Arranged Love~An ArShi Fanfic [Ch~4 on Pg 39] - Page 16

The sunlight lightly caressed her face, waking her gently. Khushi opened her eyes, sat up and stretched her arms as if engulfing the sunlight in an embrace. Then, Khushi closed her eyes, folded her hands as in prayer and said :

" Dear Lord,

So far today, am I doing all right?

I have not gossiped, lost my temper, been greedy,

Grumpy, nasty, selfish or self indulgent.

I have not whined, complained, cursed or eaten any chocolate.

I have charged nothing on my credit card.

But, I will be getting out of the bed in a minute,

And, I think that I will really need your help then!!!!!"

As she finished, she slumped back in the bed and covered her face with the duvet, and fell asleep again..al-most.

" Khushi...Khush...beta, wake up, its 7 in the morning. Come on beta, you can wake up, you can do it. You should start your cooking lessons again..." Garima said loudly, from outside Khushi's room.

But this wasn't enough...

" Khush, baby wake up, its 7:15 in the morning, let's go around for a jog." Payal knocked the door and said softly.

Even this, couldn't wake the beauty up...

" Khush Di, see na...today is my test and I am not able to solve this simple and easy looking question, how will I pass the test? " asked a sobbing Lavanya.

And still...no effect!

Suddenly the shrill voice of Khushi's phone echoed in the room, Khushi had had enough now, why the hell the whole world is bent to wake her up. Can't they see that she is having her beauty sleep. And who the hell is calling her at this point of time. Khushi was in a mood to teach the unknown caller a lesson.

" Hel.." the caller started, but was interrupted.

" Cut that thing off, who the hell are you, to call me at this point of time, if you are not sleepy, that doesn't means that the whole world is awake. What wrong, have I done, that somebody cursed my sleep, and you people are hell bent on waking me up! " Khushi roared in single breath.

" Finish with your blabber, are you? Now listen quietly Miss Khushi, in case you have forgotten, then let me remind you, that you are appointed as an intern in my company, you have a job to perform. We have an important meeting to attend. You must reach the office by 8:30. I am giving you 1 hour, a complete 60 minutes. AND MAKE SURE YOU REACH THE OFFICE AT SHARP 8:30, YOUR PRESENCE IS MUST, AND FOR ME THE DEAL, THE MEETING IS REALLY IMPORTANT. DO YOU GET THAT? " Arnav yelled.

" Yes Si...I mean Arnav. " Khushi stuttered.

And the call got disconnected. Khushi looked up at ceiling, made a weird face, and said, " What??? Ohh..God, what wrong have I done, that such things happen to me. Ohh God, this Rakshas, will surely swallow me alive, he will not even fry, or roast or cut me in pieces, he'll just...aaarrrggghhh, I am dumb, this is universal truth, isn't it!"

It took 30 minutes ride to reach the office, Khushi got ready as fast as she could. She was wearing a light sea blue suit.

As decided, that she will hide her real identity, i.e. being Shashi Gupta's daughter, Khushi decided that she will not use her personal car, instead she will go by a taxi. .

As she was on her way, to the office, Khushi saw an injured old man, lying on the side of the road. His head was bleeding badly, and the few people, who were present around, were not even bothering to help. Khushi stopped the taxi and proceeded towards that old man.

" Bhayiya ji, see this old man is very injured, we have to take him to the hospital. Please help me, to put him at the backseat." Khushi said softly, not caring that her light sea blue suit, now had some little patches of blood.

"What..No ways Madam ji, it looks like, this man had an accident, this might become a police case and I don't want to get involved in these police cases. I am going, if you want to come, you can, but you have to leave this man behind, or else I am leaving." The taxi driver replied.

This made Khushi's anger to rose up, she took out her bag, didn't even paid the driver and yelled.." You jerk, you idiot, you are not helping this man...one day you would be in his place and no one will help you, then do let me know, that how you felt. Go away you stupid fellow! " Khushi cursed the driver and kicked his taxi, so the driver left the two alone.

"It was 8:30 now, where the hell is this Khushi, she should have been here by now, but where is she?" thought a frustrated Arnav.

" Mr. Raizada, where is your intern, that was going to accompany you in this meeting, its time, but I think we should wait for few minutes, what say? " Mr. Kartik Raghuvanshi the man with whom, Arnav is supposed to finalize the deal, said.

" I guess, she might be into something important, we can wait for her.."Arnav agreed.

On the other hand, Khushi was trying desperately to hail a taxi or something to reach the hospital, after a few tries, Khushi managed to stop a car. She was standing in the front of the car, her dress covered with blood patches.

" Khushi beta..you? Here, like this! What happened? " Nani asked, it was Nani, Arnav's Nani, who was in the car, that Khushi stopped.

