The Heart Knows -IPKKND ff-THREAD 2 link in pg 156

THE HEART KNOWS

Hey guys

Siddharth and Khushi left for the hotel where the meeting was supposed to take place. On the way to the hotel, Khushi prepared for the presentation and hoped that she wouldn't ruin her friend's reputation.

Siddharth squeezed her hand and said, "Stop worrying, sweetheart."

She bit her lower lip.

"Your presentation will be perfect."

"You trust me?" she asked, as doubt etched her face.

"Do you even have to ask?"

"Siddhu, you should have asked somebody else to do this."

"There is nobody else whom I trust more than you." He smiled and said, "So better remember that. You will do it today."

"You always amaze me with your confidence."

He looked at her from top to bottom and said, "There is one thing you could change though. I know you are comfortable in salwar. You can also try western. It will look good on you."

"I don't think so. I am comfortable in this."

"ASR is going to get the shock of the century when he finds a traditional Indian girl taking about the fashion week."

He was right in one way. Arnav was about to get the shock of the century. But it wouldn't be because of her dress. It would be because of her presence before him.

When they reached the hotel, Siddharth went to the conference room while Khushi excused herself and went to the washroom.

Five minutes later, when she entered the conference room, she found a man standing near Siddharth. His back was turned towards her and somehow, his mere presence in front of her gave her a weird feeling. She swallowed hard and stepped forward.

Arnav greeted Siddharth and asked him about his business. They spoke about the fashion week when he felt somebody's eyes on his back. He hadn't had that feeling since Khushi left him. Was it a coincidence that his sister had seen Khushi in Mumbai and here he felt her? He turned around and he indeed got the shock of the century.

He saw her walk towards him. The same old Khushi in her salwar. His Khushi. He scolded himself for such thoughts. She had cheated him and he was still thinking of her. He hid his reaction in time.

"You noticed her," Siddharth said. "She will explain the details today."

"Arnav Singh Raizada," he said as he extended his hand.

She shook his hand and said, "Khushi."

"Khushi'?"

"Khushi Raina," Siddharth replied.

Anger tried to erupt from inside him. He stopped himself and looked at her. How dare she? First she had cheated him with Shyam and now, she tried to cheat Siddharth. He knew he had to do something before everything went out of reach.

Siddharth looked at the time and asked, "Shall we start?"

Khushi started the presentation and Arnav did not move his eyes away from her. The information she said reached his ears and he stored it in his brain. But he was busy looking at her. ASR took a back seat and it was Arnav who admired her. This khushi was a bit new to him. She was nervous yet confident when she sketched out the plans. There was one question which nagged him. Why didn't she run away from him when she saw him? He was hundred percent sure that she was not frightened of him. He wanted to know what had happened during the past one year. All of a sudden the betrayal forced the steely resolve to return and he made his decision. If she played with him, then so would he.

"Two could play this game, Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada," he told himself. "You want to be Khushi Raina? There is no way I am going to let that happen. Wait and watch, Khushi. I will show you what betrayal is. Welcome to hell."

The lights were switched on and Siddharth stepped forward. "What do you think?" he asked Arnav.

"Let's do it."

They shook hands and Siddharth smiled at Khushi. She winked at him. It did not go unnoticed by Arnav.

They had lunch in the restaurant. The buffet hall was empty except for these four men and Khushi. Prakash joined them a few minutes later. Khushi sat alone with a glass of orange juice in her hand. Arnav occupied the chair next to her.

"No lunch?" he asked her.

"Later. I am still trying to calm my nerves."

"Calm your nerves? Why?"

"I have never done this before. This is the first and I want this to be the last too."

"I don't think it is going to happen. You were wonderful in there and I was wondering whether I could hire you."

"Too bad, Mr. Raizada. You are late," Prakash said as he walked towards them. "I asked her before you and she said that she wouldn't."

"Nobody says no to me," Arnav said.

Khushi was shocked to hear his arrogance.

Prakash said, "Come on, Khushi. Say yes to me or him."

"Dad is right, sweetheart. You have talent. Why let it go waste?"

The nerve in his neck throbbed when Siddharth called her sweetheart. He also felt pity for her latest man.

"Give me some time. I'll think over it."

She pulled Siddharth aside and said, "You promised me a treat, Siddhu."

