Arhi SS : Chemistry #1 [ Completed ] - Page 10

Arhi SS : Chemistry - Part 2

Arnav Singh Raizada typed furiously on his iPhone, sending mails to his assistant to initiate various jobs. His right hand man, Jai Mehta, was efficient and reticent like his boss. However, the boss in concern was stern only in terms of work. He was in the ASR mode, the moment he stepped into the Raizada Corp. office. He was popular for his professionalism and quick wit, when it came to business. That was one of the main reasons; his father had conveniently handed over the entire responsibility of the huge business empire, on his raw shoulders, years ago.

The sedan moved slowly through the crowded roads of Mumbai. The meeting was going to be held at the Gupta Industries office in Nariman Point. And considering the fact that his office was close enough, made him a little relieved. Travelling in the crazy Mumbai traffic, wasted precious working time. Arnav was particular about his working hours. He worked meticulously from nine to six, sometimes, without even breaking for lunch. But post six, he would hit the gym, or meet up with friends to rewind the stress of the day.

While studying at Harvard, he had acquired their working culture and had conveniently made it his way of living. Work and personal life needed a good balance, and he made sure to train his employees accordingly. That was on of the main reasons; the Raizada Corp. was the most sought after working places in Mumbai. Arnav looked at the changing skyline of Mumbai, from the Worli sealink. The city that barely had a few sky-rises a decade ago, now seemed to be bursting with towering buildings.

He closed his eyes, thinking about the meeting on hand. He knew his father had met Shashi uncle and Garima aunty, at an NGO they worked for. That is where the friendship had initiated, slowly transforming it into a business partnership. He had met both the Guptas at one of the NGO gatherings and was pleased to be acquainted with them... especially Garima aunty. She reminded him of his mother. A man starving for motherly affection was always drawn to someone like her, who had love, to give in abundance.

His Nani, Devyani Malik, had done her best to not let him feel the void of a mother's love. However, after losing his mother at the young age of fourteen, he had been devastated and silently craved the warmth of that loving hand. He had seen his father lose focus on his work... on his life, at the loss of his wife. His young mind had thus, made up the decision of never depending on anyone, emotionally. Love always weakened the brave and he never wanted to feel the same way, as he did, after his mother's loss.

His thoughts then shifted to the beautiful woman he had seen a glimpse of, at one of the business parties, over a year ago. A simple, fleeting glimpse was enough for him, to keep her in memory. She was engaged to Nandkishore Mittal, then. He had completely forgotten about her. Only when his father and Shashi uncle had spoken to him about merging their businesses, had he thought about what Khushi Gupta would think of this business alliance.

He knew she was a force to reckon with, and it would be easy to respect her at work. However, he was worried if their working styles would match. She had always worked with people she knew... first her father and then her fiance. Would she accommodate, to work with an unknown man, who would have an equal say in every decision she made? Her broken relationship added to his woes. A wounded tigress was not very easy to work with. Had her sour relationship, embittered her towards all men?

A lot of questions stirred across his mind, as he prepared for the impending conference. It was the first joint meeting of Gupta Industries and Raizada Corps. Their fathers would thankfully be present, to overlook the basic introduction of the two companies with each other. To begin with, they had decided to merge one division of each company, to see if it this merger is feasible. Arnav for sure knew, that it would strengthen their market value and benefit both the Raizadas as well as the Guptas.

Arnav's phone buzzed, flashing his father's name across the screen. He swiftly slid the screen to take the call, "Ya dad... yeah. I am on my way. Should be there in fifteen... Yes, we are ready. No, no. It is good that you and Shashi uncle will be present. It will be better this way. I will not have to give you a download then... Yes dad! I will be cordial to Ms. Gupta. I will not unleash my ASR avatar on her... atleast not yet... I promise! Ok now I am almost there. See you in five." He cut the call and shook his head at the string of instructions; his father had fired at him. Dads will always remain bossy... even after handing over all the responsibilities to the sons.

Arnav took the elevator to the 12^th floor, where they meeting was supposed to be held. His father was already present and he could not wait to get this new merger started. New ideas always excited him and if it meant working with a hot woman, he could not ask for anything more. As he made his way through the door directed to him by one of the Gupta employees, he was taken aback at the almost full table. Was he late for the meeting? The table was set, along with the projector. He quickly glanced at the number of people seated.

One side of the table was full, with the Guptas and their employees, while his father, his assistant and his secretary occupied the other side. Everyone seemed to be engrossed into their roles at this particular moment. Walking in swiftly, he greeted his father and then Shashi uncle, who made the much-needed introductions. "Arnav, meet Khushi Gupta, my daughter, who will be working closely with you." Arnav smiled genuinely, seeing a pair of twinkling hazel eyes.

