ARSHI SS | Of Chai, Fights and Lonely Nights (Chapter 3 POSTED 12/23) - Page 6

Chapter 3

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO DROP ME OFF," SHE MUMBLED, CASTING UNEASY GLANCES AT ARNAV WALKED IN FRONT OF HER. To say that breakfast with the Raizadas was awkward would've been an understatement. Anjaliji had an ability to talk vehemently, even more than her, while Arnav had sat there stonily, shooting Khushi daggers when his sister wasn't looking. Aapne mujhe kis museebat mein daal diya, Devi Maiya?

She knotted her dupatta nervously. "I will take the bus."

He remained silent, stopping every so often to let her catch up.

"Raizada, stop ignoring me," she rebuked as they neared the garage. "I don't know where we're going, and I really need to go."

Arnav turned around. "Di is very persistent, and I know that she's still watching," his eyes lingered behind her. She quickly peeked at Anjali who waited expectedly near the entrance, waving knowingly at her. "And unless you want to face even more, I suggest you get in the damn car."

She glared at him. "I'm not obligated to go just because Anjaliji-"

"Look," he let out an impatient breath. "I'm not dying to drop you off either."

"And I don't want to go with-"

"But Di insists. You have half an hour," he glanced at his watch. "To go to the bus stop, catch a bus and go to your office that's forty minutes away. And it's raining outside. It makes sense if you go with me."

"Will you stop interrupting me?" She knew she was being unreasonable and headstrong, but she couldn't get in his car. Getting in his car would give him further satisfaction, and he would win. There was no way she was going to let that happen. "I'm taking the bus."

"I'm dropping you off."

"You can't make me." She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at him.

"Do you have to argue with everything I say? You're not five, Khushi Gupta."

"Why do you have to argue?" She countered. "Why can't you leave me alone? Kya farak padta hain mein gari se jao ya bus se?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "You're making it more difficult than it has to be."

"I don't know who you think you are." She stepped closer to him when it happened. Her foot fell on the ground awkwardly, twisting along the way. She felt herself slip backward, closing her eyes in anticipation of the old cement and tiles, of the pain that would course through her when she would hit the floor, but it didn't come.

She felt herself get enveloped by strong arms while a woody smell masked her.

"Khushi, tum theek ho?"

KHUSHI DETESTED EVENING CLASSES. Her house was more than an hour away from campus which meant that she went home at seven thirty at the earliest. The aunties and local town gossipers would shoot her looks of disapproval whenever she came home late, mumbling about how 'modern' girls these days were or making up stories about obscure boyfriends despite being well aware of where she was. And then there was public transportation which brought along its own set of problems, and she feared that one of these days, she would have to put her can of pepper spray or karate skills to use.

She walked quickly down the stone path, her fingers poised over the can of pepper spray. The express bus arrived every fifty minutes, and if she didn't dart out of the university right after class, she would have to wait alone until the next one arrived. Aside from her and a few idle students, the campus was empty, lit by oil lanterns that were doing a better job attracting flies than their intended purpose.

"A college full of millionaires," she grumbled under her breath as she neared the short cut to the stop. "And yet, they still can't afford electric lights."

Sighing, she stepped away from the main passage and onto the pathway that cut through the garden and was marked hastily by a few stones. The path grew ever more dark. Soon, the shadows of the trees blended into the darkness and their silhouettes against the sky grew less pronounced. As the view disappeared, the sounds emerged as if the volume was steadily turned upward.

Khushi rushed speedily, casting worried glances at her watch every so often or looking up to catch a glimpse of the moon before a dark cloud erased its precious silver rays. Devi Maiya, protect me, she thought. I will miss the bus for sure today because of that stupid Sheetal and her dimwitted posse.

Admittedly, going to school whose population had been born with silver, gold, diamond (and every damn precious stone on the planet) spoons had not been easy, as much as she told herself it was. There were endless families that hailed from political and entertainment backgrounds---the Malhotras, the Kapoor, the Bhavnanis---while others like the Raizadas controlled so many damn industries that she didn't exactly know their background. She had felt painfully out of place, like a piece of pepperoni that had mistakenly made its way onto a vegetarian pizza. No one caused her any significant torment except for that stupid Rakshas and his little minion, Sheetal. While Raizada was conceited and condescending, Sheetal was sickly sweet and plastic. She would smile at Khushi and talk to her, but she was also the one who coined the nickname Chamkile for her.

