Prologue
February, 2015
5:30 AM
It all started with a phone call five days ago when Khushi was in a deep slumber. It was a short, brief conversation she had with the stranger that followed the sleepless nights. She stared at the twilight through the window, stretching her arms, allowing every particle of her body to ease the cricks that seemed to find a permanent residence within her in the past few days. And still, the journey seemed to be nowhere near its end.
Sighing as she shook off the chain of thoughts that would follow, she looked around the room to find her sister enjoying her beautiful sleep while she had been working overnight with a tumbler of filter coffee as her sole company. She wanted nothing more than a good night's sleep and it was the least she would have the liberty to spend her time with. she looked back at the screen for a long moment before shutting the laptop, pushing it away on the study table. Standing on the cold marble floor of her room, she stretched her arms again, plonking herself on the plush bed and closed her eyes, only to feel the deep frown of her brows at the beep of her mobile.
"Screw it," she whispered loudly, ignoring the sender of the message for all but two minutes. On any other day, she would have let the message unread till she reached office. On any other day, she would have asked the sender about the content of the message, ignoring his strange and stern look that became a part of their conversations, personal and professional alike. Except, it was not. It was the day they had been anticipating for so long and she couldn't dare screw it. Not for her. Not for her boss.
With a quick swipe of her phone, she let her numb mind go through the content of the email.
I expect you to be at the parking lot of your apartment at 7:00 AM sharp. I'll pick you up. We have a meeting scheduled at Aubergine, Bombay duck, at 1:00 PM. I want it to be perfect.
This was what she felt as miserable. Her boss ordering her around, warning her not to mess up with the deal, didn't go well with her. She had worked her ass for the project and he knew better than anyone else. "Stop it, Khush," she chided herself as she made her way to the bathroom, "he's as anxious about it as you're."
Twenty-five minutes later, she was packing the loose charts she had been preparing for the past five days and her laptop when she heard a sleepy voice wishing her. Khushi looked up at her younger sister who was at that moment battling with the light to open her eyes. "It feels so good," her sister said with a sleepy grin, "to watch you having a very tight schedule while I enjoy my sleep. This is wonderful, Di. I love being home."
Khushi walked over to the dressing mirror, checking out her appearance for one last time. A black pencil skirt with a waistband, a white button down shirt with a single button jacket would be an ideal choice for the day's occasion. She ran her fingers through her hair again, trying to smooth the curls with no success. "You're having one day for yourself after three and a half years of self battling with all the books you have that weighed a mountain, Meg, when I've had my share of my one-days once in a week for the past six years." She winked at her sister from the mirror.
Megha rolled her eyes as she pushed the covers aside while leaning against the bed rest with a pillow on her lap. "And I see you working the whole night once in a week from the past one year while I never battled with my books during that time." She countered with a wink, "which reminds me that you've a rough week."
"Thank you for the support." She snapped and dragged her bag, her fingers tightened around the strap as she hung it on her shoulder. Turning around, she faced her sister. "Look, I've a busy day ahead and I don't want to start it with Ma forcing me to do my share of torture to her goddess. Please follow her instructions and Meg, please, save me from its aftermath."
She hurriedly fastened the wrist watch and unlocked the door, trying not to make noise that would wake her mother early in the morning, with Megha following her to the main door. "You owe me one, Di." She said superiorly.
"That red evening halter dress that you're trying to get Ma pay for," Khushi promised her sister as she kept on pressing the elevator button till it halted at her floor, "will be yours, Meg."
"Wow, thank you Di," she heard her sisters excited voice as the elevator made its way to the parking lot, where she was sure her boss would be waiting for, "you're the best."
As she stepped out, the black SUV being the only object that caught her eyes, she couldn't help but let the nervousness finally seep into her. She sighed, forcing her mind to shut all the possibilities that could change the course of her life. She bit her lower lip as the window of the passenger's seat rolled down and at the man waving at her to make it fast. Khushi smiled at his impatience and increased the pace a little. When she finally climbed onto her seat, she heard him complain, not for the first time...