She took his hand, which he had outstretched to greet her and said, "Its nice to meet you Mr. Raizada." The simple touch had him feeling electrocuted. Her velvety soft hand, the beautiful face and the luminous eyes were enough to distract him. After a few seconds of being completely lost in the woman who stood before him, he heard his father clearing his throat multiple times. That is when he realized that he had not let go off her hand as yet, and if he was correct, the red splotches on her cheeks meant that she was blushing at his action.

Taking a deep breath, he controlled his erratic thoughts and blamed his diabetes for the lapse in concentration. He must have definitely forgotten to take his medicines, which made him feel a little dizzy and disoriented. Focusing on the task at hand, he settled into a seat across Khushi. The presentation began, with the employees of GI, giving details about their various divisions, the functioning of the company and their future plans.

Arnav was impressed with the confidence and precision of their presentation. He had been mesmerized, while Khushi had been making a part of the presentation. She was beautiful, graceful, smart, focused on her work and looked extremely sexy when she got into this serious mode. Arnav shook his head to clear his thoughts, once again. Abbey! Tu kya kar raha hai yaar!! He chided himself. It was not always, that Arnav Singh Raizada lost control of his mind in regard to his heart.

To his annoyance, she seemed to be completely at ease and unaffected by his presence. Self-doubt reared its ugly head, surprising him of how his charm did not seem to be working on this particular woman. After a couple of hours of intense discussions, the lunch was served. Arnav had to give it to the Guptas for planning this meeting to perfection. He liked perfectionists and he liked their boss even more, with each passing minute.

After lunch, it was time for the Raizadas to present their side of the business. Arnav got to the task at hand with impeccable professionalism. His ASR instincts had taken over and he walked the Guptas through the entire workings of Raizada Corp. He often glanced at Khushi to gauge her reactions, and was impressed to see her completely involved in the task of taking notes. Despite having her assistants in the room, she herself was noting down key points, possibly preparing herself for the Q & A session.

After two more grueling hours of presentations, they broke for tea and snacks. The atmosphere in the room had now become more casual, with both the teams knowing exactly where they were headed. Seeing that their missions and goals were similar, had eased the minor discomfort from the beginning. The teams seemed to have bonded better, and Arnav's camaraderie with Khushi seemed to have improved under the influence of their fathers.

All in all, by the time the meeting was adjourned, everyone seemed to be happy with the outcome. Everyone shook hands at the formalization of this joint venture and started leaving the boardroom. Ajay Raizada and Shashi Gupta were the first ones to make their way out, followed by Arnav's team. Arnav lingered around, to have a quick word with Khushi. He wanted to ask her out, for a casual lunch, to break ice between them. He wanted to begin working on a friendly note and thought it to be the best way. It's a date, his heart goaded.

Khushi and Aman were just leaving the room when Arnav spoke, "Can I have a word with you Ms. Gupta?" She halted in her tracks and whirled around to look at him. "Sure," she said casually, nodding at Aman, who was waiting for an indication, if he was needed. When the door was once again closed, Arnav walked around the table and said, "It was a brilliant beginning Ms. Gupta, and I am hoping, it will be equally good to work together." She smiled at him and nodded in agreement, her smile blinding him momentarily.

He felt a weird breathlessness around her and wondered if it had got anything to do with not being with a woman for a while. His casual dating records had been terrible, unlike how the media portrayed them to be. Women threw themselves at him, and he had been caught unaware while the reporters clicked those snazzy pictures. He hated the media for always ruining his image and making Nani scream at him unnecessarily. It was trouble to the poor old woman, and more trouble to his poor ears. She did not take such pictures lightly; despite his father trying to intervene each time this happened.

Anyways, getting back to the current scenario, Arnav felt oddly uncomfortable asking her out, wondering if she would take it in the correct way and not misunderstand him. That added to the uneasy silence, which engulfed them in the conference room. Arnav realized, that due to his inner turmoil, he had barely spoken and kept staring at her unabashedly. She fidgeted with her laptop as he said, "I was thinking, why don't we go out for lunch tomorrow afternoon? What say?"

The casual manner of his question had a very unusual reaction from her. Her lips formed a perfect alphabet "O", and her eyes rounded in shock. Had his question come out that blunt? He kicked himself mentally and rushed to rectify his mistake... "I mean Ms. Gupta... I was thinking, if it would be a good idea to get to know each other better as it would benefit our working relationship. I was merely thinking of breaking the ice and not asking you on a date." It is a date, his heart intervened again.