"Pizza?" he asked her.

"Gol gappe," she replied with a wide grin.

"You know what? You are very difficult to understand. You like pizzas and yet at the same time, you enjoy gol gappes like a kid. It is difficult to understand you."

Arnav fumed and his eyes shot daggers at the two. The moment he stepped out of the hotel, he dialled Neel's number.

"Where is my information?" he yelled.

"She spends her time with Siddharth Rai'"

"I know. What else?"

"I have her address."

"Forward karo."

His phone beeped a few seconds after he disconnected the call. Before he was able to tell the address to the driver, he received a call from Aman. A meeting which was supposed to take place next week was rescheduled for that evening and Arnav had to attend it. He saved the address in his phone and went to the venue of the meeting.

Arnav pressed the calling bell and waited for her to open the door. No one came. He tried it again and waited. That was when the elevator door opened. Siddharth and Khushi walked out of the elevator hand in hand. It was enough for Arnav's temper to rise.

"Arnav," Siddharth said. "What are you doing here?"

"To see Khushi obviously," he replied with a shrug.

"But why?"

"To convince her to work for me."

Siddharth laughed. "Best of luck." He turned to Khushi and said, "I have to go, sweetheart. You will be fine, won't you?"

She nodded.

"I'll call you later. I have some work in the morning. I'll meet you for lunch. Okay? And call me anytime if you need anything."

"Siddhu, I have heard this over a million times."

"And I will continue telling it for the rest of our lives."

He kissed her forehead and said, "Take care."

He bid goodbye to both of them and left.

Arnav had reached his boiling point and was about to burst. He had come to ask her to work for him. After seeing the two he didn't have the patience to ask her in a gentle way.

"Hume soch ne ke liye kuch waqt chahiye," she told him as she opened the door. [I need some time to think]

"Some more time? Kyun?" [Why?]

He followed her into her apartment and closed the door behind him. She turned around in shock.

"Aapne darwaza kyun bandh kiya?" she asked her eyes wide in fear. [Why did you close the door?]

"You ask too much questions."

He stepped forward and she retreated. She stepped back until the wall stopped her.

"Main options nahi de raha hoon. This is final. I want you to work for me." [I am not giving you options. This is final. I want you to work for me.]

"Nahi."

He pinned her hands to the wall and said, "I hate people who talk back."

"I won't work for you. You are'" she stooped in the middle.

"I am' what? Complete it, Khushi."

She struggled in his hands. "Hume chodiye." [Let me go.]

He tightened his hold on her wrists. "If you want me to ruin your Siddhu, then very well. You don't have to work for me."

"You can't do that. He is talented and you cannot damage his reputation."

"You are very innocent, Khushi. You and I both know he is talented. But if you still don't know about me, only you are to blame for whatever happens. I can be very adamant and ruthless if things don't happen the way I want them to."

She looked at his eyes and saw the truth in his words.

"Be ready at nine tomorrow. I will come to pick you up."

"Nahi'"

His anger rose and his hold on her wrist tightened so much that it stopped the blood flow to her fingers.

"If you still think'"

"Kal nahi," she interrupted with tears in her eyes. "Day after tomorrow."

He looked at her in surprise and anger. He knew that she had accepted only because he threatened to damage Siddharth's career. The tears in her eyes bothered him. How could he let it happen? She had cheated him and he was worried for her.

He nodded.

"Please, Arnavji. Hume chodiye."

That did it. He removed his hands and stepped back. The way she said his name was just like before. However, everything was not like before. He had changed and so had she. She never for once acknowledged him to be her husband.

'Was something wrong with her?' his heart asked him.

His mind pushed away the emotion and said, 'She is a good actress. Don't you know that?'

His mind won the round as he had seen her acting skills. How well she had performed to be in love with him when she was truly after Shyam.

He turned around when he reached the door.

"I'll be waiting," he told her.

He found her rubbing her wrist where bruises had already begun to form. He stamped over the guilty feeling and changed it to irritation. He raked his hand through his hair and walked away from her apartment without another glance at her.

hey guys...

here is chapter 3...

The heart knows

Chapter 3

Khushi walked out of the airport and hailed a cab. She did not tell Siddharth why she accepted Arnav's offer. If she had told him, he wouldn't have let her go. He would have done anything for her. During the past one year, Siddharth had become her whole world and she didn't want to hurt him in any way.

