Flashbacks : Italic, blue!
This chapter is dedicated to "foesb" my new reader. Thank you so much for the beautiful comment dear 🤗
ps : Few more Malayalam words in this chapter.. translations given!
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Chapter 21
Ab theekh hai!
The silence was unbearable as they reached his room. he opened the door with one hand while his other held onto Khushi's wrist. She smiled weakly as he pushed open the door and entered inside. he turned onto her sides placing the keys onto the holder. She looked up at him meeting his eyes as they both got lost in each other once again.
Khushi cleared her throat and down casted her eyes, staring onto the carpet while Arnav's face lit up into a naughty smile. His hands reached towards her blushing face on its own accord. she breathed heavily as his fingers brushed against her cheeks and then he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I am sorry... I do not like it when someone else takes so much interest in you... It's like...I am..." He turned around leaving her form, his hands in his pockets. Khushi found his back stiffening and she assumed his hands might be fists inside his pockets.
"You are..?" She stretched onto those words and came in front of him, meeting his gaze.
"Nothing... here take this... its yours.." He said extending the lamp towards her, which she took willingly from him. Their fingers brushed and she snatched her hands away from him. She was yet to get used to his touches and when it did, she found the spark igniting like a wildfire inside her.
"Duties are going to change from tomorrow... you have yours on Coffee room..." He said crossing his arms over his chest while he leaned back onto the table, his eyes still on her hesitant form. She stood the ground not really understanding what to do. She was in a confused state of mind, whether to leave him just like that or stay for few more seconds. Well her heart was with the second option when her mind chided him to get out of there before she create a mess in front of him.
"Khushi, where you got lost?"
He asked cocking an eyebrow at her while she flinched at his words, almost jumping in the air.
"Whoa.. are you...I mean...tum theekh ho?"
"I am good... I think I will just leave...good night..Arr...sir.." She said biting her lips nervously while he reached her sides in lightening speed.
"Arnav's fine... you can call me Arnav when we are alone and I will bear the "Sir" word in public..." he smiled and she smiled back at him nodding her head.
"Okay, Arrnavvv..." She said shyly and got outside the room, while he leaned onto the door his eyes never leaving her form.
She turned around once again to look at him and found him staring at her intently. He walked towards her with calculated steps while she started walking backwards. Her back hit the pillar in front of his house and she stopped, waiting for him.
His hands automatically reached the side of her nape and then travelled towards the bun, which held her hair at place...in a tight knot. He easily pulled the same down, making her hair cascade down. She gasped a little as his fingers brushed against the column of her while he withdrew his hands from her form.
"Ab theekh hai.."
He smirked widely before disappearing inside his room. she stood the ground touching her hair slowly and a smile broke out on her face. She turned around placing a hand on her wildly beating heart. Its above time she should start having some acidity pills, otherwise she is going to get hospitalized. She thought sheepishly while walking out of the property, her fingers brushing onto the lights.
Vipin, who was hiding behind some bushes afar from Arnav's room came out of the same, a wicked grin on his face. He knew something was going on between his manager and the extremely sexy housekeeping staff. So that's the reason Sir was little furious, well someone is really possessive eh!!
"Well, she is not a private property and I am not going to stop trying, until I get a taste of her.." He said rubbing his chin with his thumb and left for his quarters.
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Arnav was little late that day, he missed the first lecture on Incredible India initiative by Professor Raghunandan. He rushed inside the classroom only to find it empty. Where is everyone? He thought walking inside the room and heard little muffling sounds from the backbench. He frowned and placed his backpack on his desk and walked towards the bench where he heard those sounds from.
It was Suzanne much to his surprise and she was crying badly. Arnav knelt in front of her and removed the sheet of her brown hair from her face to have a better look. She looked up at him with teary eyes and then the next second she was hugging him fiercely.
He was been little taken aback from that gesture of hers, as he wrapped an arm around her patting her stiffened back leisurely.
"Suzanne.. What happened baby?! Why are you crying? Are you alright?" He asked concerned making her look up at him, while she resisted and hid her face in his chest.
"It's the last date to submit the cash for the exams, and I don't have any money left in my bank account..." She sniffled holding onto his arms while Arnav's eyes softened immediately.
"That all? And you are crying for that?" He smiled cupping her cheeks while she nodded her head.
"I will pay for you.. its not a big deal..." He said pulling her onto her heels while she hugged him once again.
"Thank you Arnav, you are my savior... Papa would be furious if I asked more money from him..you know he is going through a hard time with his business..." She said wiping her face with the back of her hands while Arnav did not get as what would have went wrong at London, at her Papa's well endowed business empire, that he could not afford a 1000bucks for his daughter's exam fee?
"You are the daughter of Mr. George Samuels.. of GS Industries...?" He asked as they walked out of the class to have a cup of coffee while he felt her stiffening in his hold.