" Woh Aunty, actually, there..that old man, is severely injured, my phone is dead, no one was stopping to help me, but you did. Aunty we need to take him to hospital as soon as possible. Please help us aunty please. " Khushi pleaded.

" Hari Ram.., carry this old man and place him at the backseat and take us to the nearest hospital. Fast! " Nani ordered.

Nani sat in the front seat, the driver was driving the car and Khushi was sitting at the backseat, with the old man's head in her lap, and they all proceeded towards the hospital.

Nani was getting anxious and curious, so she asked, " Khushi beta, who is this man? Do you know him? "

" I don't know who he is. He is a stranger to me, but as a human, it was my duty to help him. He was in pain. We both have a relation based on humanity." Khushi said.

Nani was impressed, would be an understatement, she was amazed at Khushi, where was the girl, who lied to her, the mischievous Khushi! Here was a mature, young lady, who was helping an unknown man! Indeed her friend, Rajjo, Khushi's dadi was right about Khushi, ' she has much more to be considered about, Khushi have different facets, she is a gem indeed.'

Nani was impressed but Arnav was not, it's been 9:30, still Khushi was nowhere to be seen. Khushi was indirectly forcing Arnav, to think, if hiring Khushi was a correct decision. She was told that she needed to be in office by 8:30. It's been an hour now. This girl, surely knows how to mess with Arnav.

As Khushi didn't came, Kartik and Arnav decided to start the meeting, and started checking out the details of the project.

Khushi and Nani rushed that old man inside the hospital. By now Khushi's dress had blood all over. The doctor told them, that the man needed blood as he had lost much. A+ was the blood group of that man, but the hospital lacked that group of blood.

" Doctor, my blood group is O+, I can donate blood. " Khushi declated.

Some tests were done, and Khushi donated blood. She asked Nani to go, and Nani only left after taking promise from her, that if needed, Khushi would call Nani. When the doctors informed that the man was stable, pure relief pumped through her veins.

After an hour, the old man got conscious and asked for the one who brought him here. Khushi came inside to meet him.

" How are you uncle? " Khushi asked softly.

" I am fine beta, thank you. I owe you my life. Thank you beta. " the man replied

" Its OK uncle. You know, I love typical bollywood movies, so in typical bollywood style, I must tell you, 'That it was duty..yeh toh mera farz tha! '" Khushi said dramatically.

The man laughed and blessed Khushi. Khushi asked if he wanted to inform someone about his accident, so the man told her to call his son.

Arnav was angry, would be an understatement. He will definitely put some sense in the pea sized brain of Khushi. He was adamant, he was angry. Arnav and Kartik decided that the left over details would be finalized when Khushi will come, it was 11:30 by now.

Call it coincidence or call it fate, the old man, the one whom Khushi saved was Kartik Raghuvanshi's father, Mr. Kailash Nath Raghuvanshi. Kartik reached the hospital as fast as he could, his father is most important for him. He had lost his mother at the age of 5, it was his father cause of whom, he became, what he is, a successful business tycoon.

" Nurse, just now somebody called me that my father has met with an accident. Where is he, his name is Kailash Nath Raghuvanshi."Kartik panted.

" He's in room no. 505 sir. " the nurse replied, and Kartik literally ran.

Kartik was hell tensed, but the sight in front of him made him relax. There laid his father, on the bed, with a beautiful girl beside him, who was making his father laugh so freely, who was she?

"Excuse me! " Kartik said.

" Yes!" Khushi replied.

" Kartik beta..." called Mr. Raghuvanshi.

" Hey Dad, how are you now? How did you got hurt? " asked Kartik.

" Beta, I was just jogging, when suddenly, out of nowhere a car came, and hit me. I was lying unconscious on the road, this beautiful girl beside me, helped me. Only cause of her, I am safe and sound." Mr. Raghuvanshi answered.

" Thanks Miss, you don't know, what great you have done, my father is my life and by saving his life, you saved mine too. " Kartik thanked Khushi.

" Its OK buddy! Oooppss...Mr.Raghuvanshi.."

" Kartik, its Kartik Raghuvanshi and you can call me what you want. As you just called me buddy, so indeed we are buddies! Are we? " Kartik forwarded his hand, for a handshake.

Khushi smiled and was to shake hands, just then her eyes fell on his wrist watch, that showed it was 12:30 in the noon. Khushi gulped in horror, ' What will Arnav do now? He will definitely eat me alive, this time he'll first torture me to death, for sure!' thought a fearful Khushi.

" I am really sorry, it's so late, I should go now, or else my boss will surely kick me out." Khushi spoke in a single breath.

" But.." Kartik started for sure, but couldn't complete as Khushi was completely out of sight!

" Who was she? " asked Kartik.

" Khushi..." Mr. Raghuvanshi answered.

