ArHi FF: Love for Hire (Pt13 Pg146, upd 12th Oct) - Page 76

The rest of the day goes back quite fast for the group of friends in Goa. They decide to have dinner at a nearby restaurant, drink and dance for a while at Club Cubana, then head back to Peter's beach bungalow for a quiet and private countdown to the New Year.

Maanvi and Virat plan out the details and book the table at the restaurant. Yash and Aarti help decide on the activities for the rest of their stay in Goa. Payal and Khushi make lunch and tea-time snacks for the 10 of them.

Peter and Aman help Arnav in a bit of urgent office work, but then they see some hot girls go by the beach house, hurriedly finish off their part, and hurry after the girls in the hope that they won't be alone for the countdown.

After Peter and Aman go off, Arnav is left alone, and when the quietness begins to sink in, he starts missing Khushi. He uses "water" and "green tea" as excuses to go into the kitchen and see Khushi, but stops after a couple of times so as not to make anything seem too suspicious. What Arnav does not know is that Maanvi and Virat have been keeping a close watch on him and are happy with the development. They know that Arnav is so desperate to meet Khushi and spend some time with her that no doubt, he'll be with her at midnight. What they now plan to do is make Arnav realise his love for her - before the clock strikes midnight. This is harder than their original plan, but if they succeed, then everything will automatically fall into place.

Payal and Khushi soon finish all their work in the kitchen. Aman and Peter come back to the bungalow to ask for help in communicating with those hot girls - who turn out to be Punjabi sisters - in Punjabi to "pataao" them, and since Payal is the only one who knows fluent Punjabi, she goes with them. Khushi takes this chance to meet up with Akash and help him cook up and elaborate and ultra-romantic plan to propose to Payal later in the night.

*************************

Sometime in the afternoon...

Maanvi finds Virat talking to Arnav and indicates to him to come and talk to her, quietly, without letting Arnav know anything. Virat makes the excuse of going to the toilet, and leaves Arnav there, to brood over his thoughts of Khushi.

"What was so urgent?" Virat whispers softly.

"Jealousy..." Maanvi replies, with a smirk on her face.

"What about jealousy? Maanvi, please be clear!" Virat seems confused.

"Jealousy always works in getting someone to realize that they're in love... If we make Arnav jealous of 'some other guy' with Khushi, then he will realize that he loves Khushi." Maanvi states matter-of-factly, as if everything is obvious.

"That is so filmy...!!! Your plan won't work."

"It will. I know it will...!!!"

"Wanna bet, Maanvi?"

"Let's bet. If I win you have to sit with me, though a chick-flick every night for one whole week."

"Hah!! Not a chance...!!! I will win the bet. And when I win it... I won't tell you exactly what now, but just note that you will have to do whatever I say."

"Now, there's not a chance at all for this."

"We will see...!!!"

"Yes. We will see...!!!"

*************************

The dinner goes by very well. Aman and Peter invite the two Punjabi girls they met earlier in the day to eat, dance, and celebrate the New Year's with them, and bond really well. Maanvi and Virat have their own cute and cozy moments, but find excuses to fight with each other, which they enjoy.

Yash and Aarti feed each other while whispering sweet nothings in the others' ears. Payal and Akash stick together like glue, holding hands and eating out of the same plate, but not really talking because both of them are shy.

Arnav tries to find excuses to stay close to Khushi, brush his hand or arm against hers, or accidentally (in truth accidentally-on-purpose) bump into her. Khushi on the other hand, tries to move away from Arnav as far as possible, because of her "acidity" fear.

*************************

Later on, at Club Cubana...

Maanvi and Virat are at the bar, getting drinks for themselves and the rest of the gang who is waiting at the table. They try to get the attention of the bartender, who finally attends to them after Maanvi's high-pitched shout for him.

"Hullo... Bartender?..." Maanvi shouts.

The bartender comes upto them. "Yes, Miss...?"

"Hi. I want 4 Pina Colada's, 5 Bloody Mary's, and 3 Cosmopolitan's..." Maanvi replies.

"Coming right up..." The bartender turns around to get the drinks Maanvi ordered.

But Maanvi looks strangely at the bartender, as if she has seen him before. She nudges Virat, who gives her the same look. Suddenly, it dawns upon them, who the bartender really is. And, Maanvi calls out to him. "Wait a minute..."

