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Chasing Dreams Thd2- CHP18 PG129 Thd 3 link pg 148- Page 25

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khusiarnav

@khusiarnav

Voyager

Posted: 13 years ago

#241

NB ji waiting... Hamara update kaha hai?!?!

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shree10

@shree10

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

#242

Oh Basanti, readers paagal,
Update to de ja...dundho koi..

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Sultan_Of_Swing

@Sultan_Of_Swing

Sparkler

+ 7

Posted: 13 years ago

#243

Pucca today. Just give me sometime. On my phone at the moment.

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Priya

@ashi.1

Voyager

Posted: 13 years ago

#244

Originally posted by: Naach_Basanti
Pucca today. Just give me sometime. On my phone at the moment.

muaahhh...🤗 😆

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Sultan_Of_Swing

@Sultan_Of_Swing

Sparkler

+ 7

Posted: 13 years ago

#245

Chapter 13-

Banner Credit- Kalyaani

Title Credit- Meera 30

This update goes out to Shree10 for checking on me and motivating me to write regularly, although I'm sort of sucking at it at the moment.

Kushi was sipping a cup of Cappuccino, sitting in the luxurious lounge for Premium Economy and Business Class passengers of Virgin Airlines. She was trying to calm her nerves in lieu of her first business trip outside of India. She was feeling nervous, excited, but above all a feeling of proving herself to one and all. Her mobile phone beeped and she opened it to see a message from NKay who wanted to know if she had cleared security. She had spoken to him a short while ago, just before checking-in.

NKay she had come to realise was very caring and affectionate towards her. A day before her departure date, i.e., Friday Nkay took Kushi out for some chaat and then on a long drive. When he dropped her home he held her hands and told her that he'd miss her with so much intensity that Kushi felt something for him and stepped forward to kiss him on his cheeks. NKay was pleasantly surprised by the kiss and returned her kiss with a small peck on her lips. The kiss ended before she even realised. And that's when she realised how much they had moved ahead. She realised that's she was getting comfortable around him, comfortable with a few physical displays of affection such as, holding hands, kissing, albeit lightly. Through the rest of the night she was in a merry mood while packing for London. Kushi confided into Payal about her first kiss who was happy for the way things were progressing between her friend and Nkay. Before she left for the airport, Kushi hugged Payal tight. Payal and Akaash were going to Udaipur the following. She was very thrilled for Payal and could not wait to see her in her sparkling engagement ring. 'Just a few more days.'

Arnav had messaged Kushi to let her know that he was running late, but would join her soon. She had met Arnav a few times over the last week and a half with Meera, their discussions were centered around the trip. She had found Arnav to be very helpful and approachable. He struck her as someone decisive whenever she approached him with queries that required sorting out. She knew this was a big opportunity for her and that not everyone at work was happy with her being given this opportunity in such a short time. She was also sure that Arnav held the same opinion. So she put in twice the effort over the last week to get up to speed with her responsibilities for the trip. Most days she was first to get to work and last to leave. She was going to prove to him and to others, that Meera had taken the right decision regarding her.

Arnav looked at his watch for the umpteenth time. The damn shower had to break down today of all days. First the alarm in his phone had not gone off and then the shower broke down. '*@*@!' it was turning out to be a terrible day. His mobile phone beeped and he saw a message from Roma his date from last week. He had met Roma a couple of years ago in a conference. She was an Assistant Editor in a popular fashion magazine. The date as such was a pleasant affair, he liked Roma's vivacious personality. But the aftermath not so much. Roma had been on his case pretty much every single day sending him messages and trying to make plans. Arnav tried telling her to cut it out, but she didn't seem to get the clue. He felt suffocated just after one date. The message read, 'Bon Voyage! Missing you already. Come back soon.' Arnav was fed up of her constant attention. He decided that this wasn't going to work. He had to tell her this was over, maybe over a dinner or just a text.

By the time Arnav cleared security and boarded the flight, Kushi had already settled into her seat. She was wearing a pair of loose fitting jogging pants and a jumper with a hoodie. She had put her hair up. She had also worn a pair of reading glasses and was busy reading a book. Kushi he decided at that moment was the cutest thing he had ever seen. There was something endearing about the way she looked, so innocent and so simple, yet so beautiful.

