The Wrong Start - Arshi FF - Ch17 Page 24 - Page 7

It hurts to see Khushi all into Shyam while she hates even to see Arnav’s face. But, I agree with Payal about the proposal ...

Hope Khushi will listen to Payal. Shyam does not seem to be interested in a long term relationship.

Chapter 09 - Common Ground

"Are you here for the free alcohol?" Khushi slid next to him almost noiselessly, startling him. His drink splashed around in his glass but didn't make it to his suit.

"I owed the speaker so did my part. The discussion was better than I expected, so there. What's your excuse?" he raised his glass towards her.

"Had to mark my attendance for 'business development events'." She shrugged and clinked her wine glass against his.

"So how long until you slip out of the back door?" Arnav sipped his drink and stared ahead.

"Twenty minutes. I'm just circling the room to avoid the Walrus." Khushi signaled, pointing at a vivacious man with a booming voice. Arnav took a quick look and burst out laughing.

"The level of pretentiousness in this room is cringeworthy, really." She began her rant. He finished his drink and leaned back against the pillar.

"Introductions start with who knows who, as a bid to prove that they belong. The membership is exclusive and hierarchal but they all sincerely believe in meritocracy. After a long session of intellectual masturbation on equality and how the less privileged benefit from their work, the man in the blue suit will casually request his son gets to "learn from the best" without batting an eyelid. And then, a lowly manager like me will need to spend the next six months trying to cover up for a spoilt brat instead of hiring somebody who really needed that job and made my life easier."

"Aren't you a part of the club as well, Raizada?" She asked after a pause. He cocked his head at her.

"Very much. All the rich kids get together on weekends in Lonavla for an orgy and do coke." He deadpanned. Khushi stared at him incredulously and he grinned after a long moment. His expression toned down and he closed his eyes.

"I have received a lot of quality guidance from my family and I'll never be as naive to deny that Khushi. I was lucky to be born with a nice safety net of my father's business. But I was never really cut out for business like him and wanted to branch out on my own. That... complicated the situation around succession a bit and I burned some bridged in the process. So, no fancy introductions for me. But still, I already knew some people in the industry and that definitely helped."

Khushi stares at him in awe as he flicks back his wavy locks and crosses one leg over the other.

"That is... interesting." Khushi said slowly and smiled at him. "But it all turned out fine, right I mean..?" she asked and immediately regretted it as his expression darkened.

"Well, I think so. I got invited to a couple of family gatherings eventually but we never really managed to have a proper conversation about it. They died in a car accident when I was twenty."

He almost choked on the words weirdly and looked away. Why on the earth was he having this conversation with her?

She spluttered and stared at his grim expression. Suddenly, she saw something familiar in his eyes - the sense of loss that had haunted her for long, reflected in the most unlikely pair she would have ever imagined.

"I'm... I am really sorry Arnav, I did not mean to bring that up at all." She finally managed, extending her hand to touch his arm. He started at the touch but did not pull away.

"It's been a long time. Are you going to reciprocate with something about yourself so that I feel like less of an idiot?" he handed her another glass of wine from the passing waiter.

"Well... I like it when you feel stupid, self-realization is important... Alright. I'm from Lucknow, brought up by my bua. So yeah, I get it." She smiled sadly and it was his turn to be shocked.

"Twenty minutes are up, I see the party approaching us. Care for some dinner?" he asked, recovering quickly. She nodded vigorously and followed him out.

"What exactly is the difference between eating that and swallowing half a kg of sugar in one go?" Arnav asked sincerely as Khushi stuffed a jalebi in her mouth.

"Keep going at it, Arnav. Even you can't spoil the happiness I can feel right now." She smiles as she tucks another piece into her mouth.

The sound of his name as she speaks it almost feels like a punch in his gut. He purses his lips but grins anyways. She had suggested a placed styled after a dhaba for dinner and they had driven in silence. He had felt an odd sense of comfort and turned on the radio. They had hummed an old song together all the way. Who knew dead parents could be effective ice-breakers.

