apologies for delay again! i hope you guys enjoy this one 😊 this one is dedicated to the birthday girls... shibzy and pranjal🤗
PART 31
"Are you absolutely sure???"
"Yes"
"Did you see him?"
D rolled his eyes. "No Natasha i didn't see him. But it has come from a very reliable source."
"What source?" Nats looked at him suspiciously.
D gritted his teeth. "Im not making this up."
"Dont mind D... but lately you've been acting very funny. Like a cat on a hot pan... thoda kuch hota nahi that you start panicking. So i just want to make sure this news is true..."
"Shut up! Im not like a cat on a hot pan... i will not worry if theres nothing to be worried about."
Natasha gave him a yarrite' look.
"Ok fine. I have been extra nervous lately. But its only because so many things happening at one time in life... that im just extra worried for Arohi."
"Ok D. Just chill. Have your coffee... and tell me what information you have."
D did exactly the same and kept the mug back down. "Jay... Jay Malhotra. He is our friend whom i have stayed in touch with even after so many years... except Arohi of course. Jay was actually Naveens friend, but he never liked Naveens attitude towards Arohi. When Arohi and Naveen were going around, Jay was actually very close to Arohi, trying to make sure that she is taken care of whereas Naveen took her for granted. However, after what Naveen did with Richa, Jay broke off his friendship with him. But Arohi was too affected and so she didnot want to speak to anyone who reminded her of Naveen."
A sad look crossed D's face and Natasha leaned forward to keep a hand on his, urging him to continue.
"But i stayed in touch with him, updating him about Arohi. Ever since then, he has not tried to rekindle his friendship with her and neither has Arohi mentioned his name. So when he met Naveen the other day, he called ME up to inform me."
Natasha leaned back in her chair thinking. "Did he mention why Naveen was here? I mean wasn't he all settled in UK???"
D let out a snort. "Ya! Settled my foot! He was barely scraping through as all his plans of working with Sudhir uncle went down the drain. He set up his own business with Richa but due to the meltdown in Europe, he is in hot waters right now. So hes down here to plead to his dad to fund him for a while till he can build back his business. After he cheated Aru even his dad refused to take him back! Bloody liar... cheater... a**..."
Natashas eyes widened to see the naked rage on Danish's face. She had never seen him display his anger this way.
"Ok. So he is here. Now what? Are you planning to tell Arohi?"
D took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Not yet. I will meet him first. I will make sure he never shows his face to Arohi again!"
"No D. You cant do that. You need to understand that Arohi is an adult and she can fight her own battles. Plus i think she has come a long way and he wont affect her anymore. Also, now she has Arjun with her."
D's eyes snapped towards her. "She doesn't function that way Nats. Even if it will make a difference to her, she wont let anyone know. Not even Arjun."
"Ya but you cant protect her all the time. If getting affected and fighting to maintain her composure is a part of her growing out of it process, then she will have to go through it. We will stand by her in case she needs us. And letting her know will erase the element of surprise. So even Arjun will keep his eyes and ears open for that b*****d."
D raised his eyebrows. "You really think that..."
"Yes D. You can count on Arjun. He is trying to maintain this we-are-still-working-on-it' relationship status, but i know how much Arohi means to him. In all these years no girl has affected him so. And it may take time those two morons to admit it, but i already see them walking down the road of love."
It was very difficult for Danish to not take Natasha seriously. Her tone and confidence made him want to believe this to be true. God knew how much Arohi deserved to have someone love her, care for her, and appreciate the kind of woman she was.
"Fine. I will tell her when shes back today."
""Dont jump this on her. Make sure you put it across casually so that you can observe her reaction. I feel she will be ok. I will inform Arjun too."
D nodded his head and lifted his coffee mug with shivering hands. No matter what happens, this time he will not let that pig come even and inch near Arohi and neither will he get away without Danish slapping him atleast once!
5pm... Ahluwalia group of companies parking lot...
"D... cant this wait? I need to get home... im very tired." Arohi tried to balance the phone between her ear and shoulder as she opened her car door and started dumping her stuff inside. The driver came hurriedly to her side and relieved her. Taking the phone in her hand, she sat inside the car.
"Achha ek kaam karo... drop in at night if you can... actually no! I will see you tomorrow morning. Umm something i need to take care of urgently. Ok? Bye!"
Arohi snapped the phone shut and threw it next to her on the seat. How could she invite D at night? She was planning to tell her parents as per what she and Arjun had decided. And if things went awkward then having D in the house would not be a good idea.
Wait a minute! Why am i thinking that things will get awkward??? My parents love Arjun... they will not have any issues if i like him and want to see where this goes... i should not be thinking negative. Everything will be fine...'
Arohi mentally patted her heart, said aal izz well and took a deep breath.
Besides ive never hidden any relationships from dadi before... even when they were not serious.'
