herself.
"Chamkeeeli!" She shouted, earning a glare from Nani, which calmed her down and she proceeded to correct herself when she suddenly felt a pair of hands going around her to hold her. And she smiled. Khushi whispered,"Hum aapke liye bahot Khush hain Lavanya ji", and she took a step back and smiled at her. She was really happy.Happy for her friend Lavanya ji, but she wasn't quite happy about her frequent trips to RM coming to an end. Though she couldn't figure out why.
After a lot of congratulations and smiles and wishes, Khushi proceeded to keep the boxes of sweets in the kitchen when she felt the air around her turning static. She felt goosebumps breaking on her arms. The air suddenly seemed out to be calling out to her and she knew. She knew when this happened. Though she didn't know why. She tried not to look at the source of the suddenly overly sensitized air around her but failed. Miserably. She turned and her hazel eyes landed upon the most handsome man she had ever laid her eyes upon. The source of her head aches, her 'acidity', her anxiety, her frequent stupid antics. The source was none other than that 'Laad governor' who was looking 'breath taking', was that even a word suitable for a guy, she thought?
"Whatever. I don't care. I don't even want to look at him. Hmph" She mumbled,all the while trying not to stare at him.
To say that today Khushi made air whoosh out of his lungs,would be an understatement. She was wearing a red saree. RED. His favorite color. A color he had come to love more after he saw Khushi in it, once before. It was not long time back though. And she was wearing red again today. Arnav's eyes roved over her petite form, clad in red. He couldn't place what was different about her today though. He tried to locate the difference. No. She was looking gorgeous, to say the least..but still there was something different about her...what was it? He wracked his brains,all the while maintaining a severe eye contact with her. He saw her shiver. He knew that she wasn't cold and didn't shiver because of that. A corner of his lips lifted to resemble a smile, maybe? Khushi thought, "Couldn't even smile properly. Laad governor" and made a face.
"Oh yes!", he thought, ''her eyes...yes her eyes, why do they seem dimmer today?'' he thought and felt his heart plummeting. Suddenly he got agitated because of his direction of thoughts. "I don't care what and why she looks different. Thought the mighty Arnav Singh Raizada and climbed down the stairs.
"Hey devi maiyaa! He is coming this way. He is coming this way, He is coming this way...what should I do now? I don't want to meet him." She thought fervently and then admonished herself for thinking so. "Today's Diwali. At least I should wish him properly today. There shouldn't be any animosity on festivals", she thought. And she opened her mouth to wish him when she noticed that just a few steps away he deliberately took a turn to his right to talk to a group of people. And gave her a mocking smile.
She fumed. The nerve of that man. She stamped her foot and walked across him. Not once stopping to even glance at him. As she crossed him, he felt an air of sudden warmth enveloping him. And it always happened. "Whenever Khushi Kumari Gupta is near me, something changes in the surrounding air",he thought. And as soon as this thought crossed his mind, he scolded himself for thinking in such a film-y way. Just like Khushi. Kumari. Gupta. He thought and gritted his teeth.
"What the hell does he think of himself. He knew I was about to wish him...but no. His Akkad would never leave him. the nerve of him to smile at me in such a mocking way", she fumed...but suddenly she was reminded of those melting chocolate brown eyes looking at her as if she was something to eat and she gulped and said, "Hey devi maiyya! Raksha karna humari unse. Laad governor toh hain hi, lekin kahin woh Rakshas nikle toh? Kahin unhone hume kha liya toh? Dekh toh aise hi rahe the! Bade ajeeb hain..." and she hadn't realized that she said all that aloud!
"Kaun ajeeb hai Khushi bitiya..?" Nani ji asked. Making Khushi gasp with her sudden intrusion. "K-Koi nai Nani ji.." She stammered. And Nani smiled fondly at Khushi and her antics and asked her to go to lobby as Lavanya was waiting for her to light some diyas...
On her way to lobby, she thought "How come that laad governor's Nani and Di...I mean Anjali ji are so so sweet and he so...so...bitter?" She thought seriously. What could have went wrong? Was he adopted? Didn't seem so. But what if he was? That successfully explained his weirdness. But, but..had it been that she would have known by now. She pouted. What could be the reason for his unexplained anger and bitterness? Maybe he was dropped by his mother when he was young. "Yes! That's it!" She exclaimed happily. Seemingly satisfied with her reasoning when Lavanya called out to help her with the diyas while she went to take few crackers!
A while later, when she had successfully arranged all the diyas in the lobby in equal eccentric circles, she found herself at the center of the circle, trapped.
And she let out a gasp! When suddenly,she again felt the same tingling sensation on her neck and she turned her face to the left to notice the reincarnation of Rakshas, only a lot more handsome, staring at her with an intense expression in his chocolate brown eyes...She let her eyes roam over him. His hair, perfectly styled. His eyes, anyone can get lost in them and when they stared at her with such intense expression she didn't know why and how she forgot to breathe every single time...that perfect straight nose, those sinful lips...that strong chin and those jaws...she gulped...and continued...his shoulders, broad..his neck, strong...her eyes seemed to go lower still when she caught herself. Thoroughly embarrassed. And got up, and realized that now, he was standing too close to her...inside those stupid circles, barely a breath away...and her acidity made a comeback.
Dhak dhak...dhak dhak...
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