All right now, I couldn't help but keep this scene intact, it's one of my favorites.
Chapter 14:
Outfits
"What the..."
was the only utterance of a disbelieving ASR as he watched her receding figure,
leaving through the front door. Albeit she looked lethally tired and worn out,
not an ounce of her confidence had diminished despite of all his attempts to
fail her. Khushi Kumari Gupta had dealt with all that had been dumped her way,
and that was no ordinary thing to do. All his life, Arnav Singh Raizada had not
met with such obstinacy, such fierce
obstinacy that not only made her to put herself through the grill but also
survive it, rendering him speechless. Perhaps he had underestimated his
adversary. Experience had taught him distrust and his years of such training
suggested him to doubt her real intentions. What if she was a highly trained
corporate espionage? Although, from what he could make of her, the possibility
was thin, extremely thin. He dialed a
number.
"Check her bag, make sure she doesn't take a scratch
from here." he said.
****
When she reached her home at 7:30, Khushi wasn't herself.
She failed to notice Payal standing with a glass of water for her, she was too
tired to even feel hungry, to wash her hands, to change. She simply went to her
room and threw herself on the bed falling fast asleep. Her snores could be
heard in the hall.
She woke up at around 10:00 at night to the growling in her
stomach and wetness of her own drool over her cheek. She rubbed her eyes wiping
it, "Jiji dinner?" she mumbled.
"It's waiting for you on the table, at least wash your
hands Khushi and tell me how your day was." Payal said smiling, she had
seen Khushi's brightened eyes at the mention of 'how was your day', she needn't
know anything else.
As soon as she had engulfed her first bite, there was a
knock at the door. Madhumati opened it, Khushi's eyes popped out of their
sockets when she saw him. "Shyamji...?" she exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, meet Advocate Shyam
Manoher Jha, our new paying guest. He'd be living upstairs." said Payal
grinning. Khushi's astonished self was as of yet unable to assimilate what she
just saw and heard, "You mean in
that store-room?" she blurted. Madhumati glared at her.
"Well Khushi, its relative, if you have spent years in
Rajlaxmi hostel accommodation, that store-room is no less than three star
suite." said Shyam matter-of-factly. The women laughed.
****
"I hope you'd be coming home from work early
tomorrow." Payal said, washing her sister's clothes.
"Why what's so special about tomorrow?" said a
grinning Khushi resting her hand on the bathroom's door.
Payal scowled, "Nothing. There is nothing tomorrow."
she said and began rubbing soap rigorously on Khushi's kurti. Khushi took some
water from the bucket in her palm and sprinkled it on her sister, "nothing
at all, just somebody is turning twenty four tomorrow." she chuckled.
"Think carefully, maybe it's your no-more-important
sister." Payal spat. Khushi hugged her from behind, "jiji, you are
the most important person in my life. Along with of course, Amma, babuji and
maybe even Buaji..."
"And Arnav Singh Raizada." teased Payal,
"your life seems to be centered on him now-a-days." It was Khushi's
turn to scowl. "Jiji please, don't talk about that monster now." That ridiculously good looking monster
an insidious voice called. She told her mind to shut up.
****
DAY 2
"Today's my sister's birthday, could I go home
earlier?" Khushi asked Chirag as they walked out from well...the elevator, to the first floor.
"Well if ASR permits you."
A few steps away from them, very much in earshot, was ASR
entering his cabin, a cynical sneer casting upon his well defined features. I'll see to it that you don't. He mused.
She stood in his cabin, her hands behind her back, staring
at him, waiting to be given her first task for the day. She wore a maroon
cotton salwar-kameez, in case they made her run like yesterday, at least she
wouldn't be sweating.
"What's my name?" he said suddenly, snapping her
back in attention. She kept on staring at him, blinking intermittently. He
lifted his head up from the papers he was reading and turned to his left to
face her, "I asked you something."
"Sir you forgot your name?" she said in mocking
incredulity.
"Just answer to what you have been asked." he said
gruffly.
"Arnav Singh Raizada." Khushi muttered gritting
her teeth.
"My name's not a cuss word, say it properly please." he retorted raising an eye brow, as if
reading her mind.
Khushi faked a smile, "Arnav Singh Raizada." she
pronounced with an equally fake sweetness.
