Arhi SS : Chemistry #1 [ Completed ] - Page 57

Arhi SS : Chemistry - Part 7

Sometimes in sorrow you find true happiness, in defeat you find a glorious victory and in dejection, you find a genuine friend. Yesterday, when Khushi had felt the most lonely and desolate... Arnav had been there like a true friend to share the burden of all her worries and grief. She was glad for his presence and thankful to the way he had been there for her. It had been a while since she had spoken so freely to anyone. It felt good... actually liberating and she felt so relaxed on this Sunday morning, that she decided to cook up a storm for lunch.

Khushi loved to cook, but with the mounting work pressure and her sullen mood, she had barely ventured into the kitchen in the last few months. So it was a pleasant surprise for her mother, when she saw Khushi chopping vegetables in the kitchen on a Sunday morning. "Arrey wah beta, so finally after months we will get to eat something cooked by you," Garima said pleasantly to her daughter who smiled at her mother and continued with her work.

"It is so good to see you happy Khushi. My heart would break to see your dejected face. The past few months have been trying for you and I know you have been keeping a brave facade in front of us," Garima continued as a surprised Khushi turned to look at her mother. "Don't look so shocked beta... a daughter can never hide her emotions from a mother. I could see you breaking from within and it hurt me so much. I can't tell you how happy I am to see you this carefree and happy... almost back to my old Khushi."

Khushi's eyes teared up and she hugged her mother affectionately, "Oh maa... I am so sorry for being so distant from you guys for the last few months but I truly did not want to bother you with whatever I was going through. As much as I have missed NK's friendship, I have missed our comfortable conversations in this house. I am happy now maa... much better with things going great at work. I met NK and Lavanya yesterday..."

Garima pulled away, looking at her daughter's face closely, for any signs of distress. Khushi laughed at her mothers comical expression and said, "I am ok maa... They really looked happy together and I am happy to see NK so happy. He truly deserves it. I have made up my mind to have a conversation with him and get this huge discomfort that has lodged between us, completely out of the way." Garima looked quizzically at Khushi and asked, "What has happened to you beta? Who have you been hanging out with... because his company is definitely doing good to you."

Khushi stood stunned at her mother's keen observation and wondered if she had inkling about how Arnav had been there for her. Brushing away those thoughts, she said, "Maa please. It is not because of anyone's company but because I miss my best friend. And now... if you do not step out of the kitchen, we will have to call for lunch from a restaurant, which you dislike. So go and trouble papa, while I cook up our lunch." Garima smiled warmly at her daughter, kissed her forehead and sauntered away to find her husband.

Khushi sighed in relief and got back to the task at hand. Arranging the layers for lasagna onto the bake dish, Khushi turned her attention to whip chocolate for making mousse, which her father loved. Just as she was about to squeeze fresh lemons for making juice, her phone rang, indicating it to be her other best friend who had sneakily not only hid a huge truth from her, but had also gone out on a secret date. Making up her mind to act angry, Khushi picked up Sheetal's call.

"Hey Khush, wassup? What are you upto?" Sheetal asked casually, to which Khushi replied sarcastically, "Well I am cooking up lunch at home for maa-papa, unlike some people who go out on dates without telling their bestie." Sheetal groaned in response and Khushi could feel her frustration through her tone when she said, "Don't even talk about the date because it definitely wasn't one. No guy leaves Sheetal Kapoor sitting at the dinner table... all alone... in the middle of the freaking dinner... and walks out... to never return. That arrogant, brute Arnav Singh Raizada!"

Khushi giggled hearing Sheetal's frustration and decided to tell her just where Arnav had gone. Even though Sheetal had hidden such a huge thing from her, Khushi wanted to come clean with her best friend and keep her in the loop about her relationship with Arnav. "Well, then let me put you out of misery and tell you that the arrogant brute had abandoned the dinner plans with you to have dinner with me." To a shocked and hurt Sheetal, Khushi explained to her the tiny tiff they had and how she had been ignoring Arnav and he had come home to apologize to her.

She kept the kiss away from the conversation, because she knew Sheetal would get judgmental and make rude remarks about it. She also told Sheetal about bumping into Lavanya and NK. "Well, ok then. I forgive him for deserting me and giving my depressed friend company. Anyways I think he is more interested in you. That jerk has always ignored my advances and I think he does not really deserve me," Sheetal said arrogantly. Khushi simply laughed at her friend's highhandedness. Only Sheetal Kapoor could talk like that and get away with it.

"By the way, he is not interested in me. We are just good friends... that is all," Khushi said as an after thought, reacting to what Sheetal had just said. It was Sheetal's chance to laugh at a flustered Khushi as she said, "Keep telling that to yourself darling. We are just good friends... is the perfect one liner to convey that there is much more. Even though it isn't right now... maybe in the near future? I quite like his sexy butt Khushi... and you guys would make a good couple. So are you going to sleep with him?"

