||~Something About You~||#10 *COMPLETED* - Page 44

Arnav reached home around 12pm. As he entered his room, he flung his phone over his bed, & immediately went in for a shower. The happenings of the day & then his own tyrannical terrorism over his employees as a result of Khushi's defiance to him had left life feeling decidedly murky. Anjali had called him as soon as they had reached Lucknow, & then she had again called him when they had reached Sheeshmahal too. While they were on their flight, Arnav had spoken to the manager of Sheeshmahal, instructing him to prepare two deluxe suites, one for Rohan-Anjali & another for Khushi. Anjali had thanked him on behalf of all three of them, & Arnav had very much like a child felt like saying, he would be accepting only two of those 'thank you's, & the third one can go & take a hike. But he had contained himself at the last second, not wanting to hurt his delicate Di. But very interestingly, soon after he had seen Payal & Akaash off at the airport along with Shashi, Manohar, Garima & Manorama, at around 10.30pm, his phone had started buzzing with calls from that very same defiant person in Lucknow, indicating the honeymooners had left her alone for the night.

& sure enough, Arnav hadn't picked up any of those calls. She sure had patients too. That is when she wanted to be patient, & to his growing restlessness, Khushi had kept calling at regular intervals. & at one point Arnav would have picked up the call too, if he weren't surrounded by his hoards of employees scurrying busily about him even hours after office hours ended, because of his unfair treatment to them out of his anger on Khushi. & as he was feeling particularly miffed with her, Arnav hadn't even felt like doing what he had done earlier when she had called & he had been surrounded by people, pretending some business associate was on the other side of the line.

As soon as Arnav came out of the shower, he saw the phone flashing 'Red' again. & suddenly before his conscious mind could stop him, he went ahead & picking up the phone & he accepted the call. Instantly her agitated voice came along the line, "Arnavji?.." & as soon as he heard her voice, Arnav felt all of his resentment & anger toward her returning again. He had practically begged her not to go, & she had left him! Arnav almost barked out in his anger, "What is left to say now, Khushi?" & before he could finish her pleading voice interrupted, "Arnavji! Just listen to me once-" Arnav gritted his teeth, the muscle in his jaw twitching, as he barely got out through gritted teeth, "Kya sunoon, Khushi?! ("Why should I listen, Khushi?!")I specifically asked something from you! & you still went! Now you're there! & now what does it matter anyways?! Abb kya farq padhta hain?!" Saying this, he cut the call just as she was about to say something, & again flung the phone over the bed.

He stood uncertainly in the middle of the room for sometime. He was too restless to sleep & too tired to even stand up on his feet. In the end, he let out a long drawn out sigh, & just laid off on his side of the bed, thinking he would take some rest anyways. & he immediately fell off to a deep sleep.

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Arnav woke up with a start at the middle of the night. He was actually still half-asleep, his eyes drowsily drooping. He just laid there for a few seconds, trying to determine what woke him up, then he slowly reached for his phone to see the time. As he unlocked the screen, he saw it was 3.21am, & with that he saw that he had a new message in his voice mail. Furrowing his brows hazily, he automatically pressed the button & then held the phone up to his ear as he yawned elaborately, but his yawn turned to a sharp intake of breath midways when he heard Khushi's distressed voice coming out of the device. She sounded uncertain at first, but then her trembling voice gained momentum through her emotions, "Ar- Arnavji? Sorry? Sorry! I had to! I came even after you asked me not to.. But I didn't mean to hurt you! Aur hum duur hain toh kya huwa? Aap paas raho ya duur.. lekin ho toh humare saath hi na.. Ye dooriyan humare rishte ko kamzor nahi banaa sakti.. Kyunki hum ek doosre ko mehsoos kar sakte hain.. Humesha! Aap humare saath hain.. Aur bohut jald hum aapke paas wapas aajayenge! Ye humara aapse wada hain Arnavji!.. & how could you say it didn't matter?! Kyunki baat aapki hai, farq padta hain! Kissi aur ki hoti toh nahi farq padta! Aur agar aap hi aise roothe rahenge toh.. Hum saans hi nahi le payenge!.. Arnavji, I love you so much!" ("Ar- Arnavji? Sorry? Sorry! I had to! I came even after you asked me not to.. But I didn't mean to hurt you! & what if we are far? Whether you're near or far.. you're always with me na.. Distance can't weaken what's between us.. Because, we can feel each other.. Always! You're with me.. & very soon I'll be back to you! This is my promise to you Arnavji!.. & how could you say it didn't matter?! Because it's you, it matters! It wouldn't matter if it was anyone else! & if you'll be so angry with me then.. I won't be able to breath!.. Arnavji, I love you so much!") & as suddenly her throat seemed to close up with suppressed tears, the message got cut off abruptly.