"That's better. I don't like anything extra, neither
extra people, nor extra sweetness. And definitely no extra a's in my
name." he said and held out a document for her. She took it. It was a
single sheet, an A4 size, printed on both the sides. "The document in your
hand contains an incorrect spelling of my name, every time it appears. It says
Arna-av instead of Arnav. You'll cut the entire name with a pencil, in all the
places in this letter, and write my correct spelling just above the incorrect
ones."
"That's it?" Khushi chirped, hardly believing her
good luck.
His gaze returned to her face, "When that's done, you
do the same with these." he said, lifting a huge bundle of not less than
two thousand pages, tied with a plastic thread from under his table and dumped
it like garbage in Khushi's outstretched hands. Khushi hadn't known that a
bundle of pages could be THIS heavy! As the unexpected weight fell on her
hands, she dropped it on Arnav's lap, unable to balance it. He gave her an
impertinent look but sensing her hesitation, picked the pile from his lap with
three fingers beneath the knot of the thread and held it out for her, his gaze
fixed on his table. She took it and walked out of the room clumsily, almost
tripping twice before she could reach the lift.
****
"The number of times his name appears in one document
is equal to fifteen," Khushi moaned, "multiply this by...," she
slapped her forehead looking at the pile, "twenty five hundred,
approx...gives thirty seven thousand
five hundred." she gasped. "This man needs a psychiatrist."
she said so loud that a few heads turned to look at her.
If given a choice Khushi Kumari Gupta aka Glitters would
vehemently nod her head in agreement that she would prefer tiring herself out
running around and sweating than tiring herself out satisfying the bloated ego
of a narcissist called Arnav Singh Raizada. She wondered if she had even
written a total of thirty thousand words all her life till present date. She
stopped counting after 997, seeing more than half the pile remaining. Annoyed
with her own perpetual yawning, she almost dozed off, her head hitting the
table till she was so miserable that she couldn't even afford to shut her eyes
as all her closed eyes saw was A-r-n-a-v written all over a paper. She looked
up and saw the word 'Arnav' floating everywhere. If asked her name, she'd
probably reply Arnav. If she'd ever pick a pen or pencil again, she'd certainly
end up writing only one word - Arnav. After more than half the pile was done,
she wondered whether she really recognized any letter apart from A,R,N & V.
Wasn't this exactly what he wanted? How big could somebody's ego be? His was certainly
as big as this office! She thought grumpily.
She received calls from Buaji and Amma telling her to be
home early. Helplessly she dialed her helpline- "Could you do me a one
more favor? Could you get a cake arranged before I am back?"
"Sure princess, don't worry your head with it."
was the lawyer's reply.
Wow at least I have
somebody to call a friend, she mused. From 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, all she had
done was write 'Arnav'. She got up finally when only a few pages remained. Her
fingers swollen and she felt thorns pricking the sole of her sleepy feet. She
went to the lady's room and splashed cold water on her face. What an idiot the
poor honest girl was! He was definitely NOT going to check each page.
She rushed back to her desk and saw Lavanya lifting a few
pages from her completed pile. "Stop." she yelled, snatching back the
pages, "it's my work." she said slowly and then gasped looking at
Lavanya's tensed face. She looked like she hadn't slept properly, but should
that matter? She still looked pretty as hell. "Oh, my naive
Glitters," she said hoarsely, "you really think ASR is making you do
something useful? I need some waste papers, okay?" she said putting the
papers back. A moment later a peon appeared and took the entire pile from
Khushi's table. "Give it to ASR sir." she told him. He didn't seem to
hear her.
****
Khushi didn't know what the commotion all about was. Why was
Lavanya crumpling and throwing the pages of her hard work, swearing on somebody
inside her cabin? Whom were these silly girls talking about, passing each other
envious glances. Why were all the men looking like...well whatever should that
expression be called?
Then she saw her
and understood it all. Her tantrums could be heard from the door, Khushi stood
on her toes to see who it was. Her jaw dropped, and eyes blinked idiotically.
She previously thought Lavanya was the prettiest girl she had seen...certainly
the previously held opinion now that
she had seen her.
