FF:Hate That I Love You.. #2 Lnk to Thd 3 on pg 1 - Page 37

Originally posted by: Sivaranjani

U promised me update, Harshi darling!!

I kept mine, so your turn! You know how eager I'm to read this.

Soon soon! Else ... - You could fill with whatever punishment (I mean punishment not chocolates there) you would prefer from me!!

Soon!

My one and only BSFL got me my gift!!! Yayyy!!

Though I had to become all ASR-ish on her! And I might have offended her by making a deal of not updating until I got my gift!!

But, oh well! If I won't do all such childish things with her, whom else do I do it with?! 😳

You know how I've told you that I'm one hell of a pampered person wherever I go, Siva?! Well, you make me feel the same here, on IF, too!! 😃 🤗

I love you! Seriously! I'm really honored to have you as my Best Sister For Life!

And as I had promised her, here are the 3 marathon updates!

Chapter 11:

Later that evening, Khushi asked a little time off from Arnav, as she wanted to get ready for the party. Arnav looked at Lavanya, who had accompanied Khushi to his cabin and asked, "And I presume that you want to accompany her too."

"Well. . .You presume right!" Lavanya exclaimed as she smiled broadly at Arnav. And before he could object, Lavanya tugged Khushi out and into a room, where many of the sample dresses were usually kept stacked at AR.

Khushi watched bewildered, as Lavanya started to pull out gowns and dresses of all sorts out for Khushi. She spread them all on the work table in the middle of the room, and started narrowing down on a few dresses, and finally chose two dresses. One was black, and it felt absolutely sinful to even look at it. And the other one was actually beautiful and had red roses made of the same cloth as the gown. Khushi obviously couldn't wear the black one, as she felt scandalized to even look at it for five seconds in a row. And she didn't want to wear the red gown as Arnav had already seen her in red. On the Valentine 's Day party.

And so Lavanya again started removing more gowns which would show more than it covered, and finally Khushi put her foot down and said that she was going to wear the short, sequined blue dress, which covered her front fully, but gave an unobstructed view of the creamy skin of her back. She also chose a matching pair of pumps, deciding to keep her outfit as simple as she could keep.

Lavanya, miffed at Khushi since she had refused to let Lavanya choose an ostentatious gown for her, didn't join Khushi, as she left for Shantivan. She took a shower, and had just come out when she heard Arnav come home and slam his door shut. Khushi snubbed the fluttery feeling in her stomach at the thought of Arnav, as she dried her hair and put on minimal makeup. She let her hair free, and pulled it all over her left shoulder, thus enticing any onlooker with the contrast that her dress formed with her white skin on her back.

She was giving a finishing touch of gloss, her back to the door as she peered into the mirror, when there was knock at her door. "Come in!" She shouted and got back to her present task. As soon as the door opened, before she saw Arnav standing at the door through the mirror, she felt his eyes bore into her back, and she all but hoped he wouldn't notice how his intense gaze was heating up her skin, causing a blush to start from her toe-nails and spread over until her hairline.

She put back her gloss in the little clutch she had decided to take, and slowly lifted her gaze to meet Arnav's eyes, still looking at him through the mirror. Their eye lock was filled with such heat, such passion, that it was a wonder that the mirror hadn't just melted into its molten form.

Arnav opened the door to Khushi's room, and pulled the sleeves of his shirt out, so that his own suit seemed immaculate and looked up to see Khushi applying gloss on her plump lips. But he saw that just for a second, before his eyes flitted to Khushi's almost bare back. Though the anatomical part of her, which enticed him a lot, still stayed covered. 'Sweetbottom!' his mind almost yelled, as he feasted on the scene in front of him. And he felt a weird, elation at the fact that, somehow she had fallen in love with him! But, he seriously had had enough of taking it slow with her. 'Alright! Time to take it one notch higher!' he thought, as he started moving toward her.