Khushi gasped at Sheetal's audacity and thoughts, "What the Sheetal! No I am not sleeping with him... actually far away from it. Does everything for you revolve around sex?" Sheetal laughed and replied, "Well not really... but I did see some sparks between you'll at the conference dinner. So I am assuming that there would be some crackling chemistry between you two... which was definitely lacking in your relationship with NK. I can't be that wrong in reading you Khush... you are an open book... very easy to read."

Khushi sighed at the truth in Sheetal's words and decided to end the conversation that was running into unwanted territories. "I gotto go Sheetal. I have to finish making the dessert. You can cook up your stories some other time. I will call you this week so we can make a plan with the gang... what say?" Laughing at Khushi's desperate attempts to change the topic, Sheetal agreed and cut the call. Khushi got back to the task at hand, while her mind drifted to the man, who had been the topic of contention in her conversation with Sheetal.

The lazy Sunday passed away quickly, with Khushi spending her entire day with her parents. They had lunch together and watched a movie afterwards. Shashi and Garima were happy to see their daughter at peace with herself, and mentally thanked the God for bringing back the genuine smile on her face. She deserved every happiness in the world and they would make sure to be there for her in every step of her life. Now if only, she would get a life partner who would love her more than they did, a partner who would never let the smile on her face disappear.

x-------------------------------------------------x

Khushi frowned at Jai, when he informed her that Arnav, her current partner at work, had flown off to Singapore for a conference in the morning. Monday was here bringing along with it, new responsibilities and a pile of meetings. Why hadn't he mentioned about his Singapore trip, wondered Khushi. They had spent so much time talking about her past and about what happened last weekend... then how did he fail to inform her about this conference?

"Maam, Arnav sir had refused to go to this conference earlier and his trip wasn't scheduled. However, I got a call from him yesterday, to book the tickets urgently. He will be back by Thursday and has instructed me to assist you in anything that you need. So if there is any kind of problem in working with employees of Raizada Corp., please feel free to let me know. Also, sir is available on the phone and he will help in any way that is necessary," Jai Mehta said in a very professional manner, to which Khushi simply nodded and dismissed him.

When she was finally alone in the cabin, she wondered why Arnav had not mentioned anything about this trip. Was something bothering him? Was this about the parting hug they shared? There was no denying about the undercurrents that ran between them when they were alone. His presence affected her and she was not sure how to deal with all of this... especially when things at work could get complicated. Yet, how was she going to avoid the hurt that she felt right now at his behavior?

Just then her phone beeped to flash a message from Arnav. She quickly swiped the screen to read it. It was a short message that read... "Sorry. Had to attend this urgent conference in Singapore. Will keep in touch regarding work. Will be back on Thursday. Take care." She read and reread the crisp message, fuming at the formal tone he had used. She thought that they had crossed the uncomfortable barrier of awkwardness by now and things from her end atleast had reached the easy-friendship stage. However, seemed like Mr. Raizada was not up for it yet and she decided to go along with his stance. It was time to focus back onto her work, without any distractions.

The next couple of days passed by in a blur, with Khushi talking to Arnav atleast three times in a day. With their partnership in the initial stage, she needed his approval in quite a few decisions and to her surprise, he had sounded extremely formal each time they spoke. By the end of it, she had been fuming at his behavior and annoyed at herself for feeling these unwarranted emotions creeping into her heart. She cursed him for being that good looking and making her heart beat erratically. She blamed her hormones for having these feelings. She found every other excuse, than accepting the truth, which was obvious to a smirking Aman, seeing the annoyed face of his employer.

Going back home was more difficult, as in her free time, all Khushi could think was why Arnav was suddenly being so cold towards her. Now that Sheetal was also not showing any interest in him, she wondered if he was dating someone else. To keep herself from making up various conceptual stories about Arnav dating some model or of Arnav actually having feelings for her and acting pricey... she spent her time with her parents watching movies. Even if they were surprised at her behavior, she was thankful that they did not ask her about it.

By Wednesday, she was literally pulling out her hair with the amount of work that needed to be finalized. She needed Arnav's signatures on a lot of paperwork and was completely pissed at his absence. The entire chemistry had been thrown out of the window and her office avatar had taken over. With so much going on, she had to meet with a new client to discuss the terms and conditions of the deal, which "Arnav" had drafted. She cursed his professionalism and despite Jai's tremendous support, she missed her partner in crime. Brushing off the annoyance, she put on a pleasant smile and walked into the conference room to greet Mr. Shyam Jha and his associates.