" Khushi...???//" frowned Kartik.

Arnav was pacing inside the conference room, like a wounded lion. This was how, Khushi saw him. As Arnav saw her, his anger reached its peak, he forcefully grabbed her arms, so tightly that it will leave a purple-black mark for sure.

" What do you think of yourself haan??? Are you some Queen or princess, that we will wait for you till eternity? Didn't I told you that this meeting was important for? It was my father's dream project damn it and you could have ruined it! What were you doing all this time, meeting your boy-friend, hanging out with him, or was busy in your kissing business or was enjoying some s..." Arnav was going on and on, without even thinking, what he was saying. In his anger, he even failed to notice those blood patches on her dress. Arnav could have insulted Khushi more, but stopped when he felt sudden pain on his left cheek.

*SLAP*

Twice, Khushi slapped Arnav twice. She wasn't one of those girls, who will shed tears of anguish and will not fight back. How dare this Raizada guy say such things about her. If he wasn't stopping, she knew exactly what would stop him.

Arnav was ready with new batch of insults for Khushi, just then Kartik made an entry, making Arnav and Khushi jerk a bit. Seeing Khushi, Kartik moved towards her and said, " I had a doubt, that you must be Arnav's Khushi...I mean his intern, and now I am sure of it."

Khushi smiled lightly and Arnav frowned, ' How they know each other? ' thought Arnav, who was still recovering from the echoes of the two slaps.

" Once again, thanks you Khushi, you saved my father..Oh My god, see your whole dress is spoiled, its full of blood! " Kartik said.

That's it, it was the moment that realization dawned upon Arnav, Khushi's dress was full of blood. " Are you OK? " asked a concerned Arnav.

Khushi weakly nodded, then Kartik told Arnav, how Khushi saved his father, this was the moment for Arnav to get impressed. After a moment or two Kartik left, leaving a hurt Khushi and a guilty Arnav. Now the insults that he hurled upon Khushi were replaying in his mind. He was angry on himself for such reckless behaviour. He decided that he will say sorry to Khushi. While, Khushi, who always thought that there is a reason behind everything, was also feeling guilty. It was her mistake too. If her phone was dead, she could have called Arnav from the hospital's reception's phone. But she didn't, and Arnav had the right to be angry on her. It was his father's dream project, She admits that Arnav was wrong in insulting her, without even listening to her point, but his anger was justifiable. She too decided to say sorry to him.

"Sorry!" they both said in unision.

" Uuummm...I shouldn't have insulted you like that!" Arnav said.

" Even, I should have not slapped you and should have telephoned you..!" said Khushi.

" Yeah..!" muttered Arnav.

" Uuumm..Arnav, an ice-pack would help to reduce the pain and redness on your cheek. " muttered Khushi.

" Thanks...!" Arnav replied.

" For the slaps????" asked Khushi, who immediately after that bit her tongue.

" Actually Arnav, can I have a day off, tomorrow, it's my sister's wedding." Asked Khushi.

" You can! " declared Arnav.

Khushi was about to say 'Thank You', when Arnav raised his hand, as if stopping her and said, " Think it as the compensation for the insults." And left the conference room, making anger rose up in Khushi again.

" I should have not said sorry to him, he deserved those slaps, and the compensation thing...aaarrrggghhh...Rakshas!" thought Khushi.

The wedding happened successfully and perfectly. Payal was glowing. The elders were having tears of joy in their eyes, Anjali and Lavanya were with Payal, Aakaash was more than happy, and Khushi, well Khushi was unaware of Arnav's presence. Indeed Arnav, was present at the wedding, he was Aakaash's guest. There were times, when Arnav and Khushi crossed ways, but never came face to face.

It was the time for the ceremony of bouquet. Payal threw her bouquet back over her shoulder where the unmarried female guest group together. Tradition holds that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next one of those present to marry. Payal threw it with such a force, that it flew over the girls and landed up somewhere else...

Arnav was standing far away from the crowd, and was talking on his phone, when suddenly he felt, as if something soft, light and fragrant landed on him. When inspected, it was the bride's bouquet. Arnav gulped, if anybody founds out, that the bouquet landed up-on him, it will only cause embarrassment, so he threw the bouquet back, over his shoulder.

Khushi was standing aside, from the group of those girls who were eager to marry, she was 24, she's not ready for marriage, is she? She was not interested in all this. She will marry for sure, but after few years. There..there she started dreaming of her future husband. She was so lost, that she didn't even realized that something landed on her head. She raised her hands up in her hair, and brought that thing down...OOopppsss that was the bride's bouquet.

It was, that when Payal threw the bouquet, it landed on Arnav, and when Arnav threw it back, it landed on Khushi!!!!!!! What a coincidence...,,,,is it?