FF - Begin Again -Thread#2 Ch#33&34 updt - Page 11

Step number one - Smile at her.

Smiling... It was one of the things the great ASR didn't know how to do. He did smile but it was always one of those mocking smiles, sarcastic smiles, evil smiles or sometimes smiling just happened like Boom' and that was usually when he wasn't paying attention. And then again, he could smile at anyone but at Khushi because everything that ended at her made it even more difficult just as an example; he could never apologize to her.

When Nk had simply asked him to smile at her, which according to Nk was step one, Arnav had immediately felt as if someone just placed a heavy mountain on him. He couldn't balance it and he'd fail miserably.

Arnav had tried to escape with giving other ideas like gifts or flowers or something expensive. Nk had explained that such things don't hold Khushi's happiness and Nk had said, "Sab kuch dil say kerna hai, Nannav."

And Arnav has miserably failed to reason. After a few minutes of fighting, arguing and explaining Arnav escaped to his room... to practice. He wanted to practice how to smile. Because Arnav has said, "Practice makes perfect."

Well, of-course he needed practice. He had never smiled at a girl before. Never ever in his life. He had his looks which magnetically pulled all the girls to him. So he never really had to make an effort. And there was Khushi who just wouldn't melt with his looks. Not that he knew really. So he was practicing...

"Smile..." -He gritted his teeth.

He looked at himself in the mirror, continuously clenching and unclenching his jaw. He tried to smile.

"Damn it! Why the hell is it so difficult?" -He looked at the floor and then back up. "Arnav Singh Raizada, you are unbelievable." -He gritted his teeth again.

He continued for another five minutes and then after failing miserably he walked out of the room saying that he doesn't deserve her.

*

As he walked down the stairs he saw her standing next to Anjali and Rehan.

He couldn't take his eyes off her. Why was this happening to him again?

He took his eyes off her and started talking to a few of his clients when Nk came and whispered, "The next time she looks at you, you have to smile at her. If you don't then, no help from my side."

Arnav gulped visibly and looked at Khushi. She was laughing with Anjali at Rehan for something.

Arnav kept looking at her and then finally when she passed him a glance. He quickly and uneasily smiled at her. But then absentmindedly his smile grew bigger as Khushi's eyes widened and the already pink cheeks turned red.

*

Why the hell is he smiling at me?

Why would he do that?

As Khushi stood rooted to the spot, blushing all over, Arnav was there standing casually smiling at her genuinely. Maybe he had first smiled uncomfortably but when he saw her reacting just the way he had imagined his smile grew wider without his attention.

Khushi stared at him with her big, brown eyes and then a second after she looked around and then turned to see if there was someone standing behind her because he couldn't be smiling at her. Not at all possible, Na-ah! Khushi thought.

She looked back at him and now his smile had turned into a teasing smirk. She looked around once again and not wanting him to see that she was blushing in an abundant amount, she turned her back towards him.

"What happened? Why are you all nervous?" -Rehan asked as he looked at a totally flustered Khushi.

"Huh? Nothing... It's nothing." -Khushi stammered while looking here and there.

"Really Khushi? Are you really going to lie? Look at you... you're, you're all red and nervous." -Rehan said as he studied her face closely.

"OKAY! HE SMILED AT ME!" -Khushi yelled, enough for Rehan to clearly here. Not that anyone else heard her.

"Oh!" -He smiled. "Plan working and all." -Rehan winked.

"Stop it." -Khushi gritted her teeth.

Rehan chuckled and Khushi huffed but deep inside she liked it.

*

As the party continued to flow, Arnav had been advised by the great NK that he has to keep looking at Khushi.

And that was exactly what he did. It wasn't even difficult.

Wherever she went, he kept an eye on her and whenever she looked at his way he would be smirking. And Khushi would again blush and become nervous and then look away.

This had happened a lot time in a row.

Khushi was happy, but she didn't want him to know. She was happy that he was smiling at her. But then again the other side was scared of what might happen next. She could get hurt, again. Because that's how life's been treating her.

*

As the party started to come to an end, all the guests started leaving one by one.

Anjali being extremely tried sent Arnav to bid good-bye to the guest and so Arnav had to go outside.

*

Khushi in the mean time went upstairs. The first thing she did was taking her heels off her feet and throwing them away in the wardrobe.

As she slid the door open and bent down to keep her heels, she saw a picture of Lavanya and Arnav together, lying in the corner of the bottom shelf.

Something happened to her heart in that moment.

She looked around the room and then picked it up. And she didn't know what got into her and she slipped that picture under her clothes. Under the pile of her clean and neatly folded clothes she had another picture from her wedding day. It was just her and Arnav.

She quickly changed her clothes, washed her face and settled down comfortably on the chair by the pool-side with the two pictures; Hers and Arnav's and Lavanya's and Arnav's picture.

One in her left and the other in her right hand. She looked at from picture to picture; comparing herself and Lavanya.

She was definitely attractive. Khushi thought.

In all the hustle and bustle of the party Khushi had forgotten all about Nk's plan of showing some video to Lavanya to Arnav. She hadn't even asked Nk about it due the sudden party and the arrangements had gotten to her.

There was a sudden realization that struck her. Nk hadn't come to her telling her about the success of the plan and that meant two things; either his plan was a flop and Nk couldn't face her or Arnav didn't believe the video and Nk hadn't had the guts to tell her. Khushi assumed.

There was an ache inside her heart again.

"He didn't believe the video..." -Khushi whispered to herself.

Suddenly, two big tears formed in her eyes and she stared at the pictures.

The one in her left hand was Lavanya and Arnav. They both looked so happy; standing all close to each-other, arms hooked together. She didn't know when the picture had been taken but it didn't seem that it was recent. There was happiness in his eyes and she could see it clearly.

Where as, in her right hand there was a picture of her wedding day. He just stood there, like a statue, not looking at the camera but just staring at something so lifelessly. There was a massive gap between them and they weren't standing all close like a lovey-dovey couple or a newly married couple.

And when she noticed herself there were mixed feelings in her eyes. A little bit of sadness, and a bit of happiness and her love for him.

She wouldn't deny it. There was love for him and she just knew even after they part away after these six months she would never be able to fall for someone else just the way she had fallen for him. Not ever in her life.

At that very moment those two tears slipped down her eyes and slowed down their pace on her cheeks.

She heard the creak of the door bringing her out of her heartbreaking world and she looked up to see him.

Khushi quickly looked away and hid the pictures under her, quickly wiping away her tears thinking that he mustn't have noticed because she was too quick and thanks to her open hair covering her face.

But little had she known, he had seen her tears and the pictures she hide under her.

*

Thank you so much for your lovely comments, you dolls! Make my day. :') Love you all loads. Hope you like the update dolls. ^_^ Here's my Index - https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/iss-pyaar-ko-kya-naam-doon/3600911/lalalands-land-index-updt

Oh and you know, the part where Arnav was practing to smile? That part came to me when I was watching the love scene, when Arnav had said to khushi ke "Do you even know how it feels when one looses his parents?" and later he found out that Khushi didn't have her parents and then he tried to apologize to her and also praticed in the mirror and Lavanya said sorry like 3 times in a row. LOL. Arnav was like, "Itni asani say 3 baar sorry boldiya" LOL That was funny. :P I know that these weren't the exact words but I know you get it. Wow! I used a lot of 'ands' in this. Lol. :P Sorry, I'm high. :P

So in the remembrance of -