#1 Arhi FF : Limerence [ Completed ] - Page 13

Limerence : Part 2

There was complete silence in the studio. Payal Sharma, Neena Matthews, Rob, Sarfaraaz, Paddy, Akira Lulla... the current top designers of the fashion industry, stood in anticipation of ASR's approval. The man, the successful business tycoon, the legend who had started AR Designs six years ago, had single-handedly transformed it into one of the topmost fashion houses' in India today. He was not a skilled designer, however, his vision to see art beyond mere fabrics and colours, set him apart. That was one of the main reasons, why the finest designers craved to work with him. He was their inspiration and their final authority in fashion.

"I like this melange of fusia pink and orange, Paddy. This gown is a stunner. However, the silver sequins are too jarring. Don't we have something in matt? Try dull gold... it will subdue the contrast," Arnav said, as the assistant took notes of the meeting. "I am liking this embroidery work on our latest western collection. It sets the designs apart... a beautiful amalgamation of western and Indian. NK, your team is doing a splendid job." There was a murmur of appraisal from the designer's aswell, while NK simply smiled at the lot, knowing the reason for all these praises.

"Akira, please trash this blue gown. It's a bore. Nothing unusual and the satin you have used, makes it looks like it is from the 18^th century. We have no place for mediocrity. We have to be the best and up our standards with each show. You know, I do not like to interfere in your work, until the last moment. So please make sure to give it your best shot. ARD is yours as much as it is mine. So own it and give me something spectacular. We shall meet in a week's time. You don't have to execute your idea. Sketches, scribbles, fabrics, references... anything will do... but I need something exclusive. Think of each creation as a chance to win over the world... make it larger than life... exquisite," ASR spoke to his team, clearly stating his expectations and pushing them to do better.

As the team dispersed, NK and Aman lingered around, knowing well that Arnav would like to speak to them in private. "Aman, I hope you have cleared Akash's schedule for the next couple of days. Payal also has applied for her leave and I want them to enjoy, every bit of their engagement this weekend, with no work pressure. Make sure that they are not disturbed," Arnav spoke to his reliable assistant, who had stood by him, when he started his small design house with only four employees and was one of the most valuable assets of AR Designs, with over 4000 employees now. Aman nodded and left the two cousins to discuss their brother's upcoming engagement.

NK settled down into a seat, while Arnav walked towards the sofa. "NK, I hope preparations are done for the engagement party. Does maasi need any help? I have had a word with her a couple of days ago. She is so thrilled and I am happy for her. Akash seems to have found her a perfect daughter-in-law," Arnav chatted cheerily with his brother... who was more like his friend. NK nodded and joked, "Yeah Arnav, Akash is her dearest darling son and I am the spoilt brat, one she can never manage to tame."

Arnav laughed at his cousin's perfect observation. He was one of the few people, who genuinely managed to make him laugh. His smiles, his laughter was so rare, that only those, close to him, were privy of these precious moments in which he let down his guard. Arnav nodded and asked, "Are all our outfits for the party ready... especially Payal and maasi? Are the fittings done? And more importantly, are the women happy?" NK nodded and explained how Payal had been ecstatic with her shimmering sea-green lehenga and his mother, well she could not stop raving about the peach saree.

Arnav gave him a smile and asked casually, something that he had been thinking for over weeks, "NK, what has exactly happened in your embroidery and cross-stitching team? The last few months have been spectacular and the kind of work I am seeing... I am highly impressed." NK smiled at him with pride and replied, "Its all KKG. She is a gem that we found a few months ago. Her knowledge and design sense in embroideries and delicate sequins work is remarkable, Arnav. That girl has so much talent and is unaware of her own worth."

Arnav saw the sparkle in NK's eyes. He wondered if this girl was something more to his cousin. One thing he had realized since the start of his career, that valuing good, hard-working employees is the key to the successful future of a company. Hence, he said, "I hope she is being compensated appropriately NK and she is happy to work with us. Talent like hers, needs to be nurtured and appreciated. I can see the drastic change her ideas and thoughts have brought around in our designs. I know a designer's limitations in terms of detailing and how only a skilled worker can bring that finesse into an outfit."

NK smiled and nodded in agreement. Arnav moved forward to pick up a file from the table and handed it to NK. "This is a design for a saree I want to gift Payal. I had asked Nidhant to design it before he quit ARD. Will that girl be able to finish this in a couple of days? I know we are on Thursday today and she will have to work on a Saturday to finish it. But I wanted this to be Payal's engagement gift. You finalize the fabric and look into the design. Will that be a problem NK?" Arnav asked, genuinely worried if NK could pull this off in such a short time.

