Chapter 41

Pearl_Oyster

@Pearl_Oyster

Part 41

"Eww, what the hell is this, Khushi? Why have you wrapped yourself in this jute sack?" Abhay exclaimed as he stepped in Khushi's room.

She had worn a light blue chudidaar suit with a small matching bindi, putting together a simple, ethereal look.

Abhay's comment totally drew her in a shock. She had expected him to praise her, considering she had given herself an extra hour to get ready.

"What do you mean?" she said with glaring eyes, feeling a bit apprehensive.

"You know what I mean. This dress doesn't suit you. Wearing this blue, you look like the cheer-girl of Indian Cricket Team" Abhay said, bringing upon a 'fake genuine look' on his face while Khushi's mouth took a perfect O shape.

"Cheer-girl? How dare you, Abhay? And if you don't remember well enough, it was you who had gifted me this dress on my previous b'day stating that in this dress I look like the moon clad in blue" She replied, her each word gaining pitch and Abhay knew he had to do something to stop it or this would be a real dooms day.

"Oh no no. You got me all wrong. What I mean is, you look beautiful in this, but this is not one such occasion where you really need to look this good. You getting it? You need to look a little less beautiful. Wear some less striking colour, like brown, or maybe red?" Abhay said, delivering the ball carefully.

"I don't have anything brown" She said, thinking.

"That leaves you with red. So try something red. Red is.."

"See, Abhay. I don't know what has gotten inside your nowhere existing non-functional brain but I can smell something fishy. What are you up to?" Khushi said, crossing her hands across her chest, giving him a tell-me-now' look.

"Okay. Seems like I have no other way. The thing is that, Anjali doesn't like blue. So, I wanted you to change this" Abhay said, mentally patting himself for coming up with such a brilliant excuse.

"Really?" Khushi asked, her look softening.

"Yeah" He nodded, blinking his eyes in the most innocent way.

"Okay. I'll change into red"

Arnav's favourite colour her mind added in a line.

'Step 2 accomplished' Abhay texted Anjali as he walked out of the room.

~~***~~

For the last time, Khushi checked herself in the mirror. Wearing the deep red Anarkali suit, she looked no beautiful than a fresh blossoming rose. The red of the dress highlighted and complimented her milky white satin skin.

"Khushi, come out for heaven's sake. I need your help in setting up the table" Abhay screamed from the hall.

"Coming" She shouted back and hurried out to be struck by lightning. What her eyes witnessed were enough to knock the breath out of her. Arnav Singh Raizada was leisurely sitting on the couch wearing a small smile on his face, with his gaze fixed at her.

And did she say he looked killing.

Well he did.

And maybe she too looked the same because Arnav seemed to have eyes only for her.

After a continuous stare of three minutes, his gaze slowly travelled down her face, making her skin burn in embarrassment.

He was ravishing her with those intense glares.

~~***~~

"We are standing before your apartment and I am confused with the flat number" Abhay was sitting in the hall, when he received the text from Anjali.

Texting back the flat number didn't seem a very good idea. He was already dying to see Anjali. So instead of replying back Abhay hurried outside, took the lift and reached them.

There she was. Wearing a deep green, full-length dress Anjali stood beside Arnav.

"Hey" She waved at him the moment her eyes caught him.

Without caring about Arnav witnessing them, she rushed to him and hugged him tightly, murmuring a soft 'I missed you' in his ears.

He hugged her back, awkwardly as Arnav had his gaze glued to them. Pulling back from the hug, he walked to him. They shook hands and surprisingly Arnav hugged him too.

"Stop being awkward, Abhay. I seriously have no plan of breaking you bones. You can hug her man. Just hug, you know? Otherwise it never takes me time to change my plans. I hope the message is clear?" Arnav said and Abhay smiled at it. This man is really unpredictable. No surprise he fell for Khushi. If he is unpredictable, Khushi is unbelievable.

"Sure" He replied with an amused smile.

"Come on, Bhai. I know you are threatening him" Anjali said from a distance and Abhay grinned, while Arnav muttered an audible 'what the'.

"I wasn't" He said as they together walked towards the lift.

~~***~~

"How's, Khushi?" Anjali asked as the lift moved up.

"Busy. She has locked herself in the room. Getting ready" Abhay replied.

"Oh, that means she doesn't know we are already here?" Anjali said, in excitement while Arnav kept himself occupied with his phone.

"No. Why?" Abhay asked.

"We'll surprise her then. What say, Bhai?" Anjali asked.

"Yeah, we can. But what if Khushi minds?" Arnav asked.

"She won't" Abhay replied as he led them to the corridor.

"Okay then" Arnav said.

The trio entered in the flat and took seats without making any unnecessary noise.

"I'll call her now" Abhay said.

