Sorry friends, hope you don't mind a longish update.😃 I didn't want to stop! You will know why.😉 Read on.

Chapter 6

The utensil rolled on the floor and the batter lay scattered all over!

"Watch it, Neha!" shrieked Khushi,"There go the pakodas!"she grumbled bending down to pick up the utensil.

Neha looked at Khushi with a bemused expression on her face and abruptly snatched the utensil from her. Dragging her away from the mess, Neha forced Khushi to sit down on the couch. Then picking up a stool from one corner of the living room she sat close to Khushi, and said with urgency, "I confess I have always considered you a little abnormal Khushi'.. but girl, you are out doing yourself, today!"Neha giggled. " Who is this "HE" who is undressing?! And what business is it of yours, if he is taking off his clothes in front of some female?" Neha smirked

"Come on, Neha, do you think I am bothered about what Arnav Singh Raizada does or doesn't do with his girlfriend? I was just a bit curious, that's all! It is indecent after all. They are not married!" Khushi pouted.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh, its him! Arnav Singh Raizada! Your Superman! I knew it! You are lattoo over him, Khushi. Admit it! But why are you complaining? He changed from his buildering gear to his dashing three piece suit in our flat too, remember? Its your problem you didn't see him undressing!" Neha roared with laughter. "And who appointed you as the moral police? He might be in a sweet live-in relationship with this Lavanya, for all you know!" Neha winked at her.

Khushi felt let down and distressed and mimicked Neha, fluttering her eyelashes, "Live-in! Oh! How very very sweet! Live in tab hota hain jab ek ladka aur ladki bina shaadi kiye ek saath rehte hain'sab kuch karte hain par shaadi nahin karte!(Live in is when a guy and a girl live together outside wedlock'they do everything but don't get married!)"

Neha guffawed as Khushi stomped into her room and looked murderously at her broken bed!

Next morning, Khushi left early to give tuitions but when she reached college the peon informed her that Sister, i.e., the Principal wanted to meet her. An apprehensive Khushi reached the Principal's room, hoping she would not be ticked off for bunking college two days in a row. But Sister's smiling, "Come in, my child," soothed her nerves. Sifting through the papers in her hand, Sister informed Khushi, "The project you submitted under the NSS (National Social Service) scheme had been accepted. You will have to join the NSS centre in this village, ummm'Gosak in a fortnight. Okay?" Khushi was delighted and thanked the Principal before rushing to her class.

After college, she made two quick calls, one to her Jiji, Maa and Buaji in Amarnath and the other to her Babuji in Lucknow to give them the good news of her sanctioned project and the grant of two lakhs to her project. Then instead of taking the usual bus home, she hailed an auto rickshaw to the temple to thank her Devi Maiyya.

With a happy heart and a spring in her step she ran up the stairs of the temple in one breath. As she neared the top, she was alarmed to see a woman with a prosthetic leg tottering backwards on the stair above hers.

If Khushi hadn't leapt besides the woman and steadied her she would have surely tumbled down the steep steps! Khushi took the pooja thal from the woman's hand and made her sit down asking in a concerned voice, "Aap theek hain?(Are you Okay?") The woman looked up at Khushi with a warm smile and thanked her, assuring at the same time that she would be fine, "My brother is in his car, I will call him." Relieved, Khushi moved away to go inside the shrine.

Descending the stairs of the temple she thanked Devi Maiyya again, because Gosak was near Lucknow and it would be easy for her to visit her Babuji. Lost in thought, she did not realize when she had stepped off the footpath on the busy road. A white SUV screeched past her, the tyres hit the potholes, splattering her with mud from her head to toe!

"Abbe O! Dikhai nahi deta kya?" (Hey you! Can't you see!) She screamed after the moving vehicle.

The SUV breaked instantly! A man threw open the door of the SUV and stepped out, removing the shades from his eyes. Khushi's heart skipped a beat. It was him! She just stood there gaping at him looking so aloof and handsome in his brown shirt, brown waistcoat and brown blazing eyes!

