Khushi wore an emerald satin dress and was pleased at the reflection when she looked into the mirror. It wasnt too revealing, but showed her figure nicely and had little spaghetti straps over the shoulders. The back of the dress was cut low enough to highlight the curves of her back, yet it covered up modestly. In fact, she was happy the way the dress looked on her. Of course, it was not like she was going to some prom party or a date. She had to look presentably gorgeous at a social event like the one at the Raizada's. She rolled up her hair in a chignon, a few strands cut loose that escaped the bun and fell loose on her neck. She went down to the living room, after she picked up her clutch and wrapped a sheer around her and saw that her Dad was ready too. "Someone looks very gorgeous" he Dad said casting an appreciative glance at her. "You look handsome yourself, Dad" she smiled at him. And he did. Anyone who saw Mr. Gupta, at a glance, would assume that he was her elder brother. The salt and pepper hair gave him an additional charm, and it wouldn't be wrong to say that he seemed appealing to quite many young women even at the age of fifty two.
Aakash and Arnav, along with a few more people at a high position at the Raizada's, stood at the entrance of the venue - their huge yacht that looked like a mighty mountain. They greeted the guests as they entered the place. Aakash suddenly looked at Arnav who looked like he had frozen at the spot. His eyes then followed Arnav's gaze, which was fixed on a lady in green- Khushi Gupta, who was busy giggling as her Dad held her by his side and stepped up towards the yacht. If the lightings on the yacht were as bright as the sun, then Khushi's emergence into the scene just made everything fall dim. She shone like the full moon and the emerald shaded gown seemed to simply enhance her beauty. If Arnav had any ounce of resistance and reluctance about what and how he felt for her, all of it jumped out of the window as she stood in front of her. "Welcome Mr. Gupta" Aakash's voice brought him out of him thoughts. Aakash had an amused smirk as he noticed his brother being off-guard. He knew that Arnav was attracted the Khushi, but the look in his eyes for her at the moment, seemed to tell that it was much more than mere attraction. It was the same look that Aakash had for Payal, once upon a time. He snapped out of his flashback and focused on the guests in front of him.
Arnav extended his arm and Khushi placed her hand in his. For a moment, her breath hitched as she saw their hands. They looked perfect, as though made for each other. But they weren't. She wasn't someone of Arnav's taste. Suddenly she went numb as warm lips pressed into her fingers. Her mind went blank and her heart raced to a million beats as Arnav kissed her hand. Arnav couldn't resist himself as he saw her. The gorgeous dress made her irresistibly beautiful and it simply made him want her more. It made him want to run his hands all over her, exploring what lay beneath the dress. Just the thought of it made him feel heated. He left her hand as though he was burnt by her touch. Although Khushi felt lightly disappointed with the sudden withdrawal of his hand, she did not let the disappointment linger. She felt like electricity ran through her fingers and radiated throughout her arm. What she did not know was that a mere kiss affected him to an extent that if they were alone, he would have ripped off that dress and taken her against the cold wooden floor that they stood on. His eyes watched her head to toe, and Khushi almost felt like she was wearing nothing as that intense stare watched her in appreciation, taking his own sweet time at her luscious curves. "Damn that sheer shawl she's wearing" Arnav said to himself. His eyes then watched her fingers, fidgeting with the end of her shawl. And he was more than happy to know that his gaze affected her. But then he noticed her empty ring finger. The thought of her being engaged came back, and the desire in his eyes darkened into an unknown rage, the reason for which he did not know yet.
"So, you're fianc isn't here today?" he asked her, failing to hide the sarcasm and annoyance in his voice. "Fiance?" Mr. Gupta looked in an amused confusion at Khushi, and then at Arnav. "My daughter is engaged and I have no clue about it?" Aakash looked utterly confused as he saw three different expressions of the three faces in front of him. Arnav looked at Khushi, then back at Mr. Gupta, and yet again at Khushi. heaving a sigh, she said, "Dad, Mr. Raizada is talking about Rohan. He thought that Rohan was my fianc." Arnav's eyes widened. "Thought? What do you mean by thought? I saw him giving the ring to you and you were as happy as a kid at the candy store!" he blurted out, not caring about the warning looks that Aakash shot him. Khushi looked at his face, which seemed more attractive when he was annoyed. And was that jealousy that she saw on his face? The moment she thought of it, his expression was of steel. "So much for having some high hopes, Khushi!" she mentally cursed herself for having such thoughts. "He wasn't proposing me. He was just showing me the ring, and I was happy for him that he finally found the one whom he wanted to wed" A few seconds of silence were broken by Mr. Gupta's laugh, although Arnav still looked confused. "Mr. Raizada, there must have been some confusion" he said between his attempts to suppress his laughter. Once he composed himself, he wiped away the tears in his eyes and said, "Rohan is like my son." His smile faltered at the fateful memory and his cheerful voice faded. "I've brought him up after his parents, who were close family friends, passed away in an unfortunate accident. Rohan is like her brother, from other parents." All of them smiled, except for Arnav, whose eyes were filled with anger. Aakash took Mr. Gupta inside to introduce him to the other important guests. Khushi too was about to follow her Dad, but Arnav blocked her path. "You lied to me" he said, almost breathing fire. "I did not. You assumed it yourself." She answered in an equal fervour, before she walked away. Suddenly, Arnav's anger left his mind and his lips twitched into a smile. "So, she's not engaged. Which means, she's not off limits" he thought to himself, as he looked at her back. He was not going to leave any damn opportunity of wooing her. And as if on cue, Khushi turned to look at Arnav, who stared at her with a smile. His look made her nervous and she quickly turned around. She was oblivious to the fact that her reservations only made her more appealing to him.
