Chapter 14
Arnav SR
---7:00 AM---
Morning
Khushi blinked twice to read the text. How on earth was he up so early after going to bed so late. She flicked away at the screen and read the time to be 8:15 in the morning. In forty five minutes she had to get ready, eat and run to work. She rubbed her face on the pillow, arched her back, stretched out like a cat and got up.
Arnav SR
---8:20 AM---
Morning
She texted him back and dragged herself into the bathroom.
Twenty five minutes later, she put her long damp hair in a bun, squirted her favorite Mark & Spencer's True Pink and went downstairs, planning to grab a banana instead of eating a proper breakfast.
"You are running late today. Didn't go to sleep on time?" asked Garima sipping on her tea.
"Yeah went to bed late" Khushi answered breaking off the banana from its stem.
"Why?"
Khushi took a bite and stared at her mother. She shouldn't have a problem answering that should she?
"Talking to Arnav?" she answered her own question.
"Yes" Khushi replied curtly. She didn't like where this was going.
"Some of my friends saw you guys at multiple occasions out" she explained.
"Yeah, we go to public places, people are bound to see us" Khushi shrugged her shoulders.
"I understand you guys are engaged to be married soon but I think you two, need to cut down on your meetings. People are talking'" Garima stared her in the eye.
"What?!" asked Khushi in disbelief.
"Beta you are from a nice household, you are surrounded by good traditional people. The Raizadas come from a bit different place. They don't care for what the society would think if they see an unmarried couple be in each other's presence more than required and then my friend Pa-"
"Enough! I do not want to hear any more. In case you forgot I don't care either what your friends or social circle thinks about me or about my fianc. I will spend however much time I want to and I will do whatever I want to!" Khushi cut her off rudely and snapped.
"You do realize you are still under our guardianship right? You may be engaged, but you still have to listen to your parents Khushi, we have to answer the people. What am I going to say to them?" Garima pushed away her cup irritated.
"I don't know. There is nothing wrong with what I am doing. I am done with the discussion, gotta go running late" Khushi ran out of the house.
"We are not done talking! This will continue in your father's presence!" Garima yelled after her.
~~~
Khushi blinked back her tears, refusing to let them fall. Just when she thought problems had ceased down between her mother and her, it started all over again. She couldn't take this anymore. It made her think about how she was right in not wanting to marry Arnav. She knew it wouldn't work out between their families. Who would want to be related to a family who had issues? And then, to top it all, she felt like a s**t. How did her own mother manage to make her daughter feel so down? They had not even done anything more than few stolen kisses by him, and talk, that's all, they talked. Not even about them, just about everything else. Isn't that how relationships were built?
Her phone buzzed in her hand making the tears retreat back into wherever they go back'it was another text, from him. The tears didn't get a chance to go back all the way as they resurfaced.
Arnav SR
---9:43 AM---
Slept well?
She couldn't do this now. Everything was blurry with anger, confusion and tears. To keep it quiet and normal she replied disinterestedly.
Arnav SR
---9:44 AM---
Yeah right, no I didn't! Never again am I staying up chatting with you.
She hoped to God, he didn't start a conversation now. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up.
"Drive a little faster bhaiyya" she told the autowala.
Buzzed again. Devi Maiyya no, she closed her eyes to pray.
Arnav SR
---9:45 AM---
Oh I c. You do realize you did majority of the chatting'should have known you would be talkative ;)
He winked at her. Not literally but he did through a smiley face and her heart skipped a beat. Tears rushed back again, she liked it, she liked it when he was nice to her, she liked it when he gave her his attention, she liked it when he gave her out of the blue kisses, she liked it when he flirted'"Oh God, I like him" she muttered to herself.
Arnav SR
---9:47 AM---
Yeah I feel stupid now for doing all the talking. Did you even read what all I said?
Arnav SR
---9:47 AM---
Of course I did! Also managed to finish off two presentations on the side' :)
On your way to work?
Arnav SR
---9:48 AM---
Sure. Yes, almost there. I'll ttyl.
~~~
Arnav read her last text from under the table in the conference room while his brother was up going on about new project. It had been only five and half hours since he talked to her and when he got up in the morning, he swore his hand shot up automatically and texted Khushi.
He wanted to see her, maybe they could do lunch. Did she take lunch breaks? Would she not like it if he dropped by at her work? What could they eat? Shall he take food to her office or somewhere out?
"Bhaiii!" Dhruv poked his pen into Arnav's arm.
"Ouch, what the" he growled.
"Hell is going on?" he whispered bending near him.
"What? Nothing. You should be concentrating on the meeting" he snapped at him.
Dhruv chuckled lightly and signaled at Akash, "I am, you aren't. For the past three minutes bhaiyya has been asking whether you have checked out the papers that came in the morning" he asked.
"Yes I did went over them" he began to speak only to be cut off by Akash.
