IIT meets DU ** Removed** Note on Thread 2 Page 105 - Page 42

Part 11 : 6 months ahead

6 months had passed since Arnav and Khushi had got committed in a non-committal relationship.

They never said the three magical words to each other though

' I like you so much'

' You are so cute ' (note - only used by Khushi for the sole purpose to irritate Arnav )

' I hate you '

' You are so adorable '

were quite common.

Khushi had become a lot more cheerful and lively .

Arnav was still his flirtatious self and had developed a little temper ( thanks to Khushi's persistent bugging)

Arnav had created a personal record by dating the same girl for straight 6 months and their relationship was still going strong.

Another personal record for not kissing the girl he was dating , till now.

IIT still sucked.

Aakash had come to know about their relationship, though initially he had created a ruckus but had eventually come around when Arnav had reminded him that India was a free country and people above 18 years of age were free to choose their partners. (Copyright Constitution )

Anjali was still the love guru she was to Khushi.

Arnav and Aakash still shared the same Tom and Jerry relationship.

Delhi metro was still the favourite mode of communication for the new lovebirds.

( I don't know what kinds of birds are casual daters , so deal with 'lovebirds ' )

Khushi started wearing kurti's a lot more often on Arnav's insistence.

Arnav had made peace with his twin brother, all thanks to Khushi's intervention though he was still at loggerheads with his father.

Oxygen was still required by humans for survival.

India was still a democratic country.

And the rest of the world was pretty much the same.

Today was the first day of placements at IIT Delhi. Arnav was pretty confident of cracking the interview at the first day itself but as luck would have it, he wasn't selected in the final round of selection.

He was freaking out due to the rejection and had asked Khushi to meet him in Nehru Place where he had some work. Khushi had happily obliged as this being the last semester of her course the workload was negligible and basically she had nothing better to do.

" I don't know Khushi , I just don't know what went f**king wrong !! " Arnav half yelled, walking on the pavement with Khushi walking beside him , carrying his bags.

Chivalry is long dead.

" Relax , you will do just fine. It was the first day only , you still have three more days " Khushi tried to make him see sense.

But sense and logic were the last things on Arnav's mind right now. Yelling and freaking out topped the priority list.

" Let's eat chaat. It has been ages since I ate one " Khushi indicated to the chaat stall. She was more concerned about people staring at them due to Arnav's loud demonstration of his frustration, than food and wanted to somehow distract him.

" Khushi I am not hungry. You have it "

" Bhaiyya do plate chaat. Ek plate mein mirch thodi zyaada dalna. ( Two plates chaat. Put a little more chilly in one plate.) " Khushi gave the order on Arnav's behalf.

" Khushi I am not hungry " Arnav repeated a little louder for Khushi's benefit as she seemed to have missed him before .

" I heard you the first time. Arnav , it's noon and you haven't eaten anything yet "

" Khushi don't bother , I am just not hungry "

Just then a small boy, one of the minions who worked at the stall, came and handed Khushi two plates of chaat.

" Take it " Khushi holded out one of the plates for Arnav.

" Why are you so bossy ? " he asked holding the other end of the proffered plate of chaat.

" I am not bossy , I just know what you should be doing " she replied shrugging her shoulders.

Arnav raised his eyebrow at her bossiness laced tone and shaked his head in sheer amusement. It was pointless arguing with his shrew and rather decided concentrate on the chaat.

Being bossed around was not that bad after all, having spent the entire childhood craving for his family's attention.

Arnav's mood had decided to take a sharp turn and had considerably improved.

Talk about mood swings.

They sat down on the partially broken bench near the stall.

" Khushi if I didn't get the job , he will be proved right ,that I am good for nothing. He will be proved right that only Aarav ..."

" Sshh... Not a word more. Eat your chaat quickly, we are going out for a movie " she said digging into her chaat.

" Khushi I don't want to "

" But I want to, I promise it will be enjoyable "

" Keep the enjoyment to yourself "

" Arnav it has been such a long time since I saw a movie, can't you accompany me ? " she said in a soft pleading tone.

" But Khu..."

" Please Arnav , please please..."

The frequency with which she switched between playing mother hen to a petulant child amused Arnav to no extent.

" Fine you win, I lose " he finally gave in .

( Note to self Khushi Kumari Gupta - When nothings works, resort to emotional blackmail )

" When is your next interview ? " she inquired.

" Tomorrow at 11:00 am " Arnav replied in a muffled voice with his chaat stuffed in his mouth.

" Aakash cracked today's interview ? "

Great way to rub salt into my wounds.

" Ofcourse who can reject a Naukari to the great Naukari.com himself " he replied in a irritated voice.

Khushi chuckled in response and shook her head.

" Arnav why are you freaking out in the first place , for God sake you are an IITian and even if you don't get placed , you will get a job from outside campus in minutes " Khushi demonstrated clicking her fingers.

