AJHS - 9

   

Part - 9

Arnav POV

Dhruv we need to talk.

Commanding him in a tone that meant business I dashed upstairs to my room not giving a damn about the rest of the family that sat in the living room. I know that was extremely rude of me. But my mind is in a dark place. The thought of Khushi and Sid going to the movies felt like a dagger in my heart. And there is no one with whom I could discuss my issues. Apart from D. The kid is not judgemental at all. And I speak from experience.

He has helped me solve many things that were too complicated for me to decipher. I can share my feelings with him. The fella is a good listener. Leaving my bedroom door wide open I began to pace back and forth thinking of all the ways of spoiling Khushi and Sidharth Shukla's movie date. Should I pretend to be sick and ask her to be my nurse for tonight? No, she will get worried unnecessarily. Or maybe I could self invite myself to her place for dinner? No, I don't wish to bother her family. Damn it. Think Raizada.

Girl troubles?

I tilted my head to see the little man stroll inside with a smirk that rivalled my own. Wow. He is a mind reader. One look at my body language and he knows I have a girl problem. Shaking my head in agreement I acknowledged his words.

You are a genius!

How can I help you Chachu?

How do you spoil a movie date? I need ideas asap.

Dhruv POV

I smiled hearing the desperation behind Nannav Chachu's words. Man, I cannot believe my plan hit the bullseye. Two days back when I heard Khushi Maam explaining to a colleague that she is going for lunch with Sid to Amici Cafe, I coaxed my Uncle to have lunch at the same place. I even chose the table opposite hers. The next thing you know Chachu's green monster woke up. Pops was so right. Jealousy always works.

And now just look at him. He is assuring himself that what he feels for Khushi Maam is just genuine concern. Haah. Concern? That rigid jaw and clenched fist is a clear indication of burning rage. Poor Sidharth Shukla. I hid my smile behind my palm as Chachu spat insults one after another at Mr Shukla.

Nannav Chachu instead of spoiling their date we should tag along with Khushi Maam. I mean my persuasion skills are bang on.

My words acted like a balm. The wildness within him gradually disappeared only leaving traces of a frown behind. The pacing came to halt. I could see the wheels turning inside his head. I felt like patting my shoulders. After all, I did the unthinkable. I trapped the old ASR within a few minutes of his appearance. Chuckling in mind I stood a little closer to him. He opened his mouth immediately.

Oh. OH. Perfect. This movie date will become a group outing. Call her now D.

Saying so he rushed towards the restroom probably wanting to freshen up. Wow. I cannot believe him. He is doing everything to stop Sid from making a move towards Khushi Maam. And he still believes that she is just a good friend. First, my dear Uncle needs to realize that this emotion is called jealousy. Pheww. What am I gonna do with these Raizada men? Sighing in frustration I called up my favourite teacher. Thankfully she answered in two rings.

Hi Dhruv.

Hi Maam. How are you?

I am good kiddo. Aap sunaiye kaise phone kia aapne?

(You tell, any specific reason for calling me at this time of the day?)

Maam Nannav Uncle said you are going to watch Sooryavanshi with a friend. Mujhe bhi woh movie dekhni hai. I have been Team Akshay for so many years.

(I too wanna watch this movie).

Hehehe. Awe. Dhruv bas itni si baat. Aap apne Chachu ke sath aajayein. Hum sab milke movie dekhlenge. Hum aapko PVR aur time message krdete hain.

(Dhruv do not worry. You come along with your Uncle. Together we will go to the movies. I will text you the name of the PVR and time).

And just when Chachu walked out of the washroom I hung up on Khushi Maam with a promise of sharing a big tub of popcorn with her. I gave him a thumbs up and his face brightened like the morning sun. Love is in the air. Who would have thought that a gloomy man like him would ever have romantic feelings for my teacher?

Payal POV

Leave my hand Akaash.

I won't. Not until you explain the reason behind this rejection.

I sighed out loud feeling a sense of deja vu. This cannot be happening to me. Did we not start our friendship after the same lines. Rolling my eyes at him I twisted his other wrist firmly making him screech in pain. He left my hand rather quickly after that. Should have warned him about my self-defence skills.

I cannot become a docile dependent housewife. I have just begun to spread my wings. I need to do a lot of things in life. Why cannot you understand this simple fact?

Verbalizing my thoughts I let go of his hand making him rub it immediately in an attempt to soothe the pain. His eyes did not leave mine. Not for a while. It is like he was trying to decode my mind or something. Allowing him to do so I stared back, all the more determined to put across my point.

I am not saying I want to get married to you tomorrow Payal. We can make this work. Is it so wrong of you to date a man like me? Or are you into those possessive bad boys?