The bartender turns around and faces Maanvi. "Yes...? Anything else to add on?"

"You still owe me for that doll of mine you broke..." Maanvi tells him.

Virat adds on, "And you owe me for saving you from your Miss Chipkoo'"

The bartender turns around in surprise. "Mannu, Virat...???"

"The one and ...!!!" Maanvi and Virat say at the same time, laughing.

"OMG...!!! It's so great so see you here... What are you doing in Goa, man?" The bartender rushes over and hugs both Virat and Maanvi.

"We're here on holiday, with the other Board of Directors from our company." Virat replies.

"How are you doing, Nandkishore...???" Maanvi teases the bartender.

"Stop calling me that...!!!"

"Oops, sorry... How are you doing NK...?"

"Great!"

NK - the bartender - gets back to making drinks for Virat and Maanvi, and the rest, while catching up with them about the recent events in their lives. Virat, Maanvi, and NK were childhood friends and neighbours, until NK's father was transferred from Mumbai to Delhi. Over time, they lost touch.

A few years ago, NK's family came to Goa to visit his sick and dying maternal grandmother. The rest of the family went back after the funeral, but NK decided to stay back and take care of his old maternal grandfather. Now, NK is settled in Goa, and making a living as an acting instructor during the day and a bartender at nights.

Maanvi suddenly gets an idea. "Hey, NK... As you know, you owe us, right...?"

"Yes, I do..." NK looks at Maanvi, suddenly scared, because he knows Maanvi is the sort of person to get the weirdest of ideas at the weirdest of times.

"Well, you just have to do a little something for us, before the New Year's..." Maanvi's face lights up with a huge grin.

Now, even Virat begins to feel a little worried. He looks at Maanvi with a quizzical look on his face. "Maanvi, now what are you up to...?" He asks her.

NK too pipes in. "Yes, Maanvi... Tell me what you're thinking!"

"Oh, it's nothing..." Maanvi replies, casually. "You just have to do a little bit of acting... And you make someone jealous'"

Virat finally understands what is going on in Maanvi's head and looks at her with a proud smile. NK on the other hand, still looks confused. But that confused look soon changes to a wicked grin as he joins Maanvi and Virat in their plan of making Arnav jealous and realizing his love - before midnight.

"Okay, I'll help you guys... Just give me about 5 to 10 more minutes. I'll serve your drinks, finish up my shift at the bar here, and get someone to cover for me..." NK tells Virat and Maanvi.

*************************

Slightly before 10 in the night...

Virat and Maanvi make their way back to the table that everyone else is sitting at. Khushi jumps up and helps them place the trays with drinks on their table.

"Finally, took you long enough..." Khushi says, as she helps them. "Where were you for so long?"

"Talking to the bartender... Turns out, he's Virat's and my childhood friend." Maanvi explains.

"And here he comes..." Virat says, emphasizing every word, as if providing for a melodramatic entrance.

"You'???!!!" Khushi and Peter say at the same time, to NK, as soon as they see him.

"Huh...?? Do you guys know him?" Virat asks, seeming a little confused.

"Of course, I do." Khushi is the first one to reply. "He's the one I borrowed the motorbike from'"

Arnav, who was earlier a little bored with the "celebrations" and instead lost in his thoughts about Khushi, perks up his ears when Khushi says she knows NK. He seems more surprised at this than anyone else, especially when Peter also says that NK is his neighbour.

"Yup, guys... NK is my neighbour." Peter says.

"Well, what a small world...!" Maanvi smiles a little. Virat looks at her, with a slightly worried look - because of the rate at which things are progressing - that indicates the "jealousy plan" will definitely work, thus making him lose the bet.

Maanvi gives him a smug look, her grin widening. She thinks to herself, "It's even better that NK is Peter's ... Now this will help my plan become more effective than I originally thought."

"Hey, NK ji..." Khushi calls out to NK.

NK looks at Maanvi for approval, and when she gives a quick nod, he goes closer to Khushi to "hear her better".

"Yes, Khushi ji...?" NK says.

"NK ji, I forgot to ask you... What does NK stand for?"

Maanvi and Virat laugh quietly. "Nandkishore." NK replies.