"Arre yaar," she chided herself as she ventured deeper. "I'm definitely going to miss the bus. Un dono ke baare mein sochte sochte itni der hua au--"

One moment she was rushing forward and the next, she was flying in a superman pose yet her expression was one of shock and horror. Her left foot should have extended to take her weight, instead it caught on a tree root. She bumped against a tree before hitting the dirt, sending a plume of dry mud skyward.

"Oh no," she whispered as she watched the blood trickle from her knee, the giant hole that left her leg exposed and her ripped chappal. "How am I going to go home like this?"

That's when she heard the very audible crunch of leaves and snap of twigs. Khushi's eyes widened, her breaths ragged and harsh. Who was there? Oh why, why had she taken the short cut? Why today? Why now? Her hands trembled at her sides as she heard it coming, like a threatening whisper. It didn't seem to come from any direction, just a sound that encapsulated her insider her cocoon of despair and fear.

Think Khushi think, she reminded herself.

Pepper spray. She need the pepper spray. Her hands reached out and grabbed the can when she heard the sound get close. A shadow loomed over and as it came close enough, she pressed the trigger of the can.

"Khushi?" Why was the voice so familiar? Why wasn't the pepper spray working? She looked at the can and saw the liquid trail down the side slowly.

She looked up. "You? Rakhsa...Raizada? Why are you here?'

"I help the horticulturist professor, Mr. Iyer sometimes when I have time." He narrowed his eyes as he neared her. "I heard someone scream. What happened? What is that?"

"It's pepper spray and my chappal ripped," she pointed at the shoe that lay discarded two feet away from her. "Wait, horticulturist? You garden?"

Ignoring her, he bent down gently and examined her feet. "Out of all the people, it had to be you."

"I didn't ask for this happen to me," she snapped. "And I can manage on my own."

He raised a brow. "Oh really, try walking."

She sat defiantly, positioning herself until she was almost upright when her treacherous knees betrayed her, making her fall sharply

"Ow!" You will not cry in front of him Khushi, she blinked back her tears.

"Careful!" He looked up, his eyes seeking permission as his hands hovered over her knees. "May I?"

She nodded. His fingers grazed the skin softly, causing her to shiver involuntarily. It was awfully chilly tonight, she concluded as she averted her eyes to anywhere but his. Just the wind.

"We need to get you to a doctor as soon as possible." She felt him put his arms around her. What was he doing? Why was he holding her?

"Dekho, just because I'm injured right now doesn't mean that I can't hurt you," she threatened as she felt herself get lifted off the ground. "I have a green belt in karate."

He paused for a second. "Khushi Gupta, you're absolutely unbelievable," he strode faster, forcing her to clutch his shirt. " Kitne ajeeb ho tum. And don't worry, I'm not going to try anything with you."

"You can't even if you wanted to."

"I have a black belt in karate," he brought her closer to him. "I could if I wanted to."

"I have a can of pepper spray."

"That doesn't work. You ought to invest in a new can. Do you want me to try something?"

She rolled her eyes. "Where are you taking me?"

"To the school doctor."

"I need to go home!"

"You'll go after you get fixed. Can't you stop arguing for one second?"

"I- " She opened her mouth to protest, but a sharp pain shot through her ankle. She winced and dug her fingers further into his shirt.

He slowed his pace. "Khushi?" He asked after a second.

"Hmm?" She spoke through the pain.

"Tum theek ho?"

LAVANYA KASHYAP STOPPED HER AS SOON AS SHE ENTERED THE ELEVATOR.

"Grease ball is extra angry today," she spoke in a hushed voice. "I heard him yelling at NK when I walked in."

Khushi frowned. Shyam Manohar Jha, more accurately known as Grease ball amongst his colleagues, was the head of the entertainment department of the Times of India. The man had charm to be sure. He had the right twinkle in his eyes and a voice that was more warm than sunlight on amber. She usually liked that-- smiling back and enjoying an exchange of words--yet she backed away whenever she came him. A few weeks after she started working she realized that her intuition was true. Lavanya had slipped her a note describing his lecherous character and since then, she found an excuse to get away from him.

