Chapter 09:
Note: I have absolutely no idea where I am going with this. It's an output of copious amount of work, lack of sleep and my diet that doesn't include Haldiram's Nimboo Masala
Last time he checked he was CEO of a large company, semi-owned a
helicopter and had copious amount of decisions to make. Acting like
high school headmaster to take juvenile complaints by nincompoops who
cannot handle a petite girl who is absolutely witch-y and go ahead
and replace "w" by a "b",
his mind unnecessary supplied.
He hates the HR head of his
company who thought it was a bright idea for Arnav to sit on some of
grievance complaints. Coward, that HR guy was, Arnav thought
waspishly.
"So someone said mean things to you and you brought your sorry ass here to tell uncle Arnav all about it." Arnav said snidely.
"May I offer you hot chocolate and fluffy pillows while you nurse your fragile ego?" The man slunk in his chair and mumbled something under his breath. Rolling his eyes, Arnav picked up phone and called his very own superhero in heels.
"Khushi, get us two hot chocolates."
"No." Her reply was instantaneous. Arnav sighed. He had forgotten all about it - the stupid SSS.
Clearing his throat he lowered his voice to what he thought was sexy, his sub-con sniggered its ass of at this thought, and repeated his request. "Can you please come here with two hot chocolates please?"
Khushi's sigh shouldn't make him take the letter opener and turn into a homicidal letter opener slasher. LOS. It had a nice ring to it. Maybe he can start his future stellar career as a serial killer with the twit sitting in opposite chair.
"Sir, you sound constipated not sexy." Khushi said seriously. "Try again. Be growl-y, that's always sexy."
"f**k no. Get your ass down here. There is serious HR complaint against you." He banged the phone loudly and rubbed his forehead tiredly. He wondered if he could run home and slip inside comforter and binge watch House of Cards season two.
'But you promised Khushi you will watch with her. I suggested under comforter but you asked me to keep my kinky paws to myself.' He ignored his subconscious the way most normal people did.
"What?" He asked the guy who was blankly staring at Arnav and the bizarre-y nature of the conversation that took place. "What's your name again?" Arnav asks for possibly fifth time in seven minutes.
"This insect's name is Milan." Khushi walked, no, sashayed into Arnav' cabin. Milan's eyes bugged seeing Khushi who had let go of gaudy gold embellishments on her brightly colored dress. Instead she donned a white fitting blouse, pencil skirt, kitten heels and the signature bright red lipstick.
"She just did it! She insulted me again!" Milan cried. Arnav sighed.
"Sit down and shut up, Khushi," Arnav hoped that didn't come off as begging. She shrugged and did as she was told. Little victories, little miracles, Arnav thought.
"Milan here has filed a complaint against you saying you have said inappropriate things to him in an inappropriate way." Arnav parrots the complaint he is reading off a paper. "Did you?""Which time?" Khushi replied. It appalling that she is being sincere and genuinely wants to know. "Which time are you talking about Milan?" She asks the source directly.
Milan splutters for a moment before letting out stream of jumbled words which makes Arnav scratch his head and Khushi smile in realization.
"I remember now," she said happily. "I told him if I would kick him in the groin so badly that his future children will feel pain and his grandchildren will be born with a mutated gene that will give pain in...that area." She punctuates her statement with a smile. Milan shrinks further in his seat and Arnav hides the curl of his lips behind the mug.
"Okay, this is how we will resolve this. Khushi will offer a written apology which Milan will graciously accept. Khushi will bite down on insults-"
"She shouldn't be insulting me in the first place," Milan grumbled. Khushi glared at him.
"- and will refrain from making any in future when your paths cross. Till then both of you will act as adults and not like ten year old in a school yard. That's my judgment." He finishes in a flourish.
"This isn't Aap Ki Adaalat." Khushi breaks the awkward silence that follows Milan's hasty exit. "Not to mention completely unnecessary." Arnav grins at that.
"Your insults are getting creative by the day," Arnav says easily. Khushi offers him a massive smile and a thumbs-up.
"I see SSS has been launched." Arnav rakes his eyes over Khushi's profile appreciatively ignoring his subconscious wolf whistling and saying "prelude to at least four and three quarters of your deepest fantasies Arnav".
"Subliminally Seducing Secretary." Khushi finishes for him. "Bad television's favorite trope and S writers laziest way of getting two people together story arc. One of my major case study. And sir, we don't even have to go out of our way to work on this use case." Khushi flails her arm all around her and the sexiness that is present when she is still, is flushed down the nearest drain.
"Honestly, I find secretary-boss relationship a bit contrite," Arnav said stupidly.
Khushi shrugs. "It sometimes is. An ineffective, unqualified, young, extremely beautiful, annoying yet adorable, holier-than-thou attitude, copious amount of moral righteousness - these are necessary things in a secretary. And the said secretary does things she isn't supposed to, gets on wrong side of boss, gets trapped in places no one should be and acts as if she knows the best for the company and her boss. Also she gets into his personal business like its her job to fix his personal shit and for some unfathomable reason the moronic boss allows it." Arnav watches for a moment more than necessary to see if she is pulling his leg. Sadly, she isn't.
"Aaand...?" He drawls.
"I am being all of those." Khushi says seriously. "Its the ultimate way to get boss to be insanely attracted with his secretary."
Arnav stared at her open mouthed. Before he can formulate a response, she beats him to it.
