Rules Of Attraction ( Updated Part 21)- Pg 139

Khushi was making jalebis. Again. But she was happy, very happy.

School was over, the three months of torturous exams done with. After a lot of coaxing, for about a month, her parents had given in to their eighteen year old's demands of taking up 'Design' as her career option. She had applied, and easily got into one of India's most reputed design schools, 'National School Of Design', Delhi. NSD people called it.

And tomorrow she was headed to Delhi on the first flight taking off from Lucknow.

He was just twenty-eight, and already one of the most successful business tycoons of Asia. His ruthless charm and brooding eyes, just added to his tall, intimidating persona.

Arnav was in general a very placid, dispassionate man. Composed in the stormiest of situations. But today, he was highly irritated thinking about his impending visit to the NSD tomorrow for addressing the new students. The pompous and chaotic environment of the school's campus was too much for the quiet corners of his mind. Also, because it reminded him of his own carefree days of college at the campus.

But mostly, the campus tortured him with her memories. Every classroom, every corridor smelled of her. He hated it because that place brought down his carefully built facade everytime.

INDEX

The Photographs

A Lot Of Staring And Stolen Glances

What's Your Name?

The Muse

Her Eyes, His Touch

Best Laid Plans

Just Words

Whispers Of The Storm

Signs Of Life

Stranger Things Have Happened

The Fading Rose

Matters Of The Heart

Murder My Heart

Trading Secrets

Bella Notte

Bright Shadows

A Song Of Ice And Fire I

A Song Of Ice And Fire II

Human Hearts & Machines

Old Things New

November Winds

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Link to my other works-

ROA#1 | The Photographs

The campus was beautiful, the red brick walls in all their glory. The building had an aura of its own, each brick embedded with memories. Khushi walked through the corridors of NSD, her hands slightly grazing on the walls.The corridors were, quiet. The new students had just begun to arrive and since she had nothing to do, she wanted to explore the campus grounds. She kept walking until she came to a halt at the sight of a small room, unlike any other room on the campus. 'Students not allowed', a wooden board clearly stated, hanging on the wooden doors that led to the room. She wouldn't have entered, but did anyways.

The lecture was sometime in the evening, but he had already reached NSD way before noon. He wanted some quiet time alone. Alone, with her.

The walk through those corridors tired him out, always. It made his head throb with the memories he had refused to let go. Memories, he didn't want to let go of. Because they were the reason behind the man he was today,

The success, the money, every little thing in his life, it all came down to her.

Arnav was nearing towards the small room, that he dreaded to see, but couldn't keep away from whatsoever.

The room was beautiful. It smelled that smell of old books.There were two teak shelves, that held books, almost about to fall apart with the crinkled yellow pages. She looked around mystified. Then she noticed the photographs.They were all over the walls. Some tiny, others large and framed in silver , Some colored, some black and white. But all had the smiling face of a very beautiful woman. Long cascading black hair, overshadowed by the beautiful face and those excruciating grey eyes. Khushi was taken aback by the beauty of woman in the pictures. Her fingers were tracing her face in one of those pictures as her eyes traveled down to the inscription made n the frame.' Amrita Si'.' the words had only escaped her lips, as she felt a sharp pain on her elbow. And before she could acknowledge the source of this intrusion, she was yanked onto one of the walls of that very room by a pair of strong hands.

He couldn't believe his eyes as he entered the room. What was a student doing there? Slowly his eyes observed the girl in front of him. She was thin, fragile more likely he thought. Her face was obstructed by the blanket of her beautiful hair, long , black'.it reminded him of someone he knew long, long ago. Of course it can't be her.

Arnav took purposeful strides towards the girl, took hold of her elbow in a firm grip, lest she escaped and yanked her on one of those walls .

'What the hell do you think you are doing here ?'

ROA#2 | A Lot Of Staring And Stolen Glances

She was beautiful. But an intruder. Her face gripped with fear. Arnav stared at the face of the woman, who had not yet looked up to meet his fierce gaze.

'I think I asked you something, what are you doing here?'

Khushi's elbow hurt. It seemed to her that, that with every passing second, his grip on her arm tightened.

' I'm sorry, I didn't know'.' she had barely managed to get those words out of her mouth when his hoarse ones cut through.

'Get out,' he bellowed. She had apologized , looking at the floor. He wanted to have a glimpse of her face, he didn't know why, but he knew he had to see her face, maybe her eyes, once.She now struggled in his grip, and he realized how tightly he was holding on to her elbow. She tried to remove his hand by using her delicate, trembling hands. Her touch sent an electric jolt through his veins and instructively he loosened his grip on her.

