# 1 FF: THE SEED OF PASSION- Chapters 1 to 8 - Page 51

Chapter 5

The Farmhouse Run!

"OMG!" Khushi exclaimed loudly and clamped her palm to her mouth.

"What happened?!!" Arnav looked at her with concern. Following the direction of her gaze he was about to look behind his back, when she said in an urgent whisper.

"Don't, don't, don't, look back Arnav!" And saying that Khushi gobbled up the last bit of pizza on her plate in her nervousness.

"What the! Why?!!"

"Arrey baba! That massive guy, with the ugly cockroach tattoo on his neck, is sitting two tables behind us! There is a girl with him in a pretty blue dress! Maybe they are celebrating Valentine's Day!" Khushi whispered in a conspiratorial tone!

"What crap!Uss s**** ki to aisi ki taisi!" growled Arnav. Khushi's jaws dropped as she heard Arnav utter the Hindi slang and before she could stop him he had jumped up from his seat and was walking towards the guy.

"Arnav! No!" Khushi rushed after him in terror! She did not want that huge guy to knock him down! But her eyes popped out at what happened next!

Arnav's damdar (solid) punch caught Rocky unawares and he lost his balance and hit the floor!

Thud!! He lay sprawling on the floor!

There was a hush in the coffee shop.

"OMG!" Khushi cried, as Rocky tried to get up, "Arnav run!"

"No way!" he stood his ground.

"She's right. Get lost before the security guards come charging in!" the girl in the blue dress addressed Arnav. "I am delighted you hit him or I would have done so! Slimey b******! He was trying to get fresh with me!"

Arnav grinned. But before he could reply he felt a tug on his sleeve and a few moments later found himself being dragged outside the coffee shop by Khushi.

"Khushi what are you doing?!"

"Arnav are you mad. Cant't you see the security guards are closing in on us?"

"I am ASR!! They dare not touch me!!" he said in great style.

He is such a pompous ass Khushi thought!

"Achha baba you are the greatest! But that means you will be the Breaking News' on all TV news channels today! So run!!" Khushi pushed him towards the stairs.

"Yes you are right! Dadi would blow her fuse and Di would be be so worried!" Arnav said and then taking her hand he started running down the stairs!The two hurtled down the stairs and did not stop till they had reached the bottom ! Then hand in hand they ran out of the store at break neck speed and jumped into the SUV!

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Khushi ordered Arnav as he fastened hers and his own seatbelt.

The tyres screeched as Arnav reversed the vehicle, almost bumped into another car parked behind him, and then steering clear of the parking space speeded the SUV!

All the while Khushi kept a watch at the door of the store but no one was chasing them!

"Yay! We escaped," she clapped her hands in glee.

Arnav looked at her and grinned boyishly, his eyes shining.

"Khushi tum paagal ho par cute ho!" Arnav smirked. (Khushi you are mad but cute!)

"Arnav tum poorey paagal ho par bilkul bhi cute nahi ho!" Khushi guffawed in return. (Arnav you are totally mad and not cute at all!)

"But Arnav what about the gifts to Salmanji?" Khushi had an afterthought.

"Don't worry. Aman has already got them picked up from the store." Arnav winked.

"Yep!" Khushi punched the air!

Arnav smiled. It was such a deightful feeling to see her so thrilled! And he was glad he was responsible for the flushed happiness on her face.

Khushi's phone rang... "Chalo maiyya ke bhavan bhavan bhavan!!"

It got disconnected but not before Arnav almost jumped out of his skin!

"What the! What sort of ringtone is that!"

"Really Arnav!" Khushi reprimanded him. "It is Devi Maiyya's tune! All the girls in my hostel used to make fun of it, but I convinced everyone that it was best for their peace of mind and now everyone has downloaded it!

"Unbelievable!" Arnav muttered under his breath.

Her phone rang again. It was NK.

She pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello hello NK! Yes speak loudly...Oh! Valentine's Day I know...but I am away...yes sure we will meet up when I get back!"

Khushi threw back her head and laughed. "He! He! NK!Valentine barbad nahi, Valentine abaad ho! Tumhari Hindi kab sudhregi?! Ha! Ha! Okay bye. See you!" (Not down with Valentine, but long live Valentine! When will your Hindi improve?!)

"Whom were you speaking to?" Arnav snapped as soon as Khushi disconnected the line.

Khushi was rather taken back at the brusqueness in his voice.

"NK, my school friend. He is the one who took me to the skydiving club."

"Oh and left you to die mid air! And now he is your Valentine??!" Arnav gritted his teeth.

"Really Arnav! It was an accident, not NK"s fault! And a friend is also a Valentine, samjhe tum?"

"I am now your friend. Am I your Valentine?" pat came Arnav's response.

Khushi hesitated, "Yes in a way!"

