Arnav looked at the mirror one last time. He wore the blue shirt and black there piece suit. His hair gelled back. He wanted to look his best today. He never gave his looks a thought before but he didn't even fall in love before.
"Arnav Singh Raizada..." A high pitched voice came from behind. "Are you looking at the mirror and actually trying to look good or am I hallucinating?"
Rolling his eyes, Arnav turned around to look at Anjali. "Good news for you Di. You don't have schizophrenia."
Her eyes bulged out in surprise. "My god! You are also making jokes? What happened to you? Where is my workaholic, grumpy brother? Are you my hallucination?"
"Di!" He lifted his hands in surrender. "What do you want?"
Anjali smiled at him sweetly. "You know what I want."
"No, I don't." Arnav spoke innocently.
"Where are you going? Why are you not in your office, doing what you do every single day?" Anjali got straight to the point.
"I am going in a meeting." Was the quick reply, which got a raised eye brow!
"Not in office?"
Arnav got irritated. "The meeting is in hotel Di! This is not the first time I am attending a meeting outside my office. And why are you even asking me these questions anyway?"
"You never got out of the house on valentine's day, that's why!" Anjali hid her smile looking at his frustrated face. "Are going to tell me who the girl is?"
"There is no girl." Arnav grumbled, made his way around Anjali, towards the door. He did not see his big sister's face splitting into half with the giant smile that spread on her face.
****
Arnav was on his way to khushi's house when his mobile rang. It was Khushi. "Hey! I am just on my way."
"Oh. I just called to tell you to meet me out on the road. Buaji is unaware of this and I don't think she'll like to see you considering..."
"I was responsible of your state that day." Arnav completed for her. " I understand." He sighed. "I'll call you once I am there. You don't have to wait for me under the sun."
"Okay. Bye." She said softy before hanging up.
Arnav waited outside the car for Khushi. He had informed her about his arrival. He was nervous. For the very first time in his life. He couldn't afford anything to go wrong. Khushi gave him a second chance and he can't screw this up.
Arnav opened the door for her as she came. Making her sit inside, he moved around to get in the car himself. He checked khushi's seatbelt before starting the engine.
He found khushi unusually silent. From the corner of his eyes he looked at her. She was looking out of the window, a cute deep thinking expression on her face.
"Khushi," He started the conversation. " I want to thank you again for coming with me." Arnav spoke with utmost gratitude. She doesn't know but she gave him the most beautiful and precious gift to him on this valentines day by giving him a second chance.
She smiled tightly. He could see her tensed and knew his previous actions are making her doubt her decision.
"So, tell me something about yourself." He tried to distract her.
"I..um" she looked at him, confused. "What?" She asked, her brows knitted.
He smiled at her. He's smiling a lot more because of her. Way more than he had smiled before in his life added up. "Anything. Okay, tell me what you really like to do?"
" I like to eat jalebies."
Arnav looked at her for a second. Looking at her serious expression, he burst out laughing. "Really?"
She looked at him offended. "Yeah! Really!" Her big eyes narrowed at him. "What you like to do besides eating your employees brain!"
His eyes twinkled looking at her worked up, " No. I want only your brain filled with jalebies." He pursed his lips to control his mirth.
Khushi glared at him before resuming to stare out of the window. But it wasn't long before her pout turned into a smile at the thought of his laughing eyes. She has always seen his eyes cold and empty but today they are filled with warmth and dare she say they twinkle everytime he looks at her.
Am I the reason for this beautiful change in him?
Stop it, Khushi! You are thinking too much about him. But you have been thinking about him all night. Her mind sneakily whispered. That's not true. She answered back. Her mind snickered back. Who are you lying to? You mind? So very naive!
"Do you always talk to yourself this much?" Her thoughts broke with his question. Her gaze swung back to see him looking amusingly at her. "You know I am here Khushi. You could always give rest to the friends you have inside that pretty little head and talk to me."
"I don't have any friends here" Khushi pointed to her head. "Its my thinking style."
He again smiled that smile at her which have now started to give her butterflies in the stomach. "Its a very unique style, I must say! Another thing I got to know about you." He smoothly brought the car to halt before leaning towards her to whisper. "And I find it absolutely adorable." Grining to see the red hue spreading on her cheeks, Arnav stepped out of the car and came around to escort her to the restaurant he had booked for them today.
When Khushi got inside, she felt its not afternoon but night. She left Arnav's hand and looked around to admire the dcor. It was amazing how you could never feel that outside this lavish restaurant the sun is up. Its crazy! Not even single sunlight were entering inside and with all the lights and stars filling up the whole ceiling, its about night in here.
"What? What is this?" Khushi asked Arnav, her face mixture of awe, surprise and the pure delight she's feeling right now.
"I know you can't be with me at night, at least not at the time of the dinner and I really wanted this day to be celebrated at night time. So..." Arnav swiped his hand around.
Khushi looked up again. She can't seem to stray her eyes from the stars that are twinkling up above her head. "And these?"
Arnav took the liberty to put his hands on her shoulder. "That night I saw stars dangling above your bed. I thought you night like it. Do you?"
