Chapter 5

Omoraboti

@Omoraboti

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5

Khushi was staring at Arnav with wide eyes.

Arnav's face had literally darkened and stiffened. His eyes were glaring while his lips were slightly crunched with a failed effort to cover up his grinding teeth. His nostrils reminded Khushi of a raging bull and she consciously swallowed a laugh. Was he really that angry?

Khushi was actually feeling a bit scared to ask him anything. She felt if he opened his mouth, she may just drift away as his face was looking like a dam on the verge of falling apart – a small crack, and she was gone! But Khushi always believed in sorting things out with a conversation. How could you solve things if you were not talking? So gathering her courage, Khushi decided to explain him the things; there was nothing to be so angry of!

She opened her mouth warily.

"It does not look like you are very happy about it but I thought you would find it interesting."

Arnav did not respond.

Khushi cleared her throat.

"I thought you would prefer a quantitative approach. You are all about numbers .. didn't you say that yourself? The other day? In the meeting?"

Arnav still did not respond.

Khushi was failing now to conceal her nervousness.

"Look, honestly, I have no intention of wasting your time. I just thought of sparing you ASAP and so this seemed a good plan to me. It will work, of course, but we can discuss if you are not comfor .."

Khushi stopped in the middle of her sentence as Arnav suddenly got up from the chair while still staring at her.

"It is late. I will drop you." His voice was as cold as ice.

Khushi swallowed, not knowing what else to do.

Arnav started moving away from the table without another word. Khushi understood he did not want to talk to her. Laad Governor was giving her attitude! She did not need to take his attitude and she should just now subtract 5 points and bid him bye-bye. But then again, Khushi did not want to depart in a bitter note; after all, they would perhaps meet again for professional reasons.

Khushi jumped off and started following him. She decided she would try to convince him again during the ride. Amid all this also Khushi did not forget to appreciate his chivalry, "Thank God he did not forget to drop me off."

"What do girls see in him" Rohan sighed and told a fellow guest as he watched Khushi hurriedly following a storming out Arnav, "Khushi seemed very feisty and even she is also running behind ASR now. Did you see his face? Poor girl!"

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"Seatbelt." Arnav still sounded as cold as ice.

Khushi like an obedient girl went for the seatbelt since she had no intention of pissing him off more. But seatbelts never really liked Khushi. She would always have trouble with buckling up and this one was no different. As she was fussing with the seatbelt for some time, nervously passing occasional glances at her co-passenger, Arnav fumed even more. This girl was all set to drive him crazy in all possible ways. He roughly bent to get the seatbelt from her hand and buckled it properly.

As they were driving quietly, Khushi was pondering hard on how to start the conversation. She had no intention to say the wrong things right at this moment. She tried thinking hard to come up with something that will pacify him.

"You are sounding like thunder, you know that?" After so much thinking this was all she came up with.

Arnav's grip tightened on the steering wheel and Khushi knew she had again started in the wrong note.

"That's actually a good thing." She faked a laugh. "I like thunderous voice."

Khushi was feeling like a complete fool. Why was he making her nervous? She was Khushi Kumari Gupta and she did not give a damn on what he thought. She took a deep breath. She would not be scared. Nope!

"Look, Mr. Raizada, there is nothing to be so disturbed knowing I am scoring you. What did you expect? How can I come up with a conclusion? We are both into business and I thought, we both will be comfortable if it is done through numbers. Only numbers convince you, right? You said that yourself. Then why are so disturbed with this? You did not think I .."

"Shut up."

Saying Khushi was shocked, would be an understatement.

"What?"

Arnav sounded indifferent. And still as cold.

"I said shut up."

Khushi could not believe what he was saying. Her jaw dropped.

"How dare you tell me to shut up?"

"I can dare anything Khushi Kumari Gupta. I don't want to hear you anymore. No. I just don't want to hear you at all."

Khushi was furious by now. What did he think of himself?

"Of course. Why will you? I am stupid that I thought you were worthy of an explanation. You are outright arrogant and you don't deserve any explanation at all. You deserve to be below 20 and that is what you are gonna get."

