"The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only."
- Victor Hugo, Les Misrable
"Bitwa, have you packed everything?" Nani asked, as she walked into the room, and Arnav glanced up from his file briefly, before nodding and tunring back to his work, a pencil in his hand as he added variations to the sketches in his hand, his forehead creasing up in concentration, his shoulders stiffening in tension as the workload increased.
"What about you bitiya?" Nani asked sitting on the bag as she saw the open suitcase where Khushi was gently packing away her saris and suits, Nani's eyes widening as she saw Khushi's choice of attire. "Bititya, do you know what month it is?"
"December" Khushi said, as she packed away another sweater, thinking about the cold that would be gripping the south.
"And do you know that it is summers there at the moment?" Nani asked, her eyes twinkling in mirth as Khushi gasped, a hand flying to her mouth, and looked down at the suitcase that was overflowing with shawls and sweaters.
"But it's winters in Delhi!" Khushi exclaimed, as she looked at Nani confused.
"You have got to be kidding me," Arnav muttered under his breath, and Nani looked at Arnav questioningly, before turning to answer Khushi.
"Yes bitiya, but it is summers in Melbourne" Nani smiled, as she stroked her cheek lovingly.
"But..h-how?" Khushi asked, and Arnav snapped his file in frustration.
"Nani mein Khushi ke saath nahin jaa raha" Arnav said, his eyes flickering over to Khushi, before settling on Nani who stood up in concern.
"Yes you are" Nani said firmly, her hand holding the pallu that was covering her head, "and we had agreed to this a month ago, and we had a talk about it few days ago as well Chote" Nani said firmly, but Arnav's eyes closed in frustration.
"She doesn't know a single thing about Australia, I am not going to be baby-sitting her"
"Chote!" Nani exclaimed, her eyes hardening as she took a step towards him, before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath and looking at Khushi who was silently removing the sweaters from the suitcase.
"Khushi biitya'"
"It's okay Nani" Khushi said cheerfully, hiding the pinch in her heart at his words, and turned to her with a wide smile, "Arnavji is stressed with work, which is why he is snapping at everyone. We will go, and trust me, I'll blend in with everyone so easily, that when I return you won't be able to recognise me!" Khushi said, bouncing on her heels in excitement as a smile broke past her lips. Nani stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead,
"Hamesha aise hi haste rehna bitiya!" Nani said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, before turning to Arnav.
She stared at him disapprovingly, before shaking her head in disappointment and walking out. The moment Nani stepped out of the room, Khushi turned on her heel and started taking out the lighter suits and one or two saris for her stay in Australia.
The sound of a file hitting the floor caused her to jump and she whirled around to see him stalking out of the room, his body stiff with tension and Khushi scowled as she bent down to pick the file, her eyes taking in the rough sketches of models and the designs worn by them. Her hands itched to grab a pencil and quickly scribble over the designs adding her own touch to them but she quickly set the file aside, her eyes travelling to the pool-door through which Arnav had stormed out of, and was presently washing the plants, his back facing the room, and Khushi shook her head as she placed the file on the desk.
"Hai Devi Maiya" She muttered under her breath, as she went back to packing away her clothes, "bloody raakshas. What does he think of himself?" She whispered to herself, her eyes travelling to his form, which was still straight and stiff as he went on to water the pots on the other side of the pool.
Picking up a sari, she held it against herself as she looked into the mirror, wondering whether to pack it. She sighed as she took in the pale yellow with silver work on the borders, and threw it back on the bed, "It's not like I am going to be dressing up for anyone" She muttered, "So why should I pack away the nice clothes. There is not going to be anyonethat I will be meeting, except staying with the Laad Governer all day"
Just as the words slipped out of her mouth, she gasped and clasped two hands over her mouth, the nails digging into her cheeks as she looked up fearfully, "Devi Maiya, promise me you will give me a way to keep out of his way. You have to promise me!" She whispered harshly, her eyes glaring up at the ceiling, as she pretended that Devi Maiya sat sheepishly up there, promising Khushi.
Placated, Khushi picked up another sari, and held it against her, twirling around, as she looked in the mirror. The red stood out against her skin and she smiled as she thought back to the Diwali day when Amma had gifted her to sari, "I might pack this" She muttered under her breath, and suddenly felt a chill run down her spine causing her to shiver. She stiffened, as her eyes lost the spark, her smile vanishing, her breath hitching, as her eyes focussed on the stiff form behind her, that stood there staring at her as she stood in front of the mirror, the sari held close to her, his eyes transfixed on her, his hand folding the jug of water, the grip tightening, and Khushi felt the uneasy feeling creeping back into her stomach, making her heart race and wanting to hide somewhere.