"I will also go over them once and then we can talk about it. For now, let's reschedule the meeting to tomorrow" Akash dismissed everyone.
"I-I was ready, whyd you cancel it" Arnav asked bewildered.
"Yeah you were probably ready but your attention is not here Arnav. I will take over this one, you can deal with the concurrent ones and the paper work"
"No no no I am not doing the paperwork" Arnav rolled his seat back
.
"Yes you are. There are fewer chances for you to make mistakes, and I believe you can daydream while signing without any problems" he said sternly.
"Hold on a second, what was that tone? You are not mad at me are you?" inquired Arnav.
"No not mad. Quite amused actually...but you still need to get work done here. I can't handle everything on my own"
"I am working. Jeez just for a minute I was side tracked, that does not mean I am slacking" his voice rose.
"Three minutes" piped in Dhruv.
"Oh shut up!" Arnav snapped at him.
"You shu-"
"Stop it you two. Arnav I didn't say anything about you slacking. I wanted to actually give you the lighter part of the job, I understand what you are going through, and I was once in that phase as well'"
"I am not going through anything. I refuse to give you the project!"
"Fine, do whatever you want. Instead you could have taken some time to spend with Khushi'" he trailed his sentence.
"Fine, you can have it!" he barked.
"Thought so" muttered Dhruv from the side.
"Be quiet!" he picked up a pen and poked him in his arm.
"Hey! What did you do that for?" cried Dhruv.
"Are you two serious?!" yelled Akash.
~~~
Arnav parked at the back of the building and waited. Every second or two he kept glancing at his phone, waiting for her reply.
About time, it came.
Khushi
---1:48 PM---
Where are you?
Khushi
---1:48 PM---
Parked at the back
Khushi
---1:49 PM---
k. I'll be down there in two mins
Quickly he took out the napkins and chopsticks and placed on the cup holders. He saw her coming out of the building and turned to the mirror, to check over once if there was anything on his face or any weird hair strand sticking out.
"Get a grip" he murmured.
Khushi opened the door and slipped in the passenger seat, "hi", a bit out of breath.
"Hi" he took in her slight open mouth and chest moving by her quick breaths.
"We are eating in the car?" she questioned looking at the bag with packed boxes.
"Uhh yeah. I wasn't sure about coming in to your office with food and was not in the mood to go out and eat" he explained.
"Hmm yes, it wouldn't be a good idea for you to walk into the school. We don't students freaking out over you!"
"Oh yeah there is that"
"Yep, can we eat now?" she dug into the bag.
"Yeah!" he looked at her reach for the food. He remembered her saying last night, how big of a foodie she is.
"Do you always have students coming to you?" he started talking while picking up the noodles.
"Umm kind of, busy near exams, other time it's slow" she spoke after swallowing.
Did she have to lick her lips every time she took a bite? When did women become so torturous? No, just this woman was a torture.
Rest of the time, she quietly munched on her food. She hadn't mentioned she didn't talk while she ate.
Again she licked her lips. Damn it.
"Are you okay?" he asked her sweetly.
"Yeah I am. Why?"
"You are quiet today"
"Oh, umm I don't know what to talk about" she looked at him blankly.
"Right" he nodded his head disappointed.
His temper didn't rise slowly, it straight shot up. Here he was seeing changes in himself because of her and she seemed so unbothered and oblivious to things. Not entirely oblivious, she did show quite obvious reactions to his closeness'she was giving him mixed signals, damn the girl!
He saw her tongue stick out again and run over her lower lip. In that second he kissed her. Out of anger or loss over self control, he didn't know.
She sat immobile in shock, this time her eyes weren't wide open.
He tucked her hair behind and cupped her face, deepening the kiss. He placed soft kisses along her mouth, coaxing her into opening up and it worked. Just as her sigh escaped, he slipped his tongue in and had her responding back.
This was her first kiss.
Her lips quivered over his, not knowing what to do, how to do. He brought up his other hand and held her face in place. Slowly so she could learn, he took her upper lip in a kiss, sucked and licked her lower lip, and soon she started to mimic him.
He groaned deeply as she innocently bit his lip, shooting straight at his groin. He had to stop before it hardened.
He moved his lips, to kiss her along her jaw, and end it there.
"You tasted so Chinese" he teased her.
"Hmm" she moaned, still breathing hard and hazy.
"You know, you can talk to me about anything'I am here" he told her gently.
She nodded her head yes.
"I have to go, appointment'" she mumbled and bid him bye.
~~~
Tears burned her eyes and she stood staring her pink swollen lips in the mirror.
Her heart was still beating fast and hands freezing cold.
They kissed. She kissed. It was her first kiss. It was beautiful. But her argument with her mother haunted her memory. Why couldn't it be normal?
Not wanting to ruin her day, she blocked her mother out of her mind and officially stepped into her la la land.
Anupamaa
Debate Mansion
35