She gave Arnav's office address to the cab driver and leant back on the seat. Thirty minutes later, the driver dropped her in front of AR office.

The first person she saw was Arnav. He stood near his car facing her. He looked at her and a devilish grin appeared on his face.

Before he could speak, his sister, who was near him, saw Khushi. Her eyes widened in surprise. Arnav noticed her sister's reaction.

"Khushiji, you are here," she said.

"Ji?" she asked, confused.

According to Arnav, Khushi was acting as if she didn't know them. His sister was standing beside him and he had to do something.

"Di, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Par, chote'"

"One second, di." He took her aside and said, "Di, Khushi does not remember us."

Anjali was shocked. "Yeh kaise ho saktha hai, chote?"

"Patha nahi, di. I just know that she doesn't remember us. She has a friend in Mumbai by the name Siddharth. She does not know anybody else. I asked her to help me with the upcoming fashion week I have arranged with Siddharth."

He hated lying to his sister but he didn't have an option because what Khushi had done would be far more hurtful than his lie. What he didn't know was how truthful his 'lie' was.

"What do we do now?" Anjali asked him.

"Don't tell her the truth, di. Even if others come to know about her, ask them to be careful. I'll handle the situation."

"Are you sure everything will be fine?"

"Trust me. I will make sure everything is alright."

She placed her palm on his cheek and asked, "She doesn't remember you, chote?"

"Don't worry, di."

She nodded and walked to Khushi. "Welcome to our office, Khushiji. I am Anjali. Arnav's sister."

Khushi smiled.

"If you have any problem with my brother, you can call me."

"Thanks, Anjaliji."

"Where are you staying?"

"Mera dhosth ka ghar hai. I'll be staying there."

"Chote, bring her home today after your work is over."

She left the two alone to talk about their work.

After Anjali left, Arnav opened his car door and said, "Get in."

She did as she was told. When he drove away from the office, she asked, "Aap hume kahan le jarahe hain?"

"You are not here to ask questions."

They stayed silent for the rest of their journey.

Arnav did not want her in his office. He took her to a small building he had rented for the purpose of the fashion week. Employees working there did not know about her. She had once worked for him and he did not want that to interrupt his revenge plan.

The first person she saw in Delhi might have been Arnav. However, the first person who saw her was Shyam. He was in the same parking area when Khushi entered the office. He saw her and he froze in his place. The one year without her had been hell for him. The moment he saw her, hope returned. He wanted her. If he couldn't get her, then he would make sure that she didn't belong to anybody else. He overhead Arnav's conversation with Anjali.

"This time I will win, Khushiji. You don't remember anything, do you? I will use that against you. Sale saab won't know what struck him."

Arnav dropped her in the other office and asked her to help the others. Half of the staff worked for Siddharth and she knew a few. Soon after he left, Shyam made an appearance. He made sure no one noticed when he entered her room.

"Good afternoon," he said. "I am Shyam. I handle the legal issues in this office."

"I am Khushi."

"Aapko milkar khushi huyi. It is almost time for lunch. Will you share lunch with me?"

"Some other day, Shyamji."

"First time pooch raha hoon. Inqaar math kijiye," he requested.

She didn't want to hurt his feelings and she accepted. They had lunch together in a hotel near their office.

It was Khushi's utter bad luck that Arnav saw them in the hotel. He had a meeting in that hotel. When he passed through the dinning area, he saw the two sitting together and having fun. His anger knew no bounds. He realised that he had made a very big mistake in bringing Khushi back into his life. Not even one day had passed since she entered Delhi and here she was getting cosy with his sister's husband.

Shyam got a call from his real office and he had to go. He promised Khushi that he would make up for the sudden departure and left.

Arnav postponed the meeting and went to the dinning area. Khushi saw him walking towards her. Anger radiated from him and she felt it.

She got up from the chair and said, "Arnavji, aap?"

"Were you expecting somebody else?" he asked through clenched teeth.

Khushi took a step back in fear.

"You are supposed to be in the office. What are you doing here?"

"I came here for lunch."

He grabbed her hand and dragged her to his car.

"One more wrong move on your part and I will kill you, Khushi. I mean it. Don't mess with me."

"Arnavji, I don't'"

"Shut up," he snapped. "You are here to work. Not to enjoy lunch with your boy friends in big restaurants."