" I know Khushi , but campus placements offer the best packages and moreover I will get rid of this place within two months than wait for a company in India to send me overseas on a project. And also if I get placed in India I have to wait for atleast 1 year to get an opportunity to go to States as they don't send freshers for overseas assignments "

" Oh.. Don't worry you will crack tomorrow's interview for sure "

Khushi smiled at him and he smiled back.

" I look like a salesman in these clothes , do you really want to go ? " Arnav asked eying his crisp white shirt, loosened silk tie and black trousers with a disgusted face.

After the result of the interview was out he had come straight to meet Khushi without even changing his interview attire.

" You look like a hot shot boyfriend to me , care for the world ? "

" I only care for your opinion Cara " he said bending down , looking straight into her eyes and a bewildered face.

" Lets go " he whispered very close to her face.

He got up swiftly, grabbed Khushi's wrist in his left hand and the polythene bag in the right one and walked towards the other end of the auto stand.

Chivalry Returns.

Khushi was sitting in her bed , eyes wide open though the clock showed 3:00 am.

Khushi for heaven's sake you have a class tomorrow , sleep you idiot.

Only if it was possible..

Trust yourself to be a sleeping beauty when you have to study and suffer from insomnia when you need to sleep.

She sat back again after 5 minutes

The thought that he was going to leave India and permanently settle abroad unsettled her. Tomorrow was his crucial interview and the company was offering placement in New York to the successful candidates with a handsome salary package.

Was it selfish to pray for his failure in that interview ?

Yes, it was selfish , very selfish, when she was aware of how much he wanted to crack that one .

But her heart just couldn't come to terms with the fact that Arnav would no longer be a part of her life if he would be successful in that interview.

" Khushi this had to happen one day, it is not like you love him or anything like that " she tried to reason out with herself.

The restlessness got better of her and she got up from her bed and went to the small window in her room.

She stood there playing with her tresses , memories rushing through her mind, making her smile at some , laugh at others and slap her forehead at yet another's.

" Do you know where I first saw you? "

"At CP ofcourse " Khushi shrugged at his obvious question.

" No, I first saw you at this dhaba " Arnav answered while tearing a piece of roti.

They were sitting at the fabled Vaishno Sudh Sakahari Dhaba were Arnav had first seen Khushi.

" This dhaba ? " she was perplexed .

Ok Arnav was pretty loony at times but this is the extent.

" Ya, a day before we bumped in CP, I saw you at this dhaba . You were with some girl on a scooty " he cleared the clouds of confusion and her notion of him being loony.

" Arnav do we have to do this?"

" Yes"

" Is it important ? "

" Yes "

" Is it really important ? "

" Yes "

" Like really really rea..."

" Shut up Khushi. You either walk on your feet or in my arms , the choice is yours"

Arnav and Khushi were standing near the elevator at the ground floor of a 26 floor building. Khushi was afraid of heights and Arnav had taken it upon himself to reduce this fear if not vanish completely.

" You won't dare " she narrowed her eyes.

He crossed his arms and smirked the most devilish smirk straight on her face.

" You can't " she said horrified .

" I damn well can "

Khushi knew he damn well could and chose her legs over his arms.

The same routine followed for the next fifteen days until Khushi became comfortable , standing near the railing of the terrace and talking everything under the sun. The fear was still there but was not so predominant.

Trust Arnav, forget acrophobia.

" Khushi " Arnav called out.

Khushi had come to meet her mother in Lucknow and Arnav had come home reluctantly as he wanted his father's signatures on some of the documents.

They had planned to go out for some time.

Khushi had no intention of telling him anything but the situation had been such and the facts had tumbled out of her mouth.

She had told him about the abusive relationship she had been with Rohit for a year and her own father's misdoings which had put her off men big time. Arnav had been a patient listener and had held her when she was about to break down.

Khushi turned in her tracks, hearing Arnav's voice.

He walked up to her until there was hardly any distance between them. Her initial reflex had been to take a step back but she hadn't because something in his eyes told her that she had nothing to worry about.

And the very next second he hugged her. The hug was neither too tight, nor feeble, it was just perfect. Arnav Singh Raizada was bad with words but his actions spoke for him.

" Take care " he whispered and kissed her forehead. Khushi closed her eyes as she felt the pressure of his lips on her forehead and let out a small sigh , clutching onto his shirt as she leaned into him.

And then it struck her, it struck her like a lightning and shook her core.

' Oh Shit ' - She was in love.

Bloody Hell !

When did it start ?

We were dating casually , right ?

I was dating him just to be happy , right ?

I can't fall in love , right ?

' Wrong ' Devi Maiyya mused, sitting in heaven, with her legs stretched out and a bag full of popcorns in hand , all geared up to watch the drama unfold.

It was official - Khushi Kumari Gupta had fallen in love with Arnav Singh Raizada.

( Attention - This is the same Khushi Kumari Gupta who had proposed a non - committal relationship because love was supposedly bullshit )

Writing this part was really difficult as something even remotely romantic is not my genre . I am pretty nervous about it.

Please be a little gentle in your comments.

Do leave in your feedback , I seriously need it for this part. 😊

Part 12 : Conclusions , Beer and New York Page 80

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