She saw Arnav take slow and measured steps towards her. Khushi lowered her gaze, and she started looking at each of the makeup article in front of the mirror, and suddenly felt this strange nervousness take over her. 'Maybe I should have listened to Lavanya! Maybe he'd think this is too simple!' Khushi was thinking, when she felt his finger rest at the small of her back, where the dress started at the back. Khushi gasped and shut her eyes, as a shiver ran through her spine. His finger started moving upwards and when It reached the nape of her neck, Khushi felt it was too much to take and turned abruptly, so that she was now facing Arnav.

The magic of the moment seemed to be broken with that action of hers, and Arnav broke out of his stupor, and asked if she was ready to leave. She nodded her head, tucking a stray fringe of her hair behind her ear.

The drive to the venue of the party was silent, though it was nowhere near awkward. Arnav always wondered how he shared this comfort zone with her. And though she generally was the kind of person to chatter nonstop, she seemed to be content with just being with him, than to try to involve him in an awkward conversation (Awkward on his part, that is).

When they reached the venue, the place was swarming with paparazzi, and Khushi almost ran behind Arnav, in the free space that the reporters seemed to create for him. Almost as if they were afraid to tread too much on his space.

They had just entered the hall, when they heard a sensual voice call out "ASR!!" And a very surprised Arnav almost immediately disappeared as Sana tugged him. Khushi wasn't sure but she thought she saw a flash of beseeching look pass through his eyes as he looked at her, before he turned to the people who were being introduced to him.

'That biitch!!' Khushi thought as she felt her temper rise. She took a glass of orange juice from a passing waiter, waning something to do with her hands, lest she go and start a catfight with that model who had a chest as flat as a carom board!

If Khushi was a cartoon, anybody could make out the squiggly lines, indicating steam, coming out of her ears, and her face going a tomato red. Khushi tripped on purpose, and toppled her glass, making sure she had spilled all its contents out. And she looked up at Arnav, as his mouth hung open. He stared at all the juice on his suit and then at her incredulously for a second, before anger filled up in those caramel eyes, turning them to a darker shade of brown.

"What the f*ck, Khushi?!" Arnav muttered through his gritted teeth, and saw the smug look on her face starting to ebb, and was completely replaced with horror. She held his hand and nodded her head once, telling him to come with her. She took him to the washroom, and started dabbing tissues to his chest, muttering profanities at an alleged flat-chested-woman, whom Arnav assumed to be Sana Banerjee.

His anger started to slip away, but he tried his level best as he remembered the humiliation of getting juice spilt all over him by this chit of a girl. When Khushi felt that nothing more could be done about the traces of juice on his suit, she looked up into the smoldering depths of caramel.

Arnav now realized what a good feeling it was to understand an important person in your life felt, without them expressing it in words. 'So this is how Khushi feels when she understands each, and everything about me!' he thought. "You're jealous." Arnav said.

Khushi had never realized that it was jealousy that she had felt right from the moment when she had seen Sana almost lie down on Arnav. Plus that realization coming from Arnav's mouth didn't settle suit well with Khushi. Her anger which had been there since that morning seemed to return in small doses, as she frowned and jutted her lower lip out, which Arnav realized was her usual reaction when she was about to get very angry!

His own temper felt frayed a little at being embarrassed in front of his clients and employees like that. And he was in no mood to take this right now. So he just shook his head, and sighed in exasperation and left the washroom, very easily ignoring the shocked look a few ladies passed his way, as they saw him coming out of women's room.

PS: Next part in next post

Chapter 12:

Khushi looked at Arnav's retreating back. He seemed too stiff. As if he was very angry, and he was just gripping onto the very last shreds of his patience, just so that he didn't snap at anybody and everybody, who made the mistake of coming in his way.

Khushi walked outside timidly, her eyes searching for her new found love. She found him heading out of the party hall, and she almost dashed out behind him, almost spraining her leg by running on the pumps. She removed then and held them in two fingers as she started running again.