She gulped as she took a step back from the reflection in the mirror, and realising she had taken a step towards Arnav, she quickly took a step back towards the mirror, and looked away, frowning as the uneasiness became worse, causing her to dig her heels into her sandals and transfer her weight from one foot to another in agitation.
She looked back in the mirror and noticed that he had looked away, and was staring at the ground, his arms bent at his sides, as his brows furrow in confusion, his face not betraying much of his emotions, and Khushi found herself trying to decipher the guarded look in his eyes. He suddenly looked back at the mirror, and their eyes met through the reflection, and Khushi suddenly held her breath, as the feeling of uneasiness returned to her stomach, causing her insides to clench painfully, her heart faltering at the look that he possessed, as he took a step closer to her.
Khushi's eyes widened, and she quickly took a step to the side, holding up the sari so it covered the side of the face that was facing him. She could feel the heat of his gaze as she walked past, knowing that he was frustrated at the way she was behaving, but she quickly, walked towards the bathroom, mumbling about needing to wash her face, threw the sari on the bed, and made a dash for the bathroom, locking the door behind her, and leaning against it, her breathing quickened as she tried regaining control of her emotions.
What was that?
Why wouldn't he stop staring?
What was he playing at?
********
"Chote?" Nani called out, and Arnav stepped into the room, the encounter with Khushi still playing on his mind as his mind got agitated at the fact that she had refused to answer to him. Frowning, he took off the Bluetooth and set it on the bedside table, coming to sit in front of Nani holding her hands in his, giving her a brief smile.
She looked at his face, her eyes getting worried at the tension that was being reflected, and she raised her hand, her fingers gently swiping over his forehead, trying to ease away the frown lines.
Arnav sighed and leaned into her touch, the tension leaving him, and his shoulders relaxing.
"Why was Khushi here?" Arnav asked, and Nani gave him a small smile, nodding gently.
"She is a good girl, Chote" Nani said, but Arnav looked away, his eyes hardening refusing to answer.
"Chote" Nani said, forcing him to face her, "You leave in a few days time for Australia" She said in a raspy old voice and Arnav frowned,
"Nani. Are you ill? Do you need the doctor? Did you have your medications"
"Shh, bitwa, I am fine. It's just old age" Nani coughed and Arnav gently helped her get into a comfortable position on the bed. "Bitwa, you leave for Australia in a few days" She whispered, and Arnav stared hard at the bed, not looking up at her, "I want you to promise me something."
Arnav did not say anything and Nani continued, "I promised your Dada this, and now I want you to promise me the same."
Arnav finally looked up, and nodded for her to continue,
"I want you to take care of Khushi"
Arnav got up suddenly, but Nani grabbed a hold of his hand forcing him to sit back down,
"Promise me Arnav. She is a kind soul, she hasn't done anything to get your hatred-"
"Nani she has the-"
"I know' Nani emphasised, her eyes closing in frustration, "I know bitwa. But I know for a fact that she is not after the money or wealth. It was a deal that happened a long time ago, Why punish her for it?"
"Because she is the reason-"
"Arnav" Nani warned, and Arnav quietened down, his lips thinning as the anger started bubbling inside. "Arnav, listen to me. She is my responsibility. I got her in this house. I want you to promise me, that you will take care of her while you are on this trip" She whispered, "I want you to promise Arnav, that you will try and make this trip memorable for her"
Arnav looked away, not answering, and Nani's eyes dropped down and a sigh of disappointment left her at Arnav's stubbornness
"Fine" Arnav bit out. "I promise"
Arnav's eyes were focussed on the floor as he sat next to Khushi at the airport, waiting for the announcement for their departure. He started turning his head to quickly glance at her, making sure she was by his side, but stopped, his breath hitching, as he looked back at the ground, his palms turning sweaty, and the unexplainable emotion gripped his insides. Arnav Singh Raizada realised that he was actually nervous.
He was nervous to spend an entire two weeks alone with a woman whom he hated, but found himself physically attracted to, a woman whom he had vowed himself not to get close to, but had promised his Nani that he would take care of her.
