Chapter 32

Are you here yet?'

Khushi smiled fondly as she stared at the screen of her phone, reading again the text message sent some twenty minutes back. She had just switched it on as the plane had landed safely on the runway of Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. She typed in a reply quickly as she was waiting in queue to disembark the plane.

I am here!'

The phone started buzzing shortly and her smile broadened.

"Hello?"s

"Welcome back to Delhi, Ms. Gupta."

Khushi chuckled at the imposed formality.

"Practicing already?"

"You have left me no choice."

She could hear the hint of smile in his voice. Instantly, she again felt that now familiar mix of warm longing, melting-in-the-knees, stomach vacuuming emotions. She could not wait to see that smile.

"I think I am going to enjoy this double role play." She joked casually.

"I look forward to make it even more enjoyable for you." He said rather flatly.

Khushi flushed a little at the hint of naughtiness in his voice. At the same time, anticipation kicked in. God, I have missed you.

"You are in office?"

"Yes. Manic Monday."

"Yeah right. For your employees, I am sure. You must be enjoying very much watching them on their frantic toes."

"Even that keeps me busy."

She could swear he was smirking and her heart lurched. God, I can't wait to see you.

"Good. You keep bossing around. I will go get my luggage now."

"So .. see you, Ms. Gupta?"

"Yes. I will call you once I am settled in the hotel."

"Ok ... umm .. See you, Khushi."

She could read the anticipation and uncertainty in his voice. She smiled.

"See you, Arnav."

Khushi finished all formalities without any hassle and in no time she was on her way to the hotel in the car sent by AR. This time, she had flown to Delhi alone. Her boss and a member of the Operations team were here already familiarizing with the requirements of AR. She was joining them just in time because she had not wanted to lose the weekend. Payal's wedding shopping was still not completed and they had only a little more than a week in hand. She would be staying in Delhi for 3 nights only this time. S&S was attending another fair in Hong Kong in a month and Khushi was in charge of display and product planning. Things had suddenly got a big hectic at work, especially with her impending leave due to Payal's wedding.

They had almost reached hotel, when Khushi's phone rang again. Khushi quickly picked up the call.

"Hello, Abhi."

Abhishek Sharma a.k.a Abhi was the Head of Marketing of S&S and he was Khushi's boss. He was catching up with the project and had kept Khushi quite busy in this regard since his return.

"Have you reached, Khushi?"

"Yes. I am on my way to the hotel now."

"Good. We will be in AR for another 2 hours. Do you think you can join us?"

The possibility of getting to meet Arnav elated Khushi beyond anything else. She was here for work but she could not deny the ever growing excitement of seeing him again.

"It's okay if you want to skip. I understand you are tired .."

"No, no.." Khushi quickly cut in. "I will just drop my luggage at the hotel and be there."

"Great. See you soon then."

All excited, Khushi was this close to dialing Arnav's number and telling him about the change in plan but then she decided on giving him a surprise. The thought made her grin.

Arnav Singh Raizada. Here I come.

***

Three weeks. Three f**king long weeks. Three f**king long horrible weeks.

The last time he had seen her was when she had turned from her door to bid him goodbye. He could still clearly see her in her green chudidar, waving her hand at him, a little smile playing across her beautiful face. It was the night of their date in Sheesh Mahal and since then three long, lonely weeks had passed. She had promised to stay in touch but she had also made him promise to not use the excuse of another business meeting. He had been frequently tempted to fly down to Lucknow or to get her stubborn a** in Delhi to attend some project meeting but he had wanted to keep his word this time.

And she had kept her promise too.

They had been talking over phone every day ever since that night. Arnav's lack of conversational skills had been well complemented by Khushi's enthusiastic chattering. She had complained a bit at first but then had taken the responsibility to keep their conversation going. His "how are you" calls had been returned generously with calls about "making jalebi", "going shopping", "watching rain", "having ice creams", "riding cycle rickshaw" and not to mention the frequent "what are you doing".

The more they had talked, the thinner his patience had gone. The untamable desire to see her again had only been intensifying. To have her in his arms, to breathe in the smell of her hair, to stare at her grinning face .. if nothing else, at least to have her within his arms' reach. He had loved hearing her talk nonstop .. but also he had wished she was within his arms, lying beside him, in his bed instead of at the other side of the phone which was the only thing had had them connected. So when Aman had proposed for a visit to Lucknow, he had instantly refused and suggested to invite the team from S&S to Delhi instead. Khushi, of course, had tried to argue that her presence was not needed.

"You promised not to come up with another excuse!" Khushi had exclaimed over phone that night.

"I have not." Arnav had replied casually.

"I don't believe you!"

"It is purely business, Khushi. You are forgetting you are the project coordinator."

"I don't want to go to Delhi!"

"Is it because you don't want to see me, even if the business requires?" Arnav had asked sternly, somewhat disappointed and infuriated with her reaction.

"When did I say that?" Khushi had answered defensively. "You know naa, Arnav? Jiji's wedding is only a few days away. And there is so much going on at work too .."

"Up to you, Khushi." Arnav had not hidden his irritation.

Next morning, S&S had confirmed the names of the employees traveling to Delhi. Khushi's name had been on the list.

