Arhi OS : Picture Perfect
The icy winds blowing across, where she was huddled, made her tremble in spite of wearing layered clothing. The thousands of twinkling diamonds that littered the sky above, illuminating the entire terrain, seemed to be vanishing rapidly. The brilliance of an almost perfectly circular moon that had been shining down on mere mortals a while ago, seemed to be fading. The music of crickets had been entertaining her, for an hour now. That was how long she had been sitting crouched, in this near darkness.
It wasn't the first time for her. Her job was demanding of such stunts and madness. There were no timelines, no deadlines and no boundaries. Being a wildlife photographer, made a wilderness out of life. The insects biting her, almost at the crack of dawn, were not much of a concern. Her distress lay in the man, who was busy setting up their camera equipment, somewhere behind her. The memory of their first meeting, six months ago, was still freshly entrenched in her mind.
Khushi Kumari Gupta had been a brilliant student all her life. Good at academics and exceptionally good in the creative arts. If her parents had not been as open-minded as they were, she would definitely have been operating some patient in a hospital right now. They had wanted her to be a successful surgeon, like her father. However, her heart lay in this one tiny device, that captured the essence of life.
The first ever camera was gifted to her, by her dadaji, a man who had pampered her like a princess. She had been merely eight then, yet had bowled everyone over, at the details and things, she saw in her surroundings. They were surprised to see the nuances of life that she had managed to capture at her tiny age. As years passed by, she was more intrigued by the mechanisms, the process of developing films and also advanced cameras and equipment. Her parents at first supported her hobby and made sure she concentrated equally on studies. However, after graduation, when she had requested them to send her for a post-grad photography course, they were a little upset.
After weeks of convincing and sweet-talking, Khushi had gotten her way and had flown off to San Francisco, to the Light and Shadows Photography School to fulfill her dreams. The journey from there to the National Geographic office in London was a dream come true. Her parents had been apprehensive of letting their only daughter, travel the world alone, but seeing her dazzling smile had brightened up their lives. To let her work with ease, they shifted their base from Mumbai to London.
A six-month internship at the London office, and her hard work had finally paid off. She had been assigned to assist their star photographer, Arnav Singh Raizada until she could handle projects on her own. To work with a man she had only heard of and never seen in her office... was a dream as well as a nightmare. The girls in her office gushed about how hot he looked, his physique, his brooding personality and his mesmerizing eyes. They lovingly called him ASR. This was one side of the story.
The other side definitely terrified her. The men in the office, who were not smitten by his looks, had revealed to her, his temper issues. She had understood that he was a man of few words and did not socialize at all. He had always refused to have an assistant and preferred to work on his own. He travelled most of the time and lived amidst nature. No one at NatGeo had been able to convince him to have an assistant or a junior to work along with him... until now. Somehow, Khushi seemed like the lucky one... or maybe, the unlucky one?
She had kept those prejudiced opinions aside and browsed through his work. To say that the stunning shots took her breath away would be an understatement. Each photograph was a story on its own. The moments captured, brought alive the beauty of nature. The endless seashores, the ferocious wild beasts, the fascinating insects, the colourful butterflies... everything he captured, was a piece of art. One thing she realized was that, however ASR was as a person, he was a brilliant photographer and she was going to learn a lot from him.
She recollected their first meeting... he had finally come to the office, after spending three months in Germany's popular Black Forest'. His current collection of photographs had like always, stunned everyone. This man definitely had an eye for the unique'. There was a certain excitement in the office, especially with the girls huddling together to discuss the very man in concern. Khushi was summoned to their CEO's cabin and she had gone in, with a dangerously fluttering heart.
Even with so much information download from her colleagues, nothing could have prepared her for the real Arnav Singh Raizada. He had a tall broad frame, his muscles rippling underneath his black t-shirt. The tanned skin glistened in the sunlight that made its way through the huge glass window. His army-green sleeveless jacket was tattered, yet it gave him the perfect photographer's persona. And then finally, her eyes made it to his face and she stood speechless... not even being able to respond to the introductions that her CEO was making at the moment.
Her eyes clashed with his molten brown ones, his intense gaze, unnerving her. She realized that she had been shamelessly staring at him, while he did the same. Except, he seemed to be a master at schooling his gaze. After an uncomfortable handshake, they settled down in the chairs across their chief. She remembered how shocked and unhappy he had been, when he was told about her assisting him on their next project. She felt hurt, disappointed... and surprised... at her own reactions.
