Sunshine & Moonlight # 2 ~Part 31 Pg 25~ - Page 16

The company had just settled into the beautifully arranged waiting area sofas with ASR standing around and on the verge of a fit of anger, it had been long too long since he had been asked to wait to be seated. He did not remember when the last time it happened actually, he glared at the host who had asked the party to wait. His ego gave a satisfied purr when he noticed that the host was literally shivering in his boots. He started walking towards his prey to yell at him to get his manager right now!! When the floor manager stumbled into the waiting area followed by the head waiter and smiled widely and said extra politely

"Good Afternoon Sir…"

ASR acknowledged the managers wishes with only his eyes he did not even move his head. He did that to make sure the manager got the message that he was highly displeased with being asked to wait.

The manager faltered at the reply but recovered fast and said "It is a pleasure to serve you this afternoon sir.. this way Sir to your table.."

The waiter led and the guests followed. They were seated at one of the best locations in the restaurant which on one side gave a view of the entire restaurant and on the other side gave a view of the beautiful back gardens of the restaurant. On the third side they had a view of the dance floor and on the fourth it was a gorgeous ravi varma painting on the wall.

This table could cater to anybody's needs privacy/nature/people/entertainment. People could chose a side depending on their interests. But ASR chose his seat based on his….hmmm he didn't know what to name it… opposite HER.. this way she was locked in his eyes if not in his arms.

"Sir here are the menus and Subhash here will be your waiter for this afternoon" the manager said.

ASR nodded and said "Give us a minute."

The manager and the waiter moved away but the waiter hung around at a polite distance waiting to be called upon. As soon as the waiter moved away chatter burst out.

"Nannav!! OMG…are you famous or something or have you been here before and yelled at them for something and now they are terrified of you and are treating you like a king…"

Lavanya hit him lightly on the hand and said "ASR is a celebrity.. he is pretty famous not only for his money and power but and mostly for his good looks…"

Payal and Aakash stared at her for saying something like that to NK, ASR looked up from the menu and his eyebrows raised in amusement and a small smirk playing on his lips. Khushi was too busy reading the menu to care for anything else. NK was shocked and said "LAVANYA!! How could you…say.."

Lavanya frowned and said "Ooh Come on NK, I didn't say I was into his looks … but NK you have to agree he is handsome…."

NK thought about it for a second and said "hmm.. ya I would marry him if I were a girl.. or.. if both of us were gay…."

Lavanya and NK smiled at each other and went back to looking at their menus holding hands. Aakash and Payal could not believe the two and ASR was trying to decide how he felt about being discussed as if he were not there. Khushi was not in this world.

Just then the waiter came up and asked if they were ready to order and Khushi immediately said "Yes, I will have gobi manchurian, palak paneer, aloo parathas, paneer rice and…hmmm mango lassi" she concluded and put the menu aside and said "Please bring the Manchurian first"

Aakash, NK and Arnav stared at her as they were listening to her order. But NK and Aakash noticed Payal and Lavanya were not surprised the least bit and hence stopped staring so they would not embarrass Khushi and continued to get ready to order. But when Khushi finished her order and looked up and she was looking at HIM looking at her as if she were crazy.

"hmmmph Khushi Kumari Gupta… you can't keep away from being crazy can you.. you and your big mouth.. now he thinks you are a mental case and after he sees you eat all that food he is going to think you are some rakshas in human form.. good going…" the chain of her thoughts were broken by Lavanya saying "Khushi you didn't order dessert did you see, they don't have jelabi's but they have rasgulla.."

This time Aakash and NK joined ASR again and stared at Khushi for her answer she awkwardly replied "I don't want any dessert" and kicked Lavanya under the table before Lavanya could say anything else.

Lavanya glared at her but gave up she had earned long back to not question Khushi's craziness, it was not good for anybodies health.

When the waiter moved to NK and Lavanya and then finished taking orders around the table and left. Before the waiter left NK said "hey dude… please take these two's orders to a different table, a table for two with some privacy."

