Arnav smirked as he shook her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I have a proposition for you Ms. Gupta," Arnav disclosed.
"Hmm and what might that be?" She asked.
"It's a compromise of the situation that we're both in to be honest; you are in need of a place to stay right?" He asked her.
She squinted at him but nodded in confirmation anyway. "I need someone to come and stay with my family and me for a month as my girlfriend." She gaped at him.
"Excuse me?" She asked him, looking scandalised. "How dare you? Do I look that desperate? Here I thought that you were a decent person offering to help me out of this rain but it seems like you had an agenda on your mind already." She spat out, opening the door and stepping out.
Arnav sighed heavily; she was not an easy one.
He followed her out into the rain and quickly grabbed the bags that she was taking out of his boot and placing it straight back in before grabbing her arms to stop her.
"Let me go!" She shouted, struggling greatly against him.
"Just stop dammit and listen." Arnav shouted at her; his arms falling to her waist as he grabbed her and pressed her up against the back of his jeep protecting her from the spray of the rain, letting it pound on his back instead.
It was in that moment that he realised that she was the perfect height; if he moved a little bit closer to the left, she would fit perfectly into the crook of his neck; but he shook that thought out of his head as quick as it came in.
"Miss. Gupta, it wasn't my intention to suggest that you were a call girl of any type and it definitely wasn't my intention to ask you to be my pretend girlfriend when I offered you a ride. I want to help you, but it's an eye for an eye."
However, she didn't look any more pleased; instead it seemed that he was digging a deeper grave with her even though he was being very careful with his words.
"Look. I accidentally told my family that I have a girlfriend and all of a sudden my sister wanted me to bring this non-existent girl in my life to our house so that the family can get to know her. You don't have a home and I can offer you a place to stay for a month until you find yourself an apartment. It's a win-win situation. My family can believe that you are my girlfriend for a month and you'll be in a safe environment."
"I'm not a charity case Mr. Raizada. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself; now let me go!" Khushi started struggling again; not believing the audacity of this man.
Arnav groaned in frustration. Why was she being so difficult? Any other woman would have jumped at the chance to live with Arnav Singh Raizada for a month!
"I don't care what you say but I'm not leaving you alone in the middle of the night; nor will I be dropping you off at any motels." A strange sense of protectiveness settled in.
"What? How dare you? Who are you to determine what I do and where I go?" She banged her fists against his chest.
"What do you want? Here I am offering you a place to stay for free until you get yourself sorted out and you are refusing my generosity."
"You're generosity?" Khushi questioned sarcastically. "You're practically blackmailing me to pretend to be your girlfriend in exchange for shelter. That's not generosity Mr. Raizada. You're suggesting a live-in relationship with a girl who you've picked up off the road; what does that say about you?" Khushi asked him with cold eyes.
"Well you've done it already haven't you?" He spat back out, gesturing to her bags that were inside his Jeep.
Khushi let out a sarcastic laugh. "Why is it that when someone mentions a live-in relationship; people immediately assume sex? I can assure you that I did not have a physical relationship with Arun. That's why the ******* ran off to sleep with ******. Apparently she could give him what I couldn't."
For a moment Arnav looked at her shocked, and he got a clearer picture of the type of girl she was.
"So why was it that you assumed a physical relationship when I suggested a live-in?" He questioned.
"Haven't I learned from experience? Men don't want anything but a physical relationship."
"I don't expect a physical relationship Khushi, merely a pretend one. The most that this 'relationship' will involve is hugging and hand holding. I don't expect anything else from you. Just a show for the family and they're about as old fashioned as you can get so anything more than that, they will be scandalised anyway." He informed her; and he could see that her demeanour was changing.
"And what will happen after the month is over and I move out?" She asked him. Arnav could have almost sighed in relief.
"We have a massive fight and we break up and we'll never have to see each other again or we decide that its best if we remain friends ' whatever the situation brings," Arnav concluded.
He watched her as she thought about this offer.
"I don't know a single thing about you and we have to look like a couple." Arnav would have thanked God for his luck if he believed in them; therefore, he settled for a pleased smile.
"We have a long drive back home which gives us plenty of time to cover the basics, now let's get out of the rain." Arnav suggested as he dragged her to the Jeep and settled her in.
As he got in, he noticed that she looked slightly nervous.
"Just trust me ok? I will take care of you." She gave him a calculative look again before turning away; believing him.
Author's Note
Wow, thank you so much for the overwhelming response! I'm glad that you guys like the story! There's going to be a lot of romance along the way. This story has only just begun and you guys are in for a ride! Just to clear things up, Khushi and Payal are not related; they merely share the same surname. Like, Comment and Buddy if you want PMs!
Chapter 4A: Link
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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