Chapter 71
Speechless. Payal Kumari Gupta was speechless.
As she sat in her seat, her mind was cast to the events of that morning.
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The first rays of the sun had woken her and her eyes opened with a great sense of anticipation. Today was the day that they were all going back to her beloved Lucknow. Today was also the day that he was going to be coming to her beloved Lucknow with her. Racing through her morning routine and then hurriedly packing her belongings into a duffle bag, Payal pulled on her faded blue Levis, a purple tank-top and black v-neck cardigan. Stuffing her feet into a pair of well-worn black boots she quickly knotted her long black hair on top of her head before racing towards the Raizada mansion for breakfast.
She was in good company because like her, the elders who were already assembled around the dining table as they had a hearty breakfast in preparation for their journey, were clearly excited as well. Looking around, Payal noticed that none of the younger members of the family were there. Their absence didn't bother her. But his absence was very conspicuous to her. Flopping on the nearest chair with disappointment clearly visible on her face and any appetite for food a distant memory, Payal began fiddling with a spoon as she wondered where he was. The sound of footsteps behind her broke into her thoughts and she spun around in her chair only to see NK come bounding down the stairs only to be followed by Anjali a short while later.
Payal rolled her eyes as irritation, frustration, anticipation all balled into one emotion - annoyance. She heard someone else approaching, but this time Payal didn't bother turning around because the sight of Arnav and Khushi coming down the stairs wouldn't have helped. As the newlywed couple appeared in her slight, Payal instantly noticed there was something different about her little sister who was walking towards the dining area hand in hand with her husband. Her anger momentarily forgotten, Payal smiled. It was an endearing sight; these two were clearly head over heels and then some, in love. Payal watched her sister blush as her new husband whispered something into her ear as he pulled the chair out for her. She could tell that Khushi was embarrassed to be making a late entrance to breakfast, but judging by the ruffled state of her brother-in-law's hair, the skew of his tie and the lack of lipstick on Khushi's mouth; one didn't need to have a PhD to work out what had caused the delay in their arrival.
The sound of her babu-ji's voice silenced everyone as he announced that Akash beta had arranged for a minivan to take them all the Lucknow and it would be arriving soon. The activity level in the room accelerated as everyone who was to be departing rushed to finish breakfast. Payal practically ran towards the open front door as she chided herself for all the tension she was causing herself as she remembered that him saying that he would be driving them to Lucknow. From her path, she saw the vehicle approach. Without him in it.
Where the blood hell was he wondered Payal as she slowly walked towards the front door as everyone else around her practically ran. The van came to a stop and it was exactly that - a minivan. A sense of disappointment spread through the waiting passengers as they all realised that the bus contained fewer seats than total number of passengers. As is typically the case in Indian families, everyone began speaking at the same time. Payal groaned. This was the last thing she felt like dealing with. So, acting like the grown-up she felt she was, she picked up her duffle bag and announced that she was happy to catch a regular bus to Lucknow and before anyone could interject and say it was inappropriate or unsafe, Payal quickly added that she had made the same journey a million times before when she and Khushi were studying in Delhi.
Amidst a chorus of unhappy female voices from the elder women in of the family, Payal calmly asked the uniformed guard waiting by the Shantivan gates to hail an auto rickshaw for her as she bid everyone a safe journey and said she'd meet them at home on the other end.
Payal walked to the waiting auto and calmly directed the driver to the bus port. Where was he? Why didn't he come? He said he would come with them, so what had happened? Stop it! She yelled at herself. Hadn't she learned not to dream impossible dreams and learned it the hard way? What had she even been thinking? That he would be interested in her? He was probably having a good laugh at having led her on and then left her high and dry thinking that he, stinking rich, Mr Akash Raizada was interesting in coming to Lucknow with her. Payal knew that she was being stereotypical but she also knew what these rich boys were like she thought furiously. Her anger meter over shot the scale as the driver unexpectedly hit the brakes almost sending Payal crashing in to the back of the his seat. 'Watch it!!' she bellowed just as she heard the screeching of brakes from the oncoming vehicle. Payal jumped out of the auto with the solo aim of giving the reckless driver of the big SUV a big piece of her mind. Was everyone in the world losing the plot she angrily thought to herself as she stomped towards the other vehicle just as the driver's door opened. And the object of her of wrath stepped out.