"Why? What happened?" They stepped away from the elevator as it arrived to the tenth floor.

Lavanya shrugged. "I don't know but we have a meeting right now."

When they entered the conference room, Shyam shot them his cheshire cat smile, making Khushi's stomach drop.

"Good morning Ms. Kashyap." His grin grew as he turned to her. "And a very good morning to you Ms. Gupta".

She managed to give him a hesitant nod before venturing to the seat farthest away from him and taking out his notebook.

"As you all know, the next issue is our fiftieth anniversary and for that, we have managed to mostly successfully reach out to a number of Bollywood stars and other celebrities." He gave a glare at NK. "Except NK didn't reach out to Shah Rukh in time so we have to change our plans. Our main focus of this issue will be changed to Salman Khan."

Khushi smiled subconsciously. She loved Salman; heck, till the age of sixteen, she thought she would grow up and marry him. There was an old poster that still hung on her wall and her laptop password was still his name.

"And Arnav Singh Raizada."

She started coughing, her throat closing up as she started taking in sharp gasps of breath.

"Ms. Gupta, are you okay?" He neared her as she slumped back in her chair.

"I'm fine, " she stifled another round of cough. "I'm fine. But Gre...Sir, Arnav Singh Raizada? Don't you think he's a bit too...bland for an issue as special as this?"

"Bland, you say. He's one of India's most eligible bachelors and successful businessman under the age of thirty."

"But we have Salman freaking Khan," she composed herself. "Excuse me sir, but how will we ever stoop Salman Khan to the same level as Arnav Singh Raizada. He's Sallu while...while Raizada is a Raizada!"

"And? Arnav Singh Raizada attracts a different type of audience and we need to cover all of our bases for this issue. "

"But sir-"

"No arguments Ms. Gupta," his smile faltered. "This is the final plan.'

Lavanya raised her hand as she shot her a look of confusion. "How will we conduct the interview and when?"

"Two of you will have the opportunity the shadow our guests for a week starting the day after tomorrow," he explained. "You will document their moves and get to see their day to day activities. Based on that, you'll write your articles that will be looked over by their PR teams."

Basically be a paparazzi, Khushi thought bitterly.

"And who will conduct the interview?"

"Excellent question Ms. Kashyap. Preeto," he turned to look at the girl whose head shot up in excitement. "You'll be in charge of conducting the interview with Mr. Khan. As for Mr. Raizada--"

Khushi closed her eyes. Devi Maiya, please not me. Please not me. Please not me. I'll visit the mandir twice a week...no, twice a day. Please don't let it be me.

"Ms. Gupta, you'll be following him for a week."

Her audible gasp echoed through the room. No no no no NO! She couldn't! She couldn't!

"Sir, I can't possibly do that!"

"Oh you will Ms. Gupta."

"But there are many more qualified people in this room who can conduct it!'

"The fact that you said that he's too bland shows that you won't shy away from criticizing him. The article will be honest and fresh which is exactly what we need for this issue."

"But sir-" she insisted.

"No more questions Ms. Gupta," he chided. "You will start your assignment tomorrow. Be sure to contact your guest by the end of today."

"KHUSHI KI BACCHI!" PAYAL SHOUTED AS SOON AS SHE ENTERED THE ROOM. "I called you so many times today, why didn't you pick up? Did you know how worried I was? Amma forgot to give you lunch today. Did you eat anything?"

Khushi snuggled farther into her blanket and covered her ears with a pillow. "Jiji," she moaned. "I'm stuck in a big predicament. Please stop yelling."

Payal's eyes softened as she watched her sister. "Kya hua?" She gently touched her forehead. "Did anything happen at work?"

Khushi sat up, throwing the cover off of her in the process. "Arre kya nahi hua. That good for nothing Grease ball--"

"Did he try anything?" What did he do?" She shook her. "Bol na!"

She wrapped her arms around her sister. "He...he..."

"Kya kiya?"

"He told me to follow Rakhsas Raizada for a week!"

"Kya?" Payal detached herself from her sister's embrace.

"Haan," she groaned. "Our next issue is our fiftieth anniversary and he wants me to follow him to write an article."

"Toh?"

"Kya matlab? Jiji, you know I can't stand him."

"Pagli, the way you described it...I thought that Shyam tried something with you."

