Differences Between Us :: Arshi FF [COMPLETED] - Page 28

It was nothing he had expected to see when he had, on a hunch, decided to pay his twin a surprise visit the previous night. He had driven all the way from Delhi, where he had been since his return from Australia, with Akaash, but even his best friend had been incapable of lifting his gritty mood which had been over his head like a storm. It happened that after that conversation with the youngest Gupta girl, he had been quite disgruntled, but he never told anyone the reason for his temper.

Maybe it was solely in his sister's hands to soothe him to his normal self? He had thus decided to go to Lucknow. anyways, Delhi's heat, Akaash's aloofness Malvika's brazen flirting and Kalavati's incessant gossiping were driving him mad. So, he had sent his driver on vacation and taken the wheel himself, the previous night and practically flown over to his birthplace. He taken care to leave the car outside the grounds for the surprise would no longer remain one otherwise.

Then, he had sneaked into the garden, only to collide with his vision, an epitome of pure beauty, peculiarly wrapped in his own green jacket he had left with the girl he had lost his heart to. Her eyes widened as soon as she had lifted them off the ground and seen him a short distance away. She had blinked several times, gulped, as her milky skin turned to a delectable shade of crimson. The uncertainty and deep embarrassment was evident in her eyes as the same time as, he realised, she tried to pry her gaze off him to find an escape.

She was here for real? It was not his mind playing tricks on him as it had been doing for so many days?

It gradually dawned on him that he had even stopped breathing and by the time he had learnt that vitality again, she was biting her plump lower lip, her beautiful mocha eyes fixated on the ground. His heart was clobbering like never had before. Arnav risked a step ahead and, thankfully, she didn't move back.

"Khushi?" his voice came out barely louder than a whisper. She looked up at him, the perplexity naked in her features. "Tum-" (You-)

"Humein maaf kijye!" she piped in, interrupting him off guard. "Humein pata nahin tha ke... ke aap yahaan... varna hum kabhi nahin aate!" (I'm sorry! Had I known... you would be here... I would never have come!)

Arnav's heart plummeted at his feet instantly. "Kyun? You hate me that much?" he managed to strangle the words out, his brow scrunching in an anguished frown. (Why?...)

Khushi's eyes shot open amply at him and she shook her head vehemently. "Nahin! Hum aapse... Voh... Humein laga ke humne jo aapse kaha, uske baat aap humaari shakal dekhna nahin chaahenge!" (No! I... Actually... I thought because of what I had told you, youldn't like to see my face again!)

Relief flooded him. This was one silly girl. Only, the other day, he had professed to her his undying love, almost begging her on his knees to marry him, and here she was, the idea that he would abhor the lovely sight of hers?

Surely, she was out of her mind! Khushi Kumaari Gupta was like a drug to him. A small taste of her presence, and he found himself craving for more each day, with the appetite increasing exponentially. Once she took herself away from him, breaking his heart, he had started to have withdrawal symptoms.

He would dream about her, imagine her possible reactions at petty things that happened around him, think of every one of their encounters, grow restless, spend the nights sleepless... Dammit! And now, she presented herself before him, thinking that her presence – her mere presence which had sent so much respite gushing into him – would disturb him.

Arnav treaded closer to her. "Main..." it was hard for him to tell what he felt for her. There was this sort of gravitational energy which was pulling him to her, now more than ever, after these few days of separation. And it made him understand, within nanoseconds, that it was impossible for him to live without her. "Khushi..." (I...)

"Aap kahein to hum chalejaayenge!" she mouthed and before waiting for his response she was already turning away. (I'll go if you say!)

But he was as fast. The moment he had detected her movement, he had read what she'd do and his hand shot out impulsively to get hold of her wrist. He pulled her against him, her back pressed to his chest.

"Don't!" he breathed in her ear, causing her breath to catch and her eyes to shut tight. Slowly, he turned her around to face him. "Tum akeli aayi ho?" (...Are you here alone?)

