||~Something About You~||#5 *COMPLETED* - Page 51

Arnav Singh Raizada was in a dilemma. People called him an atheist. That he rejected the belief in the existence of deities. But truth was, he didn't. He knew, there was a deity, to whom his sister prayed to fervently, to whom his mother used to pray to. & he simply rejected that deity herself! Because in his opinion, she had done nothing to change things which were in her control, to save his world from destruction, when he hadn't had the power to do anything about it. & so, in answer to her rejection, he had simply rejected her back, & took the control of his fate in his own hands. & from then on, he had never allowed himself to be in a position that could threaten his sense of being in control.

& he had his methods of maintaining control too. For starters, he had learned to compartmentalize his life & his emotions. There was his work life, where he was ruthless, & there was his family, where he was responsible. There were his professional acquaintances with whom his interactions were straightforward & determined, there were his family members with whom his interactions were minimal, but heartfelt, & then there were his string of personal acquaintances, with whom his interactions were brief, efficient, resourceful & utterly emotionless. & Arnav's dilemma was that, Khushi Kumari Gupta was pushing all the envelopes, treading over all the borders & making all the lines too blurry for him!

This crazy chick was not his professional acquaintance, but their interactions were straightforward & determined, where this thing between them was concerned. She was almost his family, yet their interactions were in no sense minimal, but, most of the time heartfelt. & she posed as his personal acquaintance from time to time, & their interactions in that area were never brief, definitely efficient, plenty resourceful & utterly passionate. In a nutshell, this girl had him in loops & Arnav didn't like the way his subconscious mind tried to converse with his conscious mind every time he was faced with her charms. & Arnav Singh Raizada felt his control over his fate slipping like sands through his fists.

& then suddenly Arnav heard her shaky voice cutting through his pensiveness, "Arnavji? I am sorry? I am sorry! I have been so... I have been going out of my mind since Bhabhi told me about the sale, &... Yes, I know, I initiated the talks of it, but... I didn't know Bhaiya would ask for your help & that everything would happen so quickly, & that my home... our home would actually be on the verge of being sold off so quickly!" She sounded on the verge of a panic attack.

Arnav heard what she was saying, & to his own amazement he understood what she wasn't saying, & he said in a quiet tone, "You did say to Rohan that you were OK with selling Nikunja off... & they are nice people... The couple who are buying it now? I actually know the guy! He's... They both are very fine people, Khushi! They will make a home out of Nikunja for their children just like Uncle-Aunty did for you guys..." & Khushi again cut him off, "I know Arnavji! Bhaiya told us he spoke with them himself. &... It's got nothing to do with them... & not you also! I honestly don't know why I yelled like that at you of all people! I just feel... It will just be very hard saying good bye to Nikunja, that's all!" she ended on a sigh.

Arnav hated how she was looking all dejected as she talked of her home, & he started stroking his thumb over her hand in a caressing movement. Khushi shivered slightly & looked at where there joined hands lay & she said with a sigh, "I knew it'd be complicated. We knew it'd be messy. But I had never imagined it to break upon us so quickly!" & Arnav knew what she meant. There families were infuriatingly intertwined, & he hated it that the intimacy between the families had the power to potentially ruin things before they even started between him & Khushi. & suddenly tired of forces trying to pull them apart, Arnav said impulsively, "So let's make some... rules... to protect... this! You come before our families! & so do I! I come before my family & my own for you! Deal?"

Khushi knew what was happening here as she looked at his restless expression. He was apt at finalizing business deals. That was his forte & he did that in quick speed based on his instincts. But this was no business deal, & she did understood more about these things than he did. That's why, although he proposed the deal, it was Khushi who understood the implications of the deal. So she smiled indulgently at him, & said softly, "Let me explain what you just propositioned, OK? You come before your family for me. Done! & you come before my family for me... really, Arnavji? Can I come before Naniji, Jijaaji, & Bhaabi for you?!" Arnav's brows furrowed together in a dark frown as his mildly surprised expression showed he clearly hadn't thought of it that way.

