#1 Arshi FF - The Other Half - 30 Aug - CHAP 15 - page 139 - Page 13

Chapter 3

"Baifriend? You think I have a baifriend? Devi Maiyya doesn't have the strength to create someone to pair me with. Woh kya hai, I am a little sanki. Buaji calls me sankadevi and says Devi Maiyya must create a sankadev for me."

[Woh kya hai, I am a little sanki - Actually, I am a little crazy]

He hid a smile. He understood where her buaji was coming from, calling her crazy. Sanki. She definitely was sanki. Would that make him sanka for having this chat with her?

"So" she looked at him happily, pushing her steel box towards him. "Try them. You will lick your fingers. Khushi Kumari Gupta ki guarantee hai ji" Khushi wriggled her eyebrows at him.

[Khushi Kumari Gupta ki guarantee hai ji - Khushi Kumari Gupta gives you guarantee]

He stared at her. She titled her head. She waved a hand in front of him. He kept on looking at her. She started to get worried. "Hey Devi Maiyya, has my bindi fallen onto my nose?" She muttered.

"Is my bindi in place?" She asked worriedly.

"What?" He frowned in confusion. He looked at her bindi, placed perfectly between two shapely eyebrows that were currently arched, her eyes wide.

"Yes, it's in place. Why?"

Khushi relaxed. "Woh, you were staring. So I thought maybe there's something wrong with my face. Once, my bindi actually fell off. It's never slid down my face, luckily. How embarrassing would that be? That's why I'm so against fake eyelashes. What if one of them falls off while blinking? While crying? While it's raining? Samajhte hi nahi ye log" she huffed, leaning back into her chair with a disapproving look.

[Woh - Actually | Samajhte hi nahi ye log - These people just don't understand]

He nodded, not really following what she was saying, but rather he noticed her varying expressions, the tone of her voice, the flush of her cheeks.

Her eyes lit up as he nodded. "Aap bhi? You agree? I knew it. Shakal se hi pata tha, you are smart." She praised happily.

[Aap bhi? You agree? I knew it. Shakal se hi pata tha, you are smart. - You too? You agree? I knew it. I could tell from your face that you are smart]

He raised an eyebrow at that. She really didn't know who he was.

"Anyway" she rested her elbows on the table "please try them." She indicated to her sweets.

"Umm" he looked at them, horrified.

"Don't worry. Mote nahi ho jayenge aap. Itne hatte katte toh hai. So fit you are. Why worry? Exercise a little extra the next day." She advised him.

[Mote nahi ho jayenge aap. Itne hatte katte toh hai - You won't get fat. You are so fit anyway.]

He blinked.

So she had noticed his physique had she? He'd thought she would know of nothing, what with her constant blabbering. Does she even stop to take a breath?

Khushi softened. He looked unsure. Bichare. "Okay fine. Are you shy?" She inquired. His eyebrows met his hair line. Her line of thoughts amazed him.

[Bichare - Poor thing]

"Will you take one if I take one too?" She asked encouragingly.

He pursed his lips, pushing back into his seat. She thought he was shy. He, THE ASR. Was it odd how much he, the ASR, was enjoying this?

"Hmm" he trailed off.

"Ab hmm karne se mithai apne aap toh nahi ayegi aapke paas. Take it!" She ordered.

[Ab hmm karne se mithai apne aap toh nahi ayegi aapke paas - The sweet isn't going to come to you by itself by saying hmm.]

He would've shown anyone else their place had they spoken to him like that. Anyone else.

His hand reached forward and hovered over the sweets. He watched her eyes shine extra brightly when his hand was over the jalebis. Jalebis it is, then.

He picked one up, warily eyeing the bright orange circle, thick with the sugary syrup. He noticed her taking one jalebi in her hand too. She smiled at him encouragingly. He gulped.

"See, I've taken one too. Don't be shy. Just have it" She looked ready to devour the jalebi.

Mentally apologizing to his diabetic self, he took a small bite. Khushi waited for the 'wows' with anticipation. When after chewing for a while, he didn't give any reaction, she stuffed her jalebi into her mouth and entered heaven.

Itna accha toh hai, why is he not saying anything, she wondered. But at the moment she was too busy just savoring the goodness, the sweetness, the sensation as it melted in her mouth. Ah, she could eat them all day.