Since then, Arnav had been practically counting seconds to her arrival. He had no idea what had changed her mind and he had not pondered over it too. All that mattered was she would be here.

Patience was not something he was famous for. But last three weeks had been a test of the same. His restlessness had eventually increased exponentially with his excitement as the date of her arrival had been confirmed. And now that he knew she was here, the wait was getting more difficult to endure. The wait was something a first in Arnav's life. And he had been surprised realizing he was cherishing this new feeling.

Arnav checked the screen of his new best friend, his BlackBerry, and frowned. She should have reached her hotel by now.

"Come on, Khushi." Arnav murmured as he played with his handset aimlessly.

I'm waiting.

***

Khushi settled herself comfortably in the meeting room of AR. It was the same room where she had attended the meetings during her previous visit. She smiled as she remembered the last time she had been in this room.

"That is a stupid plan, Ms. Gupta."

She could clearly hear Arnav sneer.

"I cannot believe a corporate professional could come up with such a plan to solve such a serious issue. We are doing business here, not school projects."

The same man had approved her plan the next minute and had smirked at her, melting her completely in her knees. It had been a moment of pride for Khushi but her fascination for this man had surpassed everything else going forward. After a month and a half, the man still had the same effect on her and even more, Khushi knew. It was no longer her desire for him that would trouble her sleep, but it was her need to be with him that would let her sleep through the night hoping for a new dawn.

They had not talked about themselves once in last three weeks. They had talked about everything and nothing, from work to things to do when they would meet up. However, they had consciously kept aside the ugliness of his past, the reality of his inhibitions, the complexity of their equation. In fact, that had been the idea when Khushi had decided to give this relationship a chance. She had not told that to Arnav though. She had just promised him to be in touch and they had not talked about anything beyond that. Knowing from where Arnav's negativity about marriage had emerged, Khushi had decided to give Arnav time. She had felt his earnest willingness to make this relationship work and that had made her hopeful that he, probably would come around. He definitely would; if he loved her.

The meeting was on a coffee break and Arnav was nowhere around. As Khushi was waiting eagerly for him to appear, she remembered the night when he had told her about the project meeting scheduled in Delhi. Her first reaction definitely had not made him happy and he had not hidden it.

"So you don't want to see me, even if the business requires?"

Had he been hurt? Or had he been angry?

Whichever it was, Khushi had had no intention to dig further down their issues. That night she had tried understanding her own reaction, her own expectations. Had she been giving a bit too much importance to herself? What had made her think that Arnav had planned the meeting again as a pretext? Why had she refused when every bit of her was yearning to see him again?

The comfort level between them had notched up in last few weeks. It had been no longer only crazy hormones. It was not only the blissful feeling of love. There was a growing companionship, an understanding that made her feel even more closer to him. Then why had her first reaction was to run away from him? Why the thought of seeing him again excited and scared her at the same time?

Khushi could somewhat understand the reason of her fear. With him around, her rational thoughts were always at stake. Despite the intense urge to be near him again, she was more inclined towards sorting their relationship. She was scared their proximity could get them back to square one again. She had no intention to risk the ease between them right now. But was running away from him a solution?

It had caused her almost a night's sleep to decide on what she wanted. And finally she had concluded that there was no point trying to be away from him. It was not only his problem, it was her problem too. If he was against marriage, she too was not backing away even after knowing it. They would have to fight together and take it as life offered. Staying apart could only be a temporary answer when all they wanted was to be together.

Khushi started going through the updated files in the laptop. She could hardly focus though and every time someone would walk in through the door she would look up expecting to see a familiar face but in vain. She started biting her nails as it suddenly occurred to her that she did not even know if he was attending this meeting.

It turned out he was not joining them.

"Damn." Khushi cursed as she figured Aman was in charge of the meeting. She could not bring herself to ask about Arnav's whereabouts. Her surprise plan was going down the drain as it seemed. And to top it, she now had to force herself to focus on the projection screen and infer the numbers.

She sipped her tea in distraught and managed with difficulty not spitting it out. The tea had no sugar and it was freezing cold. She stared at the tea perplexed and could recall making it herself some thirty minutes back. In all her excitement and tension, she had completely forgotten to add sugar and then had forgotten to have it too.

"So much for giving a surprise." Khushi muttered as she pushed the mug away.

An hour later Khushi stood up and walked out of the meeting room, excusing herself. She could feel her head slightly pounding and the signs were familiar to her.

"Not now." She murmured as she tried to find her way to the ladies' room. She could not afford a migraine attack tonight. It must be the anxiety and the excitement that were triggering her nerves. The only thing she felt like doing right now was to barge into Arnav's office and have herself wrapped inside his arms. Knowing he was probably somewhere in the same building, she could no longer hold her patience. Should she call him and tell him she was here?

Khushi stopped along the passage fidgeting with her phone, trying to decide if to call or text Arnav. Well, he would be surprised anyway knowing she was here. This was her only chance to meet him now here. She would not be able to make any other excuse to meet him once the meeting was over.

"Khushi!!! Hi!" A familiar voice broke through her chain of thoughts.