"Hey...!!! That's what my Buaji keeps saying... Hai re nandkishore, hai re nandkishore..." Khushi imitates her Buaji saying 'nandkishore', as the rest of people laugh, even Arnav. Payal shakes her head at Khushi's silly antics.

"Yeah, ... You don't have to call me Nandkishore... Anyways, I don't really like that name, it's kind of old fashioned." NK says.

"Then why don't you change it?" Khushi asks him, out of curiosity.

"Because my late naniji kept my name, and I promised her I would never change it..." NK replies.

"Awww...!!!" Khushi says, then asks NK, "But I won't call you NK. I don't really like it either, anyways... How about Nanhe ji...?? That's what I call Krishna Bhagwan, and somehow, you remind me of..."

"Nanhe ji...??" NK thinks over his new nickname for a while, and seeming to like it, gives his nod of approval to Khushi. "Okay, it sounds nice."

NK motions to Khushi to sit down at the booth, so that they can sit and talk for a while, getting to know more about one another. But before talking to Khushi, and the rest as well, NK turns to Maanvi and Virat, and says, "Well, you certainly choose the best of friends... I like Khushi ji'"

NK is being genuine in what he is saying, despite being told by Maanvi to "act" and make Arnav jealous. He really takes an almost-instant liking to Khushi, as does everyone when they meet her.

So, NK chats with Khushi, and after a while, even dances with her. Arnav sees this and gets jealous. Akash-Payal, Yash-Aarti, Aman and Peter with their respective Punjabi girls, are too lost in their significant half to notice Arnav's reactions. But Maanvi and Virat, who planned to help Arnav realize his love for Khushi and have been observing him closely, give a knowing smile to each other that their plan is working.

*************************

On the way back to Peter's house...

"What the hell was the need to invite him to Peter's house for the countdown?" Arnav hisses at Khushi, and glares at NK.

"Well, for starters, Nanhe ji's Nanaji has gone to Vaishnodevi on a pilgrimage, so Nanhe ji is all alone for New Year's. Plus, he also let me borrow his bike to give you a ride home that day in the rain... We owe him that much."

Arnav seems satisfied with her answer, but still doesn't understand why NK actually accepted Khushi's offer of celebrating the countdown with them. "Then why the hell did he accept the offer?" Arnav mutters under his breath.

No one except Maanvi hears Arnav say this. And, she just smiles to herself, knowing that very soon, Arnav will confess everything'

*************************

It's around half-past 11 in the night, and everyone is seated on the sand in the fenced off portion of Peter's home that leads out to the beach. A bonfire has been lit to provide heat and warmth in the cool night air, as all the couples huddle together.

Payal and Akash, Yash and Aarti, Virat and Maanvi, Aman, Peter, and their respective girlfriends are all hugging and whispering sweet nothings in each others' ears. The only non-couple there - Arnav and Khushi - are sitting opposite each other, staring awkwardly, with the fire between them literally adding on to "the heat" between them.

NK who has gone back into Peter's house for a bottle of beer comes back and says "Khushi ji...!!!" loudly, and Khushi thanks him silently for the distraction. Her "acidity" seemed to be getting worse, making her feel more uncomfortable as she sat in front of Arnav.

Khushi now turns to NK and starts chatting happily with him, while Arnav starts seething in jealousy, though he does not realize his feelings. When NK leans in to Khushi to whisper something in her ears, Arnav finds that too much to handle, and he heads back into the house.

*************************

The couples soon part from their embrace, douse the bonfire, then head back inside Peter's house. The girls offer to get ready the champagne and snacks they'll be consuming after the clock strikes midnight, bringing in the New Year.

Akash meanwhile drags Payal to the terrace, where with the help of Khushi, he has put up red and white decorations to add to the romantic moment he plans to set when proposing to Payal. There are heart shaped balloons on the floor, silk curtains and streamers hung on pillars and poles, all blowing in the wind and adding onto the romantic mood.

Akash, still holding Payal's hand, leads her to a chair place right in the middle of the terrace and makes her sit down and close her eyes shut. When after a minute or two of no response, Payal calls out to Akash.

"Akash ji, where are you? And how much longer do I have to keep my eyes closed?"