Damn it. He knows how much I appreciate simplicity in life. Akaash likes no he loves to put me in such awkward situations that have a hidden challenge within them. First the offer of friendship and now this easy-going idea of dating him. Shutting my eyes I counted from 1 to 10. And through the count, I knew that my answer would bring a genuine smile to his face.

Khushi POV

I stood awkwardly near the entrance of 3Cs cinema when a smiling Sid strutted towards me. I felt a little guilty for not telling him about the others. He still thought that it would be just the two of us. He did not stop and shake my hand as usual rather he chose to close the distance between us and embrace me.

The unexpected hug left me baffled. But knowing his humorous side I rolled my eyes in response. When he moved away I saw a strange twinkle in his eyes. Like he was waiting for this moment for ages. Oh. Of course. He has been talking about this action movie for a while now. He must be excited to watch Sooryavanshi. Gesturing towards the door raised his eyebrow.

Shall we?

Uh, I invited my friends too. I hope you don't mind?

Not at all Khushi. I would love to meet your girlfriends. Chicks love me.

He grinned at his joke making me laugh out loud. He has no idea about the company I keep. He thinks that Arnavji and Dhruv are my girls who will keep us company. Hey Devi Maiyya! Sid will laugh like a hyena after seeing those two. Hehe. I mused. 

As we stood observing the different people who entered the cinema's Sid lifted my palm and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles. The sudden movement startled me. However, when a small brown teddy bear greeted my vision I could not help but giggle like a teenager.

This is for you Khushi.

Ye to bahut sunder hai Sid.

(This is beautiful Sid).

Just like you.

KHUSHI MAAM!

Before I could say something Dhruv's voice echoed in my ears making me whip my head towards the sidewalk.

Dhruv jogged at a slow pace to reach me. The happy-go-lucky kid brought a genuine smile to my face. And  Arnavji followed him, but the instant his eyes met mine a smile appeared on his face. He looks beautiful. However, all the traces of a smile vanished from his face when he glanced at the person beside me.

I enthusiastically turned towards Sid. He would laugh now. But he turned more rigid with every passing moment. Uh oh. Maybe he does not like the idea of Dhruv accompanying us. After all, he is a student of our language school. But the way Arnavji and Sid glared at each other it seemed that the adults had an issue.

Uh Sid these are my close friends. Dhruv and Arnavji. You must have seen Dhruv in our school. And Arnavji is Dhruv's Uncle.

The two males did not even say Hi to each other. They nodded stiffly giving out a cold formal greeting to one another. Too much testosterone in here. We should head inside. Warna yahin par hi Sooryavanshi shuru hojaegi. Gulping my nervousness I clutched Dhruv's hand in my own and began to walk ahead but not before saying something in a nonchalant attitude.

(Or else another Sooryavanshi will begin right here).

Chaliye movie bas shuru hi hone wali hai.

(We should move as the movie is about to begin).

Arnav POV

Dhruv knew the seating plan pretty well. He sat on one side of Khushi and I quickly sat on the other end. A furious Sid had no choice but to sit beside Dhruv. We had parked our car on the opposite road, so while walking to the PVR I saw how that Shukla kissed Khushi and gifted her that hideous teddy. There was a red rose in his jeans pocket too. But when he understood that he had company the man disposed of the flower in the nearby dustbin.

Khushi is too naive. I will not allow that fool Shukla to take advantage of Khushi's innocence. For him, this was a movie date. While Khushi treated this outing as two friends going out to watch a movie. He thought no one will notice his moves. But Dhruv and I were taking every measure to protect Khushi from his inappropriate advances.

I did not speak a word to the fella throughout the movie. During the interval as planned D forced Sid to buy popcorn and soft drinks for us. And he tagged along giving me the perfect opportunity to talk with Khushi.

So are you enjoying the movie?

Haan Sooryavanshi is good. Ek baat poochu?

(Shall I ask you something?)

Hmmm...

I turned sideways to observe her up close. Something was troubling her. The frown on her face made it pretty obvious.

Aapko Sid ache nai lagte na?

(Don't you like Sid?)

Nai. I hate him.

(No).

Par kyun?

(But why?)

Kyunki woh tumhe pasand krta hai. For him, this is a date Khushi. That kiss...this stupid soft toy and that rose which he disposed of a while ago, all indicate that he likes you more than a friend.

(Because he likes you Khushi).

She turned her head towards the screen making me all the more confused. I wondered if being blunt had put a dent in our friendship. But no matter what I am sure she will appreciate my honesty over Sid's manipulative ways. I cleared my throat in an attempt to draw Khushi's attention, making her shift sideways.

