ARHI SS : BEYOND WORDS *COMPLETED* - Page 35

ARHI SS : BEYOND WORDS

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Chapter-8

Arnav sat in his cabin going through files when he found a CD kept with a file. Lavanya he thought must have kept it here. He checked it to find pictures of fashion show. As he sat there going through the images, a pair of hazel eyes held his attention. It was the picture of him with his team and there stood Khushi diagonal to him wearing an off-white dress that snuggled her till waist flaring from her hips.

A weak had passed since Khushi joined AR but they haven't interacted much except few occasional meetings. Meetings might have been brief but he noticed her more than he ever had noticed anyone. He remembered how they have bumped in each other last evening only. Arnav had just turned towards his cabin after attending a conference when someone just ran in him making him take few steps back. He felt a soft form against his hard one as his arms wrapped around to hold them both steady, his lips accidentally touching the side of her temple. As he detangled himself from the other person and parted he found Khushi in front of him. When he had first felt push on his form he had thought to shout on the careless person but finding Khushi in front of him he was at a complete loss of words. He looked at her only to find her wide eyes staring at him in disbelief. Was she expecting someone else? If this thought disturbed him, finding no suitable answer for his restlessness irritated him to the core.

Khushi sat in the design studio scribbling on a paper. If Arnav Singh Raizada was affected, Khushi was unsettled too. She couldn't forget the scorching heat she felt when his lips touched her. She knew it was accidental but she couldn't ignore the unfamiliar emotion that made its way deep inside her whenever she thought of last evening. Khushi was grateful that there was no audience present to witness their encounter. She was dumbfounded to find Arnav in front of her. She was sure she would be yelled at but nothing of that sort came. In her last weak she not only heard about his few famous temperamental shout outs but had witnessed it too once. She thought it reasonable to make a quick apology and as usual fled from the scene leaving a confused Arnav behind.

Khushi left for coffee room to divert her attention to other things. She chatted sometime with Lavanya and thought of getting back to her seat. As she was crossing the work area she caught a somewhat familiar face. There stood a beautiful girl in a baby pink saree, a heart warming smile adorning her face. She walked in direction of Khushi who was solely looking at her. As she came near her Khushi heard her speaking "Have we met before? I have seen you somewhere"

"I don't know but even I feel the same."

"Hi, I am Anjali" she answered extending her hand.

Anjali, Khushi remembered this was the name of the new collection of AR Arnav had announced after the successful fashion show. And then she remembered where she had seen her. Her picture had been at a prominent place on his desk. When she had questioned Lavanya regarding the name of the new collection she was informed that it was after the name of Anjali Jha who was the most special person in his life.

"You are Anjali Jha? Arnavji loves you a lot"

Anjali smiled nodding "I know"

Before Khushi could speak any further she saw Arnav joining them. Anjali hugged him and Khushi felt a sudden uneasiness.

"Looks like you two have met already" Arnav said breaking the hug.

Anjali nodded in positive "But she is yet to tell me her name"

His lips lifted upwards slightly at her words "She is Khushi"

"Khushi ' the one you said who's crazy?"

"Crazy and me?" Khushi fumed. She had enough for the day. How can he talk about me like this? But before she could give voice to her thoughts she heard him.

"Di, stop it"

"Di??" Her tone gave away the surprise and relief she felt at this new found information.

Anjali smiled knowingly "Yes Di and that is why I know Chhotey loves me" she winked at her.

"Chhotey who?"

"Not here Di"

Both said at the same time.

"Let's go Di, I'll drop you at your function venue" he said effectively putting a stop to the irksome conversation.

Anjali exchanged pleasantries with her and left with Arnav.

There was an added bounce to Khushi's step after her meeting with Anjali. She had felt sudden relief, she couldn't comprehend the reason behind it and ignored the process altogether. What matters is that she felt happy. From the day she had heard about the name of new collection she had wondered about its origin. Lavanya had fuelled it with her half information and the photo frame on his desk worsened her situation further.