"Just a few seconds more, Payal ji... Now smell the air'"

"Huh? Are you trying to be funny? Such a romantic setting and you're asking me to smell the air...???" Payal sounds dumbfounded at Akash's request.

"Yes, Payal ji... Smell the air...!" Akash is trying hard not to smile at Payal's reaction. Khushi had predicted exactly this when she help Akash plan for his romantic proposal.

"Ok, fine... Hmmm, is that jasmine?" Payal asks, with her eyes still closed.

"Yes. And now you can open your eyes."

Payal does as Akash tells her. When she looks around her, she notices that red rose petals are strewn on the floor, forming a heart around the chair she is sitting on. Candles placed at regular intervals on the rose petals are brightening the night and adding on to the romantic mood.

Payal turns her head and looks up, only to see that Akash is down on one knee and holding a small gift-wrapped box in his hand. Payal pulls open the ribbon wrapped around the box, which then falls open. To her surprise, there is another box in it.

Payal smiles and looks questioningly at Akash. He gives her a wide grin in return. "You guessed correctly Payal ji... Khushi ji did help me think of and set up all this."

Payal looks more closely at the smaller box, and sees that there are little hearts with "I Love You" written all over it. She opens it, and finds that there is another smaller box inside it, and this one says "Forever and Ever'".

Payal once again looks questioningly at Akash. "So, will this box-in-a-box thing also go on forever and ever...?" She smiles.

Akash smiles back. "No, I promise this is the last one. The real thing is inside this box..."

Payal tries to open the box, but can't. She gives up and hands it over to Akash. With a smile, he takes it. With a bigger smile, he opens it. Payal's eyes widen with surprise as she sees what's inside.

Tears forms in Payal's eyes as Akash opens the smallest box to reveal a delicate real-silver ring with a diamond on it. Akash just looks at Payal, and she nods. He smiles, tears also forming in his eyes, and slips the diamond ring into her finger.

No words need to be said. The understanding between Payal and Akash is so high, that without saying much, Akash said it all. Payal hugs Akash, says "I Love You".

Akash hugs her back, and with the same truthfulness, says "I Love You too'"

Akash and Payal pull apart when they hear cheering coming from the terrace door. They look over and see everyone - including NK, but minus Arnav - clapping and cheering on the romantic moment which just culminated in a marriage proposal.

All the guys crowd around Akash, while the girls rush to Payal, who is standing shy, with her head bowed down. Khushi hugs Payal first, then teases her. Payal recovers a little from her shyness, and pulls Khushi's ear. The girls laugh.

They then walk over to the guys. After the initial excitement gets over, Akash finally notices Arnav is not up there on the terrace. "Where is Arnav Bhai?"

*************************

Arnav is alone in the living room, drinking away, and pondering over why Khushi affects him so much. He gets off the sofa and sobers up as he hears everyone's voices getting louder as they descend the stairs.

Akash goes up to Arnav and tells him the good news. Arnav is happy for his brother and hugs him. Parting from the hug, Arnav sees Khushi talking and laughing with NK. Unknown to him why, but Arnav feels a pang of jealousy seeing Khushi so close to NK, even though they had only met about a week before.

"Why does Khushi affect me so much? Why do I feel so jealous seeing Khushi so close to NK...? Why do I smile when I think of Khushi, and feel restless when I'm away from her? Why can't I even think of being away from her? Why does my heart beat faster when I'm so close to her? Why does Khushi affect me so much? What is this feeling...???" Arnav asks himself.

Arnav is interrupted from his thoughts by Khushi who suddenly tells Aman to switch on the radio. Everyone but Akash seems puzzled at Khushi's sudden and kind-of-weird demand, but they understand as Goa's local RJ's voice starts pouring out through the speakers.