"But'"

"I said, shut up. Do not talk when I am talking." He dropped her in Siddharth's guest house and said, "Stay in your limits."

"I am not who you think I am, Arnavji. There is some misunderstanding."

He got down and caught her hands. He pushed her on his car and held her still. He saw the fear in her eyes and he enjoyed it.

"Do not provoke the devil in me, Khushi. You won't be able to bear it this time. One mistake, I might forgive. I MIGHT. The same mistake again, I will not. Keep that in your mind."

He let her go.

Before leaving, he said, "I said one wrong move on your part and I will kill you. I don't make empty threats, Khushi."

With that, he left behind a frightened and a shivering Khushi.

A phone call brought her back from the nightmare she was in. It was Siddharth. She let the phone ring and went into the house. She had no idea why she was Arnav's target. Siddharth called her again. She ignored the call and went to the bathroom to have a shower. After a long, hot shower, she stepped into her room.

She took her phone and checked who had called her. There were nearly fifteen missed calls. Before she could see who had called her, the calling bell chimed. She dropped the phone on her bed and went to answer the door.

The moment she opened the door, Arnav stepped in and shouted at her. "Don't you dare ignore my calls next time."

"Sorry?"

"Don't act, Khushi. You know I called."

"No' I was in'"

"I have heard enough of your lies. Don't feed me some more."

"Why do you always jump to conclusions?" she asked him. "I was in the shower. I didn't ignore your calls. I was checking the numbers and you walked in."

He realized the truth in her words. Her hair was wet and the bathroom door was open.

"Get ready. Di invited you for dinner."

She shook her head in exasperation and went to the kitchen. He followed her into the kitchen. She grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator and sat on the slab as she sipped it. That was when she heard a small 'meow' sound. She looked around to find the owner of the sound. She opened the back door and heard another 'meow'. She found that the sound came from under a metal sheet near the far end of the wall. She removed the metal sheet and found two tiny kittens. One was white with a few brows stripes and he looked like a tiger. The other one was grey with very little white. Her heart ached when she saw their condition. They were so tiny that both the kittens could fit in one of her palms. They were bony and they couldn't even stand on their feet. Khushi picked the kittens and was about to return to the kitchen when the door slammed shut due to the wind. She couldn't open it with one hand and Arnav came to the rescue.

"Let me," he said.

"Thanks."

She placed the two kittens on the kitchen slab and searched for a bowl. She poured some milk into the bowl and placed it in front of them. The two had been hungry for a very long time and they sipped the milk as if it was the only thing in the whole world.

Arnav had eyes only for Khushi. The way she cared for the two kittens made him rethink his decision. Did she really try to spoil her sister's marriage? He shoved those thoughts aside as he didn't want to think about it for a while.

"You are going to keep them?" he asked her.

She stared at him in surprise. There was some sort of a gentleness in his voice and she didn't understand the reason.

"Of course."

"What are you going to name them?"

"Salt and Pepper."

"What the!" he exclaimed. "You are going to name them Salt and Pepper?"

"Pasand nahi?"

"Do you think they will like it?" he asked as he pointed to the cats.

"They have to," she said with a commanding yet soft tone.

She replaced the milk and the water bottle in the refrigerator. When she turned around, she found Pepper walking like a drunkard. He was about to fall from the slab. He took one more step and he fell.

"Pepper!!"

Arnav reacted in time and caught the kitten before he fell to the ground. Khushi took the kitten from him and kissed tiny Pepper's head. The kitten meowed and then settled in her arms. A tear dropped from her eye. Arnav noticed it and tried to stay away.

"To hell with revenge," he muttered under his breath and wiped her tear.

More tears fell. He pulled her into a hug.

"Thanks."

"Khushi, he is a cat. Cats don't get hurt when they fall. They are flexible and they are extremely careful. Even if I hadn't caught Pepper, he wouldn't have been hurt."

She hugged him tighter and cried. He rubbed her back and whispered in her ears that everything would be fine.

"Hume maf kijiye," she told him.

"Maafi? Kisliye?"

"I don't know," she confessed. "Everytime you see me, you get angry. Aapka gussa dekh kar humne darr laghta hai. I don't have any boy friends. This afternoon, he said he wanted to have lunch with me. I said no in the beginning and then when he asked for the second time, I couldn't say no."

