ArHi OSes: When I Knew | Ugly Chaise | PG 53 | NEW UPDATE (21/8) - Page 14

Aman Mathur was not known for his humor or wit. He was a rather dry human being, with a strong sense of loyalty and honor, and a good, clean heart. He was single, lived with his aging parents, and had a steady job. By all accounts, he was seemingly the average man.

But he didn't just hold any job. He happened to be the right hand man of the talented Arnav Singh Raizada, business man of the century. His constant presence in the backgrounds was what made AR Corp so successful, and while he didn't necessarily get credit for that, he did not mind one bit.

Aman was someone who liked to fade into backgrounds. He was a quiet, dignified man who deeply respected his boss. He had met Arnav when they were both in college, Aman being a year younger than Arnav. Arnav had stood up for him during a particularly tough ragging session, and since then, he had stood by Arnav's side without question.

Aman knew the deepest, darkest Raizada secrets. He was privy to top company initiatives, and Arnav trusted him implicitly. Aman, no matter how hard competitors tried, would never break that trust. And in return, he was granted unprecedented access to Arnav's deepest thoughts.

He was always in the background, standing about quietly when Arnav would throw his head against the back of the leather chair in frustration, groaning in agony at stock prices. He was there when Arnav broke down in tears on the anniversary of his parents death late at night, unwilling to go home and sit down at the honorary puja. He was there when Arnav fought with Lavanya over her clingy nature, and he was there when they kissed and made up.

In short, he knew everything about Arnav.

So when Arnav Singh Raizada had a furious reaction to the presence of Khushi Kumari Gupta, Aman instantly knew that something was different. Arnav didn't react to her like he reacted to Lavanya, Michelle, or any of the other girls he had dated. At first, Aman didn't put much thought into it, figuring that they were just too opposite to concur on anything.

But that all changed when he heard Arnav's furious voice ringing out from the glass paned office on the first floor.

"Who was the idiot that gave you a job here?"

"Listen, I don't want to work here. Not now, not ever! I came here to get a job, not to be your servant. I made a mistake. I'm leaving."

"You can't fix your mistakes that easily."

Aman watched in horror as he recognized the determined, steely look in Arnav's eyes, taking long steps forward and cornering the girl in the bright pink churidar. He was tempted to call out, to warn her from beneath and tell her to slip underneath his boss and run away. But he couldn't. He stood there, almost hypnotized by the drama taking place right in front of his eyes.

"Look, I don't want to work here, or ever see you again!" He heard her voice frantically increase in pitch as he continued to step towards her, seeing her swallow uncomfortably.

Arnav didn't say a word, stepping forward further and pushing her against the glass window behind her. He failed to realize that it was open, and her foot slipped back, stumbling behind and almost tumbling out of the window. Aman opened his mouth to scream, yell for someone to come and catch her.

But he didn't have to.

Arnav's hand had reached out in a split second, grasping the hand of the pom-pon decorated girl, her braid swinging wildly as she hung out of his office window. Aman's hand slid over his mouth, realizing what his boss was about to do.

He saw Arnav exchange words with her, asserting his position of power in the situation. He could see her tremble in fear, her body tightening and her head swiveling downwards to look at the floor beneath her. And then she did what he didn't expect.

"I'd rather fall than be saved by you."

He saw Arnav's eyes widen imperceptibly in shock, knowing that Arnav had never been subjected to such audacity. Aman mentally applauded the girl for her courage, her poise in a situation where she clearly held no power.

Then, in an act that could only be described as revenge, Arnav Singh Raizada dropped Khushi Kumari Gupta from the glass walls of his first floor office in front of his entire staff.

That didn't surprise Aman. He expected that from Arnav, a ruthless businessman who was thoroughly irritated by this chit of a girl that opposed him at every chance.

What did surprise him was the emotion in Arnav's eyes as Khushi turned her face up to his, her eyes filled with tears of humiliation and anger.

Behind his inscrutable, steely chocolate eyes was one emotion that stood out to Aman, an emotion that Arnav Singh Raizada was rarely known for.

Regret.

-***-

He watched Arnav brutally abuse the innocent, doe-eyed girl with the long, shining hair. He didn't protest when Arnav sent her out into a pouring storm, forcing her to stand out there for hours directing cars. He stood by silently as Arnav stood underneath an umbrella, his eyes flitting to the shivering, miserable vision in red. Aman opened his mouth to argue in favor of her, but a quick glare from Arnav shut him up.

He also noticed when Arnav sprinted out of the protection of the umbrella, causing the holders of the device to run after him frantically as he was completely drenched in the rain. He watched quietly as Arnav grasped the girl nimbly in his fingers, spinning her carefully out of the oncoming car's pathway. He averted his eyes when Arnav paused for a minute too long, his hands resting gently on her waist as she looked up at him through, wet, salty eyelashes, her hair plastered to the top of her head.

