Arshi SS Tumult :: Completed Pg81 :: 17/01 - Page 14

She quickly dried her hands on the kitchen towel before running into the dining room to answer her mobile that was ringing shrilly. It had to be the hospital or university for sure.

"Hello."

"Hey, honey! What size are you?"

"Excuse me?" Khushi spluttered. Her eyes popped open wide with horror. What kind of question was that?

The sound of a deep throaty chuckle floated to her ears, making her heart plummet as she started to recognise that voice. "You are excused. I need the size of your feet, honey. What were you thinking?"

Her mouth opened soundlessly, as she tried to formulate a response but her mind was blank. Her heart was bouncing in her chest, making her feel nauseated.

"Khushi? Are you still there or my sexy voice made you faint?" he said with volumes of amusement ringing in his voice. That seemed to snap her, and propel her into a vortex of irritation mixed with some unknown kind of excitement. Wait. Excitement? She was excited that he had called her? No way! He was the most irritating man on earth! He was even more annoying than Andrea and Sandy put together.

"Where did you get my number from?" she sighed in resignation.

"I have my sources," Arnav Singh Raizada replied without missing a beat. She could hear the proud grin in his voice. Why on earth had she even accepted his date? Oh yes. Because otherwise, he wouldn't have stopped bugging her, right? Crap! And she had thought that a national hockey player like him would have some more dignity. Obviously she was wrong. "So? Will you tell me what size you are? Because it's started to get pretty crowded here..."

Just then, Sandy walked in, all sweating from her evening jog and raised her brow at Khushi, who stiffly smiled in acknowledgement and crept up to her room so that no one would overhear her.

"Khushi? Look, you are replying to me right now or I'll be at your place in less than five minutes," she heard his annoyed hiss. She cringed slightly when he growled her name again. Was it worry that tinged his voice? She closed the door to her room quickly and plopped down on her bed. "Why do you need the size of my foot?"

"Why were you taking so much time to answer my question?"

A little smile threatened to break onto her face but she caught herself and forced a frown on her face. "I have a life. Which obviously is a concept you don't seem to grasp."

His again chuckle filled up her ears once again, making her heart lurch. "Oh, I understand that very well, honey, I just want a little space of my own there, in your life." Her eyes widened in outrage. The man, however, expressed no regret, no shame. "Will you give me your shoe size now? I'm buying something for you."

"What?"

"That's a surprise, Khushi. You can wait until tomorrow to know that, right?" he went on huskily, completely ignorant to her internal tumult, where her sensible brain was trying to battle her traitor of a heart valiantly.

Her mouth opened and closed silently for a few times before she could spit a few barely comprehensible words, quickly followed by her aghast question. "What are you buying? I don't want you to buy anything for me!"

"Well, obviously, Khushi, since I'm asking for the size of your feet, it has to do something with your feet! And I don't care if you want it or not, you'll need what I'm bringing tomorrow, so just tell me the damn size!"

Her lips thinned into a hard line as his insolence only pushed her irritation up. "Look, Mr Raizada-"

"Call me Arnav, honey, I have such a nice name. Why make me feel like an uncle?"

"You-"

"And! If you do not give me your size within the next five seconds, I swear I'll come over right away and take the measurements myself."

Khushi squared her shoulders defiantly, inhaling sharply. If he could be so annoyingly stubborn, well, she was Khushi Kumaari Gupta. She was no less. "Fine. Come."

"Fine. I can come," he replied nonchalantly, and she could almost see him shrug, careless. "I have all the time in my life. But remember that you'll have your dearest friends to deal with."

The triumph rang blatantly in his voice. Khushi groaned out loud as the scenes Sandy and Andrea had created to eat her brains up during the past few days resurged in her mind. She hated to admit it, but the man was right. Absolutely, completely right. And she wanted to strangle him for it.

"Forty one," she finally sighed.

It was his turn to suddenly fall silent, it seemed, and Khushi felt a small smile tug at the corners of her lips. She had inherited her rather unnaturally long feet from both parents. People usually made fun out of them but personally she liked her long and thin white feet. Hopefully, she prayed, they would make him flee too?

"Forty one?" she heard him rasp. "Forty one, Khushi? Really?"