Khushi was busy in conversation with Mrs. Sharma, who kept complimenting her how gorgeous she looked this evening, when her gaze fell on the entrance of the door. There stood Mr. Antonio Paulos in his usual self looking extraordinarily handsome, and she almost heard all the ladies sigh at the way he smiled. Of course, behind him was his sister, Ms. Heleena Paulos, who looked as gorgeous as super-model in her light brown low-cut satin gown, her hair let loose on her graceful shoulders. Khushi involuntarily flinched as she leaned towards Arnav and kissed him on his cheek. And it seemed like Arnav too approved of her move, for his hand went to her back and he hugged her. "why should that affect me? He does not belong to me, anyway!" Khushi thought, and forced herself to turn her back to the couple displaying their affection. Arnav smiled as he saw an enraged Khushi's reflection in the glass window, and smirked as he realised that the green bug had stung her as well. "This is going to be a very interesting evening" he thought to himself.
The event kick started with Aakash Raizada formally welcoming the guests with his short and sweet address. One of the directors of the Raizada's gave a gist of the expanse of the company, and it earned an appreciative collective applause. Soon, the event was declared open and various businessmen came forward to place their quotations and bids for the annual charity auction. Khushi, who was never used to such events, went to the deck and stood by the railing, watching the huge metal vessel slicing the water of the ocean as it moved. She closed her eyes to enjoy the cool air of the evening, the scent of the fresh ocean waters hitting her nose. A few minutes later, her phone rang and she was pleased to see Rohan's name flashing.
"How's Anjali?" Khushi asked without even saying a hello, or waiting for him to say a hello. "She's conscious, but had multiple fractures" Rohan said, failing to restrain his voice from cracking. "The doctors fear that her spinal cord may be damaged, since the X-ray shows fractures at her backbone. It remains to see whether she can walk" Khushi did not know what to say at the moment. She recalled the time when he had shown her the ring for Anjali. "Rohan, what have you decided?" she asked him, to which he sounded confused. "I mean, what have you decided about your relationship with her?" Rohan heaved a sigh. "There's nothing to decide as such Khushi. I promised to be with her at all times, and I will keep up to my word. She needs me the most in such a time, and I will be with her, no matter what" Khushi smiled at his words. "You say the most wonderful things, Rohan. I'm proud of you. Take care of Anjali and convey my regards" she said, to which he too asked her to say a hello to her Dad on his behalf, after which he dropped the call. Khushi prayed that Anjali would recover soon, and that Rohan and Anjali would stay happy. She smiled as she realised that true love actually exists, and that Rohan and Anjali were evidences of the same.