After a great deal of convincing, ASR had finally agreed and walked out of the cabin, without a second glance at her. The days that followed, had been crazy with instructions and planning. They were to travel for about six months through the Scandinavian countries, capturing pure, unadulterated nature. Six months alone with a man - this thought had not gone down well with her parents. However, eventually they had relented and extracted a promise from her to keep in touch, whenever she could.
Arnav and she had been travelling for almost four months now and the journey had been an out of the world experience for her. Getting to know the charismatic man Arnav Singh Raizada, had been a surprise and a pleasure. For the first few weeks, he had barely spoken to her... anything other than work related stuff was a complete no-no! Thankfully, she had never been a target for his famous anger, and had only seen it being used on a few people who did not get things done his way.
He had been a complete gentleman with her, making sure that their food and accommodation had been comfortable. He made her feel at ease, always, except when unnerving her with his intense gaze. She had caught him many times, just staring at her, as if trying to look through her essence. But then, he would stare at everything around him with as much passion. The earlier unease had now transformed into an anxious feeling inside her. His every move started affecting her like a whiplash. Taking care of his professional and personal needs, had become a necessity for her and she soon realized that she was gradually falling for him.
He worked magic with his camera. It was his wand' that captured the beauty of nature and made it immortal. Assisting him had been an experience, learning new tricks and ideas from him. He never spoke to the locals much, but always got his work done. That was the magic ASR wove around everyone he met... including her. They would spend hours at one particular spot, seeing the light fade, understanding the perfect time for the perfect picture moment. Sometimes, they would just travel for days, looking around for the most stunning locations for a photograph. Khushi's romantic heart too did not fail to beat faster each time she would be at the world's most romantic spots with this gorgeous man by her side.
"Khushi," his husky voice brought her out of her reverie. She looked around to see the sky brightening a little. The stars had almost faded away. The sun would be up soon, illuminating the horizon with its vibrancy and they would have captured a beautiful moment that would live for an eternity. She looked up at where he stood, his tall frame highlighted by the soft glow. She fumbled with her exposure meter, measuring the light at the moment. She looked at the rapidly brightening sky, wondering what this fresh new day would bring along with it.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Enthralling,' that is what she looked at the moment. As the darkness faded, he caught a glimpse of her luminous face, aglow with an inner light that never seemed to cease. He chuckled slightly, at the way she fumbled around him, wondering if it was his proximity that affected her. Even though he had known her for a few months now, she was a mystery that might take years to completely unravel... and how he would love to do it.
Arnav Singh Raizada had been stunned to see the hazel-eyed beauty entering his CEO's office. He was more shocked to know that she would be assisting him for his next big project. He had been a loner since childhood. A crazy guy, a wanderer and slightly eccentric as his sister would call him. He had lost his parents at a very young age, who had left behind a huge bank balance to take care of him and his older sister till they grew up. Being a boy, he had taken it upon himself to take care of his Anjali Di.
He completed his graduation and then, his Master's with distinction and pursued his passion for photography, simultaneously. It was only when his sister was happily married off to Shyam Jha, a well-known businessman from London that he had perceived photography as a career option. In a mere five years, he had become one of the most sought after wildlife photographers. He had started off as a trainee in the National Geographic London office and quickly climbed up the success ladder. He had never been interested in the busy city life and had travelled across villages, tribes and experienced first-hand, the miracle of God... called nature.
He had not been in a long-term relationship ever. Casual dating and a few nights that followed during his college life, were all there was, about his love life. He had never experienced this craving to be around one woman, to be there for her, to love her... cherish her. At his pestering sister's queries and concern, he had always said... I still haven't met the woman for me, Di!' Considering his travel in the remotest corners of the world, a pretty girl would anyways be hard to find. And then finally, she had burst into his life... her... this pretty Miss Khushi Kumari Gupta!
He recollected the initial uneasiness between them. They had set out on a journey, where she did most of the talking. He only listened to her crazy conversation. Her college life, her parents, her cousins, her friend's cat, the great wedding in her family, dancing, photography and her love for nature... he now knew everything about her. It was with this ease, that she would speak to the locals of a particular region, despite not knowing their language thoroughly. She had an innate talent, of binding people with her charm... and gradually, he too had started getting drawn to her.
