Hello, Neighbour (ARHI SS) Note - Page 39 - Page 5

I just found your story and absolutely love it! It's different, fresh and hilarious. Please do PM me when you continue.

Amazing story
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Twinkle

i loved ur story...the misunderstanding here is going to be very much hilarious... lol...cant wait to read more..n pls pm me

Chapter 5: When Love Runs You Down

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the long break in between the updates. Life got hectic in the past few days. (Think DIY furniture...it's backbreaking stuff!). I'll try to be regular with my updates as much as I can! In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Khushi stared at the document in her hands over and over again. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Was it just life at it's ironic best or the heavens were intentionally out to test her? Hai Devi Maiya, what is this? She stared at the form again.

You couldn't blame the poor girl for being so troubled. She supposed she ought to feel lucky, seeing that she was given an internship at AR Corporations and happened to be neighbours with the bosses. It was the ideal working relationship she could ask for.

But it wasn't.

If it wasn't for that damn 'secret' hanging over her head like a weight around her neck, she supposed it would have made for an easier working relationship. In fact, she had no problems with homosexuality. To each their own, as she always said. And she was genuinely happy for NK and Arnav. But there was a problem. She had a crush on Arnav Singh Raizada, and the man just wouldn't leave her alone!

She would often bump into Arnav at the gym and the mail room, where they would make small talk and discuss mundane things like the weather and home affairs. But while they were talking, he would crowd into her space, a smirk on his face and face full of rapt attention to every single word she said, even if she was talking about the latest farming technology. Khushi would feel uncomfortable, confused and bewildered. What was worse, her comments would always be followed by a compliment, like 'That's such an introspective take on the issue" or "You are really perceptive". All of them praising her intelligence, all of them commending her point of view no matter how mundane the topic.

He would have been her ideal man if he wasn't gay.

Groaning at herself, she couldn't believe her mind had managed to revisit this issue again. As if she hadn't for the first hundred times already! It was just that she felt guilty. Every meeting of theirs, she would have his undivided attention. And every meeting would end with an invitiation for coffee, or a cuppa at his place. She would always politely refuse, citing engagements and skype dates with her parents as reasons. She knew it would be of no consequence as Arnav was a taken man, and she shouldn't have to worry if it was wrong as she was definitely not his type. However she could not trust herself, for he was hers. Because at the end of the day, the truth of the matter was she was intensely attracted to him. Not just a little, but in truckfuls. Jumbo-jet-fuls! She knew he didn't mean any harm, or had any intentions leading her on. How could he? He was probably just a really friendly, considerate person who was a fantastic listener.

But how could she do that to NK?

Thinking of Arnav already in that manner was horrible enough! She liked NK. No, ADORED him. He was always bubbly and fun, making jokes and instantly uplifting her mood whenever they chatted. His cheerfulness could give her a run for his money. She loved people just like her, and NK was no exception. Constantly jibing and teasing her, NK was like the jovial brother she never had.

How easily we form bonds with people, she sighed inwardly. It had only been a month since she moved in and already she found herself some good friends.

That's right Khushi. They are good people. Don't screw up your relationship with them with something as ridiculous as a crush! She chided herself. Her conscience had long since been indifferent to her. From where it stood, she thought there was nothing wrong in appreciating a little bit of eye-candy, and there-in laid their differences. Khushi felt it was hard to appreciate two good-looking men when she didn't stand a chance with either.

She stared at the paper again. This was a good opportunity to build her career. She couldn't have asked for a better start than an internship at the prestigious AR Corp. Taking a determined deep breath, Khushi decided to suck it up and be an adult. 6 months at AR Corp it is.

~*~

The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the weather was just right for moving in. Payal was rolling down the street to Shantivan Apartments, two luggage bags in hand and a knapsack on her back. While there was another bus that could have dropped her right at the entrance, Payal's bus route from her place would only drop her at the end of the road, which was fine by her as switching buses would be problematic than helpful with all the luggage she was carrying.