"Why are you here, alone?" Aakash asked Khushi when he spotted her standing out on the deck. "Oh, I was getting a bit bored inside" she said, to which he held his hands at his heart and mouthed an "Ouch" melodramatically, causing Khushi to break into giggles. "No no, that came out wrong" Khushi said with a smile. "Actually, I dislike such events since childhood. Any such social parties were attended by Dad and Rohan. I prefer to stay at home, most of the time" Aakash smiled at her honest statement. "Well, I hope you'd at least like to dance. All the boring speeches are done along with the bid. The showdown would be held after dinner. So right now, we have a dance for all. Nothing fancy. Just a sort of ice-breaking entertainment for all who are bored" Khushi smiled saying, "Oh, now don't make me feel guilty for saying that. Alright, I'll come in"
Khushi entered the hall to see her Dad already dancing with Mrs. Bhalla, who had been busy buttering him, while her husband was ogling someone else. Her Dad saw her and shrugged his shoulders in helplessness, and Khushi couldn't help, but grin at him. She knew her Dad was a smart looking one, and it was such occasions that she wished her Mom was still alive. She could picture her Dad and Mom, swaying to the gentle music, looking at each other in love. She snapped out of her thoughts to see Antonio smiling at her. "thlete na horpsete maz mu?" he said extending his hand to her. She looked at him, with confusion pasted across her face. He laughed at her to whom she replied amusedly, "I'm sorry Mr. Paulos, but I really do not understand Greek" to which he said, "Would you like to dance?" she placed her hand in his with a broad smile, and says "If you promise not to confuse me by speaking in Greek, then yes!" He led her on to the dance floor, where Arnav was already dancing with Heleena. It seemed like she had pasted herself to Arnav's body and kept leaning over him, while he tried to move away. The sight slightly amused her, since Arnav Raizada was never the person to push a woman away. His posture told her that he was just being courteous to her since she was Antonio's sister. But then, this Heleena seemed to be shameless. She leaned closer to him, just inches apart, and brushed her breasts against Arnav's arm, not once, but twice. At that minute, Khushi wanted to poke the woman in the eye with a fork. And unknown to her, her expression did not go unnoticed by Arnav. However, she chose to ignore the sight. She would not repeat her mistake that she did when she found Ananya and Arnav in the barn. She focused on the handsome man dancing with her, totally avoiding the hard stares she was getting from Arnav Raizada. Well, if he could dance intimately with her, so did she have the freedom to flirt.
Arnav saw Khushi dancing with Antonio and his grip on Heleena's fingers tightened so hard, that she almost yelped in pain. Antonio had his hand on the small of her back, and the other hand was entwined in her delicate fingers; the same fingers that he had kissed when he first saw her this evening. He let go of Heleena and walked in three long strides up to Antonio, asking Khushi for a dance. Antonio smiled and excused himself from Khushi, placing her hand in Arnav's and left. Heleena felt humiliated and was about to walk to Arnav, but Antonio stopped her and led her to the other corner of the room.
Just as Arnav was about to hold Khushi, she stepped away from him and walked away, settling herself at the bar counter, gulping a glass of wine. She tipped her glass and swallowed the contents, set it down and ordered another. She was on her third glass when she felt a warm hand slide down the bare skin of her back. "Hiding from me?" Arnav said while bending and blowing air on her cheek. "My God, you could stop the rain with that dress" He murmured in her ear before he lifted his head. Then he saw the glass of wine. "What is this? I thought you dont drink." She took a large swallow not looking at him, and said dryly, "I'm starting a new sin" When she took the fourth glass, he said "Okay, thats enough", while taking the glass out of her hand. She had a good grip on it so it took a few tugs to get it out of her hand. She felt tipsy as she tried to stand up, and Arnav placed his hand on her waist to help her be steady. She pushed him aside, feeling suffocated, and went out to the deck, where she stood a few moments ago, while he simply followed her, fearing that she may end up hurting herself in her drunken state.
She stepped out and extended her arms open wide, and the shawl wrapped round her flew away. When she leaned on the railing, he held her bare arms and turned her around to face him. She looked into his pale green eyes that shone in the moonlight. Or maybe, she was imagining things in her dizzy state of mind. ""Let's dance" he said, taking her hand in his. She wanted to resist him, and she really tried; but he looked so distinguished in that black tuxedo, and combined with the wine, she felt oddly warm and submissive. Before she could respond, Arnav turned her about and clasped her body tight to his. "I hate you." She mumbled. "No you dont." he mused, pressing his hand into the small of her back and rubbing his thumb sensuously over bare skin. She had no control over her body around him and it seemed as if even her emotions betrayed her. Now he knew that she was horribly jealous when she saw him dance with Heleena. Yet, he insisted on dancing with her. He bent lower into the crook of her neck, and inhaled her scent. She smelt so feminine and the scent allured him to a point that it made him weak in his knees. He looked into her eyes, and his hand undid her hair, letting the loose tresses fall down. He took a lock of her hair, and wrapped it round his index finger. "I like you're hair. Wear it down" Khushi wasn't sure if she heard him right. Here she was, standing on the yacht in the moonlight, dancing to the faint music with none other than Arnav Raizada, who told her that he liked her hair. She knew she was really drunk.
Unknowingly, she leaned into him when she lost her balance and he wrapped his hands round her waist to steady her. "I hate that woman. She makes me want to scratch her eyes out and then pull her hair apart" she said to Arnav, who looked amused at her jealousy. He had known the look she gave Heleena, when she saw her dancing with him, her body pressed against him. But it was nothing compared to what he felt right now when Khushi was standing intimately close to him. He was in love with Khushi. In love? No. Attracted. Infatuated. Smitten. That sounded better to his head. "Whom are you talking about" Arnav asked Khushi, knowing exactly whom she spoke about. He wanted to hear her talk today, and there was no better time than now, considering the fact that she was drunk. And drunk people always tell the truth.