"And now, this last song before the countdown is dedicated from a certain manju Akash, to his laila and to-be-wife Payal. This morning he called up the radio station and requested this song to be played at around this time... I must say, from his voice only I could tell that he loves his fianc a lot... Total majnu over his laila...!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg6z-Om-3J0&feature=relmfu

Aankhon ne, tumhari meethi baaton ne
Aankhon ne, tumhari meethi baaton ne
Meri neend udaayi, mera chain churaya
Sapna sajaya, apna banaya
Apna banake, sapna sajake
Chupke se, sikhaya pyaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar

Aankhon ne, tumhari meethi baaton ne
Aankhon ne, tumhari meethi baaton ne
Meri neend udaayi, mera chain churaya
Sapna sajaya, apna banaya
Apna banake, sapna sajake
Chupke se, sikhaya pyaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar

Deewana ishq ka, main to hone laga
Zulfon ki uth mein, jana dhone laga
Mera kehna na mane, meri pyaas na jane
Dhak dhak dhadke, dil mera tadpe
Rangeen safar mein, aisi amar mein
Dard utha pehli baar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar

Yaadon mein aaj kal, kaatoon main raat din
Jhoota sa jahan, lagta hai tere bin
Kya haal jiya ka, main tujhse bataon
Ek pal kahin main, tujhe bhool na paaon
Shaam savere, dil ko mere

Rehta hai kyon interzar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar

Aankhon ne, tumhari meethi baaton ne
Aankhon ne, tumhari meethi baaton ne
Meri neend udaayi, mera chain churaya
Sapna sajaya, apna banaya
Apna banake, sapna sajake
Chupke se, sikhaya pyaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar
Dheere dheere is dil ka cheena hai karaar

As the song plays in the background, all the couples dance together. Yash-Aarti, Maanvi-Virat, Akash-Payal, and Aman and Peter with their respective new girlfriends, are so busy staring into each others' eyes that they don't even notice Arnav walking towards Khushi as if he were in a trance.

And even if they all had seen Arnav, no doubt they would have been shocked to the core - jealousy, and a song about a college boy and girl in love made the great Arnav Singh Raizada realize the feelings he has for Khushi, the girl he initially hired to be his Personal Assistant and "help him get rid of his ex-girlfriend".

Arnav himself is shocked, but pleasantly of course, to come to realize what he feels for Khushi. As he walks towards her, in a trance, he thinks of how aptly the song fits his situation... Khushi's eyes, her annoying-at-first talks that later began to grow on him. Everything about her actually, stole his sleep, made him restless, made him daydream, made him wish to be with her every single moment, and made him wish she was his.

Arnav gets out from his trance mode when NK suddenly laughs out loud, making Khushi laugh harder as well. Arnav gets jealous, but now since he knows why, he decides to confront Khushi. Arnav follows Khushi out to the front porch, as the rest of the friends, including NK, head up to the terrace to have a clearer view of the New Year's fireworks in just a few moments.

"Khushi, why are you so close to NK...?" Arnav asks her, slightly drunk, but still so full of love and sure of his feelings.

"Why does Lord Governer want to know...??" Khushi mutters to herself. She asks Arnav out loud, "Why should I tell you?"

"Because I demand to know...!!"

"Well, he's a nice guy and I like him." Khushi says, but before she can continue any further, Arnav interrupts her.

He is jealous and does not want to hear anything about the love of his life liking someone else more than him. "Then stop liking him...!"

"What the...???!!!" Khushi says, in Arnav-style, clearly annoyed at Arnav's weird demand. "Why should I?"

"Because I say so!"

"And why should I listen to what you say?"

"Because I am your boss...!"

"So...??? You are just my boss. You have no right to tell me what to do, and what to not do, except in work-related matters. And this thing with NK is clearly not work related...!!!"

"So?? I am still telling you so, and I except you to obey my orders."

"Who are you to order me around, huh? Why do you care who I meet and who I like?"

"Because I am in love with you, dammit...!!!"

An annoyed Arnav blurts out his true feelings for Khushi while arguing with her. Khushi, who is really very shocked, stares at him with eyes so widely open that they seem to be just about to pop out.

Khushi opens her mouth to say something, but Arnav silences her with a kiss. On the lips! Khushi is shell-shocked at first, but slowly begins to respond, and kisses Arnav back.

Sparks seem to fly between Arnav and Khushi, and to match these sparks are the fireworks in the sky. Those fireworks that lit up the sky, as the clock turned midnight, and the New Year began.

PLZ comment or click on the "like" button... THANKS :))) 😛

OMG OMG OMG loved it yaar so arnav finally said it to khushi and love VIRMAN's plan omg so now they will obviusly be together forever and hows la black or golden tan😆 anyways loved it and plzzz update soon and more often