"Who's that?" she asked a girl standing beside
her. "Don't you know?" said the girl as if somewhat offended by the
question, "She's Lisa, Lisa Sheldon, the Californian supermodel". Ash
blonde wavy hair thrown fantastically at one side, she was nearly six feet tall
and walked with such confidence that made Khushi feel like dig a burrow and
hide in it. Highlighted eyes and plush red lips, she wore a ball blue strapless
cocktail dress and carried an exquisite looking fur coat in her hand. Something
which Khushi absolutely needed, this room felt so cold today. Wait, was Lisa
too feeling cold or who needs a fur coat in this season, in India? Unless it
was the latest vogue to carry fur coats in your hands as an accessory. Indeed,
it looked so cool on her, she thought as Lisa handed it to a girl walking with
her. The girl placed it on a table, "STOP, you idiot!" Lisa screamed,
"You'd spoil my darling." the girl began to tremble and took it in
her hands again.
ASR walked in through the rear door. "Hi Lisa, I hope
you had a comfortable journey." he said coldly. Perhaps that was the warmest
greeting he could offer. Lisa's expressions changed from frown to flirtatious
as she threw her arms around him, "Oh, Arnie...I missed you." he
returned her gesture mechanically, not uttering a single word. Khushi turned to
see Lavanya angrily stomping back to her cabin, as Lisa held her boyfriend in
her embrace for longer than necessary. ASR, as usual looked unaffected as he
pulled back from her hug. Was he made of stone or what?
"Oh gosh Arnie, is it you or your cologne, simply irresistible."
she said lightly sniffing the collar of his suit. Collective sighs could be
heard.
Lavanya was a hundred times better than this, hands down!
Khushi decided.
"Hey ASR," said a guy Khushi hadn't seen before,
wearing a stylish pulled out check shirt and tattered jeans and a stole around
his neck, "I guess you'd have to employ someone specially to take care of
Lisa's coat or this shoot ain't happenin' " he said grinning at the
supermodel. Lisa pouted her lips, "It's the only one of its kind in the
world." she said sharply.
"I know one person who'd treasure it more than her
life." said ASR that oh-so-dreadful sneer planting itself on his lips
again, "Ms. Gupta." he called out and turned to face Khushi. She
jumped from her seat, still blinking rapidly, ASR took the only-one-of-its-kind
coat to Khushi, "Till the shoot is over, you keep this safely in your
hands." he said imperatively, handing it to her. Khushi took it and was
about to sit in her chair when he interjected, "No, you don't get to sit.
You will stand like a statue, holding this. With
utmost care." he whispered near her ear teasingly. She blinked.
"Un..aa, don even blink." he said smirking igniting her walnut eyes.
"How long will it take?" she managed to ask. "A few hours, maybe
three...maybe four...maybe..." he said waving his hand and walked away.
****
Day one, he makes her run till all the possible joints in
her legs pain, day two he gets her legs jammed when they beg to be able to move
and then he makes her stand for hours on jammed legs, what animosity he harbored for her poor legs? She lamented. After
two hours of standing, she looked restlessly at the stylish man with a stole
around his neck who now she knew to be the photographer.
"How long is
this man going to click pictures of those three inched clothes." she
grumbled, throwing a disapproving glance at Lisa's negligible red garb, clad in
which the model was giving the most awkward(according to Khushi) possible poses
for the camera. Khushi checked out the banner the eleventh time, rolling her
eyes at the ironic claim of the company, 'The Indian Look - Calendar Launch by
AR' when there was nothing about the shoot that resembled Indian ethnicity.
"There I go." she mumbled yawning uncontrollably,
so sleepy that when she shut her eyes, for once she didn't see the five letter
cuss word 'Arnav' strewn over pages, for Khushi Kumari Gupta was one creature
who could sleep while standing!
She woke up with a start as she felt something move beside
her. The next moment one of her nightmares came true. She stared at the
obnoxious orange stain on the expensive grey fur, horrified. How did this
happen? Sneaking in a corner was Sim holding a glass of orange juice, she threw
the glass in a trashcan behind her.
Khushi checked her watch, 7:45, the shoot would be over
anytime soon. Panic stricken she dashed out of the room towards the restroom.
She held the coat under running water, applied all the soap in the dispenser
frantically. Fifteen minutes passed in the futile exercise as the stain turned
into a dirtier color. The battle with the stain lost, she walked slowly towards
the studio. Lisa was still getting her hair fixed for another round of shots
when she saw Khushi enter. Her eyes drifting instantaneously down at her now
dripping only-one-of-its-kind fur coat. "What did you do with it?"
she shrieked, her voice high pitched with disbelief. For once the camera was
switched off as all the faces in the studio turned to face Khushi. Commotion
followed. The photographer sighed, "There she goes." A frantic Lavanya
dialed ASR. "I think you need to come ASR, there's a crisis." she
said nervously.