Payal couldn't help but let out a sarcastic snort. Dressed in light blue denim jeans and a fitted black T-shirt that instantly drew her appreciative glance over his tight toned pecs, abs and biceps, Payal knew that on any other day, she would have taken a moment to thank the good Lord (along with all the major devis and devtas) for the delectable male specimen walking towards her, but today was not that day. Today she was in land of seriously negative emotion. She stopped in her tracks and folded her arms as she watched him approach.
Behind his rimless designer glasses, Akash Singh Raizada's obsidian black eyes narrowed as he watched one Miss Payal Kumari Gupta emerge from the auto rickshaw before suddenly stopping in her tracks as she caught sight of him. He watched as she slowly folded her arms across her chest as she watched him approach. Prior to this moment, he had never seen her in western wear he thought distractedly. Her close fitting t-shirt and jeans emphasised the curves of the figure. The black sweater looked tired and faded. Akash was used to dating sophisticated socialites who wouldn't be seen dead in anything other than designer labels, but there was something wholesome and incredibly sexy about Payal Kumari Gupta's makeup free face and simple clothes. But despite her lack of sophistication he suddenly ached to release the clip that secured her hair in an untidy knot on top of her head and run his fingers through the thick silky strands. He wondered if she was aware of how beautiful she looked. Shaking his head as if to clear it of indecent thoughts, Akash self-consciously pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose as he realigned his thoughts and tried to refocus his mind on why he was here.
As he came to stop in front of her, he looked over her shoulder and calmly asked the auto driver to take her bags out of his auto. Turning his attention back to her, 'Please get into the car,' he said calmly and without any preamble.
Withholding the urge to snort, Payal slowly slid off her sunglasses and folded them in her hands before looking up at him. 'I don't think so Mr Raizada' she said. Her voice was low and deadly, her dark eyes glimmered with volcanic fury. Akash almost flinched at the tone of her voice and his own temper began to rise, not because of her noncompliance but because of the suddenly cold and foreign way she had addressed him. He inhaled and exhaled slowly, 'Please get into the car,' he repeated, 'we are getting late,' he said.
''We' aren't getting anything Mr Raizada, I don't know what you are doing, but I know I'm heading to Lucknow. Alone. By bus.' said Payal calmly. She watched as a muscle twitched in his jaw. 'You need to get into the car. We are losing time. It's going to take us over seven hours to get there. We need to make a move. Now,' she heard him say quietly but firmly. This time Payal didn't stop herself and she emitted a very unladylike snort. 'I should be telling you that Mr Raizada. That I was on my way to Lucknow and you are delaying my journey,' she said as she paused for effect, 'Actually we were all on our way and then some of us never bothered to turn up.'
Akash didn't bite the bait. Instead he calmly walked to where the flabbergasted auto rickshaw driver was standing clutching an oversized duffle bag to his chest. Akash took the bag from him and handed him a 500 rupee note. The driver who was obviously interested in self preservation gladly grabbed the money as sped off as an enraged Payal tried to stop him.
Dumping the bag into the boot of the car, Akash opened the front passenger door and motioned for Payal to enter with a motion of his head towards the car. In her current frame of mind, Payal preferred to walk all the way to Lucknow then get into a car with Akash Singh Raizada so she remained rooted to her spot. 'Look Mr Raizada, I had pegged you for an intelligent man. Clearly this is not the case. So I'll repeat this slowly so you can hopefully follow me and understand: I'm not interested in travelling with you. Actually I'm not interested in spending, or rather, wasting any more of my time talking to you so if you could kindly head off on your way, I'll do the same,' she enunciated slowly 'in any case, we are nothing more than two strangers, so please don't think you are doing me a disservice by leaving me here,' she bit out as her control over her temper began slipping. She watched as he clenched his jaw and staring at her defiantly for a minute.