Whistling along the street to a tune she was listening to through her earphones, Payal hadn't noticed a black sedan approaching across the road. Before she knew it, the car was turning into the car park entrance she was passing, causing her to shriek in alarm.

The car came to an immediate halt right in front of her feet. Couple of seconds passed in complete silence as Payal and the driver of the car froze in shock. It wasn't long until anger took over Payal Bose and her eyes turned into steely rage as she glared at the driver through his tinted windshield.

A smartly-dressed man stepped out of the driver seat and spoke apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I didn't see.."

"You didn't see? That much is obvious! You almost ran me over you idiot!"

"Look Miss, I'm really sorry..."

"You ought to! I mean how can you miss me? I'm carrying the whole of India on my back! Any moron could spot me from a mile away. But you! You almost killed me!"

"I know. I apologise! Would you like me to provide a settlement?"

"...I mean, have you gotten your eyes checked lately? I...wh-what?"

"A settlement. To apologise for my mistake."

"Wait, are you telling me you want to pay me for almost knocking me down with your car?"

"To apologise, if you understand."

A indignant gasp could be heard around the car park.

"You A-hole!".

"Miss..."

"I can't believe it."

"I think you misunderstand me..."

"Do you think you can bribe me off to cover your sins???"

"No, no, that's not what I meant..."

"The nerve! Just because you have money doesn't mean you can buy me off and silence me!"

"I didn't mean to imply..."

"Listen, Mr..."

The man, who was now sweating profusely, quickly replied.

"Raizada. Mr. Raizada. But you can call me..."

"I don't give a flying duck. I'm pressing charges, you hear?"

The man gave a dejected sigh, took out his wallet and looked morose.

"I'm really sorry, Miss..."

"I'm Payal Bose."

"Sorry, Miss Payal Bose. I really am sorry for my mistake. I assure you I did not try to buy you off in any way but I can see that was the improper way of recourse. I have no intention of upsetting you further and respect your wish to press charges if that is the course of action you wish to seek. Here is my name card. You, or your lawyer can contact me at these details. You have my word that I will cooperate with you in every step of the way."

Payal gave him a look-over and squinted at him for good measure. He did appear apologetic, but from her experience, appearances can be deceiving, and she was livid.

She snatched the card from his hand, took her bags and huffed off along the curve of the road, dragging her bags behind her. She heard the man faintly calling after her.

"Wait, Miss Bose!"

"What is it now?", she snapped irritatedly at him. Could he make this day any more worse?

"I..I just wanted to offer my help with your luggage. I can drop you off wherever you like, if you want?"

She raised an eyebrow. "That won't be necessary. You've helped me enough for today", was her curt reply, and she stalked off around the bend.

Just a few more steps, and she would be able to put this disaster behind her!

~*~

Arnav was a puzzled man. He had been so, for the past 2 weeks. Arnav had been aggressively suave and intentional in his interactions with Khushi, but nothing seemed to work. He never had to put so much effort for a woman before and was wondering what he was doing wrong that she wasn't charmed off her socks yet. She hadn't so much as budged, let alone blink an eyelid at his advances. So where did he went wrong?

From his earliest interactions with Khushi, he had garnered enough from them that Khushi was an intelligent woman who would appreciate a meaningful conversation over one full of flattery. He decided the best approach was to recognise her intellect in their conversations and make her feel valued and appreciated for her brains before he said anything about her physical beauty. It would make him come across less like a shallow jerk, and someone who was genuinely interested in what she had to say. Which was absolutely true, but she had to know that anyway.

However instead of the shy reactions he was expecting, he had found Khushi withdrawing more and more with each encounter they had. She would always smile and have a laugh with him whenever they met, but over time he found her increasingly closed off in her responses, and her replies became more succinct and impersonal over time.

Seriously, what the hell am I doing wrong???? Arnav despaired. She refused all his invitations for coffee, tea, lemonade, cake (though she did hesitate in replying at that time, he recollected) and even jalebis, her favourite sweet which she had shared with him when he subtly went digging for information during their conversations. It was frustrating.