Aakash thanked his stars for bringing his cousin along. Payal was about to say something when Lavanya cut her off saying "We are here so you two can talk and what can you two share in front of all of us? But if you think you want to talk in front of us we would love to listen to everything.." which shut up Payal immediately.

The Manager came and brought an appetizer tray with him and said sir the table for two is ready and ASR looked at Aakash. Aakash nodded and stood up and helped Payal out of her chair and walked away behind the manager.

Meanwhile Lavanya and NK had turned towards each other and had started discussing about something and intermittently giggling about something. They started holding hands and talking about their wedding stuff even more excitedly.

The waiter came with the drinks that the party had ordered and served them and before the waiter left, NK said "Hang on one sec…" to the waiter and then turned to Arnav and said "Nannav me and Lavanya want to talk about somethings and spend some quality time together, would you mind keeping Khushi company for lunch, we want to get a table for two.."

Khushi who was enjoying her Mango Lassi almost chocked the drink as it went down the wrong pipe when she heard NK's words. Lavanya got up from her seat and thumped Khushi on her back till she settled down and then said "Khushi we will be right over there…ok NK lets go.." she finished.

Khushi was silently begging Lavanya with her eyes to stay but Lavanya mercilessly ignored her plea though she understood completely that Khushi didn't want her to go. Lavanya had decided that if there is a chance that ASR was interested in Khushi it will be very good. He is capable of taking care of Khushi… yes Lavanya knew ASR had a reputation with the ladies… but she also knew from how he looked at Khushi that it was not just lust that he felt for her…she wanted to give this a chance to develop into something…but she also decided that she would be there behind Khushi every step of the way in case it was going to be a disaster.

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Khushi watched Lavanya and NK follow the waiter to be seated and then looked everywhere but at him for some time and then decided she cann't ignore him forever and looked in his direction… and their eyes met as he was patiently waiting for her to look at him… and when she did ….Time stood still for both of them…

The World fading away… leaving just the two of them… just Khushi and Arnav.

An old couple who were being directed to their table passed by and smiled knowingly at the two lost in each other... love like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it. The head waiter felt it too when he stepped away from the table to give them some privacy.

Just then an over enthusiastic junior waiter walked up to the table from another side to fill ASR's half empty glass and in his eagerness bumped into the table and bought Khushi and Arnav out of their…..mmm something.

Khushi jerked back to her senses and as soon as she realized what she had been up to blushed and her cheeks picked up a slight pink tinge. Arnav glared at the young waiter ready to chew of his head, when the head waiter who was waiting on the side lines stepped in and said "Sir, your order is ready shall I server?"

ASR looked away and nodded. He watched irritated as the waiter started putting dishes in front of Khushi he put one, then another and then another till half the table filled up with her order and his irritation turned amusement as her watched her outrageous order materialize in front of him. He could not keep the smirk out of his face no matter how much he tried.

He looked at her, she looked adorable gawking at the amount of food she had ordered, little did ASR know that his adorable companion was not gawking at the food but drooling over it and wondering how she is going to be modest in eating in front of him when the food looks sooo delicious.

Just then the waiter brought one dish, Picoline pasta cooked in white sauce and placed in front of ASR and before leaving said "Sir, if you need anything else just hit this button under the table and enjoy your lunch, sir"

ASR hadn't heard anything the waiter had said was watching Khushi look at her order and then look at his order and then look at her order and then his order and then hers again and he watched her his amusement growing by the minute and the size of his smirk growing with each passing second. Until she looked up all embarrassed at him, he quickly bit his cheek to keep himself from showing his amusement from her.

Then she started talking…"I don't eat like a pig.. I mean… I … I .. usually… don't…eat…I mean order this much food. I just thought I could …. take it home… yaa… take it home and eat it later…no.. no I mean I could take it home and everybody could eat later." She finally finished, slightly satisfied that her final explanation seemed convincing.

Arnav was watching her and enjoying her flustered crazy explanation, mirth was bubbling inside him and he had to really bite his cheek to keep himself from laughing out loud. Just then two waiters walked up to the table one with a couple of puri's and the second with Rasgulla's. And Arnav's eyebrows shot up.