Aap Dhruv ke sath time spend karte hain achi baat hai. Par aap office jaana kab shuru karenge.

(It is good that you spend time with Dhruv. But you should get back to work soon).

The drastic change in the subject threw me off-guard. So she took notice of the fact that I am not going to work. What sort of relationship did we have that Khushi does not take too long to see right through me? How could the past me hate her so much? How come I did not ask for more? It is so strange that instead of falling for a person like Khushi I started hating her.

Woh...um...after the accident...

Arnavji uss accident ko apni kamzori mat banayi aap. I think you should use this second chance of getting to know your workplace a little better.

(Arnavji don't use the accident as an excuse to hide a weakness).

Agar main office jaana shuru kardun to kya tum wahan aaogi? Mujhse milne? Issi shart pe join krunga ARD.

(If I rejoin the office would you visit me? Think of it as a condition to join ARD).

Kya?!? Hum aur woh bhi aapke office? Kyun humein phirse satane ka irada hai kya? Dil nai bhara kya...

(What?!? You want me to drop by your office? Why you are feeling the need to bully me further? Are you not satisfied...)

Enclosing her palm between my hands I pleaded to her in a voice full of desperation. This is my only chance of undoing my wrongs. I have to do this. I have to man up. I mused. Her voice trailed off feeling the sudden warmth around her hand. Her eyes dropped towards our hands only to look up in a jiffy. Comprehending that at any moment Sid and Dhruv will be back any second now I verbalized my thoughts.

I promise you won't regret coming to AR Designs this time. Of course, everything will be different for both of us. There is no pressure. Please think about it.

The movie started again and I let go of her hand eventually. Dhruv and Sid returned as well. I winked at my 10-year-old nephew thanking him for giving me the much-needed time with Khushi Gupta.

Sid POV

Sitting behind the wheel I slammed my head against the headrest of the driver's seat as Arnav Singh Raizada left with Khushi and Dhruv with a suggestive wave in my direction. That idiot spoiled my date with Khushi on purpose. And if that was not enough he used that Dhruv to coax Khushi for dropping her home safely.

When earlier Khushi had told me about her friends joining us I did not worry much thinking that a few other teenaged girls might join us. But by friends, she meant ASR and his nephew. This movie date would have ended differently if they did not interrupt us at every possible minute. Khushi had loved the little teddy. I am sure she would have appreciated the rose too.

We had become such good friends over the past few weeks. After meeting her for the first time I knew that she could be my Ms Right. It took me this long to go out with her because I wanted to take it slow. But that Raizada played his move pretty well. A girl like Khushi has to have admirers left and right.

So what if I have a little competition. He cannot take away Khushi from me so easily. I will plan another date with her soon enough. He will remain a friend that's it. And why won't Khushi Gupta choose me? I meant I have heard the rumours. ASR is no longer a tough and cold businessman. The news of his accident was all over the tv. 

Khushi feels pity for his condition. Yup. That's about it. In the end, Khushi will make the right choice. A healthy fit financially sound man like me. Definitely. There is no doubt about it.

Lavanya POV

Instead of returning to London as planned, I chose to travel. My cousin suggested I visit her. So here I am enjoying a healthy breakfast at a cafe near the beach. The wind keeps pushing my hair on my face but the new surroundings have helped my heart to heal.

After meeting Khushi in Delhi I found the closure that I was desperately looking for. ASR is now a part of my past. A mistake that makes me human. Picking up my coffee I left the cafe to hail a taxi when someone banged into me. I gasped feeling the hot coffee over my blouse. Shit. That hurts. Pushing my hair away from my face I yelled at the man.

Cannot you watch where you are going? Look what you did...

I wiped the stains using a tissue that I had with me. But the rude man did not make any efforts to apologize. I looked up shout some more but his expression left me surprised.

Surprise. Shock. Disbelief. Amazement. Several emotions appeared on his face giving me whiplash in return. What the hell is wrong with him? Is he a psycho? A stalker? I looked around to call for help when the pain in his voice startled me.

Sana...Sana...How is this possible?

What? What did you just call me?

Sana...my wife Sana...you look like her...my Sana.

I gulped feeling the intensity of his gaze. His yawning pupils captured me into a whirlpool of emotions. I wanted to scream at his obnoxious behaviour. How could he just bang into me and act so weirdly? And did he just call me Sana? So I am a doppelganger of his wife? Really? Oh crap. How can I be so stupid? This is a new way of flirting. I rolled my eyes at his craptastic way of showing interest in me.

Look dude nice try. But I am not interested in dating anyone. So better luck next time...