Arnav smirked. He liked that, it gave him a sense of...he wasn't sure what! He shrugged his shoulders.

"We are here Khushi! Arnav braked the SUV in front of an old low sprawling farmhouse with huge French windows and a wide porch.

He turned to look at her and found her sleeping. Her head was resting against the window pane and soft tendrils of her hair had escaped from her braid and were caressing her cheeks...Lukewarm rays of the setting sun played with her face gently, highlighting her long thick eyelashes, lending shine to her cheeks, and glossing her pink lips...

Arnav looked at her mesmerized! He did not have the heart to wake her up. So he got to her side of the car and opening the door carefully, unfastened her seatbelt and scooped her up in his arms.

A short stout man, wearing a Nepali cap came running out from the outhouse.

"Salaam Chhotey Saahib! Sab mangal, kushal?" (Sir, is everything fine with you?)

Arnav nodded and gestured to him to get the bags from the boot.

The main door stood ajar and Arnav kicked it open wide. He immediately looked down at Khushi, afraid he had woken her up. But he hadn't. Rather she had snuggled up against the crook of his neck and was smiling peacefully in sleep.

Arnav walked to the guest room and lay her down on the bed gently.

But as he tried to pull back he felt a jerk and nearly fell over her! Her fingers were tightly curled around the lapel of his shirt!

Her lips were inches away from his...and this familiar urge to drink her succulent lips washed over him again...!

Arnav quickly brushed away her fingers away from his shirt, and moved away from the bed!

He ran his fingers through his hair... Arnav take control of your senses. She is a friend, nothing else he chided himself!

He closed the door behind him and sighed. "Get a cup of very strong black coffee for me Bahadur and tell the painters to come and meet me tomorrow morning. I must get the work started as soon as possible."

"Haan Chottey Saahib," Bahadur murmured and rushed into the kitchen to make coffee for his benefactor. (Yes, sir)

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In Sheeshmahal a man was rocking to and fro on his old sturdy rocking chair. On his Iphone he was looking at the picture of Arnav and Khushi in the coffee shop intently.

"So who did you say was with Arnav?" Ajit Mallik asked the woman seated across his desk.

"A girl named Khushi."

"And she is not one of your girls?"

"No, Sir," the woman, once a Miss India beauty pageant winner said.

"What the bloody hell am I paying you for?" Ajit Mallik banged his fist on the table. His eyes were blood shot.

"My nephew should not get attached to any single woman. He should in his mind feel convinced he is a philanderer like his father ...wasn't that the deal?" Ajit roared .

"Yes Sir but..." the woman was visibly shaken.

"Stop giving excuses...and replace this girl with your own trusted girl! That's it! Now get out!" Ajit gulped down his drink and frowned.

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At the farmhouse, Arnav was standing in the middle of a huge hall at the other end of the huge building. He looked sadly at the grime on the walls, the torn draperies, the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, the thick layer of dirt on the floor...

"Its like a ghost room!" Khushi spoke up from the door.

"My sleeping beauty," Arnav murmured taking in her tousled hair and drowsy eyes. "Well yes. It was my Dadaji's (grandfather's) favourite party place. After his death Dadi locked it. And it has been like this since. But now, you have to convert this into a grand ballroom befitting Prince Charming and Cinderella!" Arnav rolled his eyes.

"You are confusing your fairy tales Arnav...Sleeping Beauty...Cinderella...Ratna aunty would have been disappointed." Khushi grinned at him.

"Maa knew...Fairytales don't exist in real life Khushi. So what do I care! Just get this work done." Arnav was about to brush past Khushi when she caught hold of his arm.

"Arnav once this is done, can I work on RM?" Khushi asked with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"RM?" Arnav was surprised. "Yes I will expand the building, but not now, later."

"Okay whenever you do please let me lay a garden leading from your room! Then you can place all your plants there instead of lining them up in the corridor leading to the staircase. I almost broke my neck stumbling over your plants when I had gone to collect my darts!" Khushi pouted.

"In fact, I think it would be splendid if you built a garden with a lovely pool leading from your room!" Khushi's eyes glistened with excitement as she imagined the beautiful pool and garden in her mind's eye.

Arnav stared at her. "Whatever..." he shrugged his shoulders.

Will my pool sparkle like her eyes, he wondered as he walked away from her.

He couldn't help but look back. She was speaking agitatedly on her mobile, "Uff fo! Buaji! Haan Haan, Kal Shivratri hain! Accha hum pooja karengey! Par humey Shivji jaisa badhiya pati milega na??! Pakka buaji?!!"

(Yes Buaji tomorrow is Shiv Ratri! I will certainly pray. But will I get a wonderful husband like Lord Shiva? Are you sure, Buaji?!!)

"Paagal (Mad)!"...Arnav murmured softly.

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