The first waiter said "Mam the madam in at that table said that you had forgotten to order puri's your favorite to go with your chole." Pointing towards Payal's table. By now Khushi was shaking her head vigorously whispering a "Nooo…"

The second waiter placed his dish on the table and said "Mam that Madam said you can't finish a meal without dessert." Showing in Lavanya's direction. Khushi had given up by now and was holding her head in her hands.

Then she sighed and looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders and smiled awkwardly… that's it…ASR burst out laughing….and laughed till his eye's got moist.

And Khushi looked on…mesmerized by this new side of Arnav… mesmerized at the happy feeling that was filling her looking at him laugh at her… her embarrassment and awkwardness forgotten…just his happy face filling her heart and her memory.

As his laugh died down…he caught her looking at him with some heartwarming expression on her face and he tried to decode what she was trying to say. Whatever it was pure, simple, genuine, wholesome and it tugged at him like nothing had ever before and he opened his mouth to voice the one word that had changed his world.."Khu…"

He was cut short when a beautifully manicured had fell on his shoulder and intimately squeezed it and said a cool venom filled voice said "Soo ASR, this is the reason that took you away from me…"

ASR stiffened as he knew who it was and how bit**y that person could be. He looked at Khushi who was looking at the new entry with a slight frown trying to understand what she was saying.

Sanaa bent from behind him and kissed him loudly and lavishly on his cheek and said "ASR baby.. you know I am not the jealous type you could have just told me that you found something new to keep you occupied.."

ASR's hand fisted and fury was rising at a very dangerous speed, he noticed that Khushi had caught on to what Sanaa was saying and she had stiffened and looked away with a slight frown on her face. He left something when she did that… pain. His fists clenched tighter.

Sanaa had pulled out a chair for herself and had sat down by now. And looked at Khushi and back at ASR and was going to say something when ASR said in a dangerously low tone "Sanaa, I told you it was over between us…"

Sanaa smiled and said "Yes you did right after making out with me…but it's ok ASR.. I understand like all other men you want a little freshness too…"when both ASR and Khushi looked at her questioningly..

She said "You know, little young inexperienced girls…" Khushi stood up and looked at Sanaa with complete loath and was ready to go away when Sanaa said "Don't need to act so innocent in front of me.. I know you were trying to attract some rich guy's attention with your innocent looks and I should have known you have achieved your goal by the ASR was looking at you that day in the restaurant."

Khushi just looked at her with something more than disgust and when Sanaa finished she looked at him and it was a mixture of disappointment and… pain. Then she turned and walked away towards Lavanya's and NK's table.

He felt rage blinding him, if Sanaa was not a member of the fairer sex he would have pounded her head into the wall for making Khushi look at him like that. More than that his ego was dented…"How dare she look at me like she is disgusted with me…who the hell is she to judge me…".

"See I told you these feelings are no good." butted in his brain.

"Did you not notice the pain in her eyes?" questioned his heart.

ASR's stubbornness always took front seat especially if he was being driven by his anger and so he concluded "How dare she walk away like that…."

But before that he knew he had to take care of something else first so he turned and focused all his wrath on his target

"Sanaa.. I told you when we met that I promise nothing in our relationship, if we can call it that and that it has no future at all and it will be open ended depending on whoever wants to end it first. And you agreed … if I remember correctly almost instantly. So what the hell are you doing now??"

"ASR I know I did but somewhere in being with you, I fell in love with you. I can't live without you…" said a teary eyed Sanaa

"No.. not me Sanaa… you fell in love with my money and my power. You cannot live without them too and that is why you are trying all these cheap tricks to get back into my life."

He stood up threw a bunch of currency on the table which would probably be twice the amount of all their orders combined and looked at Sanaa and said

"Don't ever try something like that again or else you will be sorry…" turned and started walking away stopped and added "And you of all people should know…I don't believe in LOVE."

Hope you have fun reading it..