Just as she gets out of shower and starts drying her hair, she hears a loud voice calling out to her agitatedly. "Khushi, Khushi! KHUSHI!!!" Realizing that this is the sound of a frantic Arnav, she quickly runs out of the bathroom at his service. "Ji Sir!" She gabbles as she enters his room and stands in front of him.
Time freezes for Arnav as she positions herself before him. He stands there staring at this striking woman who has taken over his existence. Those droplets of water dripping from her hair onto her face down her neck leave him bewildered craving for much much more. Her green and magenta dress half wet is enhancing her milk white complexion ever more exquisitely. Her eyes as alive and vivacious as the morning itself. He stands there lost in them as Khushi looks on in sheer bewilderment.
"Kya hua sir? Aap ne mujhe bulaya?" Khushi now breaks the eerie silence of the room by nudging ASR and breaking him out of his trance.
"Tumhari yeh saree mere dressing table pe kya kar rahi hai?" He scolds her. Khushi's eyes now widen in shock as she wonders how it actually got there. "Hum ne to in kapdo ko taiyaar kar ke apne dressing table pe rakhe the! Kya raat ko hum jab Sir ko unke dry cleaned kapde dene gaye tab galti se aa gaye hoge kya?" She stands there thinking as she cannot figure out what her clothes are doing there! Arnav looks on with absolute pleasure at her confusion as he alone knows he just picked it up while she was in the shower. "Sir hume nahi pata yeh yahaan kaise aaye hum toh.." She approaches her clothes to take them out of there but just then Arnav cuts her off. "aur meri coffee kahaan hai?"
"Sir woh aap so rahe the toh coffee banana humne theek nahi samjha. Socha pehle taiyaar ho lete hain." Khushi utters nervously.
"Tumne yeh nahi socha ki iss beech agar main uth gaya toh mujhe coffe kaun dega?" Khadoos Singh Raizada yells in entirely fake anger.
"Sorry Sir! Hum ne socha coffee thandi ho gayi toh aap ko pasand nahi aati." Khushi is now getting totally confused at his overreaction.
At hearing this, Arnav comes really close to her, leans over her shoulders closer to her ears, and replies softly. "Agar thandi ho jaati toh phir se banva leta."
The changed sensual tone of his voice and the warm air of his breath slightly wafting across her neck send chills down her spine. She closes her eyes momentarily and strokes her right hand around her neck in desperate effort to regain her composure. It has never been easy for Khushi to find Arnav in this close proximity ever since she has realized the effect he has on her. Arnav catches on to her state of mind and decides to pick on her more as he slowly pulls away. "Kya hua, kis ke ghehre khayalo mein khoi hui ho?"
"Huh? Um, Woh, kuch nahi Sir! Hum aap ke liye abhi coffee leke aate hai!" She leaves from there immediately after that failed attempt to hide her nervousness, leaving him there smiling at her unease.
"Aaj is Rakshas ko ho kya gaya hai? Pehle toh kitni choti si baat pe chillane lage, aur Phir..! Hey Devi Maiyya raksha karo!" She babbles to herself as she makes him coffee.
She goes back into his room, hands him the coffee, and walks towards the dressing table to pick up her clothes and leave. Just as she is walking out of the room Arnav stops her. "Khushi ruko. Tum se ek baat karni thi."
Khushi stops, rolling her eyes as she wants to get away from him as fast as possible, then turns around and asks "Kahiye sir?"
"Tum ne mujhe bataya nahi, kal jab di ne tumhe bola mere saath aane ke liye, pehle tumne inkaar kyun kar diya tha?" Asks Arnav. Khushi shivers at hearing this. She does not know how to respond to this. "Arrey inhe yeh kaise pata chala? Ab iss sawaal ka hum kya jawaab de?" She thinks to herself. Arnav puts his coffee on the side table and walks towards her, folds his hands, looks into her eyes and asks "Kya main tumhe itna napasand hoon? Bilkul bhi bharosa nahi hai mujh par?"
Khushi continues quivering. She looks everywhere besides his face. "Nahi aisi baat nahi hai sir. Hum toh apne mata pita ke dar se.." She helplessly tries to reason.
"Mere saamne dekh ke bolo na Khushi, idhar udhar kya dekh rahi ho?" Arnav puts her on the spot again with a softer pitch.
She tries to look into his eyes but there's a strange sparkle of naughtiness in his eyes today that she is unable to decipher. Unable to hold her gaze any further, she abruptly utters with her widened eyes "Sir mujhe kuch yaad aa gaya jo mujhe abhi karna hai, main abhi aayi." And instantly runs out of his room into hers, locking it behind her. She closes the door and rests her body on it, as if to appease her recklessly pounding heart. She cannot tolerate this any longer. She decides that subsequent to the afternoon session of the event, she will request the rakshas to take her back home, unaware that he has plans for staying there at least two more days until he sorts out legal issues with his lawyers in order to put Shyam behind bars.
She snaps out of her sweet misery, puts on her Saree, and adorns herself with all relative accessories. By now, Arnav has showered and gotten dressed as well. The morning session is about to start in fifteen minutes and ASR does not like being late. "Agar aap taiyaar ho gayi ho toh hum chale?" He yells sarcastically from the living room. Hearing this, Khushi flutters again and quickly opens the door in panic.
Time again Arnav is left spellbound at her magnificence. The sheer semitransparent saree embellishing her pearl white skin, the silver earrings enhancing her glory, the bindi, bangles, and the one strand of hair that kept bothering her left eye all conspire against him. He stands there stumped, yet again. Unable to resist her, he walks up to her, takes the strand of her hair and tucks it behind her ears. Khushi oozes out discomfort and shyness, while trying to act unmoved. "Mujhe lagta hai subah wale program mein aap ko akele jana chahiye. Yeh toh sirf khas logo ka Milan hai na?" She speaks.
"Chup chaap chalo mere saath." He reacts to her comments all annoyed, grabs her arm, and pulls her out of the suite to bring her to the morning session. Khushi reciprocates and walks quietly, staring at this stern man drawing her along. Her heart tells her that there is something really strange about today. Something unimaginable is going to come and crawl up on her from behind. She doesn't know what, but she knows it will leave her distorted.
Cricket