"I've been waiting for you for the past ten minutes, lady."
"Good morning, Sir." Khushi replied as politely as she could. "Will you mind stop blaming me for the imaginary delay that you're implying when you're here ten minutes earlier than the scheduled time?"
As the car sped by, Khushi closed her eyes, thankful that her boss decided to keep the windows rolled down, letting the cool morning breeze sooth her as they drove towards their office. It was an important meeting for both of them. Institute for mentally challenged people - a project proposed by the current government, had invited the Architects all over the state to submit their designs. It was a sudden announcement the government had decided to make, giving a dead line of five days to all those who had selected in the first round of the competition three weeks ago. They had deliberately considered three weeks to choose ten companies and each of them would have a meeting with a team.
When Arjun Kumar, chief Architect of the "Symphony of Homes", called her to his cabin, Khushi had no idea about the path that would change her views regarding her profession. He had asked her to work on this - something that came as a shock not only for her but for all of his employees. Many had voiced their astonishment with her; few actually dared to question the chief's decision when he summoned everyone for weekly meeting. She had eight months of experience with five projects in hand, inexperienced to have such an important project to be handled alone - they had said. But Arjun Kumar shooed them all. "She has it in her," he had said with a careless smile, "and she has enough experience to assign me in this."
"Nervous?" Arjun asked, breaking the silence that stretched between them.
She looked at him and smiled, feeling at ease at once as she always did whenever he was around. "I don't want you to be embarrassed," she voiced it at last. "What are you thinking choosing me when you have three Senior Architects giving their best for you?"
Arjun laughed as he usually does. "And let you walk past me for better opportunities? No chance, lady. You're stuck with me for a life time."
She rolled her eyes. "Seriously! You're my boss. You're married. You're a father. And you're nearly two decades elder. I wonder what will stop you from flirting if these reasons didn't!"
"Nothing is going to stop me from having fun with you." Arjun replied with mock seriousness. "And I'm not two decades old, my dear. I'm just 32, and unfortunately, have a two month old daughter. Not very strong reasons to stop flirting with you, you see."
"Nonetheless," Khushi replied with equal seriousness, "it still makes you a decade old, Arjun. And your usual behavior isn't going to help me calm my nervousness today. I don't want people to mock at you for your foolish decision."
"A wise one, darling." Arjun shrugged. "And this company is mine, Anvita. I've every right to decide what's best for it, to choose the one I feel is the right person, and I love to take risks," he said, forcing her to stop when she tried to speak, "if that is what you think I've done by giving you the opportunity to assign me in this project."
It never ceased to surprise her, the way Arjun switches from her given name to the name her loved ones called her. Despite the fact that "Khushi" was the first name that her father had called her when he had taken her in his arms that first time, it was her given name that she loved to be called by. Anvita had been chosen by her grandfather, and she would rather be what he wished her to be... she shook her head clearing the chain of thoughts, painful memories that always followed whenever she remembered her grandfather.
At that moment, her mobile beeped and she smiled thankfully. As expected, it was from her sister.
Stop chewing your lower lip, Di. Ma is going all Kali-Ma for not being able to see her elder daughter in the morning. Not to say, the daughter stepped out of the home without giving Aarti to the goddess. Even Papa will not be able to save you today. Have fun with Arjun, Di.
Before Khushi could imagine her mother throwing tantrum about her absence, the mobile beeped again with another short, crisp reminder.
And the red dress that I want... worth's your month's salary, Di ;)
Khushi chuckled as she turned her mobile into silent mode before placing it away in her bag. All the reasons for being nervousness were nowhere to see as she reached the office, with Arjun ranting about how he was forced to spend sleepless nights for the past two months, thanks to his baby and hormonal wife.
_______
"This is really interesting. This is the best that I've seen till date. I'm sure you all will agree with me in this, gentlemen."
Khushi watched the young man in the team of five who were aged by Arjun and hers combined. He had been excited throughout the meeting and she couldn't deny that she was shocked to see a man hardly in his mid-twenties to be one of the important people to decide the plans for a government project. He had considered every part of the designs with utmost care, questioning them more than the rest combined, and finally, after speaking for one and a half hour, leaned back in his seat with a smile.