[Itna accha toh hai - This is fantastic]

She looked at him wriggling her eyes brows. "Well?" She asked impatiently.

"It's.. Nice" was all he said.

Her mouth fell open. "Nice? Just nice? I mean, my bangles are nice. " She shook her wrists. "My clothes are nice. My jiji is nice. But these? These are fantastic!" She glared at him, clearly offended at his response. But she didn't let him speak.

"And anyway, you've taken one small bite. Are you an ant? No. You are a full grown man. Toh eat more!" She ordered.

[Toh eat more! - So eat more!]

Without delay, she moved forward, leaning across the desk to snatch the jalebi from his hand and stuff it into his mouth. He nearly choked. But it wasn't because of the abruptness of the situation.

Her dupatta fell from one shoulder as she leaned forward on the desk. Though the neckline was modest, he could still see her curves, the outline. Suddenly he felt a wave of anger. Was she always this clueless? This unaware? Always in her own chattering world?

She stayed leaning forward, waiting for the fireworks. Instead, he gritted his teeth and looked away.

"Sit down." He looked at the wall. He calmed himself. Why should he care what she did? She could go around flaunting herself however she liked. But something about that image didn't sit right with him. She didn't seem like the type. Definitely not. She was a child-woman!

"Kitne acche ho aap. Offering me to sit again. Don't worry, I'm fine."She looked at him happily as she settled down in the chair. He was so nice!

[Kitne acche ho aap - You are so nice]

"Now tell me how you liked it" she was eager for praise.

What? The image of her leaning forward came to mind. He swallowed.

Oh, the jalebi. He tried hard to remember what it tasted like. But how could he? When he had such a distraction in front of him.

"Beautiful" he unknowingly said.

"Kya?" She was stumped for a moment. Till today she had never heard of anyone calling her sweets beautiful. How could sweets be beautiful?

[Kya? - What?]

He cleared his throat. "It was great" he said. She looked sad. "It was really great" he added with a small smile and forgot to breath when her eyes lit up, her face flushed with pleasure and smile so wide it hurt his eyes.

" I told you!" She grinned at him. His chest tightened. Something so simple had made her so happy. He had made her so happy.

Something called out to him to wrap her in his arms and keep her safe from the world, protect her.

"Yes you did" he agreed. His mind raced, coming up with something."Now, let's get down to business."

Her heart leapt. Did she just secure an order? Already?

"Sachi? You want to place an order? Wah, Khushi, you are great! I thought I will just give you samples to try. But you want to do business business with me! Thank you, Devi Maiyya" she folded her hands and raised them up and down three times, evidently thanking her goddess.

[Sachi? - Really?]

"Hmm. Let's do business business" he said, amused.

"Ji, ji." She took out a notepad and a pen. "You tell me your order. I will write them down. I will make such great sweets for you that you will forget your name." She said proudly.

[Ji, ji - Yes, yes]

She paused for a second. "Waise, we have been talking for so long but you haven't told me your name. Boliye na" she grinned at him.

[Waise - Anyway | Boliye na - Tell me]

We? It was she who had been doing most of the talking, he thought amused. He looked at the radiant smile on her face. She was such a vision of freshness.

"Arnav. Arnav Singh Raizada" he said huskily.

"Wah. Such a strong name. Arnav Singh Raizada. " She pumped her fists in the air three times as she said Arnav, Singh and Raizada. Then she looked at him with a srunched nose. "Singh. Aap punjabi ho? You don't wear a turban? Bad boy." She pouted.

[Aap punjabi ho? - Are you a Punjabi?]

He almost choked. Bad boy? Boy? He was no boy. He was a man.

She stayed silent, waiting for his reply.

He remembered his Di wanted Lucknowi sweets. He looked at the woman before him, eager to have him place his order. And order he would.

"I will place an order for a variety of sweets from you. And I will give you a generous amount for your efforts. But" he quickly added when she opened her mouth. "I have two conditions" he told her.

"Manzoor hai, I agree. Done." She said excitedly.

[Manzoor hai - I accept]

He smirked at her. "At least listen to what they are?" He suggested.

She smiled sheepishly. "Tell me."