'Get a grip! You are 34 year old man. Behave like one.'

Kushi saw Arnav and flashed one of her big smiles. For a few minutes she was scared wondering what she would do if Arnav missed the flight. She had been to Singapore and Malaysia before, but she had never flown long distance on her own. Kushi was a big fan of a TV series, 'Air Crash Investigation' and had the tendency to overreact when there was any turbulence. It was not that she couldn't travel alone, but she'd prefer some company along to calm her nerves. So when she saw Arnav she was really happy that he had made it on time.

Once Arnav had settled into his seat and the flight took off, Kushi and he got into a discussion about the places he had visited. Payal had told her that Arnav loved traveling and would very often go away on short breaks. He loved adventure and had done pretty much done everything, from white-water rafting to bungee jumping, from scuba diving to hiking. Arnav had traveled to most of Europe on work and on holidays. Given a choice he would leave everything and go on backpacking holidays, he informed her. He also told Kushi that he planned on taking a sabbatical sometime in the next two years, to go backpacking across South America on a six months trip.

Kushi keenly listened to his adventures, his trips and holidays; whether it was scuba diving in the waters of Australia where he had once seen a shark or cycling along the South of France or driving along the picturesque highlands of Scotland.

When she asked him if he had taken pictures so that she could see them, he told her that he never took pictures when he traveled and preferred to capture the memory of the place in his mind. The human mind he remarked was the best camera ever. The discussion exposed another side of Arnav's enigmatic personality to Kushi. She had come to realise that Arnav was a man of the world who believed in making the most of life through its varied experiences. And she understood for the first time why he preferred not being bound in a marriage.

Hearing about his travel and experiences made Kushi feel that she hadn't seen life at all, or experienced much of it. Hearing him talk about his holiday experiences inspired Kushi to widen her horizons and experience the world. Kushi told him about how much less she has traveled, but hoped to do it sometime in the future. When Arnav mentioned that Ladakh was his favorite place to visit in India, Kushi told him that it was hers too. She talked about how breathtaking she found Ladakh when she had a short stopover in Ladakh during a pilgrimage to visit 'Vaishno Devi' temple. Kushi spent just two days in Ladakh but hoped to go back for a much longer period, sometime in the near future.

The rest of the journey was spent with Kushi reading her book and listening to music and Arnav working on a presentation in his laptop. Once Arnav finished his work and shut his laptop, he saw that Kushi had dozed off in an awkward position with her head hanging in air. He looked at her face and something about the way she slept touched his heart. He wanted to reach out to her hug her and hold her tight as she was sleeping. He slowly took the book of her hand, unplugged her earphones. He looked at the book and was surprised to find her reading 'The Great Gatsby,' a book that counted among one of his favorite classic reads. He had never considered Kushi to be the kind of person who would read a serious and classic book like it.

At the same moment Kushi who was sleeping moved her head, seeking for some support, unknowingly placed it on his shoulders. Her head now rested comfortably on Arnav's shoulders. Arnav didn't know how to react. He decided to move her head to rest it on her seat, and tried to hold her head to move it. Kushi scrunched her nose showing her annoyance. He decided to let it be. Kushi further snuggled into his body. He somehow felt a sense of calm wash over him and before he knew he was looking at her face and he fell into a peaceful sleep.

A few hours later the stewardess came and woke up Arnav and Kushi and asked them to wear their seat belt as the flight was descending towards London, their destination. Kushi was very embarrassed to see her head buried in Arnav's shoulder. 'How do I manage to embarrass myself time and again in front of Arnav?' She moved her head away and apologised to him. Arnav tried to make nothing out of it by saying that even he tends to drift off in a similar way when he's asleep in a moving vehicle.

----------------------------------------------------------------

London, Kushi decided was one of the most beautiful places in the world during autumn without even stepping out of the cab even once. There was something about the air, about the autumn leaves that lay on the road, the cold breeze, the dry trees that swerved with the wind, that romanticized London in her eyes. Arnav had requested the driver to drive via the Parliament Street in London that housed, 'The Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, the River Thames and 10, Downing street,' so that Kushi could get a quick view of some of the popular tourist attractions. He knew that this was Kushi's first trip to London.