Arnav stood by his car, a hand on the warm bonnet. As soon as Arnav felt her behind him, he walked to the driver's side of the car, sat in it, and started his car.And when he didn't see a Khushi coming and sitting beside him, he started revving the engine, stepping very hard on the accelerator, as if he didn't have the patience to wait for her all evening.

Khushi felt terrible now. 'Hey Devi Maiyya! I haven't even told him I love him and here we are, fighting!! I hate myself right now!' Khushi thought, and silently sat beside him. Khushi waited, and waited for him to show his anger in any way. But he just drove on. She looked at him surreptitiously, and found him looking ahead indifferently. Tears started forming in her eyes. How much he must have been angry at her. And then the thought of him gifting her the earrings, as an apology flashed through her mind.

'Not a man of much words. . . .' Khushi thought as she actually started crying silently now. As they reached Shantivan, Arnav parked his car right beneath the foyer and got out of the car, assuming that she'd be right behind him. "Arnav. . ." he heard her whisper brokenly, as if she had been crying. He turned around, not able to think of any plausible reason for her mood.

As soon as he faced her, Khushi flung her arms around his neck and started apologizing at the rate of a hundred apologies per minute! Since she had removed her shoes, her head just reached Arnav's chest.

Arnav, who had not expected the hug, took a step back at the unexpected force, with which Khushi hurled herself into his arms, and already had put his arms around her waist in surprise, when he heard her mumbling apologies to his chest, her voice muffled.

He heard words like "suit" and "ruined" and realized that Khushi was thinking that he was angry at her for spilling juice on his suit and ruining it. 'She honestly thinks i care about a suit?! A suit?!!' he thought as he pulled her back. She looked so dejected at the moment, it took all of his self control not to kiss her and make her feel better.

"Do you seriously think I care about a suit?! A SUIT?!!" Arnav asked as she wipe her tears and looked up, as fresh tears spilled out continuously. Khushi started explaining in a squeaky voice which shook with sobs, "Well. . . I thought you may have been angry because of the embarrassment I made you face when I spilled juice all over you. But then I realized that you hardly care about what people think about you. . . And so I assumed you were angry at me for ruining your clothes. . ." Her tears had actually stopped as she concentrated on explaining her thoughts. Arnav's lips had a hint of smile as he wiped a lone tear off her cheek with the pad of his thumb, as his other fingers roamed to her ear and then into her dense, silky hair.

She was plain adorable when she was jealous, Arnav decided as he whispered, "You thought what? That she'd come between. . . . Us?!"

Khushi stared at him with wide eyes, surprised when he acknowledged about an "us", as she whispered back, "She won't?!" Arnav just raised his eyebrows and gave her a 'Duh' kind of look. Khushi's lips started lifting up in a watery smile, as she answered her own question, "No. . . ."

"So??" Arnav asked, as he bent his head to look into the lowered eyes of this jealous, adorable thing in front of him. Khushi looked into his eyes for a second before she hugged him tight again, making Arnav smile. He himself hadn't known that the cute and shy girls were actually his type. But then Khushi could never be narrowed down to a certain TYPE, Arnav thought. She was the right mixture of a little of everything. Feisty like hell, or as coy as she ever could be. So caring one minute, absolutely arrogant and indifferent, the next. Too serious, almost like him, or too crazy most of the times. A little too much of that, Arnav thought as he felt himself bubbling with laughter at his own joke.

Khushi pulled back and looked at him in awe as his body shook with mirth. She smiled too, feeling honored as he shared his laughter with her. A very few people probably had this right, to see him when he let his guard down completely. She felt so gleeful, she could have laughed her head off. But it would probably scare Arnav off, Khushi thought as she settled for a small smile.

Naniji opened the door at that instance, and they both pulled away, Khushi hoping against all hopes that Naniji hadn't witnessed anything while Arnav stood coolly, not liking his free arms. He had liked it when he had them around Khushi.