To her surprise, he was much younger than she anticipated. Neatly dressed in a suit, slickly set hair and a genuinely sweet smile, he seemed like a pleasant man to interact with. "Hi Ms. Khushi. It is finally good to meet you. Have heard a lot about you from Arnav," Shyam said amiably. She smiled at him and shook his hand and replied with equal warmth, "Its good to meet you too Mr. Shyam. Have a seat. Would you like some tea or coffee, before we begin this discussion?" After the initial introductions, the meeting began.

Khushi was happy to see that Shyam Jha was genuinely interested in their company and was agreeing to most of their conditions. The discussions went on for almost two hours and by the end of the meeting, they had sealed the deal. Only Arnav needed to give his final approval and they would sign the legal documents. Both the teams took a small break for coffee, in which Khushi decided to show Shyam around her office. "Your office has a terrific location Ms. Khushi. The French windows give a fresh and bright outlook to it. I am sure the employees work with more gusto getting a peek at the open skies," Shyam complimented sweetly.

Khushi smiled and showed him around the various departments and then finally took him to her cabin. Settling into their seats she ordered for another round of coffee and started talking to Shyam about his other ventures and how the market trends are changing rapidly. She genuinely felt good to discuss things with him and his wisecracks had her laughing out loud. Amidst one such joke, Khushi missed hearing the soft knock on her door and when it opened up suddenly, she was stunned to see Arnav Singh Raziada looking at her intently.

What was he doing here on Wednesday, when he had clearly told her about returning on Thursday? Even Jai did not mention about his early return. Anyways... she did not care. He was the one leaving without telling her, so she decided to act extremely formal with him as well. She saw his eyes flitting between Shyam and her, and then she heard his husky voice, which spread goosebumps over her entire body. "I hope I am not disturbing you two." There was so much command and harshness in his tone, that Khushi wondered if he was the same Arnav she knew.

Shyam got up from his seat and thrust his hand forward for a handshake saying, "Not at all Arnav. I am glad to have met you. I was just sharing a couple of corporate jokes that I had head at a conference. We have already finalized the deal and we were simply waiting for your approval." Arnav nodded and looked from Shyam to Khushi, and said, "I am sure the jokes might have been extremely funny, because I could hear Ms Gupta even outside the soundproof door."

His taunt surprised Khushi as she looked into his eyes, which seemed clouded with some emotion she did not understand. He continued talking to Shyam while staring at her fixedly, "Anyways I will look into whatever you guys have finalized and have a word with Khushi, before getting back to you. Hopefully by our next meeting, we would have signed the deal." Taking that as a cue for Shyam to leave, he exchanged pleasantries with the duo, who definitely seemed to have something going on between them. Shyam had really liked Khushi and in the long run, would have liked to know her better. However, considering the vibes he got from Arnav and Khushi, he realized, he did not stand a chance.

Once they were alone, Khushi slumped back into her chair and asked, "So you are back early..." Arnav took the seat across her and replied icily, "Well I guess my timing was wrong. I should have stuck to my earlier schedule and returned on Thursday. I think I interrupted your cozy chitchat with Shyam Jha." Khushi was shocked at his conceited tone and her anger flared a notch higher. "What the hell Arnav. What is your problem? Shyam and me were discussing business unlike some people who venture on dinner dates," she blurted without thinking about what she was saying.

Arnav stood up from his seat and banging his hands on the table, leaned over to look directly into Khushi's eyes. Her jibe about his dinner with Sheetal had rubbed him the wrong way and he was out to take vengeance. "It was not a date, Khushi. And I think I have cleared that out already. Anyways, I did not know you believe in tit for tat... because if that is the case, it seems like you will be dining with the Jha tonight." Khushi had enough of this nonsense about Shyam Jha, whom she had met barely a few hours ago. Even though he was a nice guy, she could never think of him beyond professional boundaries. She was just not that kind of woman.

Getting up from her seat, she went around the table and pulled at Arnav's hand to turn him around and face her. "I. AM. NOT. GOING. OUT. WITH. SHYAM. Do you understand?" Khushi bit out each word slowly, to drive it into his thick head. She stared as his angry glare that turned once again into something else she did not understand. She saw his eyes drop to her lips and back, which suddenly made her aware of their closeness. Continuing with a slight tremble in her voice she said, "Why are you so bitter towards me, Arnav? I thought everything was fine between us when we parted on Saturday. You have ignored me since then and now you come here, breathing fire down my..."

And then there was complete silence, as she felt his warm lips crash against hers. For a mere moment there was shock when she tried to push him in anger. How could he just accuse her and then kiss her so brazenly. As his delicious lips moved against her, sucking on her lower lip, asking for apology... she trembled with desire. Her mind switched off... the battle almost lost. Giving up the fight, her hands went around his shoulders to clutch onto his hair. He pulled her closer and teased her lips to open up for him. Throwing all caution to the wind, she gave into his heady feeling and snuggled closer to him, kissing him with abandon. Her soft moan and his groan of approval were all the sounds, that resonated in the cabin for a really long time.

Part 8