Chapter 41

Arnav, his sleeves rolled to the elbows, stood on the door, hands buried inside the pockets.

Khushi took a step back as he took one forward, not breaking eye contact all the while for even a moment and soon he was inside the living room...

It reminded Khushi of a time when she had ridiculed the same action of his,right on his face, owing it to his hearing disparity, but something told her she better not repeat it this time...something being, perhaps, the substitute in the form of sound advice ,providence provided her in place of powers of evaporation for being good all her life..though she would anytime have preferred the former.

Not turning back Arnav shut the door and looked at her...(if it can be called looking, that is)

"you..you're here?" Khushi murmered confused..

"Do you wish to tell me something, Khushi?" He continued as he stepped further forward..

"um.." Khushi gulped.. "I..uh..yes..Hi.."

That just had him..there is just so much a man can be tested.

"Hi. That's it?" he spoke, his voice husky..

"I.."Khushi faltered..

There was pin drop silence in the room..

"Five years.." he spoke again, nearly spat it out and continued his movement forward..

It struck Khushi like lightening..Oh shit..( note to self, Khushi Kumari Gupta- be good, get good and all that stuff is total crap. Try being a gangster from tomorrow. They must have comparitively more chilled out lives. If there is a tomorrow for you, that is..)

"oh..you know?" she tried to smile and bring down rising temperature inside the room.

At the pace with which Arnav was stepping forward, ideally, there should have been a wall, in which Khushi should have walked in and everything would have looked pretty intense..

But the Gupta house structure was a bit against 'cliche' , and the living room never seemed to end at all, stretching to the dining area, and so all the walking forward seemed a bit pointless and Arnav chose the better option of bringing her forward instead..

"Ouch!" Khushi protested as she felt a pull and was dragged forward, ending up flush against him..

"when. Were. You. Going to tell me about it?"

"Look Arnav..I-"

"After 5 years?"

"Arnav I-"

"or not at all?"

"Look I-"

"You what?"

"Trust me I-"

"JUST SHUT UP!!" he roared...

"Okay..okay..I can hear! I am not deaf! And I am sick of ending my sentences with I ! Arnav I, Look I, Trust me I, will you please let me proceed or just st-"

She gasped as he sealed her lips with his. Not gently, but urgently, as if in panic, anger..after the instant reaction of shock, Khushi surprised herself when she realized she wasn't sharing the panic, felt herself easing rather than going tense, and responding rather than pulling back...

moments ticked off...and Arnav felt his anger turning to something else altogether..

His grip tightened and Arnav felt himself grasping for the last shreds of control..what was he doing? no..no..he couldn't exploit the situation this way...her response was just worsening the situation..Oh shit...

He pulled back with a jerk and Khushi leaned onto a chair for support, sure that a few minutes more and she would put a jelly to shame..

"w..what was that?" she gasped..

Arnav stepped back as the magnitude of his action hit him,he wished to beat himself to pulp for losing control and immediately dawning his mad avatar back again spat out "that's because you won't shut up!"

Khushi, still numb stared at him in disbelief..

Then after five seconds as she recovered she spoke..

"just because I wouldn't shut up? That's what you do when people don't shut up? OMG! If an employee at AR won't shut up you just..." she trailed away , a lost look on her face, as if imagining the idea in her head..

As the horror of what she was visualizing struck Arnav he shook her shoulders violently before she could come to the climax of the scene..

"I asked you a QUESTION ! DAMMIT ANSWER ME!"

"I wanted to tell you! I even called you! Remember?"

"oh yeah..to wish good morning. Khushi d'you think it's funny?" he tightened his hold..

"I..told you I am going to the States!"

"did you say it's for five years?" he breathed hard..

"I.."

"DID YOU?"

"Arn-"

"You are planning to leave the country for five goddamn years and I come to know of it from your brother!"

"I didn't get the time"

"Oh!" he raised an eyebrow.. "so you didn't get the time? When didn't you get the time, Khushi? When you talked tripe on the phone for God knows how long, or when you came to see me at home for TWO DAMN HOURS!!"

"you were sick!"

"and deaf?"

"I called you a day back but your battery died!"

"for two days?"

"OK FINE!" Khushi shouted " Yes I didn't tell you! I couldn't tell you! I don't know why! What difference does that make to you? Why would you care? 5 minutes, hours, days, months or whatever! This is my dream job! And if I refused it my family would like to know why I turned down such a once in a lifetime opportunity! What should I tell them? That I turned down the offer just because Arnav Singh Raizada has not had a break-up with me but will perhaps have one after a month? Or perhaps tomorrow? That just because this engagement is a total farce, I am being a jerk and letting my dreams ruin! What?"

