Arnav frowned as he heard the ring go for the third time.
Right on cue, his secretary walked in, "ASR, the client has arrived. Everyone is waiting for you in the conference room"
"Ask them to start Pam. I will join in five minutes"
He was getting late for an important presentation and time was not a luxury he had. What with these women in his family, he wondered. Di had called to the reception so many times and yet when he calls her, she is unavailable. Just when he was about to cut the call, someone had picked it up.
"Chote, I just wanted to remind you that this weekend we are going to see a girl for you"
"What the...Di!"
"No ifs and buts Chote...please!"
Arnav's eyes, so hard and irritated a second ago, melted to that soft, pleading voice of his sister who he loved more than his life, "You for sure know how to play your cards, don't you di?"
"Means you will come on time, right?" she giggled.
He cut the call and grimaced.
Coming from a small family of siblings and cousins and having been born to a man who had numerous affairs which eventually led to his parents suicide, to say that Arnav sported a jaundiced view of the holy sanctity of marriage was a huge understatement.
He sauntered inside the conference room, only to halt at the door. A smell of lavender wafted his senses. A whisper in his head told him to look straight.
And he gave in. Looked straight.
Dressed primly in a western attire, with straight long hair, and a pair of silver earrings that swayed gently as she walked the team through the presentation with confident strides, the lady in blue captured his attention immediately.
Khushi glanced around as she was talking through her presentation and was blinded by the icy gaze of a man. Standing at the door, he was looking devilishly handsome in his three-piece suit and for a moment she was thoroughly distracted from her surroundings.
Arnav Singh Raizada reeled slightly from the searing glance he'd shared with the beautiful and suave lady as he took his seat. She'd looked around only briefly and yet had honed in on his gaze as if she'd felt the weight of it. He shrugged off the prickling sensation on focused on the white board.
Sharp bones, black gelled hair and eyes so expressive that could make a woman forget her own name! Focus Khushi, she reprimanded herself.
Tearing her eyes away, she mentally steeled herself and talked through the rest of the deck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After the meeting, Arnav walked over to the lady.
Khushi Kumari Gupta...he had to know about her. What was she doing here and why had he not seen her around before?
But as his gaze locked with hers, her cell phone rang and she excused herself. Arnav stood and watched her intently as she took the call.
"Hello amma?"
"They are coming this weekend? That's just two days away"
"Buaji, your nandkishore will not let me marry anywhere without your wish"
"Okay, bye. I will talk to you in the evening"
She hung up her call and threw a smile to Arnav.
"Let me guess. Your family wants you to get married and you are not interested"
Khushi gave him a quizzical glance, "And how would you know that?"
"My family has been after my life for seeing one girl after another, despite knowing that I don't believe in marriage"
"Why not?" her heart sunk a little. Was he already seeing someone?
"Please! Marriage is for dumb people and thanks but no thanks...the last thing I need is a nagging wife behind my back"
"Whatever Mr. Raizada!" Khushi's irritation deepened, "What you guessed is only half correct. I intend to marry that someone' my family has chosen for me"
Something twisted in Arnav's heart. Is it a love-match?
"And no, I have never seen that person", she replied as if she read his mind, "I trust that whoever my family will chose for me, will be the right person"
He felt jealous.
"Can you really spend your whole life with someone you have never met before?"
"I believe in falling in love with my husband. There is something so beautiful about arranged marriages. Every day is a surprise!" she smiled dreamily at him, "besides this family has no reservations against me pursuing a career after marriage. So, I like him already"
But not as much as I like you, she thought.
"Alright", Arnav said as he raised his hands for a handshake, "Happy weekend Khushi"
"Same to you Mr. Raizada" she spoke, as she shook her hands.
"Please. Call me Arnav"
And then he held her gaze and traced the tip of her forefinger with his thumb. The lightest, sheerest contact and yet Khushi couldn't move. Didn't want to move. There was something compelling about him, something that drew her to him. From the look in his eyes, she had a feeling it was exactly the same for him.
Instant attraction.
Spark to a flame.
A single touch was enough to ignite it.
She should leave now. If she acted on her heart instead of her head, it would be a disaster. She couldn't afford the kind of gossip that would undoubtedly follow and would possibly ruin away her career, she'd worked so hard to build.
"Uh...I should leave"
And with that Khushi turned on her heels and walked out before Arnav could say something. Little did they know that a surprise was waiting for them this weekend, which was just two days away!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Shashiji, I told you not to educate your daughter so much! Look, now her standards have become so high that it's difficult to find a suitable boy for her" Garima complained to her husband, chiding her daughter softly, "And she is even refusing to wear the red saree I got for her; calling it too traditional! You tell me, which groom will agree to marry such a girl!"
"Amma, look I am ready..." Khushi cheerfully walked over to her mother and stilled on hearing her last line. Flashes of Arnav came in her mind for unknown reasons and she admonished herself for even thinking about a guy with a sour outlook on marriage.