This line was not letting her relax.
even when they were not serious' what did he mean by this!!! Was he actually getting serious about them??? It was actually good, because she was not the kind of person to get into casual relationships. But was she ready for a serious relationship? Was she ready to look at Arjun as something more than just a friend, colleague and a business partner?
A worried look crossed Arohis face. Maybe she should speak to Arjun before she talks to her parents. Arohi picked up the phone from the seat and looked for Arjuns number. When she saw Arjuns name on her phone, her heart skipped a beat. Her thumb froze mid-air over the call button, as her eyes were locked on the the five letters on her screen with his 10-digit number below. What was happening to her? Why was just reading Arjuns name in the contact list making her heart beat faster!
In a flash she remembered how Arjuns heart had thumped beneath her palm when she had kept her hand on his chest today morning. A small smile made her lips curve and Arohi was lost in her world. She kept the phone down and looked outside the window.
The ride back from Agra to Delhi had changed a lot in regards to her feelings for Arjun. After having a heavy early morning breakfast in the motel, they had gone to the garage to pick Arjuns car. Tipping the mechanic heavily, Arjun Arohi had started to leave when a flushing chotu had ran upto them and given Arohi a flower from their garden. The entire way back Arjun had teased her for not even sparing a young teenager from her charms.
The road had seemed much shorter and the journey ended much too soon for Arohis liking. She had felt like she was on some cloud floating up in the sky, which dropped suddenly, giving her knots in her stomach, whenever Arjun turned to her and gave one of his gorgeous dimpled smiles. She realised she was breathing only when her breath caught up in her throat, whenever Arjun softly grabbed her hand and entwined his fingers with hers. She realised that she had been staring at him only when he would lift her hand and drop a soft kiss on her knuckles, giving her gossebumps and bringing her back to the present.
Arohi had felt this way for someone after a long time. She was not in college anymore, yet she felt like a teenager. She found herself grinning like a fool when her driver looked at her quizzically from the rear view mirror. Shaking her head at her thoughts, Arohi leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. The past 24 hours had seemed to last for a week, so much had happened. She had been on an emotional rollercoaster, and now feeling exhilarated at the end of it.
Since she had taken a leap of faith, there was no backing out now. She had promised Arjun that she will tell her father and she will do exactly that. She had not seen him after they had reached office, but she knew that he would inform dadi tonight. So after dinner even she will take her parents to the library, make them sit down and talk to them about Arjun. If they seem ok, then she will propose to them that she would like to think about Arjun if they had no problem. They would obviously agree, so it will make them feel that she was taking this step with their consent. She didnot want them to feel that she had already taken a call and they had no say in it. Arjun was a family friend and any negativity will jeopardise a lot of other things.
Mentally framing the dialogues and playing the scene in her mind, Arohi got down from her car and entered her house. She was still lost in debating how to open the topic when she saw the scene in front of her. Arjun was standing with his back facing her, her dad, mom and dadi were sitting on the couch and looking at him in anticipation. And Arjuns next words shocked Arohi completely.
"Me and Arohi would like to tell you something... very important..."
Just then the elders noticed her presence and all eyes turned towards her. Arohi felt she was going to have a minor panic attack! What the hell was he trying to do???
Arjun followed everyones line of sight and turned around. Ignoring Arohis frozen self, he walked towards her. "Oh good... you are here too." Grabbing Arohis hand he pulled her towards the sofa and stood in front of the elders. "Now we can break this news together."
The expressions on Sudhir, Amrit and dadis face were part anxious and part nervous. They all had an inkling of what these two will be sharing with them but the wait kept them on the edge.
"Uncle... Aunty... Dadi..." Arjun started speaking and Arohis heartbeat picked up pace. Her hand, which was held firm by Arjun was starting to shake with anxiety.
"We wanted to tell you... that... the World Business Forum committee has selected our joint venture as the most juvenile project that has gained so much success in such a short period of time. They want us to screen a small presentation of the same in the Business conference that is happening in Singapore, two weeks later."
Arohi looked on shocked at Arjun and the entire house broke out in cheers and claps. Sudhir Ahluwalia shook hands with Arjun and kissed his daughter on her forehead. Amrit and dadi hugged each other and Sanchit went to hug Arjun. Arohi could not exactly register what had just happened. Is this the news D wanted to give me when i cut him off?' She looked at Arjun with a question mark on her face but he smiled back at her in assaurance. Taking advantage of the family lost in celebrating he leaned in closer towards Arohis ear.
"Ab dekhna, Sudhir uncle khud apni jagah tumhe Singapore bhejenge." Standing straight again Arjun winked at her and followed everyone to the dining room, leaving Arohi standing alone in the hall.
"Mein aur Arohi kalse presentation pe kaam shuru kar denge. I have spoken to Natasha and Danish to assist us in the same."
Sudhir smiled taking the chair in the dining space. Arohi walked inside the room and Arjun turned to her.
"Arohi beta... Arjun... i want you both to know... that i am very proud of you. And when i speak, i speak for Rudra too. Maine hamesha socha tha, that if you both work together as a team then it will be the most strongest and everlasting partnership ever. And you are just proving me right."