What she told him opened a lot of wounds he tried to hide. He took a step back and looked into her eyes. He badly wanted to believe them.

"It's alright."

She placed her arm on his chest and said, "I am sorry, Arnavji."

The kitten in her other arm meowed and they turned their attention to Salt and Pepper.

"I'll change and come."

She placed Pepper on the slab and went to her room to change.

She searched through the closet with her mind working overtime. When she had placed her hand over his chest, she had felt his heartbeat. Somehow, it disturbed her a lot. She tried hard to remember why it bothered her very much. Suddenly she felt dizzy and she pressed her hands against her temple. And then everything went black.

He waited for her in the living room with a magazine in his hand. When Aman called him to remind him about a meeting which was to be held the next day, he closed the magazine and spoke about the video conference. After he spoke with Aman, he glanced at his watch. It had been fifteen minutes since she went in. His heart told him that something was wrong. He ignored the warning messages and opened the magazine again. Five more minutes passed and he began to panic.

He knocked the door and called her. "Khushi, are you ready?"

No answer.

"Khushi. I am waiting for an answer. We are getting late."

Still no answer.

He tried the handle. The door was open.

"I am coming in."

He opened the door and stepped in. Khushi was sprawled on the floor near the closet. He ran to her and knelt down beside her.

"Khushi, what happened?" He patted her cheeks and said, "Dammit, Khushi. Open your eyes."

He lifted her and took her to the bed. He brought a cup of water from the kitchen and sprinkled it on her face.

"Khushi."

His heart beat turned normal only when her eyes opened slowly.

She lifted her hand to her forehead and asked, "Kya hua?"

He was shocked. "Kya hua? Tum mujhe pooch rahi ho?"

She blinked for a couple of times and tried to get to a sitting position. He set the cup aside and helped her sit.

"What happened?" he asked her.

"Patha nahi. I was searching for a dress and then suddenly I blacked out."

"Ab tum theek ho?"

She nodded. "Aap bahar wait kar sakthe hain? I'll change and come."

"Such mein tum theek ho?" he asked again, not trusting her.

"Yeah, I am fine."

He helped her stand, waited until she could manage and then left the room. Five minutes later, she came out wearing a sky blue salwar. She had a blanket and a soft towel in her hand. She arranged the blanket and the towel on the table in her room and went to the kitchen. She brought the kittens with her and placed them on the towel. She also kept the milk bowl on the table next to their little home.

"Shall we go?"

Arnav nodded.

"You haven't told me about your family," she said when they were on their way to his house.

His nerves twitched in anger. He had enough of her acting and he wanted to shout at her. However, he stopped himself telling him that he would get another opportunity to get back for her betrayal.

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Anjali had already told the Razaida family about Khushi's condition and they were shocked. She had asked them to behave as normal as possible without revealing the truth that she and Arnav were actually married. It had been a year since they saw Khushi and they accepted to whatever Anjali said.

"Nani, Khushiji aagayi," Anjali said when she heard the sound of Arnav's car.

Everyone in the house, even the Prakash's, gathered in the living room to see her. Anjali welcomed her with a hug and introduced the others to her. Payal had tears in her eyes and she blinked them back before anybody noticed.

The Gupta family had returned to Lucknow soon after they came to know that Khushi was missing. Every small thing in Delhi reminded them of their daughter and they couldn't handle it. Payal had wanted to tell her parents about Khushi but Arnav had stopped her saying that Khushi might need some time to adjust to the surroundings before the truth is revealed to her.

Khushi enjoyed their company. They had dinner together. Payal made jalebhis for her sister. When Khushi saw them, her eyes twinkled. It reminded Arnav of his old Khushi, the mirage he had fallen in love with.

Khushi hesitated before taking a jalebhi.

"What are you waiting for, Khushi?" Payal asked her. "Humne tumare liya banaya. Kha ke bhatao ye kaisi hai."

"Thanks, Payalji."

She savoured the jalebhi and ate it slowly. She didn't eat more than three.

"Jalebhi pasand nahi aayi, Khushiji?" Anjali asked her.

"Nothing like that, Anjaliji. I love them. Wo kya hai, mera ek dhosth hai, Siddhu. He always orders me not to eat so much sweets. So, I am trying to control. Bahut mushkil hai lekhin Siddhu keliye karna padtha hai."

