Arshi SS: The Guardian Angel Pt 8 pg 63 14/02 - Page 4

"No, Chacha.. I will take it inside. Don't worry." Khushi said giggling, running across the yard with a basket full of roses. She turned her head to look over her shoulder at the old man, who was trying to run behind her, but had stopped and was panting. She giggled and turned around, but before she realized it, she had crashed into someone. The basket of roses fell from her hand, the flowers flew up in the air as she lost her balance and fell on top of the man she had crashed into. They fell on the ground and the roses on top of them. Khushi opened her eyes and looked into angry brown eyes. She looked down and realized that she was lying on top of a man, her hands tightly gripping his shoulders. She tried to get up, but she couldn't move; his arm was around her waist.

"Bitiya, are you alright?" Khushi looked up and saw Karim Chacha standing next to her, still panting. She nodded and slowly got up, when she realized the man had removed his arm from around her. She avoided his angry eyes and moved away. "Beta, I hope you are alright. You are early. Please come with me." Chachi said to the man. Khushi lifted her eyes slowly to look at him. He was still staring at her, his face fuming with anger. He brushed the dust off his black suit and followed Chacha into the office.

"Everything is ready, like you wanted.." Chacha was saying, but Arnav wasn't listening to him. He was staring outside the window; the girl who crashed into him was playing hopscotch with a bunch of kids outside. He felt something weird in his heart, as he watched her laugh; a weird feeling, something he had never felt before. "Beta?" he turned around as he heard Chacha call him. "Huh?" He replied. "Is everything alright?" Chacha asked. Arnav nodded. "Mr. Mohammad, I wanted to ensure that there won't be any mishap like last time, which is why I came here personally this year. You know I don't like to compromise on anything. As you already know, I don't care about the cost. Every child in this orphanage must be fed as much food as they want, until they can't eat anymore." Karim Chacha smiled and nodded. "Your mother would have been proud of you, Arnav." Arnav ignored his words and continued to watch the girl.

"Who is she?" Arnav asked. A second later, he wondered why he asked that question. Karim Chachi followed his gaze and smiled. "That's Khushi. She has been here in the orphanage for the past twelve years." Arnav turned around. "Why is she still here? I thought this orphanage was for kids." Karim Chacha smiled and nodded. "Yes, it is. She could have left three years ago, when she turned eighteen. She could have easily gotten into college with a good scholarship. She is the smartest of all the kids who have been at this orphanage". Karim Chacha's face softened, as he continued. "But she chose to stay and teach the kids. She wanted to give back to this institution that took her in years back when she was all alone." "So she teaches at the school? Does my company pay her?" Karim Chacha nodded. "I thought you employed the teachers that I hired." "Yes, beta. But she is qualified." Arnav stared at him. "According to whom? I will pay only people who I think are qualified. I want you to fire her." Karim Chacha raised his eyebrows. "But, beta. I .." "Mr. Mohammad, you know I don't like to be questioned. If you can't fire her, I will. Send her to me." Karim Chacha started saying something, then stopped and left the room.

He came back in a few minutes later with Khushi. Arnav turned to look at her; the weird feeling in his heart was back. Arnav looked at her; dressed in a bright red salwar, she looked gorgeous. Innocence; the one word that came to his mind when he looked at her. She looked at him, confused. Arnav looked at Karim Chacha and said, "Leave us alone. Close the door when you leave."

Khushi looked at Karim Chacha. His eyes looked apologetic as he turned around, walked out and closed the door behind him. "Ms. Gupta", Arnav's voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned around to look at the man in the black suit, the one she had crashed into earlier that day, sitting behind the table, his elbows resting on the arms of the rotating chair. He pointed to the chair in front of him and asked her to take a seat.

Khushi gulped as she slowly sat down on the chair opposite to him. He stared at her, his face still fuming with anger. Khushi gulped again. The man in the suit scared her. Was it fear, Khushi? Is that why you couldn't stop thinking of him ever since you fell on top of him? Is that why you heart hasn't stopped beating fast ever since you met him?

"You are fired." She looked at him, confused. He continued. "I personally hire teachers for my school and each one of them is over-qualified for that position. And I have decided that you will not teach there". She stared at him angrily and then stood up immediately. Before she could say anything, he continued. "I want to find out for myself how good you are. So you will come to my house to teach a kid. If I am convinced that you are good, then you can have your job back."

Khushi turned around and was about to leave the room, when Arnav grabbed her and pulled her towards him. He screamed, "Don't you dare try this again. When I'm talking to you, I want you listening to me and answering my questions. Am I clear?"

Khushi looked away and struggled to free herself from his grip. Arnav smirked and pulled her closer. "So tell me, will you come to my house?"

Khushi gulped and then said softly. "No." Arnav opened his eyes wide in shock.

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