And the car stopped screeching.

"Get out." Arnav gritted his teeth.

No matter how angry Khushi was, this was not something she had expected. She looked at him in utter disbelief.

"Just get the f**k out of my car." Arnav uttered through his teeth.

Khushi's nostrils flared. That was it. She had had enough. By the grace of Devi Maiya, the seatbelt came out smoothly this time. She stepped out of the car without a word and as soon as she banged the door, Arnav drove off leaving her in the middle of the road.

Arnav's rage started to be replaced with concern almost immediately after he had driven off. It was past 11 and where he had left her looked deserted. No matter how angry he was with her, it would be inhuman to leave her in the street at such late hours. So within a few minutes, Arnav turned his car and found Khushi still standing where he had left her. Was she in tears?

As soon as Khushi saw the car, she wiped off the tears and started walking, completely ignoring Arnav. Arnav turned & braked the car beside her but she kept walking on without even allowing him to say anything. Arnav, still fuming, got out of the car and reached her in long strides.

"Get in the car."

Khushi walked on silently.

"I said get in the car."

Khushi continued walking silently.

Arnav was never famous for his patience. He strode in front of her and in a dangerous tone commanded again.

"Get in the car, Khushi Kumari Gupta. Stop the drama."

Khushi could not believe the level of arrogance this man possessed. She could not stop herself from bursting anymore.

"What do you think of yourself?" She spat out. "I am not your slave. You think you can throw me out of your car and then take in whenever you want? No, Mr. Raizada. I choose not to be with you anymore. You can drive home basking in all your lonely glory, priding over your big fat ego. I will do just fine without you."

"Don't talk to me like that." Arnav warned.

"Why? Only you can talk like that? Go to hell. I will just forget I was ever with you. You were a mistake."

Arnav could not take it any longer. What did she mean by that? He was a mistake? She was hell bent on switching all the wrong buttons tonight. Arnav suddenly grabbed her by her shoulders & pulled her dangerously close.

"You will repent if you utter another word." He threatened through his teeth.

"No, I won't." She was outraged. "Who wants to say anything to you anyway?"

Khushi tried to free herself from Arnav and in the process, conveniently managed to slip her 4 inch heels. Suddenly everything changed.

Arnav got startled as Khushi screamed in pain. It took him sometime to realize it was not him who was causing her the pain. Everything happened really fast and no one realized or questioned when Arnav got down on his knees in the muddy roadside to check her ankle. Khushi was equally supportive leaning on Arnav, holding his shoulder for support and lending her ankle generously to Arnav for inspection, as she continued twisting and moaning in pain.

"You broke your heel." Arnav said holding her feet.

"I know." Khushi whined. "I am gonna be a limp!"

"I meant your shoe heels!"

"I broke my leg and you are worried about my shoes! What are you?" Khushi exclaimed.

Arnav was taken aback & felt a bit flustered too. He cautiously held her feet and tried to understand what was wrong. There was visibly nothing wrong, of course.

"How much is it paining?"

"Very much."

"Do you think you can walk?"

"No!" She kept whining. "Hai Devi Maiya. I have broken my leg."

"We should see a doctor." Arnav was dead worried by now.

Since Khushi refused to walk and kept whining, Arnav without thinking much picked her up in his arms. Khushi also held him around his neck tightly, still whining, "My Legs, My legs .."

Arnav was starting to get nervous not being able to measure the gravity of the situation at all. Had she really broken her leg?

Arnav placed her inside the car, buckled up the seatbelt & drove off. Khushi kept on whining like a child.

"I am going to be a limp. No one is gonna marry me."

She started sobbing making Arnav all the more flustered.

"What? Stop worrying. Lets get your ankle checked first."

"What good will that do? My life is ruined."

And she continued whining & blabbering the whole time till they reached the hospital, giving Arnav a hard time to occasionally respond to such emotional torment.

The dilemma of ego was lost and forgotten somewhere.