"My feet hurt," she collapsed on chair and toed her silly tall heels away. "How do women wear it all the frigging time?" She grumbled under her breath.
"You can take her feet on your lap and give it a gentle massage. She will look at you under her eye lashes seductively and you will look at her like a goddess incarnate. Then you will end up together and this stupid tango of your 'IpineYouPineWeAllPine' bullshit will come to a fleeting end and this author will get a f**king life." Arnav wonders if he can reach his hand to his brain and scratch the hell out of his subconscious. "I am awesome with my creativity or what? Such an awesome reply I just supplied to you."
"Screw you." Arnav replied calmly.
"You already are screwing me, asshole."
Arnav ignored the banter in his head and offered a sympathetic smile. He picked up his neglected hot chocolate and took a long gulp which would have ended up in his stomach if Khushi hadn't opened her damn mouth.
"Do you think I should show more skin to make this use case accurate? Like opening couple of buttons of my shirt?"
So naturally some of hot chocolate ended in his windpipe and some on his shirt. Khushi was on his side instantly chiding him and wiping his mouth and shirt with handful of tissues.
"You shouldn't say things like that to me, Khushi." He reasoned.
"Who else will I talk to sir?" Khushi's face fell. Arnav felt punched for bringing that look on her face. Either that he was undergoing severe hormonal changes.
"Maybe you can talk to your girlfriend or best friend?" He tries to salvage the situation a little.
"But sir...you are my one and only boo."
"Er...what?"
"You are my friend sir. My Boo. My BFF. My bestie." She explained seriously.
'Serves your right idiot.' His subconscious sniggered. Like always, Arnav ignored it.
"So sir, you will have to tell me if I am doing this right or not, okay?" He dumbly nodded his head.
"So, should I unbutton my shirt or not?" Annoyance was back in her voice. Arnav banged his head on table.
"You are fine the way you are Khushi," he mumbles out a reply. When he lifts his head from table he sees that she has worn her heels and her legs look at least a mile long.
"Bad mind. Bad mind. Don't fantasize." He chanted silently.
"How is this look?" She cocked her head a little, hands on her hips, pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. "Gives you seduction vibes?"
Arnav couldn't suppress the girlish giggle. "It's more like 'Are you f**king kidding with me' look mashed with the look you get on your face when you see cherry pie."
Khushi scowled. "We should stay late in office today."
"It's eight in the evening," he replied.
"And you should offer to drive me home." She speaks as if his answer is ignored. She probably has ignored.
"My driver asks me why you aren't with me and if we are having a fight when you run away home early." Now its his turn to scowl.
"You should drive tonight. And the car should break down somewhere nice where we can eat dinner. Cozy place, preferably." Khushi was ticking off items from a mental list.
"I am not driving. I hate driving. We can have a hypothetical car breakdown at the address you give." Arnav countered. The entire thing was ridiculous.
Khushi thought for a moment. "That works." She replied nodding. "Oh, we have to leave now. Up. Up. Up." She skittles around him. "We are on a schedule here sir!"
"Alright, alright," he hankers and allows Khushi to push him to nearest elevator. "What's the hurry anyway?" He asks.
She presses elevator button and checks her watch again. "It's time." She looks at him and grins.
"Time for what?" He asks her, raising an eyebrow.
As if on cue, the lights in elevator dimmed and came to a complete halt few seconds later.
"Time to be trapped in a confined space and...sir? Are you alright?" Khushi's voice raised a notch when Arnav collapsed on his knees his breath hitching and eyes losing focus.
"Sir...sir?" Khushi crouched in front of him and cupped his face in her hands. "Are you claustrophobic?" She whispered. Arnav couldn't formulate a response but nods answering her question.
"Just small and dark places. If there are lights, am fine." He gasps the words out and heaves as if his chest hurt. "Thus...panic attack." He lifts his head and finishes softly, his breaths coming in short gulps of air.
Khushi runs her thumb on his cheek bone and presses her lips against his. His surprise is obvious but he over comes it when the gentle press of her lips becomes not so gentle. His arms come around and clutches her shoulder in a needy way which he doesn't care much about at the moment. She clasps his neck in return and pulls him closer to her. She coaxes him to open his mouth to which he obliges instantaneously. She absorbs his fear, his apprehension, the stress, the panic and the way both his body and mind betrayed him in a single moment. He surrenders himself completely.
When he opens his eyes, its all over, there are lights and the elevator has started to move. Khushi looks at him worriedly and he offers a small smile telling her he is fine.
"Scenario perfectly executed, or what?" They are the first words out of his mouth. Khushi smiles widely at him.
"So? Are you seduced now sir?" Khushi asks eagerly as if she is waiting for test results.
Arnav smiles warmly at her. "About eighty two percent seduced."
Khushi's face falls. She is a perfectionist and settles for nothing less than hundred percent.
"We can try some more use cases if you want," he feels like a total asshole for saying something like that, greedy in wanting to spend time with her but blame his heart for spending more time with her.
"Dude, don't blame me for your moronic decisions. Tell her what you feel about her already and this pining shit will end."
Khushi's blinding reply smile doused the common-sense provided by his subconscious.
He was completely and utterly in love with Khushi.
And Khushi only saw him as her boo.
Shit.
Poor Arnav! He is love...why cant he just tell her that. I just love this Khushi. she is too much to handle😆
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