She stiffly shook her head. "H-humaare m-mamaji aur m-mamiji..." (My uncle and aunt...)

He gave her a half smile. "Can I meet them?"

Before she could extricate an answer from her mouth, his jovial sister had bounded from behind a hedge casually before noticing her brother.

"Bhai?" she squealed, astounded. Anjali sprinted towards him, making Khushi redden and step back furtively before Arnav could stop her, and threw her arms around him. When he broke into a large grin and hugged the woman back, Khushi could not help but smile too, as a strange kind of excitement spiralled her heart to the heavens overhead. Finally, she was getting to see that amazingly handsome smile of his.

"Aap Khushiji se mil bhi chuke?" Anjali asked him as she broke away, her eyes glittering with sheer bliss. (You've already met Khushiji?)

Arnav bit back his grin, his eyes roving over Khushi's blushing face. "Yeah."

Their reactions jumped at Anjali. She frowned slightly and Khushi saw the striking resemblance between the siblings. "Aap dono ek doosre ko jaante hain?" the sister voiced out her question, humour colouring her voice. (You know each other?)

Her brother half-smiled at her with shy embarrassment. "Voh... remember Akaash had bought a house in Kolkata? Well, Khushi's from there. We had been kind of neighbours."

"Achha?" Anjali looked at Khushi. "Khushiji? Aapne pehle bataaya kyun nahin? Aap bata deti, to hum dono na, baith ke Bhai pe dher saari gossip karte!" (Really? Khushiji? You didn't you tell me before? If you had told me, we could have gossiped on Bhai!)

Khushi widened her eyes at Arnav, then his sister, but he was busy repressing another smirk.

"Vaise," the female Raizada linked her arm with Khushi's and pulled her closer, away from Arnav. "Vahaan pe bhi Bhai Amitabh Bachanji ki acting karte the kya?" (By the way, was Bhai doing Amitabh Bachanji's acting there also?)

"Kya?" Khushi frowned. (What?)

"Haan, vahi! Angry young man?"

Khushi giggled at the comparison. "Anjaliji, Bachanji bhi shaayad apne poore jeevan utne gusse mein nahin rehe honge, jitna aapke Bhai ek second mein nikaalte hain!" (Anjaliji, Maybe even Bachanji would be unable to show the amount of anger in his whole life that your Bhai shows in a second!)

The two newly made friends burst out laughing, completely missing the happiness in the expression of the man who was intently observing every single move of the two most important women of his existence.

***

"Achha Arnav bitwa, ab hum chalte hain," Manohar got up, his wife and niece following suit. (Okay, Arnav, now we'll leave.)

Arnav smiled. It had taken the elder man a lot of convincing to call him by his name, but Arnav insisted on it. It was very weird to him that the uncle of the girl he wanted to marry should call him Mr Raizada.

"I'll see you for dinner tomorrow then?" he asked, the question directed towards Khushi, who blushed slightly and averted her gaze. Her uncle nodded with a smile at the invitation the young man had forwarded to the three of them earlier and assured they'd be there.

He had also asked them to come in advance, at three in the afternoon maybe, so that they could have tea and a nice chat before the meal. That was what he had said. Arnav majorly meant to enjoy Khushi's company and give wind to the easy camaraderie that was growing between his sister and his lady love.

He eyed his green jacket shrugged tight around her petite frame and his eyes shone with dark pleasure. She had feelings for him too, whether she chose to deny them or not. But the fact that she had dared to wear it to come at his place was daring enough, so maybe he could eliminate her denial...

***

She paced in her hotel room nervously before stopping abruptly in front of her mirror. She examined her figure apprehensively. She hoped the white, ankle length anarkali printed with fuschia roses was decent enough for dinner at Sheesh Mahal. She added her silver jhumki earrings to her ears with a peeved out expression before spraying perfume on her neck.

"Phatti Saree! You comings?"

Khushi huffed. "Aayi Mamiji!" (Coming Mamiji!)

I really love this FF...thanks for the update...