'Get in the car Payal-ji.'
It didn't escape her attention that this was the first time he had actually used her first name albeit with a ji at the end. However on hearing his smooth and civilised tone, Payal felt her palms grow damp because she wasn't fooled by his outward appearance of calm. He had to be angry. She knew he had to be angry. And he hadn't even raised his voice. The deadly gleam of fury in his bespectacled eyes warned her that the normally quiet and reserved Akash Singh Raizada would be a lethal opponent and in that instant Payal she knew that her actions had put her in the role of his opponent.
Looking around at the deserted road, Payal knew she was already disadvantaged because clearly not only was public transport limited on this stretch of road, but more importantly, because he now had possession of her belongings. She could wait for a passerby and try and hitch a ride but she wasn't stupid. Delhi was dangerous enough for single girls without her deliberately putting herself in harm's way.
So Payal did what she had to. She took a seat in Akash Singh Raizada's car. And they set off on their journey.
An hour later, the unbroken silence between them thrummed with tension until Akash finally spoke.
'You do know that you're overreacting despite not knowing what's going on right Ms Gupta?' he said suddenly, his voice shattering the silence that had fallen between them.
Payal spun around in her seat 'you're kidding right?!!' she muttered incredulously as she stared at his side profile. 'Let's see, I flirted with you and you flirted back. I asked you to walk me back to my room. You did that too. No you agreed to do that. Be alone with me. You suggested driving us all to Lucknow and then suddenly you do a 360 and don't bother showing up as planned. I didn't think you were one of those game playing guys. I mean all the signals pointed to one thing; you were as interested as I was. And now this. So please tell me - how exactly am I overreacting?' she asked as she threw her hands up into the air in frustration.
Keeping his eyes trained on the road, Akash deliberated whether he wanted to answer the question. He was an intensely private person. So private that he was often misconstrued as reserved and shy. Which he categorically was not. You didn't achieve the successes he had achieved for AR Corp and himself by being shy. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call him strategically reserved he decided. But one thing was certain. While his affairs, his decisions, his relationships were like him - private, there was no mistaking that he was just as in control in that space as he was with everything else in his life. Initially he had indulged her casual flirting as some harmless fun. But as he spent time in her company he did not understand why he was so acutely aware of her. All the time. Even when she wasn't there. Now to his intense irritation, it suddenly struck him that he hadn't felt this attracted to someone for years; his heart was pounding and his palms felt uncomfortably damp on the steering wheel.
Akash Singh Raizada exhaled. It was time for him to move, to break out of the sensual web of attraction that entrapped them both. To do something about it.
'So I do one thing that's outside the way you've planned and you decided that I'm playing games?' he said his tone even but his expression nothing short of deadly as he turned to look at her.
Payal gulped. She rolled down the window in a bid to get some fresh air. Something had shifted while she wasn't looking and she felt deeply out of her element. Like she was suddenly in very dangerous territory.
She watched as Akash Singh Raizada turned to face her.
'No response?' he goaded, 'I'll you why. No response because up until now you were driving this...this thing between us. You felt confident and powerful because you were calling the shots. But here's a newsflash: I'm ready to play now so let's move this out of the childish kindergarten flirting it's been and do this like adults. So tell me Payal are you game or was all that bravado just that - an act?'
It didn't happen frequently. Hell, it was as rare as a thunderstorm in sub-Saharan Africa. But yes, today it had happened. Speechless. Payal Kumari Gupta was
actually speechless.
Helllooo Darlings!
so... reactions please? I'm dying to hear feedback on this chapter!!
Secondly, if you are reader come on, leave me a comment on your thoughts please. I don't bite and I love hearing from you guys... lets put it this way, I wait for your feedback just like you wait for the chapters so come on, please do talk to me 😃
third, I've been getting some readers asking about Khushi and Arnav's honeymoon and what happened to JJ - trust me, all those things are still coming. Stay tuned!
yo
urs in eternal hope...
Naina😳chapter 72: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/3524143/arhi-ff-masterclass-thread-8-new-chap76-pg134?pn=49
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