"I thought you children would come late tonight. No party??" Naniji asked, and her eyes neither missed the traces of juice which had formed stains on her grandson's clothes, nor Khushi's blush.

"Woh party hi kya, jaha aap na ho, Naniji?!" Khushi asked in her cheerful voice and pulled Naniji into the living room. She connected her cell phone to the audio system through Bluetooth and played "Auntyji Auntyji" song and made all the Raizada women and Anjali dance to it.

That' right baby
Aunty ji
This sone' for you
Abhi bhi hai jawani
Zara si hai purani
Hai fir bhi jawani honeyji
Sharam bhulake, haan thumka lagake
Karo na thoda man mani ji,
Abhi bhi tere gaal, gore gore
Lakho dilon pe dale dore dore
Dekho deewane huye ja rahe hai
Aadhe umar ke bhi chore chore
Haan baalon ki safedi se fikha kab hua hai
Romance..
Aunty Ji aunty Ji.. Get up and dance..
Aunty Ji aunty Ji.. Get up and dance..

Arnav watched with a smile as they all started giggling at the end of it.

As the next song started playing, Khushi laughed louder as she started dancing the chicken dance.

As Khushi roamed around the living room, she made everyone laugh senseless. And when she made her way to Arnav, who was standing with his back to the door, Khushi stood beside him, her eyes going wide with shock and her lips a perfect "o", as she stared at the door. Arnav looked at her face and then frowned as he turned to see who was at the door. He could see from his peripheral vision that Khushi silently moved behind him, as if she wanted to hide behind him. Hide away from the man at the door. Now he wasn't sure if this was Khushi's dad. But from the stern look on the man's face and the way Khushi hid behind him, made him realize that this could be her dad. Again all he wanted to do was to laugh away. Trust Khushi to dance to a song teasing dads in front of hers!!

P.S: One more part for today!! Got bored already?

You could always come back and read it later?? 😳

Part 13:

"Your dad?" Arnav asked as he felt Khushi's forehead press against his back. She nodded, and Arnav could almost fully imagine the embarrassed face of Khushi. He pursed his lips to stop himself from laughing as he went ahead to greet her father. "Arnav Singh Raizada." He said as he shook his hand with Khushi's father. "Please do come in!!" Anjali called out, and Shashi Gupta immediately smiled.

Khushi's dad had come to Delhi with some job and had planned to visit his daughters. Fist the younger one and then he had planned to visit Payal. To tell that he was shell shocked on finding an unmarried woman with a man staying where his daughter should have been, would have been an understatement. After meeting the Raizadas, he had been proud that his daughter had been sensible enough to change the plans of her accommodations.

He wanted to leave soon, telling he wanted to leave to visit Payal, before he got on the overnight train to Lucknow. But then Lavanya and Payal barged in themselves. Khushi, though happy that her sister had come, and she didn't have to let go of her father soon, wondered how she had known that Babuji was here. Payal gave a grateful smile to Arnav and Khushi realized then that Arnav had informed her. When Arnav looked at Khushi, she gave an appreciative look and smiled at him.

Arnav raised his head, nodding his head once at Khushi, indicating it was okay. They all had dinner together, and as Shashi Gupta left, Payal had tears in her eyes, and Khushi swallowed her own pain and put on a brave front as she consoled Payal, and hugged her dad, and waved him off. Akash had decided to drop him to the railway station.

Anjali forced Lavanya and Payal to spend the night in Shantivan as it was already late, and they all jumped up and down in joy, as if they were little girls. While they changed to Khushi's night clothes, which fit almost perfectly to both of them, Lavanya was dying out of curiosity to know how the party had been. Khushi opted to remain silent and tell nothing about the juice incident, and just answered that they came back soon since the party had been boring.

In turn, Lavanya narrated to Payal, how Khushi had neglected her advice and had chosen a very simple dress which wouldn't get ASR's attention. AT ALL!

