Alright this FF has been the runner up FF of the week! Thanks y'all!! I love you people!! 🤗
This update is dedicated solely to my BSFL, who thinks I don't love her anymore!! 😭
My way of telling her how much I love her. . . 😳
Part 8:
Khushi gulped as she walked into the house, not sparing even half a glance at a visibly amused Arnav. Khushi gathered her things as Arnav looked around after introducing himself, and shaking hands with Dheeraj, Anu's boyfriend. Dheeraj and Anu, who was awestruck at having Arnav Singh Raizada in the same room, sat silently, trying to hide their excitements with a silly smile, which edged more on the side of a foolish grin.
"I'm done!" Khushi said, a heavy looking bag slung from one of her shoulder, and when Arnav turned to her, he took it from her, lest she fall down. Dheeraj and Anu looked shocked at having Arnav Singh Raizada help 'the local plain Jane', as they called Khushi, the latter feeling a tinge of jealousy too.
As they came out of the building, Khushi closed the gate and held the few books she had taken and hugged them tight, suddenly nervous to be alone with Arnav. He hadn't felt embarrassed at all. Not even a teeny tiny little bit, and she knew it. But she felt too embarrassed to even think about that and Arnav at the same time!
Khushi walked beside him, trembling as if expecting him to jump on her any moment now. Arnav watched her tremble and questioned, "Are you cold?"
"N. . . .N. . . No!" Khushi answered, her voice coming out squeakier than she had intended it to be. Arnav frowned as he asked, "You alright?" He knew that it had been pretty embarrassing to be in the same room, after knowing what the previous inhabitants might have been doing there! But Khushi was acting as if she had gone through a traumatic experience, which wasn't even remotely so! He had found the situation very. . . interesting!! He had never been in such a situation before, and clearly it was very amusing. Especially to see Khushi behave all mortified with it. They entered Shantivan, the guard hurriedly opening the gate for his almost always angry boss, who seemed a little distracted at the moment.
"I actually don't mind a little arrogance. I mean, I'd not want a guy who acts according to my whims!! And as for dominance? If that guy loved you, I highly doubt he'd ever misuse you by dominating you all the time..." Khushi's voice resounded in Arnav's mind and the sinful image that had come to his mind along with that fact flashed across his mind too. Arnav smirked at how Khushi would react if she knew of what he had on his mind right now. "What are you smiling at??" Khushi asked, puzzled and forgetting all about the awkwardness. "Trust me, you don't want to know!" Arnav said, passing a full fledged grin at Khushi. Khushi, dazed by the disarming grin of Arnav, asked in the same voice, "I don't?" And Arnav shook his head in reply. And Khushi easily shut up.
Khushi was shown into a room, where Arnav put her bag and left the room so that she could change her clothes, freshen up and sleep.
---ooo---
The next morning, all the Raizadas were at the dining table, having breakfast, when Khushi dashed down the stairs, and gave a hurried "Good Morning. I'm late. Bye!" and was about to leave, when Arnav shouted, "Khushi! I didn't sign your report!!" He felt like a father yelling at his child, reminding her to take his signature on her report card, and made a face at that thought, not at all liking it.
"Hey Devi Maiyya!!" Khushi said as she turned back and slapped her forehead dramatically, and Arnav all but rolled his eyes at this dramaqueen. She ran up the stairs and Anjali said, "Chotey, I think its better if you drop her off." Arnav raised his eyebrows as he asked, "And why should I?"
"Think, Chotey. She's in a hurry. She'd drive her vehicle at a breakneck speed and then she might actually break her neck!" Anjali reasoned and Nani nodded her head in approval. "Can't afford to have her pretty little neck broken, can we?" Arnav said drily, and Anjali gasped at his careless voice and was about to give him a lecture about her being their guest now and they had to take care of her, when Arnav cut her, "Alright! I'll do it!"
Khushi came down and saw Arnav leaving, and ran behind him, shouting, "Hey, sign this!"
"Lets leave first. I'll drop you to college and then sign it there. Besides I've to read it. I can't sign until I read it." Arnav said, and Khushi sat in the car, trying to catch her breath.
Arnav started driving towards her college, and a few minutes later, Khushi said, "Its not like I'm trying to take over AR by filling all that Power of Attorney crap in my report, you know? You can sign it without reading too!"
Arnav smirked as he replied to her, "You know, as per the gentleman there, there'd be no need for any kind of Power of Attorney at all. Since he thinks of you are my wife!" He was pointing at the cop who had thought them as a married couple, as they waited at the same signal where they had had a fight the previous day.
"Ugh! Don't even remind me of that!" Khushi huffed and looked out of the window, as Arnav chuckled to himself and started driving when the signal turned green. As he stopped the car in front of her college, he pulled out his pen from the shirt pocket and Khushi handed the file in which she had attached the report.
Arnav turned to the last page, and signed it for her. And as soon as he had signed the report without reading it, Khushi took it out of his hands, and said haughtily, "Okay, your house now belongs to me. Please vacate by this evening."