"No, we should wait for her to come out" Arnav said.

So they waited for ten fruitless minutes.

"I am calling her now. You don't know these girls, Arnav. They take centuries to get ready" Abhay whispered and Anjali rolled her eyes.

"Khushi, come out for heaven's sake. I need your help in setting up the table" Abhay screamed.

"Coming" came Khushi's reply which accelerated Arnav's heartbeats for no explainable reason.

And there she emerged, making the surroundings go hazy. All he could was her glowing face which was now flooding with surprise. Maybe they really surprised her.

"What the?" He almost swore inaudibly. She is wearing red. But why?

"Of course because she knows you like red" A part of his brain tweeted in excitement.

"But didn't she say she wants to be friend with him? Just friends?" His rational part said.

"Well. I don't remember she ever said that she wants a just friends' sort of friendship"

While his brain debated, he allowed his eyes to stay leisurely on her face, and then slowly travel down.

"Beautiful" He declared, mentally.

"Ahem Ahem" Abhay coughed, snapping the duo back to surroundings.

"I...Hello..Hi" Khushi greeted them and Anjali stood up to hug her.

"Raizadas seem to be in a hugging mood" Abhay said mentally, recalling Anjali's and Arnav's hug.

"You are looking fantastic, Khushi" Anjali complimented as Khushi settled on the couch, next to Anjali.

"Even you are looking the same" Abhay said, making Anjali blush.

"When did you guys come?" Khushi asked, to Anjali ignoring Arnav who was still eyeing her, though stealthily.

"To be exact, we came fifteen minutes back. Then Abhay asked us to wait saying you take centuries to get ready" Anjali said.

"Whoa, that's not practically true" Abhay quickly added.

"Doesn't matter you said that or not. You are going to be murdered anyway, Abhay Singh, for not telling me that Arnav is already here' Khushi mentally replied.

"So, is the dinner ready? I am already starving" Anjali asked.

"Already?" Abhay exclaimed.

"So? I am so eager test Khushi's culinary talent" Anjali said, winking at Khushi.

"Sure, let's start" Khushi said, getting up and everyone followed.

Sensing the awkwardness which had condensed between Arnav and Khushi, Abhay-Anjali gave thumbs up to each other. The plan was working.

~~***~~

"What? When? How? Oh no!" Abhay shouted in his phone, as everyone took seats around the dining table.

"Anjali? Yeah, she's with me. No no, you don't come. I'll get her there" He continued speaking incessantly in the phone making Arnav-Khushi confused while Anjali was enjoying the acting skills of her beloved.

"What happened, Abhay? Is everything okay?" Khushi asked worriedly, coming out to stand beside him.

"No, Anjali's friend has met with a small accident" Abhay said.

"What? Oh god. Who?" Anjali jumped in, bringing pain-stricken emotions on her face.

"Sheetal. They tried calling your number but it said, unreachable. So they called mine. We'll have to go" Abhay said.

"Okay. I'll take her then" Arnav said.

"No don't bother yourself, Arnav. Sheetal is a good friend of mine too. So I'll be going anyways. I'll take Anjali with me. You two go on with the dinner. It's nothing much. A simple accident" Abhay said.

"Are you sure" Arnav asked again.

"Yeah Bhai, I'll go with Abhay and then he can directly drop me home. I don't feel like eating anymore" Anjali replied.

"Okay then" Arnav gave in.

"Bye Khushi, Bye Bhai" Anjali said and left with Abhay, both giggling and hi-fiving once out of sight.

~~***~~

"So, now it's just you and me" Arnav said, as they took seats again. This time Khushi sat opposite to him.

"Yeah" She replied, looking sideways.

"You are looking beautiful" He said, finally.

"You too" She replied back, shyly.

"Khushi, don't you think we are behaving weird? I mean we ought to be good friends, right? So why am I seeing this awkwardness between us? You don't look comfortable around me" Arnav let out once they started with the dinner.

"Really? I was thinking the same" Khushi replied with renewed enthusiasm.

"Okay so now, no awkwardness okay? You can ask me anything, tell me anything" Arnav said, bringing his hand to rest upon hers.

"Y..yy..yeah" She stuttered, as his skin contacted hers.

"Oh sorry. I shouldn't have" He quickly apologized, pulling back his hand.

No, that' oaky' She wanted to say, but didn't.

After that, the dinner went merrily. They talked about anonymous things. Her office, his business, Abhay-Anjali, her life after college, her loss in the form of Buaji, her meeting with Abhay and all. What Khushi noticed that he didn't talk much about his life after college, about how he lived in California. She didn't insist too.

As the dinner was done. They decided to sit in the hall and talk more.

_______________________________________________________________

Sparks coming up very soon. 😉