"What happened, Chhotey?" she heard a woman asking him from inside the SUV. Her hazel eyes widened to see that the woman was no other than the one she had helped on the stairs of the temple. The woman craned her neck outside the window and seeing Khushi, gushed,"Oh! You!" the woman smiled warmly at Khushi, and then addressing him said, "Chhotey, this is the girl who had blocked my fall and look what you have done to her!"

Before her brother could stop her Anjali climbed down from the SUV and moving toward Khushi said, "You cannot go anywhere like this'covered with dirt, my dear girl. I will not let you, especially after the way you helped me. Since it is my brother's fault, you must come home with us and wash before going your way." Arnav looked at his Di in disbelief, then glaring at Khushi he resumed his place on the driver's seat.

It was useless dissuading Anjali once she had made up her mind and in a matter of minutes Khushi found herself inside his SUV again, this time on the back seat! Arnav sighed as her scent filled his car and her proximity made him tense. "Why can't this girl just let me be!" he thought helplessly, shrugging his shoulders.

Anjali glanced back at Khushi and smiled,"Hey, sorry, I forgot to ask you'what is your name?"

"Khushi," Arnav and Khushi answered in unison.

Anjali stared at both of them inquiringly, while her Chhotey avoided her gaze, Khushi squirmed in her seat.

"You know each other?" Anjali asked, a hint of smile in her now suspicious voice.

"No!" they shouted in unison again.

Anjali was amused but decided not to pursue the matter for now. But why did the name 'Khushi' ring a bell in her head, she wondered.

Arnav dropped them at the Raizada Mansion and immediately took off to attend a meeting, without so much so as apologizing to Khushi for drenching her with dirt!

How can such a nice person like Anjalidi have such a rude, ill-mannered khadoos brother like Arnav Singh Raizada, Khushi deliberated.

The house was huge and tastefully decorated with no expenses spared, the sort she had seen in movies only, but it was warm and welcoming. Khushi didn't know why but she felt happy being there

Anjalidi snapped her fingers in front of Khushi to bring her out of her reverie and said smiling, "Aap kahan kho gayi, Khushiji?(Where did you get lost, Khushiji?)You are plastered with mud. Why don't you clean and change now? The washroom is this way. Sorry I wear only sarees. I have got this new red one for you. The blouse is of a stretchable material, so anyone can fit in. I have kept them in my closet for years, uselessly'... I really wanted to give it to Chhotey's''" she trailed off, guiding Khushi to the washroom.

When Khushi emerged from the washroom in the simple but beautiful red saree, Anjali was nowhere to be seen. A servant with a cute smile told Khushi that Di might be upstairs. So Khushi tread up the stairs hesitatingly, calling out Anjalidi's name.

She suddenly found herself in front of a large room. She felt herself drawn inside it and held her breath as she saw it opening to a poolside with beautiful green plants all round it. She walked towards the pool, her red pallu trailing behind her, mesmerized, the reflection of light on the water creating a soothing pattern on the wall.

She had reached the edge of the pool when she heard his voice! Startled she turned around to see him walking inside the room and barking orders on his bluetooth. Then, while still speaking into it, he unknotted his tie, and unbuttoned his waistcoat and flung both on the recliner in the room. Then he unbuttoned his shirt in a few quick movements and ripped it off his torso.

Khushi stood rooted at her spot by the poolside as she stared at his big, strong broad shoulder muscles rippling on a magnificent lean back, tapering into a waistband ensconcing a perfectly honed butt.

Perhaps Khushi let out a gasp for ASR turned slowly, with a 'What the' expression in his caramel orbs'that quickly changed to something primal as his gaze swept over her' her long thick hair, damp and loose'..her feminine curves enhanced in the translucent red saree.

☺️

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P.S. Don't expect too much from me in the next chapter because it took me only one second to picture the last scene but almost thirty minutes to write it!! ☺️ 😆

wiwy2013-06-29 07:16:42