"Who else, other than your flavour of the month, your lover- Heleena Paulos" Arnav frowned at the choice of her words "Flavour of the month", but realised that it did have certain truth in it. "She isn't anything to me. Just the sister of the company's biggest clients." He said dryly and she lifted her eyes to his. The innocence in her eyes made his chest feel warm and he softened and said, "There's no need to be jealous" Surprisingly, she did not deny the jealousy. Instead what she did surprised him. She hugged him, and leaned her head against his chest. This was the first time any girl did that to Arnav. And he felt like someone filled the void in his life by merely listening to his heartbeat.
She released a frustrated breath. "I do not want to be jealous Arnav." He felt nice when he heard her say his name. "I know I have no right to be jealous. Till today, I just do not know why I reacted in the way I did when I saw you and Ananya. And I do not know why I feel so drawn to you even though you humiliated me in front of the whole office" Arnav's expression darkened and he felt guilty. He remembered looking at her tear-stricken face, and did not know what to reply. Instead he just let her talk. "I missed you when you were away from office. And when I saw you yesterday at the airport, I felt happy. My heart almost did the happy dance" He smiled at her words. "But then I saw that... that... Heleena. Such a shameless woman" She paused for a moment and then said, "I know, I'm being silly. But I cannot help it that it bothers me. It may seems stupid to you, and I know that this is all a game for you, but I'm in trouble and in the end, I'll have my heart broken into pieces" Arnav cupped her face, and made her look at him.
"Is this the wine talking?" "No, the wine just eliminated my resistance to tell you." She confessed feeling like she just stepped off a cliff while eyeing him uncertainly. She expected him to be uncomfortable or turn her confession into a thing of humour and ridicule her, but there was none of that in his eyes. He looked completely absorbed in what she had just said. "I told you, there is absolutely no need to feel jealous" He did not know why he was consoling and convincing her. "I do not belong to her" he said. "I only belong to you, and you belong to me" And he wished he said those words out loud, but the fear of her rejecting his love... errrm... affection, made him stop his mouth from uttering them. Why did he want to say it to her? maybe because he wanted to give his heart a chance to fall in love? Or maybe it was because he had three glasses of scotch earlier, which was surely affecting him now.
She tried to part from him, fearing that her heart would explode sensing the proximity between them. She failed to balance herself and bumped into his hard chest. "I know you don't belong to her. Perhaps you should tell her that. She was brushing her breasts against you" she said with a frown. Arnav dropped his gaze lower to her and grinned. "Yours are better" he said as he felt her form, unabashed about the statement he made. "Arnav" she exclaimed wide-eyed, parting away from him in a split-second. "My point is, dont worry about her. She doesnt hold a candle to you." He said with a wry smile. "You say that, but she has skills I couldnt imagine." Khushi said, recalling the way she almost threw herself on him. He narrowed his gaze at her, unknowingly annoyed that she would put herself in such a category as Heleena. "She has skills that are common with women like her, dont knock yourself Khushi. If you knew how aroused I am right now; with you standing mere inches from me in that dress, you wouldnt doubt yourself." Khushi looked at him with wider-eyes. "All I want to do right now is rip our clothes off, bend you over the railing and f*** your brains out till you scream my name and beg me to stop" he said, looking straight in her eyes. "Oh dear Lord" she mumbled. He inched closer to her and lightly brushed his lips against her. Her head almost reeled at the contact of his lips on hers. However, he did not kiss her. Not that he did not want to. He wanted to kiss her when she was sober; not inebriated like how she was at the moment. He retreated and took two steps back, looking at her flushed face. She looked invitingly sexy, and it took all the self-control in the world for Arnav to not fling her over his shoulders like a caveman and take her to a room where he would make love to her the whole night. Make love? Arnav only had emotionless sex. But that was before Khushi. Khushi made him want to explore how it felt to make love to a woman whom he loved. Loved? Okay, no more scotch, his mind warned him, while his heart fluttered. Maybe it did the "happy dance" in Khushi's words.
Aakash called out to Arnav and was surprised to see Khushi with him. But for a change, they weren't arguing or fighting. His brother was in his best behaviour and stood at an arm's distance from Khushi. And that was a surprise in itself, since Arnav never missed any chance to keep away from women. "Come in, you two. We're closing the event with the showdown. And it's going to get cold as well." Saying this, Aakash went inside. Khushi wrapped her arms round her as she felt the cold wind biting her pale skin. "Let's go in" Arnav said, placing his arm on her shoulder. Something had changed in him with the small talk he had with her. He knew she felt something for him, and he too had realised that somewhere in the corner of his heart, she had made a place for herself, without even trying, and she was there to stay in his heart. He smiled at the warm realization - Arnav Raizada was falling in love with Khushi Gupta!
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