NK looked at the design for a few moments and replied cheekily, "I will get it done, only if this is a gift from both of us to Payal bhabhi." Arnav laughed at him and agreed readily. NK stood up and moved towards the door saying, "I gotto go bro. Will have to begin work on this immediately and I will also have to clear KKG's long list of jobs for the next two days. Kya kya karna padta hai boss ke liye." Giving Arnav a parting wink, he left the studio... leaving Arnav all alone... like he preferred... like he was used to.

The thought of his maasi brought out an involuntary smile on his face. She was the closest he could get to have a mother... her warmth, her love and her concern for Arnav was tremendous. Infact her own children, Akash and NK would tease her for loving Arnav more than them. And they were not very wrong in their thoughts. She did love him more than his own mother did. No! He stopped himself from using the term "mother" for the woman who had given birth to him. She was nothing more than that... cold, heartless, selfish and a cheat.

Arnav ran a frustrated hand over his face, as if trying to wipe away the scars that time and deceit had left on him. He had gone through the grill innumerous times. First anger, then hatred and then finally indifference... for the woman who had destroyed his family... damaged his childhood and left him with a broken father, who had tried his level best to shower him with love and affection... a task which a mother would know how to do best.

Love... he did not believe in the word anymore. People were selfish and their hidden motives behind loving someone, came to the fore some time in their lives or the other. Even his maasi loved him for a reason... guilt... guilt of being the sister of a woman, who had left her young child and husband to run away with another man. Everyone had their reasons to love and especially women... who would lie, cheat, seduce and pretend to love... only to get what they wanted.

Being in the fashion field, he had lots of women trying to get into his pants. Some succeeded for the mere physical need that he seemed to have but had made sure to warn them of no emotional attachment. One woman in his life had destroyed his faith in relationships and love forever... and not one woman could redeem it back... or so he thought.

Brushing away his past demons, he tried to be happy for his docile cousin Akash. It was a shock for most, to see him fall in love with the bold and beautiful Payal Sharma, one of ARD's lead designers. Even though Arnav was prejudiced towards love, he did not force his opinions on others. Mocking their beliefs was not his style. Each one had their own share of experiences, which carved them to be the kind of individuals they were.

Akash and NK had been born and brought up in a home, filled with laughter and love. Manorama maasi and Manohar mausaji, were the kindest set of parents he had ever seen. Even though he had been a part of their family for a long time, his past experiences could not let their warmth reach his frozen heart and he wondered how life would have been, had his mother and father been alive today... together... happy and very much in love.

Striding out of the studio, Arnav rushed up the stairs to his luxurious cabin, trying to calm his frazzled nerves. Why was his heart brimming with so many emotions today? Maybe because of Akash's impending engagement and wedding. Joyous occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and parties made his mood even more sullen than usual. He realized how different he was to others. How scarred he was to stop this happiness from flowing in. He felt immense jealousy towards his cousins, who seemed to be smiling genuinely... while his own smiles, were merely a mirage.

He rubbed a hand over his chest, trying to ease the pain. He needed to divert his mind and focus on work. That always kept him happy... or atleast away from this whirlwind of emotional turmoil. Isn't that how he had build ARD? Working day and night, burning himself out, immersing himself in work till he could think no more. People called him a workaholic... but he knew he was really a coward... running away from these thoughts and emotions that surged forward to break him down.

Arnav slammed the files on his desk and got up swiftly from his seat. Nothing seemed to be working today. His thoughts were scattered, focus lost somewhere along the way. Picking up his car keys, he made a quick call to Aman, to clear his day. He needed to go for a long drive. It was therapeutic... it helped him to calm down as the winds whispered into his ears. He knew it was going to be a very long day... almost into the night.

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"K... K... G!!" NK punctuated each letter, as he tried to grab Khushi's attention, who seemed to be lost in her world of colourful threads and patterns. She looked up at his beaming face and smiled back in return. It was impossible to remain unaffected by NK's charm and enthusiasm. He had been a true friend in the last six months, slowly and steadily building up her self-morale, making her believe in herself and showing her dreams of a better future. ARD had managed to change her life and she knew in her heart, that she was committed to this place forever.

"Snap out of your dreams... dreamgirl!" NK drawled lazily, as he settled onto her desk. "Leave everything that you are working on right now Khushi. I will be delegating it to someone else. I have a very important task in hand for you. It is of utmost priority and well... briefed directly by the owner of this company," he informed her, making her eyes widen in surprise. "What task?" she asked nervously.

Giving her a reassuring smile, he said, "As you know, my brother Akash is getting married to our lead designer Payal, very soon. It's their engagement on the coming Sunday. And Arnav, my cousin, wants to gift Payal a stunning saree. He is mighty impressed with your skill and was praising the elevating levels of work on this floor, Khushi. Now he wants you to exclusively work on this design here and finish it in the next two days. I know it's a short span of time, but this is one very important task for you. If Arnav likes your work, he might promote you to the design department and train you in fashion designing as well." NK missed the completely shocked expression on Khushi's face as he went on and on about how she had potential and could become a very important asset to this company.