Stepping away from him I began to walk looking for another cab. I admit entertaining this man will be fun but my cousin is waiting for me to return home. Shaking my head I lifted my hand to flag a taxi. But the four-wheeler passed by me in a jiffy as the flirtatious dude spun me around to face him. His touch ignited a fire inside my body. The unexpected proximity made me breathless. How did it become so hot around here?

What is your name?

His husky voice made me tremble. I was not planning to give him any of my time. But the hidden command in his tone made me respond involuntarily. As if I were a robot under his control. 

Its Lavanya. Lavanya Kashyap.

He let go of me. Like something jolted him back to reality. Slowly the man retreated as if I were a wounded animal he did not wish to frighten. I opened my mouth to say something but then quickly shut it not understanding the overpowering emotions that took over my senses. We now stood a couple of feet away from one another. But he kept staring at me without blinking as he was scared that I would disappear any second. And then rubbing the back of his neck the man abruptly turned and trudged in the opposite direction.

I quickly hailed the nearest cab and left the area. But my heart kept pounding in my chest. Goosebumps appeared over my arms. Flashes of my meeting with the strange dude kept disturbing my mind. Why was he staring at me like that? Calling me his wife's lookalike...was that a trick to ask me out or did he mean it? And when he touched my arms why did I feel warm all over? Ughhhh.

Khushi POV

Arnavji and Dhruv dropped me home a few hours ago. I spend the rest of my evening chatting with Buaji and making dinner with Jeeji. After a quick meal, we retreated to our rooms. Fortunately, Jeeji fell asleep rather quickly. But even after having a long tiring day I was wide awake. So many things were running in my mind.

Sid's unexpected advances. Arnavjis hatred watching Sid's antics. His warnings. Me demanding to know why is he not going to work. And his condition for joining work again.

I don't want a repeat of what happened in AR when I was under his contract. That was a dark time for me. Visiting AR again will only trigger those painful memories. And Arnav Singh Raizada suffers from Amnesia but the rest of his staff have photographic memories. He keeps apologizing to me. He has promised to undo his earlier mistakes.

 However, all of these promises are invalid. Why? The answer is simple. Because the moment ASR will unlock his past at the same time his hatred for me will return in full vigour.

How can I trust his words? When I am aware that his cold and shrewd side is simply absent for a while but has not faded away for that matter. One day he will remember it all. His games. His ego. His hatred. His poisonous words. One day in the future everything will return to normal. Knowing the reality of ASR how can I trust him?

The phone on my nightstand vibrated twice alerting me of a new text. Glancing at the sleeping figure of Jeeji I grabbed the device and opened the message only to smile reading the words of my favourite Raizada.

I had a good time watching the movie with you Khushi Maam.

Before I could type a response another Raizada texted me. The elder Raizada. Yes. The complicated one. I read his message and felt annoyed by his overprotective tone. I am not a teenager and he is not my father.

Don't go out with Sid again. He is not looking for friendship. His motives are different.

I won't even reply to his stupid text.

What does he think of himself? The bed shook a little as Jeeji tossed and turned. She seems to be restless in her sleep. I need to talk to her about Akaash. Maybe he is the one who is disturbing her sleep. Soon I will have a word with Jeeji. Texting a quick reply to Dhruv I placed the phone under my pillow.

You are adorable.

I have noticed that Dhruv loves to talk about his father. But the kid rarely speaks about his mother. It won't be appropriate to directly ask him. Maybe I can ask Anjaliji about it. Yeah. That would do.

My phone vibrated yet again. Expecting another message from Dhruv I opened my inbox only to be horrified by the error I had done. Hey, Devi Maiyya ye humse kya hogaya? Distracted by Jeeji's movements I accidentally texted Arnav Singh Raizada. His reply left me stunned.

Am I that adorable Khushi Gupta? I like this flirtatious side of yours. Mere bare mein aur kya acha lgta hai tumhe?

(What else have you noticed about me?)

 No. Not again. He cannot use me like that. What does he think of himself? Arnavji can throw crumbs of affection at me whenever he feels like playing games with me? I am not gonna let him manipulate my emotions again. This time around I am not a mere employee dependent on his beck n call. The old doormat Khushi would have had a sleepless night in anticipation of his next words. But this new independent and strong Khushi will not budge do easily Raizada.

Determined to stop his indirect flirty messages I instantly typed something that would leave him in wonder for the rest of the night. It was time to put a full stop to his advances.

I would like to meet you tomorrow.

.

.

.

.

Precap - Khushi confronts Arnav. Her words trigger the unsurfaced memories of ASR.