Kushi was like a child in a candy store, she tried to look out of the car and would time and get excited every time she saw a tourist attraction. Arnav told her that she would have some time in the evenings to visit these places and promised to help her plan her visit, and even go sight-seeing with her, time permitting. When she realised that the driver had taken a short detour for her to see these places, she was very thankful to Arnav.

They finally reached their destination- 'Dylan self catering apartments.' A concierge came outside to help them with their luggage. Arnav and Kushi went to the reception to get the key to their apartments.

'Here is the key to your apartment, Mr. Raizada' the receptionist handed over a set of keys. Arnav thanked him.

Kushi wondered as to why Arnav was handed only one set of keys. She walked up to him and said, 'Arnav I think something is wrong. Do I need to sign in separately to get a key to my apartment?'

Arnav was surprised with her question. 'Kushi, were you not informed that you will be sharing an apartment with me?'

Kushi looked clueless.

'Share an apartment?' Kushi asked nervously.

'Yes Kushi, there are 2 bedrooms in the apartment, one for each of us with a common kitchen and living room. Are you not comfortable with this?'

'I wasn't informed. I'd rather have a separate place for myself if that is possible.' Kushi told him

Arnav was now annoyed, 'Kushi I'm sure you were informed about this. We don't pressurise our associates to do anything they aren't comfortable with. Especially not this.'

'No Arnav...I'm pretty sure I wasn't informed.. I...'

'So what do you want to do?' Arnav cut her off. 'Would you like me to if another room is available?' He added

'Yes please.'

'Kushi I'm not happy with this situation. We are here on work, and we are already digressing. This is why I told Meera it'd be better for her to send someone who had more experience at AR and knew the policies and procedures.'

Kushi was deeply hurt by Arnav's words, but decided to stay quiet.

Arnav went and spoke to the receptionist. He came back and informed Kushi 'They are completely booked due to the event as this is the closest apartment to the venue. What do you want to do?'

'Sorry Arnav, if I have disappointed you. There seems to be some communication gap. Lets share the apartment.'

Arnav said 'Great' and started walking towards the elevators without waiting for Kushi.

They entered the apartment. The living room had glass doors that overlooked the city. There was a small kitchen with a breakfast table. It was stocked with some basic groceries. To the either side of the kitchen were 2 bedrooms, with a fitted wardrobe and an attached bathroom.

Arnav went to his room and shut the door immediately. Kushi entered her room. She put her bags to a side and made herself comfortable in her bed. Things had gone of so well until they entered the apartment.

Kushi could see that Arnav was annoyed with her. But what could she do. This was all very new to her. How could she share an apartment with Arnav although they will be staying in separate rooms. What will her parents say if they find out?

She opened her laptop and checked Rita's email about the living arrangement. She quickly reviewed it and had realised her folly. 'Arnav and you will be put up in a self catering apartment close to the venue.' Kushi had missed the 'a', so she was at mistake after all and it was now her responsibility to apologise to Arnav. Yes she wasn't still entirely comfortable with the living condition, but convinced herself that this was as good at living two different hotel rooms, with a common lounge. She didn't want the trip to start off with a bad note. She didn't want this misunderstanding to overshadow the good work she had put in so far and most of all disappoint Meera. As much as she was disappointed with Arnav for questioning Meera's judgement about her, she realised she had to apologise to him first.

She tip toed quietly to Arnav's room and could hear him speak to someone on the phone. And he didn't sound very happy, she decided to find a better time to apologise.

Arnav put the phone down. His lawyer had called him with some not so good news regarding the case they had filed against their Ex Finance Manager of the Mumbai branch. It looked like the case wasn't going to be as straightforward as his lawyer had initially told him. His lawyer was now advising him to settle out of court, if not prepare for a long drawn out battle.

Plus that girl Kushi had disappointed him.'What was wrong in sharing an apartment with him. Was he is so untrustworthy?' This is exactly why he asked Meera to send someone else. He couldn't understand some of these small town girls and their supposedly strong moral compass.

By the time Kushi next met Arnav it was late in the evening. Arnav stepped out to make himself a cup of coffee. Kushi who had finally decided to gather some courage made some coffee for herself and Arnav and decided to go to his room and apologise using the coffee as an excuse. Arnav walked silently into the kitchen

Kushi brought a cup of steaming hot coffee towards him and said, 'Sorry Arnav, I screwed up. Rita's email was clear, I misread it. Guess I didn't pay enough attention due to the excitement of the trip. My intention was not to put you in spot. I know this event is a big deal for AR and I should have know to keep my personal preferences aside and focus on the work in hand. I apologise.' She said looking directly into his eyes.