"Can't you handle it yourself, the shoot's your
headache." he said irritably.
"No, I can't handle a hysteric Lisa." she said
bluntly.
The obstreperous transformed into pin drop silence as ASR
walked in the studio. Khushi gulped, predisposed to face the music. "Look
Arnie what has this girl done to me." said Lisa, teary eyed. ASR held her
spoiled possession in front of Khushi, "Explain this." he commanded.
"S...sir, I swear.." Khushi stammered, "I
didn't do it."
"Then who did?"
"I...I don't know sir, I was holding it ...and then I
saw...I swear sir, ...I even washed it with a lot of soap..."
"Wait!" Lisa cried, "You put a 2 cent soap
over my million dollar coat." she said incredulously, her voice trembling
in hysteria, "Wow..." she grabbed a pair of scissors from the table
cut through it. "My baby, I am sorry but can't see you ruined." she
said softly to the inanimate object. "That's it, sorry Arnie but I am in
too much distress to shoot any further." saying that she stomped her foot
on the ground and darted for the exit. Lavanya went after her, "wait Lisa,
we have an agreement..."
"Let it be, Lavanya." said ASR, unmoved. Lavanya
glowered at Khushi, "You Glitters, this wasn't done. What are we doing now
ASR, Lisa's gone and we have the Calendar Launch coming next week? There's
hardly anything done."
His fierce eyes darted over Khushi, one could almost see two
holes burning through poor Ms Khushi Kumari Gupta, she was so dead. He walked
menacingly towards her, making her retract. "S..sir, it happened by
mistake...sir I didn't" she whimpered.
"Look ASR, I need to leave in an hour, so I'd like to
know the status of this shoot, I mean if you could..." said the photographer.
"The shoot is on Jeff." asserted ASR, his gaze
fixed on Khushi's face. "Bring the remaining costumes." he ordered.
He grabbed a dress not caring to take his eyes off Khushi, and held it in front
her. "You'll wear this and complete the photo shoot. Now." he said sharply throwing the neon blue dress at her, she
caught it avoiding it from hitting her in the face.
She stared at it appalled, never having seen
before such obscenely short apparel. She
shook it to check it's length, disgusted to find that it could barely cover her
thighs if she ever wore it, backless with a disgustingly low front, "I
can't wear this sir." she said sounding offended.
"Just shut up, you spoiled my couture at Lucknow and
now I won't let somebody's idiocy ruin this one." he berated.
"But...sir..." she protested.
"Look guys, let's think it over, we can do
something." Jeff intervened to rescue the poor girl from ASR's temper run.
"Nope all's decided." said ASR and then charged at
Khushi, "Go change."
She shook her head. His jaw tightened, "If it weren't
for the contract I would have thrown you out of here long back, if you refuse
to do as I tell you to, you should resign." and then slightly narrowing
his eyes, "and anyway, whatever be the reason, you are fond of being on TV, aren't you?" he said
furtively.
Khushi grimaced, clutching the dress moved towards the
change room, hapless.
****
Luck had a sinister fascination with failing her, she was
convinced. "Why, why Devi Maiyya always me?" she complained throwing another
disgusted glance at the 'dress' ASR had thrown on her. "Indian look launch
they say, what's Indian about this? Unless ASR guy is planning to revive
fashion from Harrappan civilization..."
"What if I don't come out of this room ever...?"
she wondered.
***
Akash entered the studio watching ASR leave in a furry,
"What's up?" he asked Jeff, looking at the banner which had been
initially his idea. ASR had given him
the project three months ago; Akash's vision for it had been completely
different. But his 'no-sizzle' ideas had been unable to generate a stir in the
industry, even his Rohit Bal collection couldn't help his cause which now hung
somewhere in one of the stores of the office. He had to then seek for his
cousin's guidance who involved the Californian bombshell in the project and the
next thing he knew was "Lisa Sheldon posing for AR's coveted Calendar
Shoot" strewn all over the national dailies. Now that's marketing, Akash sighed.