"Kya? Uske paas mere saath kuch try vry karne kee himmat nahi hai."

"Why are you so melodramatic Khushi?" Letting out an annoyed sigh, Payal stood up. "I thought something actually happened."

"Haw!" Khushi's brows twisted into a frown. "Jiji, it is serious!"

"Tu kabhi nahi sudrega."

"No one understands my pain," Khushi feigned a heart ache. "Is duniya mein mere dard ko koi nahi samajhta."

"You should've studied acting in university. You could've put all this pagalpan to good use."

"Jiji!"

"Haan haan, don't start with the mere dard nahi samajhta' talk again. I'm very tired today, " Payal rubbed her temples. "Chalo, Amma made idli and sambar."

"But-"

"You can continue your complaining at the dinner table," Payal lowered her voice. "Sach mein, main paagal logon se ghira hua hoon."

"I heard that!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I am absolutely touched by the amount of love you guys have shown to my SS so far. 63 comments!!! That is beyond my wildest expectations so I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately, I'm running on a VERY tight schedule right now because I'm applying to colleges/universities here in the United States which requires writing a lot of supplemental essays which is why I didn't reply to all of your comments. However, I read and liked each and every one of them. This chapter took me a while to right because it was hard to find motivation. Hopefully, it didn't turn out to be a disaster. Let me know what you guys think ❤️.

Originally posted by: smriti25

I totally love this Khushi! It is so good to read works where in Khushi isn't some damsel in distress. Keep up the good work! If you are keen on shifting it to the blog kindly notify me on it. Would love to read more.

Originally posted by: labi

Chapter 1

Past...I loved the introduction of the 1st chapter. That nostalgia! Everyone goes through this stage one time or the other.

Well, that was a perfect collision between them. Papers everywhere, eye-lock, hair dancing...😆

The first day..first meeting! U set the proper stage.

Present...Arnav and his staring! One staring led to the accident. Well, he is noticing every change in her.😉

Oh..so they weren't even friends...I thought they were bcoz of the way she helped him.

Arnav is arrogant here..no sorry, no thank you...

Khushi's stunt backfired ...that was hilarious! Within minutes, Arnav made her his wife and the mother of his children!😆

Perfect match...a dram queen and a drama king.❤️

I loved the equation between Payal and Khushi. Lovely siblings...leg pulling, teasing, gossips and what not!😆❤️

So there were 3 Raizadas and Payal had a crush on one...probably Akash.

Their talks were so entertaining...please write more of their scenes.

Khushi still has no answer why she lied to save him. A favour for his favour is a simple excuse. What did he do actually?

Feminism, justice, Dettol and bleach? Awesome humour!😆👍🏼

A journalist who aspires to become a creative writer. Khushi is a self-made woman.👏

Wow...missing phone leading to next ArShi meeting!👍🏼

Chapter 2

Past - Quite an impression she had got about Arnav in the school days.😉

That Library encounter was something. His tricks didn't have any effect on her.

That 3 conclusions of ASR about KKG...thumbs up!👍🏼😃

I am really liking this story.

Present - That was an interesting phone call..their small fights..amazing!

I loved his message.."If you wanted my number and ...", irritating Khushi to no ends.😉

Coming to Rakshas's home, They just can't have a normal talk...typical ArShi.

So Anjali had already seen Khushi during his graduation and still remembers her. Seems like her Chote has a huge crush on Khushi.😉

I must say Khushi really cares about Arnav even though she would never admit it. She saw his forehead bleeding and went to defend him during that accident. Today also she wanted to heal his wound in her own way.

Why do I feel Anjali is playing a cupid role here? Otherwise, no need for her to pressurise them to go together.

I am really liking your story.👍🏼 Beautiful writing with hilarious situations and awesome humour.👏 Really applaud your sense of humour.⭐️👏

Originally posted by: Mrieshka

I totally understand and so happy that you shared this with us. You are wonderful writer and absolutely loved the second chapter as well. I like the strong characters of Khushi, Arnav and Anjali. This story is very humorous, cure as well as written intelligently. After a long time I am reading this type of story. I am completely floored that people are still motivated to write wonderful story on IPK. It was magical show.

Thank you so so much for writing and sharing with us and please keep us posted if you move to blog as would love to follow you till end.

Thanks again.