Arnav sat bolt upright on the bed as soon as the message ended & pressed the button to listen to the message again. & then again, & then again, till he had listened to it as many times as there were days in a fortnight. Then suddenly he held the phone up in front of his eyes, & pressed some buttons again, but this time instead of listening to the message again, he dialed a number, & as soon as the person on the other side picked up, he issued terse, rapid orders, "Tell the Captain to prepare the chopper for flight, & clear the license & permit issues he was talking about as early as possible tomorrow! I need to be in Lucknow.. At Sheeshmahal to be specific. ASAP, understood?" & he silently gave credit to his deputy for not even sounding surprised at the time or the subject of the call, let alone ask questions, as a thoroughly tired sounding Aman waited for a few seconds, an indication that he was getting everything processed in that lighting fast brain of his, & then he replied sleepily, "You got it. Goodnight, ASR!"

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Khushi tip-toed around the huge foyer kind of space outside her room at Sheeshmahal & then she bent over the railing to look down at the spacious main hall directly beneath her. Akaash had reconstructed the place as per Arnav's instructions, & the end result was kind of a 5star hotel meet royal palace of Rajasthan. Khushi found it fascinating as she slowly came down the stairs, running her fingers lightly down the banister. But as she climbed the last step down, she shook herself out of her awe, & focused on the real reason she was here today at all. Khushi looked around to find someone who could help her with the information she needed, & she saw the middle aged supervisor, Duggalji, who had received the 3 of them last night coming towards her appearing out of almost thin air. She smiled her greetings to him, & he promptly asked her if she wanted some breakfast. At the mention of food, Khushi's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her she hadn't had dinner as enthusiastically last night as she usually did, due to her anxiousness over Arnav's anger with her.

But she instantly shook her head to clear her thoughts & gathering her brain, asked, "Duggalji, I'll have breakfast when Bhaiya-Bhaabi will.. But before that, can you help me with something?" As the man nodded immediately in reply, she continued in a hushed voice, not wanting anyone to overhear her, "I just wanted to visit my home.. homes.. here in Lucknow. I left them when I was a baby. One is Gomti Sadan.. It'll be closer to Swastik Mishtanna Bhandar. Can you please find the location of the house for me??" Mr Duggal nodded his head, looking confused & uncertain simultaneously though. Khushi didn't wanna give him a chance to question her, so she charged on, "& there's another house! It's.. It was.. on the Lucknow police compound? I don't know if it's still there.. or.. You know what, could you find out about Yadav? Surya Yadav?? Or Pratima Yadav?" Khushi stopped abruptly at the look of supreme confusion that now clouded the poor man's face, & then it hit her. She was as confused as he was.

She wanted to find a place she didn't even know the name or address of. & she expected find her roots in there?! What were roots?? Was it a sense of belonging? Then her roots were in neither any place here in Lucknow, nor was it Nikunja! Her roots lay in Babuji, as she belonged in the safety he provided for her. & her roots tied her to Rohan, & Amma, & Payal & even Buaji for the immense love & support with which they always surrounded her. & her roots were entrenched in Arnav, cause she belonged to him.. with him.

She suddenly looked up at the confused man with a sort of clarity on her face. She actually felt happy. This was Arnav's home. Where he was born, & brought up till he was 13. & instead of venturing in this world of him, which she hadn't been privy to prior to this, she had been worried sick about finding those 2 houses. She smiled brightly a Mr Duggal & said cheerfully, "You know what, Duggalji?? Forget about all that! Show me around! Show me Sheeshmahal!"

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30 minutes later, Mr Duggal was showing Khushi the auditorium with the built in ramp for catwalk & green rooms where the outhouse should have been, & telling her how Akaash sir held a fashion show of some of AR Corps' designs here the first thing after reconstruction of the property was done. They all had heard that it was all Arnav's orders. & then Mr Duggal went onto inform Khushi that, after akaash had held that 1^st fashion show 5 years ago, the place was frequently rented out for fashion shows or regional pageants & such. In fact, just two days ago, Miss Lucknow contest had wrapped up & the wing is still not tidied up as everyone got busy with Anjali's arriva with her newly-wedded husband. They had been instructed by Arnav at the last moment to make everything fantastic for the honeymooners. Khushi suddenly clapped her hands excitedly & asked Mr Duggal if it was OK for her to get up & walk on the ramp. The manager nodded his head vigorously saying she didn't need his permission, but before he could say anything else, his phone rang, & as he quickly finished talking, he turned & informed Khushi hurriedly that Anjali ji was up & she wanted some special dishes on the breakfast served for them, so he'd have to go arrange for them.