"Hey, isn't that what Akash had proposed..."Jeff's
undertone snapped Akash out his thoughts as he saw a petite frame of a girl
draped in one of the saris from the Rohit Bal collection. Shy and hesitant as
she walked down towards them, somehow reminding him of a girl he had seen that
fateful day in a forgotten lane...
Lavanya Kashyap visibly cringed at the sight. "What were you
told to wear you doofus? If ASR finds you have defied his orders he'd splinter
that head of yours into pieces. Idiot. I can't understand why he got you into
this." she said fuming.
"I told you ma'am, I can't wear that thing." she
said staring at the ground. There while she had been stuck in the change room
she had looked around for something decent to change into when she found this
simple yet elegant red sari on a hanger. The blouse was too bold yet a thousand
times better than what she chose to call the 'Harappan outfit'. She donned it,
ready to face the consequences.
"Stop using your own brain Glitters!" Lavanya
screamed.
"Since I have one, I can't stop using it. Look at your
banner, it says 'Indian Look' but there was nothing Indian about the clothes
you gave." she said quietly, "clothes are to conceal not
reveal." she didn't know how that line got into her head, but it did and
she said it.
"Shut your f**king mouth up Glitters, what the hell do
you know about fashion?" Lavanya barked.
"Wait Lavanya," chimed in Jeff, "I see a
point in what she says, and this outfit is stunning." he said looking
intently at Khushi, "I want to see you in the lights, excuse me guys
please, move away..." he gestured Lavanya and Akash, "Would you
please move in the center Ms, okay all lights out only the highlights on."
he instructed.
****
The strongest blazes
are often kindled by the most unexpected sparks. Arnav entered through the
opposite door, talking on his phone as she turned slowly to face the camera.
Her waist length hair was let loose, open and they blew gently as the blower
was turned on. Arnav stood where he was, stupefied the moment his eyes fell on
her. Unable to come at terms with what he beheld his gaze traced down from her
face to her toes and up, a quietness engulfing everything around him. He failed
to see anything beyond her, the grace with which her hair cascaded down her
back, the grace in how her locks blew over her face, her stunning fair
complexion, golden in flood lamps, the fiery red of her attire sparking fiery
emotions in him. His heart ached to betray his brain, her raw beauty caging his
sight for an eternally drawn moment when his eyes refused to leave her. In a
world that he hadn't known, he found himself walking in her direction.
A random gust of wind blew the sari off her shoulder, giving
him glimpses of prominent collar bones, incredibly
sexy, told his heart. Her hands darted to catch hold of the fallen flimsy
fabric, putting it back in place as her eyes were forced to meet his and abashed
by the unnerving intensity of his gaze that had no malice in it for the first
time, just plain intensity. She hoped to see the anger in his eyes that she
always saw, fuddled when she found none. Her world now lost in the unfathomable
fervor in his chocolate brown oculus, scaring her more than his anger ever did.
A strange anxiety was felt that made her heart jump in puzzled activity. His
brows furrowed in subtle amazement, watching her flickering doe eyes.
"Look ASR what this girl has done." Lavanya's cry
pulled him out of his trance. The moment was gone. His eyes were frigid again,
"What did I tell you?" his voice confounded with anger and rejection,
"go and wear the apparel I gave you." he said clenching his teeth,
"No more of your nonsense." Khushi stood dumbfounded at the sudden
change in his demeanor, hurt reflected in her eyes. Suddenly she felt so much
hurt as tears threatened to brim.
"Look, ASR I have an idea," Jeff intervened again,
"this girl has a point, I mean I already have a lot of Lisa's shots taken,
and a touch tradition makes complete sense to me. Although your decision is
final, but for me this is a perfect combo, what do you say Akash?"
"Well, whatever Bhai thinks to be the best, but in my
opinion I always loved this classic traditional look. I mean, it would be
different from all others, and that it'll be great for our calendar..."he
paused, "let's do it" he said earnestly.
Jeff checked his watch, "see I have forty minutes, so
it's up to you ASR, shoot or no shoot."
ASR would not agree if you told him, but his brother's and
photographer's mutiny was not something unwelcome at the moment. He stared down
at her again, "Fine. Go ahead." was his crisp reply as he turned on
his heels to walk away. But not completely, as he tilted his head back paying
her beauty the last tribute glancing sidelong at her, putting her in a fix
again, unable to decide whether she was only offended or just hurt or had felt
something eerie, a likeness in his presence.
****
Edited by cineraria - 9 years ago
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