Arnav relaxed and smiled at her, 'Its okay Kushi. Glad this has been sorted. I apologise if I sounded rude earlier. But I still have a gripe.' Kushi looked at him with questioning eyes.

'This coffee alone will not do for the earlier incident. You have got to take me out for dinner during this trip to make up.' He smirked.

Kushi laughed and agreed

With that the two of them drank their coffee with a certain level of comfort that they hadn't shared since a long time.

-------------------------------------------------

They soon got down to work. Arnav was working on his key note speech and Kushi decided to pay a visit to the venue to look at their stall.

They had promised to meet for dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant where Scott and the other part time contractor Will Rees was going to join them.

Kushi met Arnav and her two colleagues at an Indian restaurant; 'Masala Zone' near Earl's court sharp at Seven. Scot was a Scottish bloke who had a very good sense of humor. When Arnav introduced him to Kushi he told her that she had beautiful eyes by holding her hands. Through the dinner he had tried to flirt with Kushi telling her how he had always loved Indian food and wanted an Indian wife. Much to Arnav's irritation he sat next to Kushi and even offered to read her palms. Kushi knew that Scott meant no harm and was enjoying the attention she got from him. Will Rees on the contrary was reserved as this was the first time he was working for AR. The four of them discussed the various aspect of the event and what they need to do to set out to achieve their objectives. Kushi made notes of all their discussion during dinner. She realised that Sunday was going to be a very busy day for her.

After dinner Will and Scott took their leave. Arnav and Kushi decided to explore the city for a bit. Arnav offered to take her to Westminster to see the Big Ben and River Thames in the night. They took the tube to Westminster. This was the first time Kushi was riding on the tube, she was so confused when she tried to comprehend the tube map and instead let Arnav guide her. The Big Ben looked majestic in the night. Kushi was excited when she heard it chime at Nine o'clock. She took a few pictures in her camera and even asked a bystander to take a picture of Arnav and her by the Big Ben. They then walked to sit by the banks of River Thames near '*Cleopatra's needle.' Aware of Kushi's sweet tooth, Arnav got her some hot waffles with chocolate syrup to keep them company. As she started eating her waffles Kushi got a call from NKay. Surprised by the time of the call Kushi answered it

'Everything Okay NKay?' She asked, concerned with the time of the call.

'Yes everything is fine Kushi. I tried calling you couple of hours ago, but couldn't reach you. So I decided to try one last time before I called it a night.' NKay answered as he yawned away.

Kushi informed him that she was doing fine and that she was out with Arnav. And then they ended the call after making some small talk.

'NKay?' Arnav asked

'Yes, it was him. He was worried as he wasn't able to reach me.'

'Okay.' Arnav said and then added after a few seconds, 'NKay he is a good guy, isn't he?'

Kushi finished eating her waffle and answered 'Yes he's very funny. He makes me laugh all the time.'

Arnav at that moment saw that Kushi had some chocolate syrup left on the corner of her lip and on her chin and told her the same.

'Oh God! I'm such a mess. When I see something sweet I behave like a kid.' She took out a napkin to remove the stains. Arnav tried to guide her but she couldn't remove the syrup completely. So Arnav took the napkin with her permission and tried to clean the chocolate. Kushi felt a jolt of something new when she felt Arnav's fingers in her face. All the dormant feelings for Arnav came rushing back with something as innocent a gesture as this.

Once Arnav was done Kushi was tongue tied in front of Arnav, and not for the first time. She gathered her wits and said a meek thank you.

The two of them spent some more time looking at the River, absorbing the ambiance in amicable silence. Kushi was thinking about Arnav and was struggling to understand the depth her attraction for him.

Arnav, on the other hand was surprised with Kushi; he had been with many women before, but most of them given a choice would 'talk and talk' instead of sitting and relishing the moment like Kushi was doing now. He realised that Kushi was the kind of person who was fun to be with both while talking and in silence. He was also pleasantly surprised by how she had owned up to her mistake and apologised. She showed a great deal of maturity.