"See Garima, our daughter is traditional in every sense. The boy who will marry her, is going to be really lucky"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Arnav sat uncomfortably in the small but neat house; politely saying no to the dishes being offered...completely flustered with the whole situation. Suddenly a whiff of lavender wafted across the air and his eyes automatically darted towards the door.
Dressed traditionally in a red saree, with minimal jewelry, she bore no semblance to the girl he remembered from two days ago. His eyes didn't leave her, until her mother made her sit opposite to him, her head bent low.
Did she know it was him?
Not possible, his mind answered.
"Khushi auntie, are you going to be my mami?"
He saw her flash a resplendent smile to his niece Ananya and then her eyes met his and time stopped.
"You?"
"What the!" he muttered, "Di, can I talk to Khushi alone?"
The ladies exchanged an understanding glance and Anjali happily nodded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Amused with the turn of the events, Khushi quietly led Arnav to her room. She shyly walked over to the bedpost, and brushed her fingers through the stars hanging over it. Right at this moment, she was simply a girl with dreams of a prince charming, one who happened to be right in front of her.
"Khushi, I really like you"
"Arnavji..."
Her hand had barely come to rest when it was taken up by a larger, stronger hand. His fingers curled possessively around hers and for one insane moment she had the impression they were clutching her heart, squeezing it, claiming ownership. A vibrant electricity coursed up her arm and her head jerked towards him. His gaze captured hers, seducing all words from her tongue. He was demanding an acknowledgement of the attraction between them, and time was whirling backwards and it was as if they were facing each other in the conference room just like two days ago.
"You're the woman of my choice, Khushi", Arnav sighed as he carefully weighed his next words, "But this is as much as I can offer. I am not interested in marriage"
Her eyes jerked up in response.
Did she hear him right? What was he offering to her?
"I like you too Arnavji..." she spoke with little hesitation, "but I can't move ahead with you without marriage. So I will wait for you until you change your mind about marriage"
"Look elsewhere, Khushi", he rasped harshly, "You've made an impossible choice."
"No!"
Her word was a protest, sharp and emotional. His eyes narrowed on the brief flicker of vulnerability and he left without any further word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Di, hurry up!"
It had been a month since Arnav had denied to marry Khushi and a month since he was having trouble sleeping. He spent his days convincing himself that he cannot change his views based on a girl he just met. No. Never.
And that's the reason, he thought he was dreaming, when he saw Khushi right in front of him, giggling with her friend and trying out the wedding lehengas.
"Arre Khushiji!" Anjali spoke cheerfully to her as she walked over, "Are the preparations for the wedding done?"
"Yes Anjaliji, tomorrow is the day", she said, not noticing Arnav standing at a distance, "I am really happy"
Was she getting married?
Arnav's breath hitched and everything else faded into the background.
That night was the longest in his life.
He had confessed to Khushi that he liked her and she had reciprocated his feelings. She said she will wait, then what changed? Were her parents pressurizing her! No, she was an independent girl, she won't budge. Just like him.
I think arrange marriages are cute.
I want to fall in love with my husband.
No, he can't stay back and let Khushi marry someone of her parents' choice. He had to stop her.
As soon as the morning rays filtered through the windows, Arnav took his car keys and drove towards Lakshminagar in jet-speed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The whole place was buzzing with laughter and music. He quickly spotted Khushi and cornered her, "You have to stop this wedding"
"Arnavji?" she was shocked, "What are you doing here? And why in Devi Maiya's name should I stop my best friend Preeto's wedding!"
"Preeto?" He asked as a new understanding dawned on him, "So it's not your wedding?"
"No, it's not my wedding!" she asked angrily, "And what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you", his eyes darkened and the familiar glint appeared. As the air seemed to thicken around them, Khushi gulped...her heart rate rocketing.
"Why?" she gave an exasperated sigh.
He pushed himself towards her so that he was standing so close she could feel the heat radiating off him. He tilted his head and gave her a smile that frazzled her senses, "Because I have fallen in love with you Khushi...and I can't wait to make you mine in every sense"
Every bone in her body melted. "You do?"
"I do", his gaze dropped to her mouth and his eyes turned a shade darker, "And I am waiting for your answer"
"Hey Devi Maiya!"
"So is that a yes?" Arnav asked as he felt a strange relaxation unwind in his heart and he grinned down at her.
"On the condition that I get to tease you mercilessly for the next fifty years that you ran to propose to me thinking that I am marrying someone else"
Arnav gave a triumphant laugh as he drew her fully into his arms and hugged her tightly against him.
"I love you so very much, Khushi Kumari Gupta-soon-to-be-Singh Raizada!" he murmured huskily, as he bent down to claim her lips with his own.
__________________________________
Thread 2 of Arshi FF- The White Rainbow is up!
Thread 4 of Arshi FF- The Alternate Universe- Retelling IPKKND is up too!
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