Okay. First of all i would like to thank every single reader who read the story and liked it. and was kind enough to comment. You made my day. And you encourage me to write more. I wasn't planning on updating for a long time, but seeing all your love, I couldn't help it.
Secondly, this update is dedicated to Anarocksick. She is sweet and kind and all things nice. And an amazingly talented writer. I knew it the first time i read her OS The Stranger and the Angel. Thank you so much Ananya. You have been like my fairy God mother, only you didn't ask me to be back by midnight.
PART THREE.
Arnav had once been to Australia. There he had tried out bungee jumping. From the AJ Hackett Bungee Tower in Cairns, located 15 km north of the city in dense tropical rain forest. Standing on the high tower, having the stunning view of Coral sea and the mountains around Cairns, surrounded by waterfall, with his adrenalin pumping, he had a feeling which was equal measures excitement and fear.*
Standing on the edge of the tower, suspended by a rubber band tied to his ankles, he had let go.
And then there was just the sound of air and his own heartbeats, and he was falling, but he had never felt so alive. Never felt so free, as he had in that moment.
Now, looking in the hazel green eyes, he had the same feeling. Like he was falling, or may be sucked into, those deep, perceptive absolutely beautiful eyes, and he couldn't break free. Even if he had wanted to. But he felt alive. Those were the kind of eyes a person could spend eternity looking at.
His eyes, reluctantly, moved down her face. He saw her cute little button nose, and then suddenly came to his senses. When had he ever thought a woman as cute, except may be for his Di? And why wasn't he throwing the female off him, and raising hell? And why wasn't he….
Suddenly all thoughts flew from his mind. Because the girl had licked her suddenly dry lips with her tongue. And looking at her quivering lips, he wondered what would those lips feel like? If he were to suddenly bend right now, and take those pretty pink lips with his, what would she do?
Would she acquiesce and open her mouth to him? Or would she fight him?
A subtle cough in the background brought him out of his very inappropriate thoughts.
He looked past the girl, to see Akash looking at them with a very distinct gleam in his eyes, and trying hard to cover his smile.
And Arnav suddenly realized that the girl was still on his lap, and that he was holding her by the shoulders and that he had been staring at her like an idiot.
What was wrong with him?
'If you are done staring, would you please get off my lap miss?', Arnav said in a sarcastic tone. He had conveniently forgotten to add the fact that he had been doing his share of staring as well.
When the girl just blinked her eyes, and didn't reply, he wondered if she was mute.
'Is this the usual way to greet the customers at the club?', Arnav tried again. 'I have to say, this is the most original way a lady has ever come on to me. Cut straight to the heart of the matter, eh?'
That got some reaction out of her. Color rose high on her cheek bones.
Was she blushing?
One look at her eyes, and he got his answer. No. She wasn't blushing.
Her eyes were spitting fire at him. Aah. So she had claws.
This would be interesting.
And Arnav Singh Raizada smirked.
Attraction or no attraction, the guy was a jerk. Khushi just about stopped herself from hitting him.
Okay, so she might have stared a little. Who wouldn't? The guy was like a Greek God.
And wasn't she right about his eyes?
They were molten brown. At least that is what they seemed like at the first look. But if you really looked at them, which she had, you would notice that there were little flecks of amber in them. His eyes looked like they housed a thousand secrets in them.
And his eyelashes. A girl would kill for such long eyelashes.
And she must have really lost it, if she was obsessing about some guys eyelashes, of all things.
She looked at him, and realized that he was smirking. The urge to hug him and slap him, hit her in equal proportions. She reined in her temper with difficulty.
'I am sorry sir. I stumbled and fell. I am not used to walking around in such shoes.', Khushi replied politely, plastering a completely insincere smile on her face.
Arnav smiled. Her apology might as well as have been a four letter word, for all the sincerity she showed. The girl had spunk.
'If you can't walk around in these shoes, don't you think you should not put every one's life at risk, and just take them off?'
Khushi was just about to retort, when she saw the dragon lady coming towards them. She realized that she was still on his lap, him holding her by the shoulders.
She suddenly scrambled to get up, and in her haste, hit her elbow on his nose.
His sudden yell and what the, along with his laughing friend and the dragons lady murderous expression convinced Khushi that she was in shit. Very deep shit.
Good bye new job.
'Good evening sir. Is there a problem?', the dragon lady asked in what seemed to Khushi, a very flirtatious voice. So much for not dilly-dallying with the customers.
'You bet there is a problem. The problem is your bloody incompetent staff.' Arnav yelled as he felt his eyes water from the pain in his nose.
'I am not incompetent.', Khushi said angrily.
'No? Then what would you call what has happened in the last fifteen minutes?'
Khushi was just about to reply, when she felt her arm being pressed hard by the dragon lady.
'We are very sorry sir. The dinner is on the house. Why don't you enjoy your evening and I'll take care of this matter?'
Saying this, and fluttering her eyelashes at him, she led Khushi by the arm to the employees room.
'You shouldn't have done that.', a somber Akash chided Arnav.
'What do you mean I shouldn't have done that?', Arnav asked in disbelief. 'Didn't you see what she did? She hit me.!'
'No she didn't. It was an accident. And she is probably getting fired right now. She just stumbled, Arnav. She wasn't used to the shoes.'
' Well she should have been. If she is working here, she should be used to walking around in those shoes. It's a part of their uniform.', Arnav said angrily.
'Uniform you say? Have you seen the kind of clothes the waitresses here wear? I would never call that a uniform. And not everyone have the luck we have.'
'Oh, stop it Akash. You know luck has nothing to do with where we are today. I have toiled and worked my ass off. I have no patience for people who wallow in self-pity and curse their fate. You have to grab the opportunities. I learned how to behave, how to talk. How to react. That is what made me who I am. It is important to study your competitor. Play the man. That is how you win. Your fate has no hand to play in it. It cannot stop you from achieving what you want. In fact, I bet, if that girl grooms herself according to our society, and with the right education, she can get any job she wants.'
' So you are trying to say, that if someone grooms her properly, she can pass as a rich elite woman? No one would know she isn't one of us?', Akash asked casually.
'Yes. If she wants better things in life, she should find someone to help her with it. Rather than stumbling and falling on random strangers.', Arnav muttered.
'Why don't you do it?', Akash asked, looking keenly at him.
'What?', Arnav asked bewildered.
'Yes. Why don't you do it? Groom her? Teach her how to behave. You are the owner of one of the most famous fashion houses, not to mention a grooming and a modeling agency. Some of the top models in the world come from your agency. So it's not like you don't have the skills. Why not take her in?
Like a personal project? There is that annual fashion awards night after six months. If until then you can't pass her off as a sophisticated woman, then I win. And if you do, well you win.', Akash looked at him expectantly.
A slow smile curved Arnav's lips.
'Done. Let's shake on it.'
After that, Arnav and Akash walked out of the restaurant. Arnav was too preoccupied to notice that the feeling of restlessness from the morning had completely vanished.
And if he were observant, he would have seen a wicked gleam in Akash's eyes.
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I am not really sure how it turned out. Also the next week is going to be hectic. Update may take a while.
Cricket
Arjun
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