She literally ran out of that room and didn't stop till she reached her room in the Girl's Hostel.

Arnav stared at the door for for a few minutes. The wind broke his reverie buy slamming on his face the door which closed of its own accord due to the harsh wind. His thoughts finally came back to where they were intended to be, on the photographs. He went and sat on the carpet, stared at the pictures, refreshed each and every memory of her till the tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. His rested his head on his knees, closed his eyes, and let his mind wander till he finally dozed off. The scorching heat broke his sleep and looking at his watch , he remembered the lecture, it was almost time. He looked back at her, for one last time and stepped out into the familiar corridors , heading towards the Guesthouse situated just between the boys and the girls hostels.

Khushi took a shower and quickly got dressed in the first thing she laid eyes on in her suitcase.Then she sat in a corner of her yet unused bed, and went over the incidents that had transpired in that room a few hours ago. That face , that chiseled face, those grey eyes haunted her now. And those shivers he sent down her body when his warm breath touched her face every time he uttered those words. Get out ..those words echoed through the walls of her mind.Why he hell am I thinking about some strangerwhen I have a lecture in an hour, she muttered to herself, twirling the strands of her damp hair, completely unaware of the lingering gaze of a man staring at her.

Arnav loved the rooms of the Guesthouse, spacious and warm. He opened one of those huge windows to breathe in the fresh air. He looked around the campus, until his eyes stopped at one particular window of the Girls Hostel that was open. He looked at her, she was the same girl, the same dark black hair, those eyes, those thin lips that were now smiling. Her face was relaxed unlike earlier in his presence, she suddenly got up and came towards the window and maybe she saw him, before he had swiftly moved out of sight , away from the window. He showered, god ready and headed for the Assembly Hall that had begun to get filled slowly.

So, he was staring at me. So what ? She wondered to her self as she went and sat down somewhere in the third row of the massive Assembly Hall.And then she heard the same voice, that same husky voice. And she looked up at the stage. Oh my god, him, again. So who was he, some Arnav Singh Raizada, rich guy and all she got to know from an overly excited girl sitting next to her. He spoke mostly about things like hard work, sincerity and success. She couldn't listen much as she was too busy concentrating on his handsome face. He stopped speaking eventually and looked directly in her direction, smirking at her. What the..did the just smirk, in her direction , what is happening in here she wondered as she skillfully as she ducked her head down pretending to look frantically for something that didn't exist.

She was staring at him, oh but then which girl in that whole room didn't. But there was something about her gaze that made him, almost nervous. Well, a girl making ArnavSingh Raizada nervous was certainly a first. He had seen her the moment she had entered the hall, a glowing face, confused eyes, her black hair now slightly dry and those stray stands playing with the wind over those rosy cheeks and the bare simplicity of her clothes. She was beautiful. Also Arnav had not missed the shock in her eyes when her gave her one of his signature smirks. Enough to make any girl weak in her knees. But now what did she do, get shocked and then duck her head in what...embarrassment?

He had to know her, he didn't know why but he just had to. There was something about her.

But first, he needed to know her name.

ROA#3| What's Your Name ?

Arnav had no idea whatsoever as to why he was following that girl. She was sprinting towards somewhere, probably her dorm , he thought and kept up with her agile footwork. And he saw her halt in front of room 314 and giving her one last glance, headed to his Guesthouse. He showered and again head towards the Girl's Hostel completely ignoring the bemused look on the security guard's face who obviously knew better than to question Arnav Singh Raizada.

When she decided she couldn't probably eat any more, she gave the two paranthas a sorry look and was on the process of going under the blanket and think about what exactly had happened today, she was interpreted by a soft knock on the door. She looked over to her sleeping room-mate and literally dragged herself to the door and opened it. She was greeted by a very unusual sight.

Arnav Singh Raizada was standing at the doorstep of her dormitory.

And then she slammed the door shut, right on his face.

You have to be kidding me,thought Khushi, what could this man be doing at 10 in the night, in the girl's hostel and had she just shut the door on his very face, bloody hell.

There were too clear knocks on the door again, and this time , Khushi opened the door, calmly,trying to keep her face composed in spite of her raging insides.