Before Khushi could nod, Mr Duggal was gone. She stood, looking around at the suddenly empty hall for a bit. & then shrugging her shoulder, she tentatively got up on the stage. As soon as she was up on the stage a kind of strange exhilaration engulfed her. When she had first started seeing those models dangling from Arnav's arms in the web, she had wanted to be as beautiful as them, as wanted as them, & sultry as them.. just for a moment. Then she had understood all she had wanted to be was Arnav's. Nothing more, nothing less. But today, suddenly getting the opportunity to be on a ramp suddenly, Khushi couldn't contain the spark of excitement & mischief that took over her, & just like that she started cat-walking on the ramp, just like she had seen models do on the TV.

Khushi walked to the middle of the ramp & not being able to remember a single thing she had seen models do many times on TV, she simply twirled in her place excitedly. & then suddenly getting her mojo back, she started walking like a model from the inside end of the ram to the front. & then she really started having fun, humoring herself, her white silk, floral, baby-doll dress flaring prettily around her.

At then, as she stated enjoying herself more & more by the second, she increased her pace & started doing poses, sometimes jutting her hip out sideways & sometimes turning & looking back over her shoulder. At one such time when she turned towards the inside of the ramp to throw a little over the shoulder look, her fancy sandal buckles got tangled at one point in the tulle decoration drapes, which were supposed to be only on the side of the ramp, but was now almost all over it, due to the mess not being cleared in due time. & before she could get her footing back, she suddenly lost her balance completely, with a startled cry, she started falling bending over backward. & as she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself against the fall & the hurt & injury it was about to cause, she started chanting Devi Maiyya's name In desperation. But, to her shocked surprise, in the middle of her chant, she felt something as strong as steel, yet as non-hurting & secure as a cocoon wrap itself around her body & break her fall, holding her suspended in the mid-air. As she opened her eyes, the suddenly ridiculous, erratic beating of her heart told her what, or who, to be specific, exactly had broken her fall, & she felt her fingers clutch at something familiar. Fluttering her eyes fully open, she looked straight into a pair of caramel brown eyes so excruciatingly cherished to her that she felt the breath got lodged in her throat.

& before she got her bearings back, she felt Arnav come out of his frozen state, as his shut his eyes briefly, & then putting her down with more force than necessary, he cupped her jaw hard, uncaring of if he hurt her in the process or not, & then he charged, "What were you doing, you fool? Who stands on the edge of a ramp like that? It's over 6 feet higher than the ground! Tumhe chot lag jaati toh?? What if you hit your head somewhere? Tumhe kuchh ho jaata toh? What if I lost you damn it?" Khushi saw distress mingled with a kind of dark fear of loosing everything one had reflecting from his eyes & not knowing how to calm him down with verbal answer, she pressed her body to his, & started kissing his lower lip teasingly. & after precisely 4 seconds of holding out, she felt him starting to reciprocate to her caresses. & then he took charge. He hauled her by her waist & pulled her so close to his body that she was almost plastered to him, & started kissing her furiously. As soon as Khushi got over her surprise at the abrupt burst of passion from him, she too wound her arms around his neck slowly returned his fervor bit for bit.

Couple of minutes later, they both had to come up for air as the excitement from seeing each other had also quickened their breath. Before Khushi could ask him what he was doing in the house he wasn't even gonna let her come, or how he managed to come down so early in the day, Arnav ordered her gruffly, "Now repeat what you said on that voice mail." Khushi looked at him confusedly for a moment, her mind refusing to work confronted with his raw handsomeness so early in the day, & then concentrating with difficulty, she recalled her voice mailto him, & started saying unsurely, "I am sorry.." But Arnav immediately stopped her, "No! The other bit!" Khushi looked more unsure than before if possible by his abrupt & uncharacteristic, eagerness, & said tentatively, "Farq padhta hain kyunki aap h-" Arnav suddenly threw his head back, laughing freely, & then he shook his head & said with a teasing smirk, "No.. The last bit.." & suddenly Khushi understood his meaning assisted by his smirk, feeling idiotically shy all of a sudden, she looked down to their still-plastered bodies. Arnav felt her kind of going inside her shell, & giving her a slight shake, he whispered almost inaudibly, "Come on, Red!"

Encouraged by his almost pleading whisper, Khushi looked up coyly, & said in an incredibly shy voice, "I love you Arnavji!" & as soon as the words left her lips, Arnav swiftly reached for her waist to pull her inside his arms in a steamy kiss.. only to be broken apart by Rohan's angry growl a minute later, "Put. My. Baby. Sister. Down, You Jerk!!"

Part 70