Arnav smiled wryly before he pointed to the file in her hand, and asked, "Will it take too long?"
Khushi looked at the file and shook her head, "I just need to submit and then I'll come to work. Don't worry! I won't ditch work!"
Arnav looked at her in irritation as he said, "Thank you for being so gracious. I just meant to say, if it wouldn't take long, I'd wait and take you with me too!"
Khushi's eyebrows reached her hairline and her lips went to a perfect "O" for a second, drawing Arnav's attention to it, before she grinned sheepishly, and said, "I'll be back in 2 minutes, then" And she dashed out of the car. Arnav just shook his head, and sat there watching her run away.
After some five minutes, Khushi ran to the car and opened the door and sat in, putting a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart. Arnav watched all this with an amused smile, and when she turned to look at him, handed her the water bottle and asked, "You do realize you've been running this whole morning, don't you?" Khushi nodded, and took the bottle from him. Drinking water from it, she relaxed a little more as she explained, "I don't want my short-tempered boss to be angry at me, you see?"
The smirk on Arnav's face disappeared immediately, as he glared at her. Khushi chuckled and put both her hands up, as she said, "Sorry! Sorry!! I was just kidding!! But you have to agree. You are short-tempered."
Arnav shrugged as he started the car, and said in a non-chalant voice, "Can't help if I have people like you in my life." Khushi's mouth fell open at his arrogant reply, but she turned away as a small smile came on her face, finding the arrogance in him very appealing.
---ooo---
"Khushi, drop me home today. Steve can't come to pick me up" Lavanya said as soon as she spotted Khushi and Arnav come together. Khushi looked at Arnav uncomfortably, and Arnav just shrugged and left for his cabin. "The thing is, La, I was in a hurry this morning. So Arnav just dropped me off to college and then we came here together. So I don't have my vehicle with me."
"But how did ASR know that you were in a hurry? He had come to your building??" Lavanya asked, and Khushi soon explained about the "Anu-and-her-boyfriend" scene, and Lavanya frowned, as she asked, "So you're put up at his place, now? Why couldn't you just come and stay with me and your sister?" Khushi explained why she had ruled that option out. "Hmm. . . So my naive, li'l princess is put up at the prince charming's palace!!" Lavanya teased her friend. Khushi didn't understand why she was blushing at the teasing look her friend was giving her, and hurriedly left to sit at her table and start working.
At lunch, Payal joined them too, as she had just a half day's class and was free after that. She was explaining the progress in her relationship with Akash, when Lavanya again started teasing about Khushi staying with ASR. Khushi glared at her friend, as she muttered, "Its not like I'm staying in his room, with him!" Lavanya shamelessly asked, "Is that a wishful voice I hear??!!"
Payal, very confused as to why Khushi was being tagged with Arnav, looked at her sister blush, and a small smile came to her lips. "Khushi???" She asked incredulously, and Khushi just lowered her gaze and glared at her hands. "Its nothing like that, jiji!"
"But are you sure? We don't know them very well. . . . And you're staying with them?" Payal asked, concerned about her baby sister. Lavanya gasped in mock horror, as she said, "I'll tell this to Akash! You're telling this about your in-laws-to-be?! How shameful!!"
Payal and Khushi studiously ignored her drama, as Khushi reassured her sister that it was alright, and that they were really nice people. And as if to support her statement, she got a text from Anjali, reminding her to have lunch, as she had skipped her breakfast too. Payal was now satisfied and became curious to know such a sweet woman.
"Come with me today, Jiji. And you can meet all of them!!" Khushi said, clearly pointing out, just to Akash. Khushi had no problems with her sister falling for a gentleman such as, Akash. She had already teased him regarding that yesterday at Shantivan, when she was sure nobody were listening.
"Sure! I'll bring her with me. Lavanya said, thinking of discussing the match-making-agenda with Anjali. They'd have to be a little more better in planning now. Akash seemed fine to be falling in love with Payal. But as far as she knew, ASR would put up a tough fight. And they'd have to give their best shot with him.
But first, they should include Khushi on their side. And then ASR could be attacked from all sides!! Lavanya thought, as she patted her shoulder mentally. For being so intelligent!!
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If and when this thread fills up with comments, the following is the precap for the next update. . . 😉 😳
Precap: Khushi sat on a chair, as Lavanya and Anjali cirled her, closing in on her, as if she was their prey. Khushi looked at each of their faces, totally confused with their behavior.
"So, Khushi? Crushing on ASR, eh?!" Lavanya asked, as if that was the most common thing to talk. Khushi looked at Anjali with wide eyes, to see how she would react. To her dismay, Anjali had a winning smile on her face. And Khushi sighed when she realized these two women were together on proving the "Khushi-has-a-crush-on-ASR" theorem.
'Is it true??!!' Khushi wondered for a second. . . . . . . .
Can I be any more wicked?!! I say hell, yeah!!! 😉 😈
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