Khushi turned and surprised him by hugging him. "Yes. Thank you! Its beautiful." Before Arnav could hug her, Khushi stepped back.
"May I?" Arnav offered her his arm.
Khushi made a show straightening her spine, looped her arm with his. Together they walked to their table. Like a gentleman, Arnav pulled the chair for Khushi.
"Mr. Raizada, you are surprising me every second." Khushi commented as he made himself comfortable.
"I hope its a pleasant surprise, Ms. Gupta?" Arnav fully knowing khushi's teasing him, played along.
"No doubt in that, Arnav. Its a very, very pleasant surprise." Khushi looked at him in the eye.
Khushi squirmed when Arnav didn't stop his stare and continued looking at her as if stunned. "What?" Atlast she was forced to ask him when he didn't even blink.
"What did you just called me?"
"What? I called you by your name. What is there to be so surprised?" Khushi got irritated note finding any reason for him to staring at her like that.
"You called me Arnav!" Arnav emphasised on his name.
"Oh! I am sorry, isn't what your name is? What other than that would I call you by?" Came the sarcastic remarks from a highly pissed off lady.
"Khushi gupta you called me Arnav. A.R.N.A.V. Not Arnavji! Getting my point now?" Arnav asked her with an eyebrow up.
Her eyes widened for a second before her mounth started moving rapidly." I am sorry. I didn't even realise that. It won't happen again. I only---"
"Shut it Khushi. I only want you to call me this. My name. If you don't know my mom named me Arnav. Without that damned ji." Arnav took her hand in his. " Now say my name again."
"Um...um..uhhh" Khushi looked highly uncomfortable but was absolutely adorable and Arnav will make her say his name.
"Say it Khushi." Arnav gently caressed the back of her with his thumb making it more difficult for her. " Khushi." Khushi looked up at him. "Say it." Please. And Khushi couldn't deny that because she had heard what he didn't say but nevertheless it was there in the way he said it.
So Khushi took deep breadth, swallowed her embarrassment and said the name. "Arnav." Her eyes didn't move from his. She had to see the effect of it on him, the reasons were unknown to her, but this once she heart to her heart. It was astonishing to see how his eyes gradually softened up as the corner of his lips lifted up in a sweetest of smile she had ever seen. For a second she was scared of how deeply she could affect this man. It was gone the next second as he sincerely thanked her for it.
"Let me call the waiter to place our order." Arnav said and called for the waiter. Khushi, she just kept looking at him.
Khushi had just finished her dinner, when she again admired the stars and felt this strong urge to tell him about her parents and the reason why there were stars above her bed in the first place. "You know why I have little stars above my bed?"
Arnav slowly shook his head. "I feel closer to my parents that way." Khushi turned her gaze from the stars to him. "They are dea--"
"I know. You don't have to say it."
Khushi gave him a small smile showing how grateful she is to him. "I believe they have become stars. I talk to them everyday. I know its silly and childish of me to think like that but its was the thing that kept me sane in the childhood. "
Arnav squeezed her hands. " Its not silly or childish Khushi. Its a belief and that way you have them always close to your heart watching over you. Its real as long as you believe in it. If anyone had told me this I might have not been this hard man that I have become today."
Khushi looked at him confused. "My parents died when I was 14. It was ugly and had the worst effect the death of parents could be on a child."
"I understand. I lost my parents in an accident. It was raining heavily that day, the roads were slippery. There was a child in the middle of the road playing in rain. The car skidded and to save the child, my dad, he swirved the car harshly, but on the side a truck was coming, they had no where to go. The collision was inevitable. They pushed me out of the car to save me. I saw the car burst into the flame in that dark night. " A tear slipped from her eye. "From that day I am afraid of the dark and fire."
"Khushi, you didn't have to..."
"I know." She gave him a teary smile. "But I wanted to. So accidents happen, they take the person that was life with them but you have to search ways to cope up with thier loss and live your life. You also do that Arnav."
"It was no accident Khushi. My parents death was not an accident."
"But you ssaid that you lost them at the age of 14, means you lost them at once like me isn't it?"
"Yes, I lost them at once but not because of an accident. It was their choice to leave me and di." Arnav said with difficulty.
"What?" Khushi was stunned.
"My mom committed suicide and my father followed her. And if you don't mind I don't want to talk about it. Its wound is still raw inside me."
"We'll not talk about this. I am sorry to bring this up at this time."
"No I am glad you shared this with me. I am humbled you thought me worthy enough to share this with. But I am not healed from this pain, it still bleeds and suffocates me."
"Stop. Don't say anything anymore. Just know that I understand what it is like." Khushi looked around to search of something to distract him. Her eyes the dance floor.
"Can I have a dance with Arnav Singh Raizada?" Khushi asked him with a teasing smile.
"It will be my absolute pleasure." Arnav her palm and took her to the dance floor.
With his hands on her waist and her hands around his neck and they both slightly moving to the rhythm of the song, Arnav never knew the peace that his heart felt this time. And he vowed that he would never let her go.
A/N: Updated it after one long year. Whoever wanted to read about their date, I hope I did the justice. Please share you thoughts about this update.
Indian Idol 15
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