‘Arnav ji! H-‘ Khushi began only to find Arnav’s palm coming out of nowhere and cupping her mouth shut. She stared at him angrily. What was he doing?!! How dare he?!!
‘Yes, Mr. Roy I’m happy with the case scenario you have presented. I will discuss the rest with you in a little while. Some urgent matter has come up which I must deal with now.’ Arnav talked a loud to no one in particular, for Khushi couldn’t see anyone in his cabin.
‘Ok. Mr. Raizada. I will let you know of any updates.’ A voice came out from nowhere Khushi could decipher, making her start.
‘Thank you, Mr. Roy.’ Arnav replied, as he let go of Khushi’s mouth, walked over to his desk and pressed the speaker button on his desk phone, to end the call and Khushi’s confusion. ‘Yes, my dear fiancée, to what do I owe the pleasure of this morning’s barging into to my office and telephonic meeting?’
Khushi snapped up at him calling her his fiancée and glared, getting past the momentary embarrassment of yet again crashing Arnav’s meeting, but this time it hadn’t been her fault entirely when she had walked into LaANK, early with the purpose of finding him alone before the others arrived, she had seen him alone, pacing in his cabin, how was she to have known he was on speaker-phone with someone.
‘Oh, sorry, did you want to continue with the formality at LaANK…. Ms.Gupta?’ Arnav suggested, seeing her glowering at him. Annoyed with his playful attitude, she turned to stalk off, when she remembered why she had come up here in the first place, to give him a peace of her mind for the marriage charade he had created. She turned and walked right into him.
‘Ouch!!’
‘Argh.’
‘Khushi…’Arnav grumbled, as he steadied her.
‘Arnav ji…’ they both stared at each other, one with angry eyes the other with amused ones.
‘You can never look before you walk can you? You ok?’
‘No! How can I be having crashed into your gigantic chest! What do you need to have such a solid toned chest for anyway, you’re business man, not a wrestler!’ She argued, as Arnav just stared at her comically. ‘Ugh, whatever… What were you doing behind me anyway, I don’t have eyes at the back of my head Arnav ji, how am I supposed to see you suddenly sneak up behind me like that?’ Khushi asked defiantly, as she rubbed her forehead, part of her wondering whether his shoes had some special mechanism that allowed him to walk without making a single for she never heard him coming, or was it her who was aloof? Who knew?
‘I was coming to shut the door behind you, as you seemed to be leaving, but I should have known better that you wouldn’t leave straight away… for you never leave in one go when you have had a conversation with me and at the moment you had not even had one, so…’ Arnav smiled knowingly.
‘Yes, yes you know me very well. Congratulations on that feat Mr. Raizada.’ She snapped. ‘Now tell me what are you planning? What is this all about?’
‘What is all what about, Khushi? I’m afraid I’m not following.’ Arnav related, sincerely.
‘What you did yesterday?’
‘Umm… ask for your hand?’
‘Yeah? But why? Why are you doing this? Why are you including my family in to your deceit?!’
‘Deceit? Khushi I’m not deceiving anyone. I mean to marry you, it’s no joke, no game. I seriously mean it.’
‘Yeah well I don’t believe it. I’m not marriage material and I have accepted that. So again I ask you, what do you expect to gain out of all of this? Why are you doing this? It will hurt my family very much, when they realize it was all a lie.’ Khushi iterated sadly, the anger now gone and genuine hurt in her voice.
‘Khushi, this isn’t a con. I’m in it for real. I want to marry you. You said you didn’t believe my love, well here, this is my way to prove to you it is real. I love you and I wish to spend the rest of my life with you and so I want to marry you. You seemed to accept that yesterday.’
‘No. No I didn’t.’
‘Um, yeah you did. In front of everyone.’
‘I didn’t accept anything. I never said yes.’
‘Yes you di-‘ Arnav stopped as he realized she was right, she hadn’t said yes, but then…. ‘But you didn’t say no either.’ He stated as he realized what had happened the day before. ‘You didn’t say yes, but you didn’t say no either Khushi. Why?’
‘I….I don’t know. Everyone was so happy.’ She reflected.
‘That? Or because a part of you wanted to say yes? Wanted to believe what I was saying was real?’ Arnav asked. How did he know that? Damnit, when had he come to read her so well?