' Do you normally shut doors on every other person's face, or am I special?' he asked her in soft whispers, unknown to the weird effects it had on the person standing in front of him. 'Uh, no, I'm sorry, so who are you again, and what are you doing here at what , 10 in the night, in the girls hostel,' she stammered purposefully, emphasizing on the word Girls Hostel a bit too much.

'Slow down there, I shouldn't have , you know earlier in the afternoon...,' he had barely managed to get those words out of his mouth that she interrupted him '...no, no, it was my fault, I mean the sign specifically forbid students from entering the room, I should have known, but well you did sort of yank me on to the wall, so..'she blabbered on like a fool wondering that he was one of those guys with all the male ego stopping them from apologizing. ' Well yeah, I'm sort of temperamental, but then, you really shouldn't have been there' he managed to say as there was no way he was apologizing to her, or to anyone else for that matter. An awkward silence followed, during which Arnav stared at Khushi and she looked at the floor concentrating very hard on the activities of the unknowing ant that was now climbing and continuously falling from Arnav's Nikes. ' So, are you going to invite me in or what..?' he asked unabashedly and as soon as Khushi moved out of his way, he swiftly entered the room and made him self comfortable on her bed. on her bed..

This was sure turning out to be one of most unusual and well, sort of exciting nights in the history of nights she thought to herself looking at the grey sweatshirt clad, extremely handsome man, now sitting on her bed like it was his own. She also wondered to herself as to why she had let a stranger enter her dorm that to on her first day at the campus.

' The rooms have become bigger than ...' he said quietly. ' So you have been here before, like you were a student at NSD before?' 'Yes,' he replied stiffly and Khushi very well knew not to prod this topic further. ' You mind..?' he asked suddenly pointing toward the foiled packed of the paranthas getting Khushi out of her reverie. ' No, not at all...' she replied sweetly. And Arnav replied instantly trying to cover his own rumbling hunger raging his stomach and her amused face, '... the hostel food is , well you know...' 'Yeah, horrible and extremely tasteless you.. don't have to explain, help yourself..' she replied with utmost sincerity desperately trying to control her otherwise expressive face that was currently trying to hide the shock at having a certain Arnav Singh Raizada sitting on her bed, and eating paranthas with his hands, not with a fork like she would have expected him to, and he was relishing its taste. She waster surprised considering the fact that her mom made the best paranthas ever.

' These taste really good, just like the ones my ...' he said, clearly travelling down he memory lane again, Khushi thought and knowing better than to ask questions, she said, '..glad you liked them.' He got up rather reluctantly, Khushi noticed glancing at his watch and came towards her. And let his eyes rest on her face for about a minute or so.

She was beautiful, there was no denying that, probably the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. The way her silky hair fell around her shoulders, going all the way down to her waist and cupping he mesmerizing face perfectly. A few loose strands of her hair hovered over those dynamic eyes. He suppressed his urge to put back those strands in lace, secretly wanting to just touch her face once.And, wait she had a really cute nose, and those lips, ah , man don't even go there, wait what the hell am I doing, staring at her face and... he thought stupidly, trying to control his overworking brain. He managed to find the right words and framed at faltering question.

' What's your name?'

' Khushi '

' I'm Arnav'

' I know'

Khushi had realized long back that looking into his eyes was a horrible mistake, as his gaze did things to her that she couldn't be explained by any amount of words from the English Dictionary itself.

And then he brought his hands forward, inviting a handshake. A handshake , really?Khushi wondered, mystified by the actions of this man.

She slid her shaky right hand into his lest, and he immediately clasped them tight. His touch was warm, she could feel his calloused skin against her own soft one. She liked this new feeling , that she felt at his touch, overpowering , yet giving an immense sense of protection.

Arnav didn't want to let go of her hand, and wouldn't have probably if not for the loud snores of her stupid room-mate.

Her touch was magnetizing, healing, would be a better word , he thought as their entwined fingers slowly let go of each other.

' It was nice meeting you, I'll see you around,' he said quietly.

' You sure will,' she blurted out stupidly , a soft blush creeping up her cheeks slowly.

Then giving her another one of his signature smirks, he left.

Khushi went to the window, moving the curtains away slightly, so as to get a clear view of his walking figure now leading him to the Guesthouse. What was this , some crush, or what? she wondered. ' ..Arnav, ' she said out aloud, still looking at him, and as if he had heard her, he swiftly turned his head and looked at her , still smirking. And Khushi , being Khushi slid the curtains back to their place immediately, blushing profusely at his smirk and at her own stupidity.