He actually hadn't. Arnav was used to coming first in everyone's life that he touched. & for the first time in his life, he actually wanted to come first, before anyone else, in someone's life. He wanted Khushi to think of him before anyone else, whether she was happy, sad, angry or in trouble. He had felt this fiercely protective about only one other person in his life. & the baffling thing was Khushi & his Di were as different as human beings as chalk & cheese. Di was vulnerable & Khushi was the least needy person he had ever met. But still, faced with the question, he knew the answer evidently. Di always came first. & before he could say so, he heard Khushi say, "My family comes first for me, & I know it'll be the same for you! So let's make a compromise? You come after my family & before Bhaabi & your family for me..." & she prompted Arnav to say the rest with her eyes.

Arnav nodded as he understood, & he conceded, "& you come before Rohan & your family for me." & Khushi quickly cued him before they concluded on the topic, "& next time Bhaiya tells you something that might have equal importance for me-" Arnav finished firmly for her, "I'll tell you as long as it concerns you & it's not just a guy thing!" Khushi's eyes narrowed as she asked before Arnav had even finished, "What guy thing?" Arnav shook his head in a stoic boy-scout manner & said calmly, "A guy thing can't be discussed with a girl, especially not if she's family."

Khushi eyes narrowed further to slits as she tried to think of probable such things, & then coming up with nothing, she said with a dazzling smile, "OK! You've got yourself a deal! Do you wanna shake on it?" With that she let go of her hold on his hand & extended it formally towards him for a handshake. Arnav stared at her outstretched hand for several seconds & then he looked up at her. There was a glint in his eyes & a ghost of a smile around his lips which told Khushi she wasn't gonna like what was going to come, & she was proved right when she heard him drawl in a purr, "I'd love to kiss on it! But somehow I don't think you'd be up for it here." & as if on cue her red cheeks made a comeback & seeing that his smirk quickly followed as his mission of making his Red come out was successful.

More to brush off the acutely mortifying blushing-n-smirking routine than anything, Khushi tugged at his hand with a sudden cheerfulness that was more the demand of the moment than her mind-set & declared, "Come on! Let's do something else. We still have an hour before we're supposed to go pick up the rings, & this coffee is awful!" Arnav smiled ruefully as he let her drag him up to his feet & agreed, "The coffee really is appalling!" & as he got distracted for about a minute watching the glow on her face as she laughed at the hideousness of the coffee while still pulling him out onto the opening of the mall behind herself, she took advantage of his lack of attention & placed them both in front of a set of cut outs of movie stars, & announced, "Let's watch half a movie!" Arnav immediately swiveled his head towards her in a horrified jerk, & almost yelled, "You've got to be kidding me!" Khushi widened her eyes at his almost comically horrified expression & pouted, "Why? We could watch Dabbangg 2! Salman ji has done such a great job!" Saying this, she went & hooked her arm through the arm of a cut out of Salman Khan in a police uniform & presented a face to Arnav which said, she wasn't leaving till she got some Salman Khan time at the theatre.

Arnav shook his head disbelievingly, & said in an appalled tone, "No! What the-! You- Khushi, let go! Let go of that!" & as Khushi continued shaking her head sideways in an inflexible manner, he tried to coax her, "Khush- Red! Let go! People are staring?" When Khushi went on with her obstinate head shake, Arnav swore softly under his breath & just went & tugged at her other arm to make her let go, & this time it was Khushi who started moaning, "No! Arnavji, let go." Arnav was firm too, "No. You let go!"

& none of them had any inclination of letting go any time soon in their weird tug of war, if they hadn't been turned to stone by the sudden exclamation towards both of them that came from two very familiar voices.

"Chhote! What are you doing here?!"

"Khushi! What are you doing here' with Arnavji?!"

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Arnav froze on the spot as he turned his head & saw his sister & sister-in-law to be standing a few feet away from where Khushi & he stood, & they were staring at where his hands were closed over Khushi's elbow as part of his attempt to separate her from her Salamnji. As Arnav felt their gaze like a laser ray on his hand, he promptly let go of Khushi's arm as if it was a hot potato & he was scalded by it.