She was stunning, at any time of the day. Her morning, disheveled state was a big turn-on and he had to use all of his self-control to not kiss her the way he dreamed of. He often could not take his eyes off her, and noticed that she was aware of it too. The slight tinge of pink creeping up her cheeks was a testimony to his effect on her. However, he did not want to jeopardize their working relationship and hence, had maintained a distance from her. She could have easily called it arrogance or high-handedness, yet it was best, this way.
Khushi was brilliant at her work and although he might not admit it in front of his boss, it definitely had been a great help to have an assistant on this project. They had to travel a lot and finalizing the perfect timing at each place would have taken more time, had he been alone in this venture. His worry about her safety, about her comfort in a particular hotel, about what she ate... everything screamed about how deeply he felt for her. He had tried to mask it as just a part of his job, yet she had definitely seen through the facade.
She had an appetite, that could put many men to shame and it was one of the most adorable things about her. Her rumbling stomach always reminded him to take a snack or lunch break. The embarrassed, flushed expression that crossed her face, always made his heart pace at lightening speed. He could gaze at her for hours, noticing the multitude of expressions that would flit across her angelic face. Her craziness, her non-stop chatter, her antics and her loving heart... everything pulled him towards her. However, she was a completely different person around him... always nervous, fidgeting, fumbling her way through work. He knew for sure that he intimidated her. His lack of communication or expression caused her to panic most of the times. He itched to reach out to her and bare his heart, yet, the strings of professionalism held him back.
Four long months of spending day and night with each other, experiencing the most beautiful moments of life, encircled by the world's most romantic settings was taking a toll on his heart. At this particular moment, when they had been surrounded by darkness a while ago... the beautiful dawn had shifted something in him. He noticed his pretty assistant, lost in her own world... just like he had been a while ago. Her striking face, illuminated by the soft glow of the morning made her look ethereal. The sun would be out any moment now, and he had to get the camera ready for the shot. Years of work experience to put work into priority, made him call out to her..."Khushi," and she slowly turned towards him.
Even in this low light, he could see the flecks of gold in her hazel eyes. They looked shocked, embarrassed and... exquisite. He watched her as she gathered herself and rushed to check the reading on the exposure meter. He was a lost man at this particular moment. It was the same Arnav, same Khushi, a similar ambience... yet, there was this potent, unadulterated attraction that drew him to her. He set the camera on self-timer, without thinking of the consequences and walked towards her. The few steps that he should have taken weeks ago... those few steps, that were going to change their life forever.
He noticed her body stiffen, as he moved closer, even though she was facing the horizon. He wondered how attuned she was to him, and if she would reprimand him for what he was about to do. He pulled her by the waist, turning her around unhurriedly, feeling the shiver that reverberated through her body. Her shocked round eyes, that gave him a peek into her soul, her trembling lips that had been alluring him since the time they met and her dangerously thudding heart... he sensed everything. He noticed her lips move... call out his name in a whisper, "Arnav..."
His name uttered from her gorgeous mouth, was his undoing. Cupping her face in his warm hands, her stroked her cheek with his thumb... trying to read her reaction. He saw the desire he felt, reflected in her smoldering eyes, the hazel now turning deep green and setting him ablaze with its intensity. Without any further delay, before the spell was broken, he swooped down to kiss her deliciously pouting lips. She gasped in shock at the contact, while he used the opportunity to claim her mouth. The kiss started off fiery and hurried, pent up emotions bursting through their bodies. She clutched onto his strong shoulders, her nails digging into the muscles, eliciting a groan from him.
He pulled her closer, their heated bodies molding against each other. He finally was running his hand through her silken tresses that had driven him crazy for the last few months. With ragged breathing and a desperation that both could not conceal, he slowed the kiss down to a sweet torture... gently nipping her lips, swallowing her sensuous moans. So lost were they in each other, that they missed the glorious sun, that had risen across the horizon, spreading its warmth and brilliance all around.
It was like a broken dam, with all the bottled-up emotions flowing unreservedly. Sometimes you need a perfect moment to realize and channelize your destiny. This dawn had brought along with it, the magic of love and longing that these two hearts were entrenched in. The camera had captured this beautiful moment... a perfect picture of two people lost in the mesmerizing world of love and passion, with a picturesque backdrop of nature's crackling dawn. In a photographers words... it was "picture perfect."
CID
330