Arnav stared hard at her for quite a while and slowly she felt the grip easing..

say it..please say it..please please..Khushi chanted silently..wishing him to say that which she actually wished to hear..

Instead, he took in a deep breath and said..

"so you didn't find it necessary to even tell me-"

"NO!" Khushi interrupted "It's nothing like that Arnav! Of course I would tell you! Promise! I swear I would, today, tomorrow, or day after, but I would!"

There was an eerie silence that filled the room after that..

"show me" Arnav spoke, as he sat on the sofa in the living room and loosened his tie..

"what?" Khushi asked, confused.

"of course I am talking about the damn contract papers. Bring them!"

"oh..oh yes..one second.."

Khushi rushed to her room and came out moments later with a file, handing it out to him..

It was then that Arnav Singh Raizada the businessman took over. And it was Arnav Singh Raizada the businessman, who raised his right eyebrow high at Khushi the moment he opened the file..

For the sight which greeted him the instant he opened the file was a sheet of paper with various kinds of smileys drawn it, one even had Arnav written on top of it, and well, Khushi was no where close to being the Picasso of her family...

One look at Arnav's face had Khushi craning her neck to see what was the matter and she blushed profusely as she literally snatched the sheet away from his sight..

"contract.of.employement" Arnav spoke suggestively..

"um..no..Gosh! I wonder how this got in between..anyway, the rest of it is the contract. I..I will get something to eat" she rushed off to the kitchen...

Leaning back against the back of the leather sofa , trying his best to ignore a strange sense of weariness within him, not just physical, but a weird heavy feeling, as if instead of opening that file, he'd rather make use of the moment and tear it into pieces, he collected himself, and bending more towards the lamp shade beside him, opened the file, in an attempt to bid goodbye to the protesting Arnav within, and let ASR deal with matters..

He had barely started when Khushi came and stood before him, making an 'oops' expression..

With Khushi, that expression could never come with good news and Arnav braced himself to gather courage for what lay ahead..

"what?"

"you spoilt it. Again!"

"Excuse me?"

"My pasta! It's ruined. You ruined it the last time too!"

"I ruined it?"

"of course! The Pasta didn't get burnt out of jealousy you know.."

She stood pouting, and Arnav shifted his gaze back to the file as he gulped..she had absolutely no idea..

Khushi murmered her discontents as she moved back to the kitchen..

Arnav got back to the file, slowly carefully reading through the clauses..

After hearing loud clangs, and 'URGH' s..and the likes from the kitchen, Arnav saw Khushi come into the room once again, and before he knew, a strawberry Jam jar had been held right beneath his nose as Khushi fumed..

"Why do they even make products when you can't even open the seal! What is all that jam inside for? Showpiece?! I mean just how-"

Before she could continue, Arnav had the jar in his hands, and in one swift motion it clicked open.

Khushi gazed at Arnav, as he handed the jar back to her with such wonder , respect and amazement that he suddenly felt his heart growing a few inches bigger..and having just returned a hero from a war zone..

Arnav Singh Raizada, proud of being a bottle opener, how the mighty have fallen...

"Wow..how did you do that? You are strong! Wow!" Khushi exclaimed..

(note to self, Arnav Singh Raizada- what have you been doing all your life? Opening Jam jars is the ultimate job!)

"What do you want that for?" he made a humble attempt to divert attention from his strength..

"Oh it's our dinner. Jam and bread. I don't know how to make anything else except pasta, maggi , tea and coffee, and yes, rice, um..occassionally..we don't have maggi in the house-"

"Our dinner?" Arnav raised an eyebrow...

"Of course! It's beyond 10 pm and...oh..oh I forgot..stupid me" she laughed in an embarrased manner..

"of course you would have far better dinner at RM. Never mind, I'll have this, anyway did you go through the papers?"

Arnav who was carefully listening to her embarrased speech in a trance, snapped out of it and murmered..

"yeah..it's..pretty decent"

Khushi who had been, since the past 1/2 hour desperately praying for some unexpected loophole, some obnoxious clause he could spot in those papers and perhaps, just perhaps, ask her to throw them away and stay back, had an immediate change of expression as her face fell down upon the realization that the very last hope was gone..

Arnav himself had studied the papers as if they were his own employement contract, and as much as he wished, he couldn't deny the fact that Khushi truly, had a once in a lifetime opportunity lying before her..Much as he wanted to tell her that the whole thing was rubbish, urge her to throw it in the dustbin along with her pasta and never look back at it again, he knew, he couldn't lie, just for himself..

It took all the strength for a man as strong within as Arnav Singh Raizada, to look straight into her eyes and say.. "it's perfect"

"oh..oh ok..great" Khushi mumbled as she took the papers back from him and desperately trying to fight the urge to cry, she hurried out of the room.