‘No. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t know what to say, you all shocked me with the proposal and then everyone was so happy that I didn’t know how to break their hearts. That is why I am here, to tell you to stop it. If this isn’t real for you then bring an end to all of this right now, before Amma, Bauji, Bua ji, Jiji, Jeeju, Nani and Di weave such elaborate dreams of a future that will never be.’
‘Waow, Khushi, calm down. No one’s dream will break, because I won’t break my promise. If you know anything about me you should know I never go back on my words Khushi. I mean what I say. I love you. And I will marry you.’ Arnav said calmly in her face as he gripped her arms softly. She stared at him and then at the hands that encircled her forearms. She shoved them away and walked out of his cocoon.
‘I don’t believe you. And I don’t want to marry you.’ She said coldly from next to his desk, not looking at him.
‘Yeah, you see, I don’t believe that. I know deep down you believe me and do want to marry me, if you didn’t you would have raised your voice yesterday; instead you chose to stay mum, because in reality you didn’t want to stop the wedding.’ He related as he begun closing the gap between them again. ‘But you don’t understand why you did that and that is why you are here, projecting your anger at not understanding yourself onto me. Because you don’t understand why you kept quiet.’ Arnav asserted the last silkily into her ears, making the very hair on the back of her neck stand. How did he know all that? And when had he gotten so close to her? May be his designer shoes really did have some ghost-like mechanism, that or he was a ghost? He certainly moved soundlessly like one.
‘That is not true.’ She tried to utter in a sure voice, as she rounded on him, prepared for the proximity yet still unnerved by it.
‘Isn’t it? Your eyes dispute your lips Khushi.’
‘Really, then tell me. Tell me what my eyes apparently say, considering they speak so well to you. What reason do they give behind my silence yesterday?’ She asked defensively.
‘Love. Your love for me. You love me Khushi Kumari Gupta.’ Arnav answered simply, staring straight into her eyes, she stared back shocked.
‘That’s….that’s….absolutely…that’s the most ridiculous….it’s completely preposterous….absolutely presumptuous. Talk about dreamworld Arnav ji.’ She choked out after a few minutes, as she broke away from his stare and moved away from him.
‘Is it? Really? Then why are you stuttering?’ He now folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the side of his desk, keeping his eyes steadily pinned on her as she avoided him.
‘I… that’s not the point. I don’t love you.’ She spat out, as she too attempted to fold her arms defiantly across her chest only not managing on the first go, with her hands getting stuck in her dupatta, to which she tsked irately, much to his amusement.
‘Only that you do. But you’re not ready to admit it. It’s ok, I’m happy to wait.’ He smiled, gleefully at her. Unnerving her even more.
‘I’m not the one in denial, you are.’ She rebuked.
He shrugged his shoulders in reply, as if to say may be, but he really didn’t think so. ‘You love me Khushi, and you will admit it.’ He began advancing towards her now, as she retreated towards the glass windows.
‘You will admit it before our nuptials. I promise you.’ He whispered slyly, as he trapped her between his arms, against the wall. ‘My love will compel you to admit to your love.’ He stared straight into her eyes, forcing her to look into his.
‘I will do no such thing. I will not admit to any false emotion.’ She articulated, as she tried to break free, but he didn’t let her.
‘You will.’
‘No. I will not.’
‘We’ll see.’ He replied, finaly backing away from her, crossing his arms and giving her some room.
‘Yes. We will.’ She decreed now, free from his bodily-prison. ‘In that you will see nothing, because nothing will happen.’ She clarified. ‘I will not tell you I love you and neither will I marry you.’ She pronounced after some time of eye-locking, as if to hurt him with the words, only there wasn’t much force behind them and he saw right through them.
‘That’s ok, because I’ll marry you.’ He replied nonchalantly.
‘I…urgh….dream on Mr. Raizada.’ She growled, as she fled from his cabin before he revealled any other unnerving truth about her true desires. Leaving him staring adoringly after her. He loved her so much.
‘Yes, Mr. Roy I’m happy with the case scenario you have presented. I will discuss the rest with you in a little while. Some urgent matter has come up which I must deal with now.’ Arnav talked a loud to no one in particular, for Khushi couldn’t see anyone in his cabin.
‘Ok. Mr. Raizada. I will let you know of any updates.’ A voice came out from nowhere Khushi could decipher, making her start.
‘Thank you, Mr. Roy.’ Arnav replied, as he let go of Khushi’s mouth, walked over to his desk and pressed the speaker button on his desk phone, to end the call and Khushi’s confusion. ‘Yes, my dear fiancée, to what do I owe the pleasure of this morning’s barging into to my office and telephonic meeting?’