As he looked at her from the corner of his eye and saw her head moving to the music playing on her tape recorder, Arnav scoffed and turned away, his mouth dipping into a frown.
He had looked at her tape recorder in disdain when she had held in her hand to take it to the airport, and had smirked when Mami had poked fun at it. But the smirk had immediately vanished when Khushi had turned down the offer of Anjali's iPod, saying that she preferred to listen to music from her recorder, which had all her favourite'what was the name? Arnav thought, as he thought back to her favourite actor's name, his eyes widened as he remembered, Salman Khan. He thought, as his lips pulled down into a frown.
He rubbed his hands together, wanting to do something, apart from thinking about her, or look at her, but soon he found himself looking at her from the corner of his eye once again, and he frowned as he saw her hand move to the beats, her shoulders moving in rhythm, and his eyes widened in astonishment as he realised that she was dancing on her seat.
He flushed in embarrassment and looked away, the embarrassment soon turning into anger at her middle-class behaviour and he turned to her, the glare quickly making her stop, her eyes widening as she mutely stared t him, her lips open as they had halted on one word from the song when he had turned to glare at her, and Arnav's eyes quickly dropped down to the pink-stained lips, his own parting briefly, as he swallowed hard, and looked back at her as she waited for him to tell her off.
"Stop. Dancing" He hissed, and turned back to face the seats in front, ignoring her.
He noticed the kids in front of him were giggling, and he turned to the side to see Khushi impersonating him, to make the kids laugh. She quickly stopped and her eyes widened, her lips parting as she shot him an apologetic look.
Arnav's mouth thinned, his eyes hardened as he leaned in, grabbing her arm in a tight grip, causing a flash of discomfort to pass her features, making him smirk in satisfaction at getting a response, "Do not piss me off further Khushi, do you understand? It's bad enough I have to spend two weeks with you. Try not to remind me of your presence time and time again, and try to make this trip a bit more bearable" He hissed at her, his eyes narrowing, as emotions fluttered past her eyes and face, her cheeks flushing in frustration, before her lips thinned and she looked away.
He, however, was not satisfied, and so his grip tightened on her arm, causing her to hiss out in pain, "What? Do you have a problem with what I said?"
Arnav waited for her to crack, waited for her to snap, and when her eyes flashed up to his in anger he geared himself for a fight, wanting to lash out at her, wanting to get his frustrations out, wanting to fight, so he could have an excuse to hate her more than he did. But she kept quiet, and plastered on a smile
"Of course not" She whispered back, and Arnav's grip immediately slackened on her arm, and she retreated back in her chair, her earphones plugging into her ears, as she bent her head low, her hair curtaining her face, as she pressed the play button, blocking Arnav out.
He stared at her for a few moments, unsure of what to do, and then settled back in his chair, slightly disorientated at the lack of a fight. He looked back at the kids, and saw that they were glaring and pointing at him, while they whispered amongst themselves.
He rolled his eyes and looked the other way, his arms crossing at his chest, knowing that this trip was going to be hell.
Translation:
Hamesha aise hi haste rehna bitiya! = Always keep smiling like this, Khushi.
Let me know what you thought! :)
OH!! Just to clarify, the flashback is from Part 18 I think? When Arnav catches Khushi coming out of Nani's room, stares at her, then tells her that she is coming to AR. When she doesn't respond, he gets agitated, and then is about to shout at her, when Nani calls Arnav inside.
To clarify something else in case you found yourself at a loss after the two updates:
a) Arnav is attracted to Khushi. In my previous parts, I had explained that he is a character who likes having things in control. He likes conrtolling every aspect of his life, and hence this marriage was one that he did not have much control over, and his attraction to Khushi is another that he cannot seem to control. And that makes him angry. So he lashes out.
I also explained from Khushi's POV, that she is confused as to why he keeps flipping between being concerned, to indifferent to lashing out at her. This is how Arnav is dealing with the attraction.
b) He doesn't love Khushi. No. Love, according to me is a deep emotion, something that comes by slowly. Hence my characters are not gonna be falling head-over-heels in love with each other after one glance at one another. Hence the quote. The quote emphasises that while a glance is used a lot in all the romance novels - every love story starts with that one glance.
And this is the starting.
If you still have questions, let me know, and I'll hope to answer them to the best of my ability :)
Edited by Krani - 12 years ago
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