Knowing about his disinterest in love in their very first meeting Khushi had come to the most sensible conclusion that the man in question here, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada, has suffered a major heart break in the name of love. So when she had heard about Anjali, Khushi had mistaken her as the heart-breaker. When she had met Anjali today draped in a saree, wearing mangalsutra and sindoor she had gone one step ahead to think this must be the deal breaker between the two. She had felt a pang of jealousy thinking Arnav was so much interested in someone who was married and hurt anticipating the amount of pain he would have been enduring. Now she could only be thankful to her favorite Devi Maiyya for not voicing her opinions today. But now a new question made its way in her completely bollywood wired brain. If not Anjaliji then who's the girl who has made him like this? Now to get answers for a bollywoodish question an equally dramatic idea has struck her. Obviously Devi Maiyya has sent her on this planet to help others and she took the responsibility of finding the girl upon herself by deciding to ask Arnavji about it directly getting a chance; there was no point beating around the bush.

Only if she knew the man in question here was an extraordinary man to fell for ordinary things like love. Love was a highly over-rated word rendering people useless and destroying everything in its wake. He had no time for such nuisance. Arnav Singh Raizada had enough work to do. He believed he was the master of his own destiny having no faith in luck or any sort of religious activities.

After two days Devi Maiyya finally seemed glad with her devotee. Khushi was going through the list of vendors for the required fabric oblivious to the time and her surroundings. Her attention was solely on the list in front of her as she heard the familiar husky voice "Are you planning for a night out in office?"

Khushi jumped in her seat startled for a moment. She turned to find Arnav at the door of her cabin. He was leaning forward from the door frame, his one hand carrying jacket positioned at door knob and another against the frame. She noticed the top two buttons were undone and sleeves of his crisp white shirt were rolled till elbows. The light hairs of his chest caught her attention. How would his chest feel under her palms? Khushi got alarmed at the train of her thoughts feeling embarrassed. This was not a part of her scheme of things. Better get to mission Khushi. Arnavji is playing with your mind.

When Arnav had left his cabin late in night he knew all staff has already left apart from security and clerical. He finding the lights of her cabin still on had come there only to find her deeply engrossed in her work without a worry of time. He only meant to tell her that it was already late. As she turned in her seat with her long legs crossed at knees, few fringes coming out of her pony she looked enticing.

He came out of her thoughts when she suddenly stood up looking everywhere except him. She once again confused him.

"Let's go. It's getting late. I'll drop you" he said.

You were supposed to tell her to leave; dropping her was not in the list his inner voice reminded him.

It's unsafe to let her go alone this late. This is just chivalry he told himself.

After a moment of silently walking side by side they entered the elevator. This silence was a torture for Khushi making it more awkward.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked and getting a nod from him she continued "Who was the girl who broke your heart?"

Arnav's blackberry had almost slipped out of his hands on her bizarre question.

"What the!"

"Save your What the for some other time. How would I help you if you won't tell me about her?"

"It's nothing like that" he told her. But when Khushi Kumari Gupta decides something she has complete faith in herself.

"It'll be a secret between us. Please tell"

But she got nothing in response. She thought of changing her tactics.

"You tell me or I'll.."

This picked Arnav's interest "Or you will?"

She racked her brain for a suitable comeback and just like that a bulb illuminated in her brain "I will tell everyone in AR about your name".

He raised his one brow in question.

"Chottey" she smiled a triumphant smile which faltered a bit when Arnav took a step towards her.

"You won't dare to do any such thing Ms. Khushi Kumari Gupta" he said in a chilling voice.

Khushi's insides turned in knots at his cold tone but Khushi was not the one to accept defeat so easily. "I can and I will" she challenged.

"If you have forgotten I am your boss"

"If I remember there was no such thing in company's policy to seize my freedom of speech" she said in a confident tone which she was hardly feeling.

Before Khushi could process anything her one arm was pushed behind her back, her other arm automatically coming to rest on his forearms as the white of their shirts met with each other and their chests heaved together.

She could feel his masculine scent and toned muscles below the layer of clothing. She stood there in his arms looking at him.

"Don't challenge me Ms. Gupta" he snapped at her and left her immediately.

Their drive to home was quite opposite of their whole day ' uneventful with both of them quiet, furious and lost in their own thoughts. And this was the way they first locked their heads with each other.

A/N: ArHi update but not romance as such. Romance is taking some time to build up but it'll follow up.

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