Arnav was reconsidering his strategy when NK walked into the living room. Bleary-eyed and tousled-haired, NK approached him with a sleepy smile.

"Arnie, mere bhai, what time is it?"

"A quarter to 4, why?"

"Oh okay, a quarter to... SHHHIIITTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Arnav looked at NK's pale face in surprise.

"NK, what's wrong?"

"I was supposed to pick up Aakash Bhai at the airport about an hour ago. Oh crap, he's gonna be so pissed at me."

Arnav looked at NK with a blank expression as NK fretted. When he decided that NK had done enough worrying, he said, "NK, relax. Aakash already texted me a while ago, saying he was taking the company car down to our place. I've already made arrangements beforehand as I had a feeling you wouldn't be waking up after the long hours you pulled last night, so I called ahead."

Looking at the smirk that graced his cousin face, NK breathed a sigh of relief and punched him at the shoulder. "You enjoyed that little show didn't you?"

"You bet."

"Idiot"

"Moron"

"Jerk"

"Imbecile"

"Donkey"

"What the-! NK, what kind of insult is that?"

"A very creative one, you monkey."

"Oh yeah, Nandekishore?"

"Hey, don't use my name as an insult."

"I thought you would appreciate my creativity."

"Hey guys."

Arnav and NK whipped their heads around to see a dejected-looking Aakash standing at their doorway.

NK grabbed his luggage bags from him.

"Hey man, you aren't looking so good."

"Yeah..."

Arnav took him by the shoulders and sat him down.

"What happened?"

~*~

"And then this idiot comes out of nowhere decides to play my maker and tries to run me down with his car!" Payal raged in front of her rapt audience of one as she stuffed another jalebi in her mouth.

Khushi looked on wide-eyed and enthralled as Payal continued to tell her about her close encounter with death on her way to their apartment.

Payal strode into her apartment mere moments ago, with whisps of hair flying around her face which was radiating with anger. Khushi had been wary of her new housemate as she introduced her to the living space, her room and amenities. Payal's rate of breathing had calmed down considerably by then, and turned to apologise to Khushi for her weird, quiet and standoffish behaviour. She wasn't like that, she explained. She was still recovering from her horrible experience on the way to their place.

Khushi sat her down with a plate of home-made jalebis she had been frying during her agitation earlier in the day, gave Payal a glass of water and implored her to tell her the story.

Now with her story concluded, Payal looked at Khushi for her reaction and was not disappointed. The younger girl shook her head in united affrontation and echoed Payal's sentiments of the driver who almost knocked her new housemate down.

"I can't believe he tried to bribe you!"

"I know right? And then he pretended afterwards that it wasn't his intention at all. What a jerk!"

"You are right! You should report him! Payalji, do you have his name?"

"Khushi, it's Payal. Payal is fine. And yes, I do have his name card. Let me retrieve it."

Payal smoothened the crushed white cardboard from her pocket and looked at the gold-printed name inked onto the paper.

"A Mr. Raizada. From AR Corporations."

Khushi's face drained immediately of colour once the words left Payal's mouth, and Payal didn't miss it.

"What is it Khushi?"

"Payal. He is our neighbor."

~*~

"And then once I realised how shady I sounded like, she pounced on me! I thought offering compensation was the decent thing to do, but no! She took that badly and then proceeded to give me the biggest tongue-lashing I've ever received in my life after my mother. And now, I'm facing a potential lawsuit." Aakash concluded his tale glumly, as the two other men took in this news.

"Wow, that sounds serious man."

"I really don't know what to do man. I tried my best to apologise."

"It's okay Aakash. You did the right thing. Well, the next best thing after the fact any way. I'm sure she will appreciate your efforts to rectify the matter when she comes around" came Arnav's matter-of-factly response.

Aakash let out a resounding groan.

"She killed me at the car park. She really did."

The other two men gave a sympathetic pat on his back, not knowing what else to offer to Aakash as solace. This was soon interrupted by a knock on their door.