There was so much more to this girl, he realised as he looked at the serene river, the banks of which were dimly lit with lights and the cold winds that blew Kushi's long hair close to his face.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GemKqzILV4w[/YOUTUBE]

A/N- Apologise for the delay in updating this chapter. No excuses this time, just that life caught up. Hope I will be able to update again this week.

Edited by Naach_Basanti - 13 years ago

372

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Kalyaani B Rao

@Kalyaani

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 13 years ago

#246

KKK

Edit

I liked this chapter for many reasons, Arnav and Khushi are so in character, I could relate to both.

She is travelling for the first time for work and is all anxious and fighting her attraction for Arnav. Arnav is too in a way battling his thoughts, the wide gap called age affecting them a lot.

It was cute the way Khushi and NKay are taking their relationship forward, really cute.

PS - I have to visit London soon, if only I could afford it

Edited by Kalyaani - 13 years ago

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meera30

@meera30

Dazzler

+ 7

Posted: 13 years ago

#247

Me!

I am so glad you took your time, K because I enjoyed this chapter thoroughly.

I think I am beginning to see what you are doing so beautifully here - people are good, decent...but at the same time set in their own ways...used to doing things like they do...is love enough to change them? does love even mean a little change?

I like both these characters - the difference in their worlds is so well established and yet there is some common ground that relationships need to take shape and maybe even flourish given the right nurturing

Good going, sistah! I thoroughly love this journey

And might I say i want to make a trip to London very soon...:)

Edited by meera30 - 13 years ago

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shree10

@shree10

Rocker

Posted: 13 years ago

#248

Finally I am here to read an update in lunch time!
And OMG! You gave this update to me??? Thank you sooo much.. It MEANs a lot!!
I was actually afraid you would be irritated by my stalking..
It feels great especially when it's totally unexpected!!
But I am really touched and going dhink chilka , dhink chika.. getting weird looks from colleagues 😊

Am half way through the update. Will come back later to comment.

Commented on update on pg 44.

Edited by shree10 - 13 years ago

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vgedin

@vgedin

Rocker

+ 5

Posted: 13 years ago

#249

Res

~Edit~

First things first, Gabbar. Thank you for allowing me to revisit London through your eyes, I have been missing UK so badly the last week and this was just what I needed. A perfect evening in London, complete with Indian food. They sat in quietude near Cleopatra's Needle...I want them to revisit this place after(if) they fall in love. They enjoyed the silent companionship, no kiss or love making could be more romantic. This is special, very ArShi, lovely!

NKay is accommodating and understands where Khushi comes from, whereas Arnav is always the practical mind, he is unable to accept anything without sound reasoning and in turn fails to be perceptive at times. NK hesitantly requests while ASR demands, and therein lies the difference. I am glad Arnav and Khushi are discovering new aspects to each other slowly but surely. They are both very interesting yet very different people; the attraction isn't going anywhere, no matter how much they try to deny it :D

She had come to realise that Arnav was a man of the world who believed in making the most of life through its varied experiences. And she understood for the first time why he preferred not being bound in a marriage.

Our darling Kushi is growing up! And that line is the reason I love this story.

I want Khushi to kick ass at her job. Prove that she is beyond worthy of being the choice for this trip. I want Arnav to be awestruck. And Meera's heart to burst with pride. Please?

Edited by vgedin - 13 years ago

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_disha_

@_disha_

Sparkler

+ 4

Posted: 13 years ago

#250

Wow what an update !!!

It keeps getting better all the time.

Its fascinating to see the the exchanges between Arnav and Khushi as they are getting more comfortable around each other.

Arnav is also getting so stimulated by her presence , i feel bad for him having to constantly remind himself of his age and trying to hold back.

Khushi on the other hand is also experiencing so many new emotions all happening at the same time.

Really thoughtful of Arnav to getting the cab to detour so that Khushi can sight see on the way and with Scott the green eyed monster also seems to have entered the scene!😉

The whole Air Crash investigation bit made me also sit up since my son watches the show with so much interest that when ever we have to fly he will bring that up and i am a bundle of nerves till we don't land safely !!!😆

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Chasing Dreams Thd2- CHP18 PG129 Thd 3 link pg 148- Page 25

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