She pursed her lips to avoid giggling at the shock that rang clearly in his voice when he finally found his voice back. "I am not joking. My shoe size is forty one."

"You mean you have these sexy long feet?" he whispered, making her shudder involuntarily. "Because, you know, I love them but women who actually have them are acutely pain, so I'll be disappointed if you are just pulling my leg."

Her mouth fell open in astonishment. Had he just told her he...? Yes... He had... And that raised another tumult with her. While her brain forced itself to sink in disappointment, her heart was fighting to float further up, twirling and pirouetting.

"...So I'll see you tomorrow afternoon at five in the park. Is that okay with you?"

The corners of her lips drooped and she closed her eyes, pitying herself deeply. What sin had she committed to have this particular trouble falling on her head? But then, what could one innocent date mean? He had asked just for one, and she would grant him only this one. Then, he would have to leave her alone.

"Yes," she mumbled half-heartedly.

"Be there," came the amused command before the line went dead.

***

He grinned amusedly at the sour expression she was wearing as she dragged her feet up to him, a sour expression splayed on her beautiful face. No doubt she was miffed with his stalking'. To be true, he was himself surprised at his behaviour. Arnav Singh Raizada usually did neither have the patience nor will to try persuading women who did not want him. Well, usually they all wanted him, but in case they didn't, he wasn't one to spend his time and energy to get them.

But this girl, this very attractive and beautiful girl who hid herself under tasteless clothing, had something in her that compelled him to pursue her, however much she could deny his advances. She sighed as soon as she stopped, right in front of him, with a defeated expression.

"You came," he found himself muttering, and felt his heart skid as the pale ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

She wrinkled her nose incredulously. "I had to come to get rid of you," she grumbled with an annoyed tone, but he immediately saw that she didn't mean it.

"You think it's that easy?" Arnav whispered. Khushi's eyes widened and he chuckled heartily, lifting a carrier bag between them. "This is for you."

A frown creased her face. "I told you that-" she stopped unwillingly, having seen the look of warning he had shot her way and quietly took the bag from him before sitting down on the nearest bench to open it. Her mouth opened in her perfect round, leaving him entranced while he sat down beside her, when she saw what was inside. She looked at him, blinking stupidly, as he caught himself. "What's this?" she breathed.

He raised his brow and pouted slightly. "Roller skates. I thought you were intelligent enough to recognise them."

She turned her gaze back to the open box in her lap almost longingly, even though her lips were upturned. She was a bit apprehensive about it, he realised, but she did want this. It was like this was some unfulfilled dream of hers that she was scared of completing.

"I thought I'd teach you skating on firm ground before taking you to the ice rink," he gently smiled at her.

She gulped and glanced at him uncertainly. "I... I can't do this."

Arnav narrowed his eyes. "Of course you can. You have to, Khushi, you promised me this date."

He watched her frown thoughtfully. She looked like she wanted to cry. It made him feel guilty for forcing himself in such a way on her, but he was sure she would be feeling better in just a few moments.

"Fine," she hissed.

A grin immediately stretched itself on his face and before she could bat her eyes once, he had kneeled down before her and he was taking her shoes off for her while Khushi stared at him, frozen with horror. Then, he picked the roller skatesout of their box and carefully made her wear them, tying the laces tight.

"You have to remember to tie the laces properly, okay? That's the trick. They have to be firmly tight, especially around your ankles. What?" he asked, noticing her astounded face. He smirked, closing her open mouth with his index. "You are my beautiful date, honey. I can make you wear the skates, right?"

A tinge of scarlet coloured her cheeks violently and she looked away, embarrassed. Arnav chuckled and hauled himself back on the bench to slip on his own skates. She turned to him awkwardly. "Thank you, Mr Raizada."

"My name is Arnav, Miss Gupta," he laughed making her blush again.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as she seemed to think about something. "Am I not supposed to wear something for protection?" she gasped. "I mean a helmet or something on my knees?"

Smiling confidently, he leaned slightly closer to her. "You are supposed to, but you won't. I need you to trust me, Khushi. I won't let you fall." Arnav stood up fluidly, with an ease that seemed to amaze her and he offered her his hand to help her up.