But Khushi wasn't as shocked as he was by the sudden presence of Payal & Anjali, because people simply never daunted her. Well, except one person in particular, who looked pretty harried himself right about now. Khushi looked up at him as she felt him drop her arm hastily, & seeing his features marred by a very serious scowl, she resisted the sudden urge to give into uncontrollable giggles, & looking back at the somber expressions of the two women standing before her, she decided, offense would be the best defense here! She squared her shoulders & asked in an accusing tone, "Leave us! What are you two doing here?! You have got practically everyone in your vicinity running to your orders, & now you guys are wandering around merrily yourselves?!" & Payal's eyes narrowed dangerously at Khushi's accusing tone as she gasped & spluttered into speech, "Khushi ki Bachchi! The pot is calling the kettle black, ha? What are you doing here, that too with- I mean, weren't you supposed to pick up my Kaleere & Bhaabi's & Akaashji's rings?!"

Khushi's whole face suddenly glowed as her eyes widened to huge pools of glittering gold, & she clapped her hands in a jubilant way as she suddenly shrieked, "Wahito!" & then she completely turned towards Arnav, presenting her back to the others & winked abruptly at him. Arnav's head instantly jerked back in reaction & he asked incredulously, "Excuse me?!" But Khushi had turned towards the other by that time & was talking in express speed, "Arnavji & I were supposed to go pick up the rings, right?" & blank stares was all she got in reply, but undeterred she carried on, "& when he called me about that, I told him, I was supposed to pick up the Kaleeras as well. Guess what he said?! Guess, guess!" As more silence followed coupled with baffled expressions, she continued with dramatic enthusiasm, "Surprise!!! He wanted to surprise you, Bhaabi, by getting similar Kaleeras for you! & so we came here! & then I saw Salmanji!! & then one thing followed another, you can surmise the rest, hai na Jiji?"

As an eerie silence followed her explanation which Khushi thought was nothing short of genius, & feeling a little nettled at their lack of appreciation for her wits, she looked at the faces of the three stiffly immobile persons in turn. While Anjali was now looking at Arnav with a grateful expression in her moist eyes, Payal was looking at Khushi with narrowed searching eyes that were clearly trying to gauge the amount of sincerity behind her words, & Arnav was looking downright uncomfortable as he tried averting Anjali's puppy eyes & when his eyes fell on her, the expression in them quickly changed to exasperation as he shook his head slightly, & Khushi didn't need to be a certified lip-reader to know what he was saying, when she saw his lips moving as he said under his breath, "Un-freakin'-believable!"

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"When we were young, Amma used to give us points for doing our own chores, making the bed & tidying the room & such! & we'd gain TV watching hours or time for video games based on our points! They were kinda like brownie points, you know?" She looked at Arnav keenly for a sign to know that he was following. Arnav narrowed his eyes on her face, & then with a hand on his hip, he outstretched the other arm towards her & said shortly, "This is not the time for crazy nonsense, Red! Come here & let me kiss you before Di calls-" he stopped as Khushi indignantly swatted his hand away.

"This is not nonsense!" she said patiently, willing him to understand, "See, you don't tease me in front of Jiji & Bhaabi, you get a point. It will be..." She bit the nail of her index finger for a suitable reward to lure him into the bait, & then her features brightened as she found the perfect bait. "Yes! It will be Kissing Points! KP! & if you behave gentlemanly & have... say, 5 Kissing Points? Well, you're in for luck, cause you can cash the points in & demand a kiss & I'll be obliged to comply! Then & there!" & she jumped up a little in her spot & clapped her hands excitedly as she said to herself, "Wah Khushi! Maan gaaye tujhe! You're GENIUS!" Then she looked at Arnav again, "So?? Come on, my offer is so lucrative... Deal, Arnavji?"

Yes! You are right! Rarely do we find changes in ASR's characters in FFs. That's coz, readers and writers love him too much to change his characterization.😉

Whatever he does in any of the FFs, we can't overcome the ASR's character from the show and end up forgiving him for every single wrong doing! That's love my girl, unconditional love!😳 That's why Khushi forgave Arnav just with his one "I am sorry Khushi" in the show!😉

Khushi, according to Arnav, is not exactly settling in any of the categories- professional/ personal acquaintances, family! So he can make a new category exclusively for Khushi!

So they decide they come after their own family to each other and will share things with each other! Awww…!😊

What an excuse Khushi made- up? But will Payal buy it?

Precap: KP!?😳😉