He cringed at the sight of melting butter but was quickly enamored by the taste. As he finished off his fourth parantha, Khushi continued to dig into the plate of jalebis.

"What did you finally decide about the offer?" he broached the topic carefully.

"Well... there are some personal dynamics involved for me but objectively I like it. Rishabh has been my boss for quite a while and I enjoy working with him. Between the partners and us, I think we have a decent chance of showcasing a credible track record and building the pipeline. What are your thoughts?"

"Similar... Just that I'd be moving from a much bigger fund to a brand new one, which is always a tough choice. I do think that the team is great."

"Does that include me as well, your royalty?" she raised an eyebrow and smirks.

"I'd say you've earned some favor" he humored her. "So by when do you think you'll make your decision?"

"I think I already like the job. It's the location that is a bit of a challenge. I'm not sure about moving to Hong Kong and there are... some things I'd like to clear out. Hopefully, by the end of next week, I'll have an answer."

Amazing....read all chapters in a go...

Loved it ....plzzz pm me ur updates...

This job is going to change their lives....yayyy...

The new job is definitely going to change their present equation n also their personal lives n I really hope that khushi get rid of that Shyam.

This is their first comfortable interaction with a sense of understanding. Hopefully more to come.

Love that their conversations are improving from hostile to civilized to acquaintances, may be friends next... I really hope that if their is any hidden truth of Shyam’s dual face, it comes out to both of them in a way bring them together..

Loving it yaar,...

Both almost at the same level professionally, trying to out do the other.

This Shyam business is creepy....

Hope you update soon. ...

Please..😊

Chapter 10 - Blur

Khushi rubbed her temple for the umpteenth time and restedher forehead on the tray table. Past seventy-two hours had been a complete blur. She looked at her hands which she believed had not stopped trembling since yesterday. Her throat was parched and stung from all the coffee and alcohol she had downed in the last couple of hours at the airport. It was marvelous how none of these people sitting merely feet away from her could not hear the screaming that wouldn’t leave her ears. The remains of her world stared back dully as share played the scene again and again. She had lost all sense of time by now and felt as if she was stuck in a time loop, cursed to watch her heart break over and over again.

She had gone to Shyam’s office to surprise him around the time she knew he’d be leaving. She had decided to wait in the lobby, sitting on one of the sofas. The place smelled strongly of lavender and shone brightly with mirrors and glass all around. She had seen him as he boarded the glass elevator from the tenth floor, dressed in a dark suit. Her eyes trailed the elevator’s descent as its doors opened and he had stepped out, still speaking to a man beside him. She had got up from her seat and started walking towards him, but someone else beat her to it. She had embraced him and he had embraced her back, looping his arm around her waist. She had introduced herself as “Anjali Manohar Jha, Shyam’s wife” to his colleague. She had stood there, rootedto the spot like an idiot. The brightness from the lobby’s walls was suddenly hurting her eyes and she felt as if she was under a very bright spotlight. It felt like she had been dropped into a scene from some cliched movie – only that she was the “other woman.” He had turned around and seen her, standing a few feet away and stumbled. He managed to stammer her name, all color draining from his face. Anjali – his wife – was quick to perceive his reaction and looked at him quizzically.

“Is this a friend of yours, baby?”

She was met with silence before Khushi had turned around and practically fled, feeling bile rise up her throat.

Shyam did not follow her.

Shyam was married. He had been married, all along. She was going to propose to a married man. He had been cheating on her and on his wife. And she had been stupid enough to be taken for a ride.

She wanted to go back to the moment and slap Shyamhard across his face. Or maybe introduce herself as his girlfriend. Or do something to lessen the humiliation she felt raging through her veins. She had boarded the first flight back, which was a day later. She realized she had no definitive memory of the whole day or pretty much anything that happened after she saw… that.

What was she now, a homewrecker? The woman on the side who destroyed a family? She froze at that thought. Did Shyam have kids? How much of shit was she really in? The nausea hit with full force and she managed to grab a paper back from the seat pocket and throw up into it.