As the knocking quickly escalated, the men were surprised. Arnav quickly flew to the door and tore it open.

"Khushi?" his happily surprised tone could be heard floating down the hallway towards NK and Aakash.

"Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada, I am very disappointed in you. I had thought much better of you than this!"

"Khushi? What are you ..."

"I don't want to hear any more of your excuses! I know what you did! How could you do that to Payalji? My new housemate? Do you not have any shame?"

Aakash leapt out of his chair at the mention of that name. Payal Bose? Could it be the one and the same person this woman was referring to?

"I don't under..."

"Enough! Just because you have money doesn't mean you can throw it in front of other people's faces and think you can gloss over your faults! What you did was wrong! Money cannot buy dignity. NEVER!"

"Khushi..." came a soft, feminine pleading voice in the background, urging her companion to stop.

"No Payal, this is not acceptable. I have never been so disgusted by such high-minded behaviour. Worse still, I cannot believe it came from you Arnav. And here I was thinking you were cut from a different cloth. Well, I was wrong!"

"Khushi, please. Listen to me, you have to stop..."

"Payal, please. Don't worry about me. I know we were friends but knowing his true colours, I've decided I don't want to be friends with such people at all. We'll be better for it!"

"Payal?" Aakash's head appeared at the doorway, looking at the two women standing there - one furious, and the other deeply embarrassed.

"Aakash!" came Payal's relieved reply. At the exact moment Payal spotted him, she smiled a big smile of relief. This immediately died once she realised what she was doing. That, and that she had momentarily allowed Khushi to continue chewing Arnav's poor head off.

Grabbing her arms, she turned Khushi towards her. "Khushi, stop! It's not Arnav, it's Aakash who did it to me!" she waved her index finger violently at Aakash's direction as he gulped nervously.

"I'm afraid you've gotten the wrong perpetrator. That person would be me Khushiji, Arnav's brother."

Khushi froze in mid-sentence. She looked between Aakash and Payal a several times to affirm this horrifying revelation before meeting Arnav's gaze. Upon making eye contact with him, she covered her face in her hands, her ears glowing with redness and her palms shaking with mortification.

"I...I...Arnav..."

Payal took over her friends' brief loss of speech.

"I'm sorry gentlemen for the misunderstanding. I had not realise she was about to do this for me. While I appreciate it, I can understand if you feel upset and I take full responsibility for it. It's not Khushi's fault. We only just met and I had moved in a few moments ago. I told Khushi what happened earlier today and one thing led to another. Please forgive us for the intrusion. We'll be on our way."

Looking at at the younger Raizada sheepishly, Payal spoke, "Aakash, I'd say we're even. All charges dropped" and she dragged Khushi out of there as fast as she could.

As Aakash saw them retreat, he glanced at his brother and found him shell-shocked at the episode that just transpired. NK, who was standing behind them, shook his head in amusement.

"How about that huh? Looks like all your problems are resolved Aakash Bhai."

"Yeah, but Bhai does not look so well."

Arnav, who was staring into the distance picked up on this comment.

"I'm fine. That was just...unexpected. That's all."

"Unexpected would be an understatement."

Turning around, he smiled at the duo and stalked off to his room, with a queer smile on his face.

It was then NK realised what name to give the strange affliction that has been plaguing his cousin brother for the past month. It was the same reason for Arnav's abrupt change in routine, illogical choices, out of the blue funks and queer smiles.

That name was Khushi.

('Setting the Scene' post (the next one below) updated!)

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Setting the Scene - Chapter 5

Amazing update

Loved it! Imagining their interactions, in true IPKKND-style, had me in hysterics! Just what I needed to lighten up my mood when I'm bogged down with revision at the moment...thank you. 😊

Awesome update...haha loved how khushi blasted on arnav

lol...tht was really funny!!! and yeayyy thumbs up to nk for the discovery...
and gosh! khushi is gonna be flabbergasted when she willl come to know the truth...
i cant wait them too meet again..
nice chpter :)