He stayed silent when Arnav rescued her from a building he had sent her to, a building at the risk of collapse and killing the poor girl. He didn't open his mouth when Arnav spent all night by her side, his laptop on his lap and a heavy expression on his face.

He said nothing when Arnav hastily proposed to Lavanya upon learning of Khushi's engagement, or when he broke it off when Khushi's engagement was broken up.

He bit his lip down hard when Arnav informed him of their marriage and the circumstances surrounding it, realizing it was futile to argue with him. He watched, pained, as Arnav fought his own feelings and took his frustrations out on an innocent, confused Khushi. His relieved silence came when Shyam was finally kicked out of Shantivan, leaving a devastated, regretful Arnav behind.

But all that never truly confirmed what Aman had always known to be true. He knew his boss had deep feelings for Khushi, but he never expected them to go this far. He did not expect Arnav to fight for her after he had learned of his betrayal. Arnav's nature was to not accept his crimes, but to brush them off and attempt to justify his actions.

But with Khushi, Aman saw Arnav not only accept his flaws, but go out of his way to make Khushi miserable and force her to come back.

Aman finally realized when Arnav spun around in his chair after a long, hard day where he had done nothing but bark at every Tom, Dick and Harry that happened to pass his path. Aman was fully exhausted, wanting desperately to go home to his parents and eat his mother's lovingly prepared dinner. As he was about to step out of the office, Arnav's determined voice called him back once more.

"Aman. Buy Khushi's house. Now."

"But-"

"Buy it." His voice left no room for argument, and Aman nodded silently and walked over to place the call. An elated landlord sold it to Arnav for an insanely high price. Aman turned his questioning gaze towards Arnav when the call was finished, wondering why Arnav had offered the man this much money to buy a house that was falling apart at the seams.

If he hadn't been listening closely, he would have missed it completely.

"I'm willing to lose all of my money if I get her back. She's priceless."

The soft, quiet murmur was completely unlike the ruthless, hard man he had come to know. It was defeated and frustrated, a voice of a man who deeply regretted the sins he had committed against the woman he loved beyond all measure.

For the first time, Aman saw Arnav Singh Raizada more broken than he had ever seen him before. The guilt was eating him up inside, and it was visible in the deep lines beginning to appear on his face.

He may have gone about it in an odd way, but Aman knew that Arnav regretted his decisions more than he had ever regretted anything in his life. So he silently accepted it, walking out without a second thought.

When he turned back, he saw Arnav with his head in his hands, wiping away the stray tear that slid down his cheeks.

-***-

The next morning, Aman didn't comment when Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada stormed in, her voice echoing all the way down to the secluded meeting room that Arnav was sitting in. He hid his smile at the satisfied smirk that appeared on Arnav's face upon hearing his wife's voice, his eyes shining a little bit more brightly.

He stayed quiet when Arnav spun around in his chair, shocking the woman berating him for making a pass on a "shaadi shuda ladki". He watched quietly from the door as Arnav stepped forward, cornering her against the copy machine in the corner.

He barely restrained his laughter when Arnav stalked up to the offending employee, placing a resounding slap on his cheek for daring to call Khushi an "item".

"Uska naam item nahi hai. Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada hai. Meri patni hai woh."

Aman smiled discreetly and then stepped away, realizing his boss was completely head over heels in love with the girl who had pranced into his life and turned it on its heels.

-***-

Aman kept quiet when Arnav took more days off from work when Khushi asked him to take her on a holiday, saying nothing when he gave Aman a promotion and asked him to handle more work. He quietly accepted Arnav finally letting go of the tight hold he had on the reins, watching in satisfaction as the worry lines around his eyes faded. He delightedly accepted when Khushi packed lunch for him along with Arnav, watching silently as his boss savored every bit of the delicious meal.

He finally opened his mouth when one day, he accepted a call from Arnav at 10pm, irritated at being disturbed outside of work, an event that rarely occurred these days. He gruffly answered, expecting Arnav to send him away on a new business trip, when his face turned a bright red and he dropped the phone hastily.

The soft moans of one Khushi Kumari Gupta Singh Raizada as Arnav whispered seductively into her ear echoed in his brain uneasily. He had, unfortunately, heard her gasps of pleasure and her pleas for more, begging her husband to work- ahem- faster and harder.

The next morning, Aman quietly tapped Arnav's shoulder, noting the large, purplish mark, the mismatched buttons, and the disheveled hair Arnav had failed to hide in his haste.

"Um, sir, if I may?" Arnav glanced up at him, irritation laden in his eyes, clearly telling him to go on.

"You have bright pink lipstick on your dark, purple shirt sir."