Khushi snapped up at him calling her his fiancée and glared, getting past the momentary embarrassment of yet again crashing Arnav’s meeting, but this time it hadn’t been her fault entirely when she had walked into LaANK, early with the purpose of finding him alone before the others arrived, she had seen him alone, pacing in his cabin, how was she to have known he was on speaker-phone with someone.
‘Oh, sorry, did you want to continue with the formality at LaANK…. Ms.Gupta?’ Arnav suggested, seeing her glowering at him. Annoyed with his playful attitude, she turned to stalk off, when she remembered why she had come up here in the first place, to give him a peace of her mind for the marriage charade he had created. She turned and walked right into him.
‘Ouch!!’
‘Argh.’
‘Khushi…’Arnav grumbled, as he steadied her.
‘Arnav ji…’ they both stared at each other, one with angry eyes the other with amused ones.
‘You can never look before you walk can you? You ok?’
‘No! How can I be having crashed into your gigantic chest! What do you need to have such a solid toned chest for anyway, you’re business man, not a wrestler!’ She argued, as Arnav just stared at her comically. ‘Ugh, whatever… What were you doing behind me anyway, I don’t have eyes at the back of my head Arnav ji, how am I supposed to see you suddenly sneak up behind me like that?’ Khushi asked defiantly, as she rubbed her forehead, part of her wondering whether his shoes had some special mechanism that allowed him to walk without making a single for she never heard him coming, or was it her who was aloof? Who knew?
‘I was coming to shut the door behind you, as you seemed to be leaving, but I should have known better that you wouldn’t leave straight away… for you never leave in one go when you have had a conversation with me and at the moment you had not even had one, so…’ Arnav smiled knowingly.
‘Yes, yes you know me very well. Congratulations on that feat Mr. Raizada.’ She snapped. ‘Now tell me what are you planning? What is this all about?’
‘What is all what about, Khushi? I’m afraid I’m not following.’ Arnav related, sincerely.
‘What you did yesterday?’
‘Umm… ask for your hand?’
‘Yeah? But why? Why are you doing this? Why are you including my family in to your deceit?!’
‘Deceit? Khushi I’m not deceiving anyone. I mean to marry you, it’s no joke, no game. I seriously mean it.’
‘Yeah well I don’t believe it. I’m not marriage material and I have accepted that. So again I ask you, what do you expect to gain out of all of this? Why are you doing this? It will hurt my family very much, when they realize it was all a lie.’ Khushi iterated sadly, the anger now gone and genuine hurt in her voice.
‘Khushi, this isn’t a con. I’m in it for real. I want to marry you. You said you didn’t believe my love, well here, this is my way to prove to you it is real. I love you and I wish to spend the rest of my life with you and so I want to marry you. You seemed to accept that yesterday.’
‘No. No I didn’t.’
‘Um, yeah you did. In front of everyone.’
‘I didn’t accept anything. I never said yes.’
‘Yes you di-‘ Arnav stopped as he realized she was right, she hadn’t said yes, but then…. ‘But you didn’t say no either.’ He stated as he realized what had happened the day before. ‘You didn’t say yes, but you didn’t say no either Khushi. Why?’
‘I….I don’t know. Everyone was so happy.’ She reflected.
‘That? Or because a part of you wanted to say yes? Wanted to believe what I was saying was real?’ Arnav asked. How did he know that? Damnit, when had he come to read her so well?
‘No. I didn’t say anything, because I didn’t know what to say, you all shocked me with the proposal and then everyone was so happy that I didn’t know how to break their hearts. That is why I am here, to tell you to stop it. If this isn’t real for you then bring an end to all of this right now, before Amma, Bauji, Bua ji, Jiji, Jeeju, Nani and Di weave such elaborate dreams of a future that will never be.’
‘Waow, Khushi, calm down. No one’s dream will break, because I won’t break my promise. If you know anything about me you should know I never go back on my words Khushi. I mean what I say. I love you. And I will marry you.’ Arnav said calmly in her face as he gripped her arms softly. She stared at him and then at the hands that encircled her forearms. She shoved them away and walked out of his cocoon.
‘I don’t believe you. And I don’t want to marry you.’ She said coldly from next to his desk, not looking at him.
