Part 3 -
Arnav was starving as the last meal he had was 11 hours ago in his flight. He walked into the restaurant and got placed on an isolated table overlooking the ocean. Unfortunately it was dark already, so all he could see was a seemingly newlywed couple trying to romance under the dim moonlight right outside his window. He looked away in hopes of trying to give them privacy, only to be interrupted by a familiar laugh.
Arnav turned around only to grasp that what he had dreaded all along before voyaging on this trip had come true. There she was, sitting with an unfamiliar guy and another girl, having the time of her life. Iti Sen was his ex-girlfriend who he had dated for the past 2 years. Simply put their breakup had been complicated. He was introduced to her by his mother who he worshiped. He couldn't break his mother's heart so he knew he would settle down with Iti, albeit he never loved her. He had continued tolerating her demands, immaturity and shallowness for those two years until one day he found evidence that she was only with him for his money and was having an affair with another person. He threw her out of his life but she was hell bent on getting him back, and thus leaving no stone unturned in trying to woo him. There was someone in his office who constantly gave her details of his whereabouts, and he wasn't able to pinpoint who it was yet. No one knew about his cruise trip. How then, did Iti come to know? He was tired of being followed by this woman so he skipped dinner, got up carefully so as to not get noticed, and left for the bar for some drinks and snacks instead.
He walked upstairs to the bar, settled himself on a table, ordered a drink, and sat there sipping it, wondering how he was going to protect his identity in case Iti met Khushi. All of a sudden he was starting to regret coming here. As he sat there deeply pondering on this, a voice from the back interrupted him, "I hope your toe hasn't ventured into any unknown trails since its first trip."
He turned around only to find Khushi giggling, but sparingly. She came around and pulled the chair placed across from him. "May I?" She asked politely.
"Please make yourself comfortable! It's my pleasure!" Responded an anxious Arnav. This was a great opportunity to converse with Khushi and get to know her better without any professional baggage to hold them back. And he quickly realized he was back to business!
"What can I say! The moment one starts enjoying the thrill of the mysterious paths, there's no looking back Miss... "Arnav responded wittily to her earlier comment.
"Khushi, Khushi Kumari Gupta!" She extended her Arm to greet him. He shook it firmly but warily.
"My family calls me Azad!" He nervously lied, but not entirely. His mom did call him Azad, since he rarely listened to anything she asked and only did what his heart pleased. His sister called him Arzoo but he was clearly not going to share that with anyone as that one embarrassed the living wits out of him.
"Nice name Mr. Azad! Sorry to barge in here and disturb your peace. I won't take too long. I just had one quick question for you." Khushi blurted with oozing energy.
"Arrey nahi! I was actually craving some company right about now. I am here alone! I wanted to get away for some solitary time, lekin ab lagta hai kaash aap jaisa koi saathi hota is safar ko dilchasp banane ke liye." He flirted subtly and continued. "Bataiye, kya puchna chahti thi aap?"
"Woh main.." She jittered as she felt a momentary uneasiness and an unfamiliar anxiety at his comment but tried to stay unperturbed. "Main poochna chahti thi ki..." Her voice now modulated higher "Yyyeh aap ne kya kar diya? Ab cruise ki saari ladkiyaan aap ke bare mein kya sochegi?"
Arnav now really confused asked "Maine aisa kya kar diya Khushiji?"
Khushi replied with as much sternness on her face as she could gather. "Pehle toh aap mujhe Khushi Ji please mat bulaaiye. Mere dil ki Khushi is Ji ka boj seh nahi paati. Aur dusra, Aap ne Shirt aur Tie ko chod ke Jeans aur T-shirt pehen liya? Ab aap apne liye aane wale dino mein ek khoobsurat company kaise dhoondh paaoge? " With that, she bursts out in a carefree laughter.
Slightly embarrassed but thoroughly amused, Arnav did what he knew best- counter clever remarks. He replied, "I had my formal attires all figured out for this journey, phir maine mehsoos kiya ki aap jaisi khoobsurat ladkiyon ke aas paas rehte yahaan ka temperature kaafi badh gaya hai, toh tie ka program cancel kar diya. "
It was now Khushi's turn to blush and be embarrassed. The eyes that were relentlessly staring at this man as he talked quickly shied away in helpless hopes of hiding her discomfort. But nothing was beyond the vigilant Arnav. He quickly gauged her awkwardness, smiled at her state, and changed the topic "What can I order for you Khushi?"
Khushi still a little nervous, carefully replied "Nahi kuch nahi bas. Main toh aise hi aap ko dekha toh milne chali aayi thi. Ab main chalti hoon. You please carry on." She got up and started walking away before her statement was barely even finished.
Arnav realized the affect his seemingly innocent little retort had on Khushi. He felt guilty, but also couldn't help but grin at her reaction. "Paagal ladki sharma ke chali gayi!" he thought to himself. Feeling all productive and content, he finished his drink and went off to his room for a night of slumber as he was drained from his long journey and jet lag.
He woke up bright and early the next morning. Invigorated himself, got ready and went up to the upper deck for breakfast and some early morning breeze. However, much to his dismay, his eyes ripped wide open at the sight that was before him when he reached the breakfast place. Khushi and her friends had merged tables with Iti and her group. Everyone was joking, laughing and having a good time. It was Arnav's turn to be petrified. "What if Iti told everyone who she was and why she was here?: Arnav stood there stumped unable to figure out whether to try to join them to find out if any damage was done, or to stay out of sight from Iti...
Edited by mohini4u - 14 years ago
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