Arnav had enough of the name 'Siddhu' and got up from the dinning table. "Di, I have to make an urgent call."

The whole family understood that Arnav was upset as Khushi was talking about her friend but she didn't remember her husband. They consoled themselves that time would heal their wounds.

Payal couldn't help but ask, "Siddhu kaun hai, Khushi?"

"Uska naam Siddharth. He has a fashion house named SR Designs in Mumbai. Mera bahut achcha dhost hai."

"His family, wife and children?" Anjali asked.

"He lives with his father. He is not yet married."

As she was telling them about Siddharth, her phone rang. Her lips widened into a bright smile and she excused herself from the others and went to the kitchen.

"Siddhu, hundred years. I was talking about you to Arnavji's family members."

"I am not talking to you, Khushi," he said angrily.

"Kyun?" Her voice was very low.

"Is Arnav near you?"

"No. Siddhu, please."

"Pass the phone to somebody else. Who is near you?"

Payal had followed her to the kitchen. Khushi passed the phone to Payal and ran away with tears in her eyes.

"Hello!" Payal said.

"May I know who I am speaking to?"

"I am Payal, Arnav's sister in law."

"Hello Payal. I am Siddharth."

"Did you say something to Khushi, Siddharthji? Wo ro rahi hai."

"Choti si fight. Tell me, Payal. Has Khushi had her dinner?"

"Ji. She ate with us. I think you should talk to her."

Khushi was in the living room. She laid her head in Nani's lap and was crying.

"Khushi, Siddharth wants to talk to you," Payal told her.

"I don't want to talk," came her mumbled reply.

Payal told him what Khushi told her and he asked her to put the phone in loudspeaker mode.

"Khushi," he said.

She didn't speak.

"Khushi khush nahi hai?"

"Nahi."

"What should I do to make my Khushi happy?"

"Phone kaat lo."

"I am sorry, sweetheart. You know, I was worried about you. I called you for about ten times and you didn't attend the call. Delhi mein pehle din me tumara dhosth ko bhool gaya hain na? Issiliye muhje thoda gussa aa gaya. Ab nahi hai."

Nani said, "Khushi bitya, it is alright. Forgive him once."

"Theek hai. I will talk with you but only because of Naniji," she told him.

"You know, Khushi. If you hadn't accepted, I would have told Naniji about your story."

"What story?" she asked in confusion.

"Wo raath jab tumne mere collar pakadke'"

She plucked the phone from Payal and turned off the loudspeaker mode. "Siddhu, I thought you wouldn't tell that to anybody."

"It's cute when you get angry," he said with a laugh.

"Aaj tumne mujhe rulaaya," she accused.

"Sorry, sweetheart. When you didn't attend my calls, I was worried. Mujhe maaf karogi?"

"Of course," she told him whole heartedly. "Tuhje patha hai, I got a lot of friends today including two cats."

She chatted with him like a little child. She was so innocent and selfless that all the people around her had tears in their eyes. Arnav looked at her from the stairs and enjoyed how animatedly she told Siddharth about the two kittens. When he saw Anjali, he returned to face the hard reality in front of him.

It was almost nine thirty when Arnav came to the living room.

"Chote, Can you drop Khushiji in her house?" Anjali asked him.

"Sorry, di. Mujhe kuch kaam hai. I have to leave for Pune tomorrow. I'll ask the driver to drop her."

His meeting for the next day had been postponed and Aman informed him that he had another meeting in Pune. He had to fly to Pune early the next morning. He asked the driver to drop Khushi and he went to sleep.

The next day, Khushi was in her office when she realised that there was no balance in her phone and she had to recharge it. She left the office and turned around the corner and bumped into somebody. When she looked up, she recognized Shyam.

"Sorry, Shyamji. I wasn't looking."

"It's alright, Khushiji,'" he said with a smile. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Haan. Mobile mein balance nahi hai. I have to recharge it."

"Give me your number. I'll do it for you."

He was being nice to her and she didn't want to hurt him by saying no. So, she said, "No problem, Shyamji. I'll manage. You can come with me if you want."

"If I want? Of course, Khushiji."

They went to recharge her mobile and then stopped in a coffee shop. The coffee shop was Shyam's idea. Khushi had missed breakfast and she was hungry.