‘Yeah, you see, I don’t believe that. I know deep down you believe me and do want to marry me, if you didn’t you would have raised your voice yesterday; instead you chose to stay mum, because in reality you didn’t want to stop the wedding.’ He related as he begun closing the gap between them again. ‘But you don’t understand why you did that and that is why you are here, projecting your anger at not understanding yourself onto me. Because you don’t understand why you kept quiet.’ Arnav asserted the last silkily into her ears, making the very hair on the back of her neck stand. How did he know all that? And when had he gotten so close to her? May be his designer shoes really did have some ghost-like mechanism, that or he was a ghost? He certainly moved soundlessly like one.
‘That is not true.’ She tried to utter in a sure voice, as she rounded on him, prepared for the proximity yet still unnerved by it.
‘Isn’t it? Your eyes dispute your lips Khushi.’
‘Really, then tell me. Tell me what my eyes apparently say, considering they speak so well to you. What reason do they give behind my silence yesterday?’ She asked defensively.
‘Love. Your love for me. You love me Khushi Kumari Gupta.’ Arnav answered simply, staring straight into her eyes, she stared back shocked.
‘That’s….that’s….absolutely…that’s the most ridiculous….it’s completely preposterous….absolutely presumptuous. Talk about dreamworld Arnav ji.’ She choked out after a few minutes, as she broke away from his stare and moved away from him.
‘Is it? Really? Then why are you stuttering?’ He now folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the side of his desk, keeping his eyes steadily pinned on her as she avoided him.
‘I… that’s not the point. I don’t love you.’ She spat out, as she too attempted to fold her arms defiantly across her chest only not managing on the first go, with her hands getting stuck in her dupatta, to which she tsked irately, much to his amusement.
‘Only that you do. But you’re not ready to admit it. It’s ok, I’m happy to wait.’ He smiled, gleefully at her. Unnerving her even more.
‘I’m not the one in denial, you are.’ She rebuked.
He shrugged his shoulders in reply, as if to say may be, but he really didn’t think so. ‘You love me Khushi, and you will admit it.’ He began advancing towards her now, as she retreated towards the glass windows.
‘You will admit it before our nuptials. I promise you.’ He whispered slyly, as he trapped her between his arms, against the wall. ‘My love will compel you to admit to your love.’ He stared straight into her eyes, forcing her to look into his.
‘I will do no such thing. I will not admit to any false emotion.’ She articulated, as she tried to break free, but he didn’t let her.
‘You will.’
‘No. I will not.’
‘We’ll see.’ He replied, finaly backing away from her, crossing his arms and giving her some room.
‘Yes. We will.’ She decreed now, free from his bodily-prison. ‘In that you will see nothing, because nothing will happen.’ She clarified. ‘I will not tell you I love you and neither will I marry you.’ She pronounced after some time of eye-locking, as if to hurt him with the words, only there wasn’t much force behind them and he saw right through them.
‘That’s ok, because I’ll marry you.’ He replied nonchalantly.
‘I…urgh….dream on Mr. Raizada.’ She growled, as she fled from his cabin before he revealled any other unnerving truth about her true desires. Leaving him staring adoringly after her. He loved her so much.
‘Yes. That can be the only possible reason!’ Khushi uttered aloud in the cool night air, as she swung slowly on the garden swing which Anjali had given as a house-warming present and Aakash, with NK’s help, had set up in the back-yard. ‘Arnav Singh Raizada has finally over-worked himself so much that he has lost his mind. Yes, that can only be the reason for all this.’ She reached her conclusion. Her morning conversation with Arnav had been playing in her head again and she finally came to decide that the only reason for everything Arnav had said earlier this morning and behind his peculiar behavior the whole past month was due to him loosing his senses, nothing else made sense to her; and she knew this was completely possible, considering the man never rested, was always working therefore his brain had to have a total-shut down and strike out in protest for the abuse the man had been subjecting it to for DM only knew how long.
Coming to this conclusion a new thought also arised in her head, of how she should be gentle towards him rather then angry, as the poor fellow was suffering from a nervous breakdown and so her harsh behavior towards him could result in permanent damage, if that hadn’t already been done by Arnav’s misuse of his mind already. He was at a very delicate position with his mind and thus she must try and be as patient as possible with his antics, for he really wasn’t to blame, well not his current self for it didn’t realize what it was doing. Thus she decided to play along with the perverse scenario his ill-mind had prevailed her into, in order help heal it. This decided she felt much better about everything that was happening and turned in for the night.
*****