Khushi looked up to find Pam, Arnav's PA, staring at her with surprised eyes.

"Pam! Hi! How are you?" Khushi smiled slightly.

"Fine. You? When have you come to Delhi?"

"I am good too. Just came today."

"I didn't know you would be here today. The memo said you would join tomorrow."

"Aah .. I was just catching up with the team. There is no point wasting time when I am already in Delhi .."

Pam smiled in understanding.

"I .. I was looking for the washroom. It is at the end of this passage, right?"

"Yes. But you can use mine. I have a private washroom in my cabin."

Khushi stared at Pam's smiling face and she knew why she was offering help. She was the only one who knew about them. And her cabin was basically an extension of Arnav's.

Khushi's smile broadened and she made no effort to hide her gratitude.

"Thank you, Pam. That will be great."

"You remember where ASR's cabin is? I was going for some work .. otherwise I would have accompanied you .."

"That's fine, Pam. Don't bother. I will find it."

"Good to see you, Khushi." Pam smiled genuinely.

"Good to see you too." Khushi smiled back. "And .. thank you."

Khushi stared at her retreating back, as Pam nodded and walked away. A big grin broke into her face anticipating the reaction of Arnav when he would see her. She entered Pam's cabin and eyed gleefully the locked door that led to Arnav's cabin.

"In no time, Mr. Raizada." She murmured and smirked.

She decided to quickly fix herself before paying Arnav a visit. She walked out of the private washroom, somewhat happy with the way she looked and she stopped in front of the door to Arnav's cabin. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. She knocked again. And again. But there was no response.

Hesitantly, Khushi turned the knob and peeped into the cabin as the door opened. Not being able to find him, she opened the door fully and walked into the cabin. There was no trace of Arnav anywhere.

"Damn." Khushi cursed as she realized Arnav was not in his cabin too. Eyeing the office, she remembered the last time she was here. The passionate lovemaking was followed by his blatant admission of no interest in a committed relationship. And then she had managed to faint in this very office making Arnav take her back to hotel. How dramatic! And hurtful too. Khushi could almost feel the pain she had felt that night. She had not only been heartbroken but also been succumbed to a deep feeling of self-loathing. They had come a long way from that night but that pain was for real. And the reason still existed.

Accompanying the rising frustration, the pounding of her head came back with a vengeance. She pressed the side of her forehead with her fingers and walked out of the cabin. The rising headache was unsettling her and she decided to take her leave from the meeting. She would then call Arnav and tell him she was in AR.

The surprise was not meant to be.

***

Arnav shifted his gaze from the projection screen as he heard the door open. To his utter astonishment, no one but Khushi, in flesh and blood, walked in through the door. Her face seemed disturbed, her fingers were massaging the side of her forehead. Was he now having visions or was she really here?

Arnav did not realize when he stood up from his chair. The feeling of surprise was rapidly being replaced with sheer joy and he could feel every cell of his body dancing in glee, his blood rushing through the veins in lightning speed. She was here. Here.

She clearly had not seen him yet and he could not resist himself from addressing her. Look at me. Khushi!

"Ms. Gupta?" His voice came out questioning.

Khushi first thought she was hallucinating as a familiar voice rang in her ears. But in the next second she turned her gaze on her right to only see him standing, his eyes fixed on her. On the backdrop of an indifferent face, manifold emotions were playing in those eyes. Beautiful caffeinated eyes. It was him. Indeed him. He was here. Arnav!

"Mr. Raizada." Khushi managed to acknowledge.

A part of her ran to him, to seek comfort in those strong arms. A part of him opened his arms, to let her softness mold him. Their souls embraced each other, trying to make up for torment of the last three weeks, feeling more now what they had missed as they were in front of each other again.

"I missed you." Their eyes conveyed silently.

"When did you come?" Arnav asked completely ignoring the fact that they were in a room full of people. His gaze was hungrily savoring her, not wanting to let her go away for a single moment again. That beautiful face, that delicate figure, those tinkling bangles, those dangling earrings, her yellow chudidar, her flowing hair ...

Damn, he had missed her.

"An hour or so." Khushi too did not move her gaze off him, staring at him as if she were hypnotized. The pounding of her head was long forgotten, perhaps cured too. His perfectly gelled hair, the stubble on his beautiful face, the dark grey suit and the impeccably white shirt hiding his chiseled body, those intense eyes ..

Damn, she had missed him.

No one in the room understood what ran between them, but both of them could feel the air had changed. And the world looked more beautiful now that the other was here.

As a small, happy smile slowly adorned her beautiful face, Arnav felt the strange vacuum in the middle of his chest again. So unlike him, a smile was trying to break through his well-practiced impassive demeanor. He felt happy. Genuinely happy.

How did she manage to make him feel this way always? Why he felt like believing in heaven when she was around? Why had he felt so empty knowing she was miles away from him? What were all those uncharacteristic changes in his behavior? Why now, he, Arnav Singh Raizada, felt like screwing everything else and hugging her so tight so that she could never walk away?

"Damn." Arnav's brain answered as if in sudden realization. "I love her."

Reviewed By: Ritz (iritz) & Dips (bs_deeps) 🤗