"The way you've created interactive spaces," he continued, "and not limited to closed areas is what I liked in this."
"But the thing we need to consider here, Aditya, is..." Mr. Tiwari said, addressing the young man while the others nodded in agreement, "lack of closed spaces for all the treatement. We can cut down the open areas a little and utilize that into expanding built-up area so that the building can accommodate more number of patients than they are trying to show us with their plans."
Khushi looked at the elder man for a brief second before shaking her head. "We're not going to compromise on our designs, Sir." She replied, her voice low yet audible as she stared at Arjun for a moment, who nodded at her with a knowing smile. "I know our designs bore 45% of open spaces with all the amenities like park in-suit and gazebos... but we strongly believe that the nature plays equally important role in treating mentally challenged people. We're planning to create an environment where they get help to ease their burdened lives. And we don't really wish to have accommodation space if that threatens to reduce these areas."
Arjun nodded as he took a giant swig of red wine. "As we already said, "Symphony of Homes" is known for its quality and no matter what, we are not going to compromise it for anything."
And then, the meeting had continued for one more hour before they called it off with Aditya being the one to converse the most with them. Khushi could feel the adrenaline rush seep through her veins. In the first few months that she had joined the firm, it was Arjun who made her nervous and anxious, and never the clients. She had come to know that he was the biggest critique, and usually the one to attack the speaker with his questions. She had a very difficult time to deal with the man and though the anxiousness reduced subsequently, it never disappeared until recently. Now, as she watched her boss dealing with the financial aspects of the proposed project, she couldn't help but admire him. There was so much for her to learn from him and for that, she was thankful. And his friendliness outside the office, harmful flirting were ways to pay for it.
"We will let you know," Aditya shook his hand with them as they finally agreed upon meeting sometime soon, "I'll have my men call you in a while, Mr. Arjun."
Khushi watched them leave the place before gulping down the soft drink in a go. She should have known that the meeting would end in favor of them. She would have trusted herself if she allowed it. But no. Like any other time, she had let the comments from the by-passers beat the best of her. It was becoming difficult, to ignore snide smirks from colleagues who did nothing but push down others in their own pursuit of success. Instead of just ignoring, she worked hard to prove them wrong. And when it finally happened, she sighed, relaxed for the first time in past month, knowing that they would get the project.
"This is a vicious circle." She heard Arjun and looked at him who continued simply. "They need to expand their hospital wing and this is the best they came up with. They need it to be done in a low budget. They aren't going to say "yes" for any of the plans until they got financial infusers. And no one will be willing to have capital infusion until they finalize the plans and work out on the budget."
She rolled her eyes. "I'd prefer all columns and beams to budget and infusers, Mr. Arjun Kumar. Unlike you, I don't have any degree in business management."
Arjun laughed while she gathered the pile of sheets and packed them back as he stared at her, relaxed in his seat as ever, with one arm hung loosely at the back of his chair. "Unfortunately, that is how a business runs, my dear friend. All you've seen is how interested Aditya is in the whole meeting, I assume."
"Of course," she snapped, "he seems to be interested. I mean, he liked our plans."
"I agree he loved our plans. But that is not how it's going to work, Khushi. Before they come back to us, they tries to convince us change our plans to meet their budget. This is going to be a long journey."
Khushi looked at him for a long moment. His eyes darker as they stayed back and she saw something that she had missed all the while. And the realization shook her. "What are you trying to do Arjun?" She demanded, keeping her voice as low as possible.
He smiled taking her hands in his as he leaned forward. "I'm trying to do nothing, Khush, except to show you how talented you're in this field. I want you to trust yourself a little and see the wonders that I'm sure you'd do."
"Arjun..." she tried but blinked back unexpected tears as she felt his finger pressing against her lips.
"I'm not going to accept your resignation, Anvita. I want you to give yourself a chance."
_______