Payal just smiled and looked affectionately at Payal, and Khushi started humming the first song which came to her mind. Just to avoid further blabbering from Lavanya!

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ-MVAzdUK4[/YOUTUBE]

Wishing and hoping and
thinking and praying,
planning and dreaming
each night of his charms
that won't get you into his arms,
so if you're looking to find love
you can share, all you gotta do,
is hold him and kiss him, and love him
and show him that you care
Show him that you care just for him,
do the things that he likes to do,
wear your hair just for him,
cause you won't get him, thinking and a
praying
wishing and a hoping
Just wishing and hoping
and thinking and praying
and planning and dreaming
his kisses will start...
that won't get you into his heart...
so if your thinking how great true love is
all you gotta do is...
Hold him and kiss him and squeeze him and
love him
just do it and
after you do, you will be his
Show him that you care just for him,
do the things that he likes to do,
wear your hair just for him,
cause you won't get him
thinking and a praying
wishing an a hoping
Just wishing and hoping and thinking and
praying
planning and dreaming
his kisses will start...
that won't get you into his heart
so if your thinking how great true love is
all you gotta do...
Is hold him and kiss him
and squeeze him and love him
just do it and after you do
you will be his...
you will be his...
you..will..be..his...

They had all had started dancing and moving smoothly, and finally a little miffed Lavanya smiled and hugged Khushi. "If you ever need help, you know you've got me. . . . . ." Lavanya said in a warm voice, and Khushi smiled as she tightened her embrace around Lavanya. Payal hugged them both together, feeling too lucky to have such lovely people in her life.

Arnav seemed a little restless as he tried to sleep, remembering how Khushi had gone all choky when her dad was about to leave. He wasn't sure why but she. . . . mattered. Her tears mattered. And not just her tears. Her smile mattered too. It made him go all warm. The opposite of what he usually was like. Cold. But her tears seemed to literally singe him. He could actually flinch in pain if he ever saw her tears.

'Okay. . . . So her tears really bothers me. Erm. . . . . What am I supposed to do about them?!' he thought as he turned to the left and tried to fall asleep.

"Are you alright?" Arnav sent a text to Khushi, hoping that he'd be able to sleep well if he knew she was alright.

Khushi, who had almost fallen sleep, took her phone, frowning when it beeped, and looked at the screen which asked if she was okay. She did not even see who had sent it, as she failed to recognize it to be a SMS. She just typed a "Yes", and sent it, without actually waking up and got back to her slumber.

Arnav saw her reply, and sighed as he kept his phone on the side table. As he finally slept, Arnav thought about how he had felt confused and restless a while ago, and thought 'You have the nerve to make me feel confused!! Oh, I hate you, Khushi Kumari Gupta!'

The next morning, Arnav went to the dining room, to have his breakfast and leave. When he didn't see any signs of Khushi, he asked his Jeejaji, as he knew he'd be the only one who would give him straight answer without giving him a knowing smile. Khushi had apparently left because she had to drop Lavanya and Payal to their apartment, and then she'd come to AR with Lavanya. Arnav stared at his jeejaji with shock written all over his face, as he almost yelled "You mean she's riding her bike with both Lavanya and Payal on the bike?!"

"Arre! No, Bhai! I had been to drop Payal off." Akash replied as he entered the dining hall, twirling his car keys around his finger. "But its good to know you worry about Khushi." Akash quipped and winked at his brother, before turning to Anjali and grinning at her. Arnav gave an exasperated sigh, and drank his juice in three large swigs before he left to work in a hurry.

His ride to AR was. . . . silent. He had actually grown used to Khushi's chatter, he thought and nodded appreciatively at him, smiling a little at the thought of Khushi. . . . .

P.S: If I bored you with these 3 updates, let me know. And I'd decrease the frequency of my updates in future.

P.P.S: Please do leave a comment. If not a comment, at least a like? It just takes a click! 😳

Link to Part 14