"How long will you be here, Khushiji?"

"I am here for the fashion week that had been arranged by AR Designs and SR Designs. After it is over, I'll move back to Mumbai."

Before he was able to question further, he got a call from his office regarding a client. He finished the call and said, "Sorry, Khushiji. I have to go. Huch kaam aagaya. I'll definitely meet you again." A second later, very slowly he said, "Mujhe aapse kuch baath karni hai. Maybe tomorrow."

She smiled and accepted.

"Always keep smiling like this."

She then went to her office to resume the work.

A few minutes before the meeting was about to start, Arnav thought about Khushi. However hard he tried, he couldn't forget the Khushi he had seen last night. How could one person behave differently with different people? He shoved his thoughts aside and called her.

"Good afternoon, Arnavji," her cheerful voice greeted him.

He didn't bother with the greetings. "Kaam kaisi hai?"

Her voice fell when his voice was so business like. "It's going on. I will go to the site today to see what sort of a design will suit the place."

"When are you leaving?"

"Dus minute mein."

"When will the stage design be ready?"

"Two days max."

"Make sure that everything is fine. I'll be back tonight. Call me if there are any problems."

"Okay. Bye. I have to go."

When she was about to disconnect the call, he said, "Suno."

"Hmmm'"

"Did you have lunch?"

"Not yet."

"Remember to eat before moving to the site. I'll drop by as soon as I return."

"Okay," her voice had a little happy tone in it.

Khushi grabbed a burger from the office cafeteria and went to inspect the site. Siddharth wanted her to design the stage and Arnav had accepted when he heard the confidence in Siddharth's voice.

The place where the show was supposed to take place was in the grounds in front of a seventy year old massive house. The theme of the show was traditional clothes and Khushi knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and visualized the show in her mind just the way she wanted it to. When she was happy with the virtual design, she walked around the house to see whether it had to be decorated.

It was almost seven when she returned home. She played with the kittens for a while and fed them. When they fell asleep, she went to the office and decided to work on the stage design.

On her way back to the office, she called Siddharth and asked him when he was arriving. He told her that he had delayed it. Prakash had some complications with his sugar and cholesterol level and Siddharth had to stay with him to ensure that he took his medicines regularly. He promised her that he would come within a day or two.

She had asked one of her colleagues to help her find the photos of the shows which had been arranged by AR Designs till date. He told her that they were in the top most shelf in her room. She pulled a stool and climbed on it to find the photos. The albums were kept in a cardboard box. When she pulled the box, the stool wobbled and was about to fell.

She heard a voice as she fell, "Khushi."

A pair of arms saved her from hitting the ground. She opened her eyes to see who it was. It was Arnav. His eyes did not leave her as she opened her eyes and looked at him. She clutched his shirt and hid her face in his chest. He slowly slid her down and helped her to her feet. She stood close to him with her heart beat going crazy.

"Thank you," she whispered after a long time.

He nodded and said, "Let's go."

"I have some work here."

"I said come," he said in a stern voice.

She could do nothing but follow him. He took her to a hotel and he ordered for the both of them. The waiter brought them the food and she gobbled up the food while he looked at her between occasional bites.

"Is one burger your idea of lunch?" he asked her in anger.

She bit her lower lip. "I wasn't hungry."

"Yeah! I can see that," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Khushi couldn't understand Arnav's behaviour. One moment, he was soft and caring and the next, he turned into an angry young man. Into someone she didn't want to know. His anger reached to such a high level that he didn't even understand how hurt she was. He was an enigma and she knew that it would take a long time for her to realize who he really is.

As for Arnav, he was messed up. He took her to Delhi for the sake of revenge. However, he found himself starting to admire her. He pitied himself. Even though he knew that she was having an affair with Shyam, he was completely destroyed when he realized that she had walked out of his life. Even though he was angry, he would stare at her when she was asleep. He liked her moving around in his room as if she owned him and his house. It was not that he had forgiven her. The anger was always there. It was just that like the anger, the love was also there but he tried to hide it and let anger rule him.

"Tera kuch nahi hoga," he cursed himself for thinking so much about Khushi.

He was losing himself and he didn't want that to happen again. He had to remain in control like he always did.

sorry to whoever is reading this...

here is chapter 5