He saw various emotions flitting across her face, as she pondered over his idea. Then suddenly as clear as her spotless skin was, her eyes brightened and she spoke softly, "Well, sure. Lets just try and be friends... maybe it would make things easier at work." Her answer thrilled him beyond understanding, as he rushed towards her with his hand forward, to shake it and seal the deal. However, too many things happened within the next moment, that made things worse that what they had been.

He tripped over the wheel of the chair, grabbing anything that was in front of him for support. And to his sheer embarrassment, his one hand held onto Khushi's slender shoulder, while the other hand rested on her right breast. Breast! f**k! She stood too shocked to move. Her eyes had now rounded to the maximum limit and he wondered if they could get any bigger. However, he had more pressing matters at hand... literally. He steadied himself and pulled his hand away as if scarred by the mere heat of the object within. Object? Really? Hmmm... soft object... perfect object!

Clearing his head he rushed to apologize, "I am so so sorry. I didn't mean to... I hmmm... just tripped and my hand happened to... I mean... I am so sorry Ms. Gupta." He saw Khushi overcome the initial shock as she stiffly nodded and mumbled a quick, "Its ok, Mr. Raizada," before rushing out of the room. Shit! He had ruined everything. Now things had gotten even more awkward and he wasn't sure how to deal with this whole mess. Damn the chair and his shoes. Arnav Sigh Raizada does not trip!! Ever! What had happened to him? Falling all over a girl, like the female lead of Nani's favourite TV show.

He ran a shaky hand through his hair and realized that it was the same hand which had held onto Khushi's bre... Stop! He tried to control his wayward thoughts. Even though it felt really good, it was highly inappropriate. He controlled his jumpy hormones and cursed loudly to express his frustration over the situation. Storming out of the boardroom, he had quickly made his way out of the Gupta Industries office, straight to his car, without stopping to even chat with his father.

That night, he spent extra time in his garden... his refuge. Gardening was a hobby he had developed after his mother had passed away. His mother loved tending the garden, taking care of the tender buds that bloomed into beautiful flowers. Managing his personal garden, by the poolside, brought a sense of calm to his rattled brain. It always helped him feel lighter and worked like meditation. He felt closer to his mother, with each minute he spent there. Nobody was allowed to touch these plants, except maybe Hari Prakash, who watered them in Arnav's absence.

Khushi Gupta... was all he had been thinking about throughout the evening. Her twinkling eyes, her mesmerizing smile, her soft touch and her softer breasts... Damn! Not even the sanctuary of his garden could distract him today. He left the watering can on the rack and rushed into his bedroom, for a much-needed cold shower. After a long time in the bathroom, he changed into his nightwear and dialed a number. If nothing else, he was sure that speaking to his cousin Akash, would put things into perspective.

"Hey bhai, wassup? I am honored that you thought of me at this hour. It's not often that you call me. It is always me who has to take appointments to meet up with you," Akash's teasing tone brought a smile on Arnav's face. "Stop the dramatic nonsense Akki but I agree that I am usually in control of my feelings and hence do not require to call you for help," Arnav came directly to the point.

"Ooo... looks like the cupid has finally struck someone," Akash continued his teasing, to which Arnav merely grunted and related the entire interaction from earlier in the morning. "Hmmm, so you accidently touched her boobs and you plan to take her out on a date tomorrow for lunch... am I correct?" Akash asked solemnly. "No. Wrong. I am merely taking her out for lunch to just get to know her better so we can work together smoothly," Arnav corrected him.

"Okay. You find her attractive and can't seem to stop thinking about her... correct?" Akash continued in his serious tone. Arnav simply hmmmd in response. "I don't understand your problem bhai. She is a beautiful girl and you are a handsome man. You are attracted to her and accidently touched her the wrong way. You want to take her out on the pretense of work, when you actually want it to be a date. Just admit these facts openly and see... you will feel better. Suppressing emotions generally leads to disasters," Akash tried to use simple logic with Arnav.

However, when had simple logic worked on men who were a lost cause? Arnav snapped at Akash, "Akki... you just let it be. It was my mistake I tried to speak to you. You and your logical reasons don't work in matters like these. I think I should use your opinions, strictly in business matters. Your rational mind is of no use for me, in regard to Ms. Gupta." Saying that Arnav abruptly cut the call and threw the phone on the side-table harshly.

The restlessness building up within him was only because of the thought, that what would Khushi be thinking of him and if she was even thinking of him in the first place. This thought had been harassing him, driving all other thoughts out of his mind, making him lose his mind altogether. Damn! Life had gotten complicated within one meeting with this woman and now he had to work with her for the unforeseeable future. How was it going to work out for them? Would they be able to put today's episode behind them? Or would the awkwardness, eclipse their working atmosphere as well? Only time would tell. The last thought buzzing in his mind before he fell asleep, was of huge luminous hazel eyes, looking at him with utter shock.

Part 3