"I know uncle." Arjun looked at Arohi with softness in his eyes. "We are good together."
A faint blush crept on Arohis face which she tried to cover up with a smile. She caught dadi looking at her with her one eyebrow raised and she quickly sobered up. Sitting on the chair, Arohi just waited for dinner to get over as soon as possible. Talks of their recent success and the impending trip started, and Arohi felt more in her element when she had to speak about work.
Chit-chat spilled over to the living room after dinner, with Dadi being all praises for her grandson and Arohi for their latest achievements. Her range of topics went from their positive points right from their childhood till the present day. The entire time, Arohi had been unusually silent, mostly lost in her own thoughts. Finally thirty minutes later, Arjun got up to leave and dadi stood up taking the hint.
"Bohat der hogayi hai... ab humey chalna chahiye. Mujhe kal svere Chandigarh ke liye nikalna hai. Tu chalegi mere naal, Amrit puttar?"
Amrit looked at her husband, who just smiled and nodded his head. He was never one of those who took decisions for his wife, but he knew she wont agree till he told her a yes.
"Nai biji. Sanchit ke exams chal rahe hai. Aur voh Arohi nahi hai, jo khud padhai kare. Uske exams khatam hone tak mein nahi aa sakti."
"Koi gal nahi puttar, fir kabhi jaayenge. Waise bhi jab Arohi Arjun ke liye koi ladki dhoond legi tab mujhe mannat puri karne gurudware firse jaana padega. Tab tu chalna... thikey?"
Arohis eyes widened and Arjun stole a look at her. He still could not decide whether he loved the strong confident Arohi or the soft blushing one... who was avoiding his eyes right now.
"Chaley girlfriend? Warna kal svere aapki neend nahi khulegi... aur usske liye bhi aap mujhe blame karoge!" Arjun teased his dadi fondly who was staring at him with mock anger.
"Haan toh chal... maine kab mana kiya. Gaddi maine chalani hai ki tuney? Jab gappe ladaane baith jaata hai toh uthne ka naam hi nahi leta..."
"What??!! Dadi... mein??? Everytime how do you manage to blame me for everything..."
Sudhir stared as two Singhanias who went towards their car, bickering adorably. At their exit, sudden silence prevailed in the house. This was the time that Arohi had to speak to her parents, but the Phoolan Devi' Ahluwalia just could not seem to gather the strength to do that right now.
"Umm... Dad... I will take a quick shower and be back."
Avoiding looking at her father, Arohi ran up the stairs. Rushing inside her room she closed the door and leaned against it. To confirm the state of her heart, she placed a hand on her chest and felt it hammer against her palm. What was wrong with her? First it was just seeing Arjuns name on her phone screen and now it was his mere presence?! Why were her feelings progressing so fast regarding Arjun! It was only a few months ago that she hated the sight of him... and now...
Stripping her clothes and tying awhite band on her forehead to protect her hair from getting wet, she stood under the shower, her eyes grazing the pattern on the wall tiles. Probably it was true what they said... that love and hate were two sides of the same coin.
Wait a minute! Did she just say... love???
Arohi closed her eyes and opened them wide again! Was she in love with Arjun? No... NO... it cant be! She hardly knew him and... and... they had just started tolerating each other. With all the fights and the arguments... and the things that he kept doing... his ridiculous demands... kiss every morning and lunch every day and what not! They were just experimenting, weren't they??? Ok... so they had a strong attraction and an explosive chemistry... but you cannot base a lifelong relationship on that. Meaning that they were two different people, and opposites do attract... but...
But...
But what Arohi?' Arohis sane inner voice finally spoke up and she shut the shower. Rubbing her palms over her face, Arohi pushed away the water, as if clearing her vision of what was staring at her in the face. That despite of whatever she had faced in the past... whatever lessons Naveens betrayal had given her... no matter how much Arohi had safe guarded her heart... she... was in love... with Arjun Singhania.
When did this happen... she had no clue. But one thing is for sure... she cannot ignore it anymore. Grabbing a white fluffy towel from her rack, Arohi wrapped it around her body and tucked it on her chest. Her eyes had stopped on a spot in front of her, trying to come in terms with her recent realisation. As if floating in a bubble, Arohi stepped out of the shower and opened her bathroom door. All the images of the Agra trip were swimming in front of her eyes. The signs were all there, only she could not see them.
Lost in her own thoughts, Arohi walked towards her wardrobe, completely ignoring a dark figure, framed by the open balcony door. When she reached for the door handles of the cupboard, a whiff of wind entered the room, bringing goosebumps on her half wet body, and bringing Arohi back to the present. She shivered, feeling cold, and as if on instinct, her head turned towards the intruder, who was staring at her in the semi-lit room with intent eyes.
who is he???????? 😲😲😲 Naveen... ya Arjun... ya koi aur??!!! please like and comment... means a lot to me 😳
Edited by cherry227 - 12 years ago
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