"Will I be able to live upto his expectations? Am I good enough to handle this all alone?" Khushi's hesitant words broke through his monologue, as he looked at her anxious face. NK quickly moved forward and held her hand within his, comforting her. He sensed her hesitation and instantly let go her hand saying, "Khushi... you are super talented and I keep telling that to you all the time. Why do you doubt yourself? You are brilliant and we just have to show ASR your talent. Let him be the judge, what say? And what do you mean by all alone... I am always there for you right? I will not leave you alone... I promise."

Khushi calmed down visibly seeing that confidence NK had in her. How had she been so lucky to find such a wonderful and supportive boss? "Thank you Nanheji," she mumbled, and asked excitedly, "When do we begin?" NK cleared his clogged throat and replied cheerfully, "That's like my girl. Lets delegate all your current jobs to others and decide on the fabric for the saree... shall we?" She nodded in excitement to work on this special assignment. They happily made their way towards the fabric room, discussing the various tasks Khushi had been handling.

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The sewing machine was working in full speed, as Garima kept pushing the cloth ahead. The sharp needle was in action, piercing the cloth, stringing it with the colourful thread that beautified it. Garima kept pushing the cloth blindly, unaware of the tears that were running down her face. The echo's of the past ringing loudly in her ears... why had life been so cruel to her? Orphaned at a young age, growing up in a children's shelter... the first ray of happiness, she had found in the man, she loved with all her heart. The same man who had crushed her heart cruelly.

"Where is my babuji amma? Is he really dead?"

"Amma, batao na... babuji ka photo dikhao na!"

"Amma... najayaz ka matlab kya hai?"

"Shivam called me illegitimate amma... why is everyone saying that?"

Little Khushi's questions rung in her head, making it throb with excruciating pain. Her innocent child had not known the cruel reality of this world. She had tried to shelter Khushi, keep her away from the truth and the vile people around, for as long as she could. But eventually Khushi had come to know the truth... the reality... her identity... and then finally the questions had stopped.

Her beloved daughter had matured way before her age. The taunts and now become a part of their lives... from Lucknow to Delhi... she had borne the baggage of her past with courage and strength. However, now her old withering shoulders were weakening and the fear of leaving her daughter alone, in this brutal world, was eating her up from within. She knew that no good man and his family would accept her daughter with their past. Yet with a mother's heart she prayed and dreamed... for a savior who would love Khushi and give her a life worthy of her beautiful heart.

As another day inched closer to its end, Garima sat in the darkness, facing the blank walls, thinking of the loneliness she had been accustomed to. What had gone wrong? Why had her love been punished so brutally? What was her mistake? She had given herself to the man she loved. They had made a beautiful child out of that love. And what had he done? Refused to acknowledge it as his own! Kicked Garima out of his life and demeaned her character. Why had life been so cruel to her... to her innocent child? Tears kept flowing down her aging face, as she cursed the unfairness of life.

"Amma!! Gosh! Why are you sitting in the dark?" Khushi's voice brought her out of her deep thoughts. She quickly wiped away her tears, as Khushi switched on the lights, flooding their tiny home with warmth and brightness. As soon as Khushi saw Garima's sullen face, she rushed towards her in worry. "What happened amma? Why have you been crying?" Is everything allright?"

Garima ran a loving hand over her daughters' head and shook her head in denial, fearing to choke on her words, if she tried to speak. "Is this because of last night amma? I am so sorry that I broke down. I swear on Devi Maiyya, it was just momentary. I am fine. Sacchi! Please do not cry like that. You know right, how much your tears hurt me?" Khushi tried to brighten up her mother's mood.

"I know Khushi. You are my happiness and till you are with me, I have no reason to be unhappy," Garima said lovingly. Khushi smiled, putting on her brightest smile. She knew her mother was hurting and would not reveal the reason so easily. She thought it best to divert her mind and try to give her more reasons to smile that frown.

"You know what happened in the office today amma? Nanheji totally shocked me with this new brief," she began chattering about the how she had spent the day at work, the new opportunity given by her super boss and how she would have to work on this Saturday. Hearing her daughter's enthusiasm and happiness, Garima could not stay unhappy for too long. After all, the two of them had learned to find contentment in these small mercies of life, which made them forget the harshness for a while.

The kitchen in their house clinked with noise that night, as halwa was prepared and savored to celebrate Khushi's new project. The mother-daughter duo chatted and laughed till late in the night, as the darkness looming around, subdued itself in the luminance of their happiness. These moments were rare... but cherished and lived to the fullest by the two brave women, who despite their grievances, always looked at the brighter side of life.

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Part 3