She entered into the dining area to find Arnav pulling out a chair and getting seated..

"wh..what are you doing?" she asked, confused..

"what does it look like?"

It hit her..

"Listen you please go home..seriously, you don't have to eat this stuff just because my pasta died an early death"

"shut up"

"excuse me?"

"I said shut up. I don't want di to get worried and bring the whole house down just because I didn't have dinner. Bring"

"Listen Arna-"

"Are you bringing it or do I have to go the kitchen?" He glared at her..

"Okay okay! I am getting it!" she shook her head and within moments she was back in the room as she sat beside him, busying herself with applying strawberry jam on bread..

"If maa comes to know I served you dinner in the form of bread and Jam, believe me, I am never going to the US" she smiled..

Arnav couldn't remember when last he had a dinner of jam and bread. The RM kitchen, had professional chefs who took daily orders of meals right in the morning. The few times he failed to have dinner with his sister, the dinner trolley was delivered to his room. Childhood? Yes, maa used to give in to his jam and bread demands at times..'stubborn chotte'..that's what she called him..

Memories of his mother made him smile a slow smile when he felt a tap on his arm..

"mwhat hwappend?" Khushi spoke through her stuffed mouth

"Khushi swallow and then speak!"

Khushi rolled her eyes as she swallowed the whole thing in a go and said..

"what happened?"

"nothing"

There was silence for a while before he heard a burst of giggle beside him..

"what?" he stared at her, and Khushi in a response shut her eyes and burst into full fledged laughter..

It was not often he was laughed at so severely and Arnav flared his nose in anger.

"whats so funny?"

"you have..OMG..Arnav Singh Raizada has strawberry jam stuck on his nose" she said and again doubled up with laughter... "

Arnav made a 'whatever' expression as he fished his pocket for a handkerchief and wiped his nose off..

But Khushi's amusement had no end.. "OMG, I guess you are right! You are actually fed by the butler!"

Arnav narrowed his eyes at her as he slowly got up from his seat and stretching his hand to hold the back of her seat, whispered "very funny is it?"

His sudden change in demeanor had Khushi's laughter slowly subsiding and she cleared her throat..

Arnav scooped out a spoon full of jam from the jar, put it upon his finger, and as Khushi slowly realized in horror what was about to happen, and was about to make an escape he held face from the chin and smeared the entire sticky stuff all over her face..

"now laugh" he smirked..

Khushi made an 'O' out of her mouth as she pushed him away and ran in front of the mirror over the basin..

She stood assessing herself ,blinking rapidly for five seconds and sure enough, burst into laughter after that..

"I look like a..hahahaha..OMG..I look like a total clown!"

Arnav who was resting on the wall with folded arms, felt a lopsided smile creep up his own face as if her laughter was contagious..

Still smiling she bent over the basin, splashing water on her face..

Arnav stood staring at her..

just close to a week...

five years was a long time...

he should be leaving..

The room suddenly felt very suffocating and abruptly he grabbed his mobile from the table as he turned swiftly and marched towards the door..

"Arnav!" Khushi rushed behind him.. "where..where are you going?"

"home" he spoke curtly as he pulled the door open..

"oh..oh..but you..I mean,,I.."

Anything, she wished to say just anything which could just stop him at the moment..

"g'night" he cut in and nodded his head at her...

"Good night.." she mumbled..

He looked at her ring finger, where her engagement ring was still in place, thought of making a remark on it, then suddenly dropped the idea, and walked down the stairs in measured steps..

She tried to shout out a 'Bye!' but somehow held back and instead looked down and gave a shout..

"see you!"

He looked up at her, and nodded..before his SUV zoomed away...

It had been an hour and Arnav wasn't home, still driving all around delhi's few deserted roads... Tonight, he could have stopped her, and she wouldn't have had a choice, tonight he could have made sure she wouldn't leave his sight for five days let alone five years, tonight, he could have stood in the path of her dreams, he was very well aware of and she would perhaps have left it..

Tonight, Arnav Singh Raizada, could truly be called a man in love..not because he held her back because it was his wish, but because he let go, though it wasn't...

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I guess the quote just says it all. Just one thing, if you have enjoyed the story all along do have faith in it. At the writing end, this chapter is a cliff-hanger for me, so expect the update very soon. UE is picking up pace from the next part.

You are free to rant. This chapter was not funny, I am fully aware..you are free to call Khushi, Arnav or me, anything you want to...I am sorry if you are disappointed. But do have faith.

meet you very soon with the next part. UE remains UE..don't worry.....but I can understand if you hate me right now, the comments on this particular part are very important for me, and it would be really kind of you to do that...and for such a lovely response to part 40, thank you so much.