"Yes... I mean no...he is my stepfather... My mother married him after the divorce with my dad... Please don't tell this to anyone. Everyone knows me as his own daughter..." She said her face growing serious as she shared the same.
"Fine... I wont ... Lets get some coffee now...I am exhausted had to go with a Chinese group of students to Ajmer fort this morning.." He said taking her hands in his while she clung to his arms smiling widely.
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Vipin watched Khushi getting inside the coffee room to show around the same to some guests. The coffee room was not only the place where coffee beans were stored, it was also a small place where all sorts of details about different coffee beans were stored along with the coffee machines.
He waited inside the kitchen for the staffs right next to the coffee room to have a see on the happenings inside. she was describing about the plucking, roasting and finally about the packing of the coffee to the guests and they had already bought two huge cartons of Organi Arabica Coffee much to Khushi's excitement. Her smile widened as they tipped her with euros.
They left after wishing her good luck with her studies as they too had the sweets of her success that day. She smiled and waved at them as they left from there. She hurriedly ran inside the room and placed the cash inside her small purse.
"Euros eh? Not bad!!
Vipin said leaning onto the door while Khushi reached for the coffee machine to work on the roasting. She switched on the machine while he entered inside going through the charts of the coffee on the wall. Khushi ignored him completely as she busied herself in the work.
She frowned as he reached her sides and started stuffing the container with coffee beans, intentionally brushing his hands on hers. She stopped and side stepped from his form and finally met his gaze.
"Do you want anything? You belong to the accounts section; if I am not wrong... thank you for the help anyways... I can manage.." She said removing the tray from his view while he flashed a toothy grin at her. Khushi felt sick to the roots and she excused herself from there. It was more than she could take from a stranger like Vipin.
"I want you... I mean I wanted a signature of you in this list...its for the provident fund account.." He said extending a paper in front of her. she touched the paper to have a look but he was holding onto the same roughly. She looked up at him and found him smiling wickedly at her.
"I will sign the same before I leave the work in the evening..." She said avoiding his gaze and left from there leaving him behind.
Arnav let out a relieved sigh as he found her leaving from there. He was watching everything from the time Vipin had stepped inside the coffee room and he knew Khushi was not going to fall for his stupid ways of wooing her or whatever he had in his mind.
He felt his chest widening as he looked at Khushi who was already inside the restaurant and Vipin stood there too lost in his thoughts.
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It was a beautiful evening as the truck passed the paddy field and rivers. Khushi was never been to Kerala, she had heard that the place is really beautiful and she now believed everything she heard as she finally witnessed the beauty of the place.
Krishnettan, the driver stopped the truck at a restaurant at Palakkad to have dinner. Aman patted Khushi's head and she emerged out of the blanket smiling widely.
"I'll be back with food.. urm...do you eat non-vegetarian?" he asked leaning onto the seat while she nodded her head in negative.
"No...I don't eat that...buy me some rice and any vegetable curry... here's the money..." She said extending few notes of rupess in front of him, which he refused climbing out of the truck immediately. Khushi pouted and pushed the money back inside her purse.
"Aman, ente cigarette packet evide?" [Aman, where's my cigarette packet?]
Khushi covered her face with the blanket as she heard Krishnettan's voice from the door. Her heart beats quickened and she moved behind the seat while her whole body shivered with fear. Krishnettan reached under the seat and pulled a box out of there. Khushi covered her mouth with her both palms while the man almost pulled the blanket along with the box.
Her eyes widened as the man looked at her incredulously. He spit the cigarette out of his mouth and Khushi found his eyes spiting fire at her.
"Aman...ivide vaada...ithethada oru pennu? Ivalkentha ente vandiyil karyam?[Aman, come here, who is this girl? And what is she doing inside my vehicle...?]
Aman dropped the piece of chicken he was holding onto and ran towards the vehicle. He wiped his hands onto his towel and climbed inside only to find Khushi and Krishnettan sitting there, looking at each other with wide eyes.
Khushi turned to his side with a puppy face, asking for his help while Krishnettan's furious eyes found him. aman cleared his throat and prayed to the god for helping him with a sudden idea that Krishnettan will spare him for this time.
"Ente friend aanu... Chennai ethiyal irangikolum.." [She is my friend, she will get down once we reach Chennai..] Aman said with a trembling voice and Khush's eyes widened instantly at his answers. She understood the friend word and she knew that was pointed at her.
"Enthu friend? Ninakku 15 vayasalle aayullu? Appolekkum girlfriend oh?" [What friend? You are only fifteen, are not you? And having a girlfriend, already?]
Aman down casted his eyes and stole glances at Khushi who was not looking at him. She was little taken aback by all this and Krishnettan's furious gaze was something she could not get away from. In addition, the girlfriend word echoed inside her head, making her numb.
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