Chapter 1: Smirks and Perks
She was standing in a queue of applicants, all of them waiting to get their chances at a golden opportunity. But for her, it was more than golden. It was a chance for her to finally get her life back on track .Not that it was ever on a track. It was an opportunity that came once in a blue moon. Not all the batches of graduating class at Shri Ram College of Commerce get a chance of getting to be the Personal Assistant to head of the AR group, Arnav Singh Raizada. Raizada, the name carried so much power, so much aura, it was enough to make any girl go weak in the knees and any guy tremble with a tinge of jealousy. But Khushi's reaction was different. She heard the name only to imagine her future as a successful corporate person. His name would make any other girl go weak in the knees, but it only added fuel to the ambitious fire burning in her body.
There was an unusual buzz in the air, she knew something was amiss. She could hear amazed shrieks of girls in the campus, as if they had seen some celebrity. The shrieks were coming closer. Then, she knew. She saw.
Arnav Singh Raizada was in the campus. He was coming towards where she was standing. It was unusual but not out of miss due to the fact the position itself was of his assistant. He was there to assist the process. She grinned inwardly. She had seen his pictures on the internet the other day while she was preparing for the interview. But he hadn't looked so handsome in the pictures than what he looked in person. It was as if the pictures were unable to do justice to his personality. She found herself ogling at him momentarily and caught him looking at her in the exact same moment before she pulled herself together and saw him smirk at her. He fully knew what effect he had on people. And apparently, he couldn't get over it.
He was smirking all the way until he disappeared into one of the rooms where some people for the interview panel were already sitting. The first person had just gone in for the interview and she assumed that he was also going the same way.
***
"The position is primarily meant for commerce graduates. But an added interest in fashion is a big plus for you and for us, both." One of the panellists commented. She had previously modelled at Inferno, the fashion show at Crossroads, the annual college fest. Apart from modelling she had also helped in designing the outfits. She was ten minutes into the interview and the routine questions were up. People before her had come out before even five minutes were up. She felt triumphant at the fact that she had at least made through the first round. The tone of the panel was enough to indicate that they were getting down to business. He was not present at the interview and she had wondered initially why he had come otherwise. Now, when she completely forgotten about him and every nerve of her brain was focussing on the questions put before her, he strode in with an air of calmness. Well, he was calm but his entry made her shudder slightly with nervousness. This was the last thing she had expected at the moment. The questions put before her were not easy and his entry was enough to indicate that it wasn't going to be any easier now.
"So, Ms. Khushi... uh..." He picked up her resume from the table as he strode in and was a little amazed when he saw her name. Her resume didn't have her last name. It unnerved him a little as he eyed her intently. "You should be careful while preparing your resume. You just cannot make mistakes."
"Sir, excuse me for saying, but I am pretty sure that my resume is in prefect order." She replied, confidence dripping from each word that came out of her mouth.
"Are you sure? I don't seem to see your full name." His words visibly shook her but she gathered herself up in time. It took three second for her to reply. He sensed hesitance, she was uncomfortable at the mention of her name. He could see the storm in her eyes. Arnav Singh Raizada had been long enough dealing with people. He could read them transparent.
"I... I don't have a last name, Sir. It's a personal choice." Khushi mustered up the courage to reply. Her tone had a hint of finality which made sure that this topic could be discussed no further. Her previous demeanour was back in place. She couldn't let this fact of her life get in the way of her dreams and ambitions. Ambitions, which were enough to light her body with fire.
Arnav respected people's privacy more than anything else. He saw how it had made her uncomfortable. Sensing there was something that didn't want to be discussed he moved ahead with his questions.
"Do you expect anything extra from this job? Any perks?"
"No Sir. I think this job is the biggest perk in itself. I won't need anything else." She said curtly.
"If you were an animal, what would you choose to be?" The question threw Khushi off-gaurd. But she could see the challenge in his eyes. She liked challenges. He was testing her. It was his way of getting to know people. After all, with the position of personal assistant, he had to make sure that the person he was selecting of worth representing that position. He had to make sure that he selected a person who was worthy not only of the position, but also of AR.
"I would be a lioness."
"Any particular reason?" Although it was very apparent.
"It speaks of power. Power controls everything. And I like to have things under my control." This is going to be interesting. He thought as he gave a slight nod of appreciation and moved on.
"What are your hobbies?"
"I love watching horror movies." If the interview hadn't been interesting so far, it grew more so.
"Interesting. Which was the last movie you saw?"
"Rec[2]."
"Which one do you find better? Rec or Rec[2]? He was himself a very big fan of horror movies and didn't quite come across such ardent horror fans. He grew eager to know more.
I think Rec. It was very impactful. I normally don't like movies that stretch the violence and gore element to an extent that it comes across as disgusting. But Rec was successful in using these elements to its advantage. Not all movies can do that." She finished. During the course of these question she had started talking animatedly, like the way you do when talk about something that is close to your heart or something that you like most. The tension had almost broken down, and a kind of excitement filled the room.
"Which is your favourite horror movie?" Normally Arnav wouldn't have talked that much to a complete stranger, especially an interviewee, but he did so now. His sister Anjali was chicken when it came to watching horror movies. One time, he had made her watch one of them and she claimed she couldn't sleep for many nights afterwards. He chuckled slightly at the memory. But what made him put this question to her, he had no idea. He had a very different behaviour at home and at office. He was easy going mostly when he was out of office. Even in office, you could say he was difficult, but not unfair. He was surprised to find himself taking so much interest in the conversation. He was doing it because he wanted to do it, and not just because he was taking an interview. He wanted to know more about her.
"It is a tie. One obvious choice is The Exorcist. I think it is the best movie on exorcism ever made, hands down. And the other one that I saw recently was Insidious. It is a very impactful psychological horror. I saw it two nights in a row." She was practically beaming.
"Ha! So you like to watch horror movies with the lights off." He said so more to himself, but she caught on to it anyway.
"Obviously! Where is the fun to watch a horror movie when you don't see it in the dark? There is no point if it doesn't scare the s*** out of you! By the way, which is your favourite movie?" She leaned in a little closer in anticipation of the answer.
"Well...," after a brief pause, "Exorcist is the common one we share. Next one is A Nightmare on Elm Street. Haven't watched Insidious, yet." He let himself relax, leaned back in his chair and half-crossed his legs.
"Oh! Then you should definitely see it. I am sure you will like it."
"I am sure I will love it." An easy grin had settled on his face. He was feeling very different. Unusual would be more apt."If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional. with whom would it be?"
"Lady Gaga." The reply was instant. "I like her quirky style. She is exceptional.
"And fictional?"
"The Joker, from the Dark Knight. I love the evil him. Or maybe Willy Wonka." She felt satisfied with her answer. Arnav raised an eyebrow. She thought that he didn't know who Willy Wonka is. "He is the owner of the chococlate factory in Roald Dahl's book- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
"Which is your favourite song?"
"Tinka Tinka, by Alisha."
"If a movie was made about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you?""Anyone may play the lead. But I want Johnny Depp to play the love of my life."
"In his 'Pirates of the Caribbean" avatar?" He was back to smirking again.
"Oh yes! I would love that. Mad Hatter would be great too." She was smiling now.
"Okayyy..." He took a few more seconds checking out her file. She had a decent score. But she was practically involved in all the extra-curricular activities at her college. She was a perfect fit for the job. "So Khushi," she instantly had a fleeting sense of how her name sounded through his lips, "I can very well say that this interview has gone extremely well." Something inside her swelled. "But there is one last question, this can either make you or break you." A sudden sense of panic engulfed her at his tone. Something in his voice which was playful just moments ago turned dead serious. "There are two policies that I regard the most important in my company. First is cleanliness. Did you clean your sandals on the door mat before you entered?"
She looked practically struck by the question. She didn't know how she managed to not open her mouth wide at the question. She had not and she decided to be honest with him.
"No Sir. I did not." She paused for a bit. "There wasn't any door mat." She was afraid of what might be coming now. She was almost scared. The pleasant look on his face surprised her.
"It's good that you did not, because the second policy is honesty." He was smiling and grinning at the same time. He was satisfied with her. She made an excellent choice for the position. She was suave, playful, confident, and honest and above all she knew fully well what she was talking about. "Congratulations, Ms. Khushi. You are hired."
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Hey guys! My name is Swati and I am here with my first ArShi fiction. The idea was floating in my mind for a long time but today I finally got the time to pen it down after exams got over. I really hope that you like my version of arnav and Khushi. I have tried to do something different with them, not sure how it came out. Khushi in this fic is much like me as I am able to write about something that I can relate to as much as I can.
I can't say this enough. Please comment and press the 'like' button if you find it any good. Tell me if I should continue this further. waiting eagerly for your response. Please tell me if you want to receive PMs.
Swati. :)
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