No way
No frikking way.
This cannot be happening. Or did I hear wrong?
He should be arguing instead of agreeing!
Khushi stared at Arnav with naked horror. He could not be agreeing with her! but he was half-smiling at everyone, nodding in amusement.
What the hell?
Oh crap! Now I'm sounding like him? Argh!
"Sorry, Arnav? You mean-" Eric splutters, the first to come out of the shock.
"She's right! Khushi is absolutely right! In fact, personally, the investors do deserve that windfall. I think they should get it."
He glanced at Khushi who was still gaping at him, wide-eyed and he actually cracked a smile at her. her eyes widened a little more and she clamped a hand on her mouth. He was smiling! Arnav Singh Raizada was smiling, and that too in public, in front of cameras, in front of the zillions of people who were watching the debate.
He Devi Maiyya! She was going to faint...
***
"Khushi!"
She froze, her eyes still mile wide. He came from behind her. Her head jerked towards him to see that he was still smiling.
"Congrats," she heard him say.
"Thank," she nodded uneasily. "You pulled back."
He chuckled with a careless shrug. "I had to, I argued so well."
Khushi shook her head, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"I mean it, Khushi," he suddenly turned serious. "I had come here with the intention of making you lose, but you showed me my place."
She couldn't help feeling a little pride rising in her heart but just then, he was called. Arnav replied he was coming before he turned to her.
"Listen... about this windfall... I needed to discuss to you, but I'm busy right now. Are you free tonight?"
***
"Khushiii!" Anjali was yelling when her friend was getting down from the taxi. "You did it! You were awesome, man!"
She locked Khushi in her tightest embrace and when she pulled back, the latter was choking in desperate need for air.
"You did it!" Anji shouted again excitedly while Saira came forward, her eyes brimming, to hug Khushi.
"Thank you... You save my honour," she sniffed loudly and began weeping. A few minutes later, when Anji and Khushi were alone in their apartment, they sat beside each other on the couch, relishing the slient satisfaction of having achieved something.
"Hey!" Anji jumped up suddenly, as if she had remembered something. "Shyaam had called earlier, right after your interview on TV. He said to congratulate you. He's busy this afternoon but he had gto tickets for this ballet... what was it? Oh, yeah, Swan Lake! And he wanted you to go with him! Isn't that exciting? It's tonight!"
Khushi gave her a hazy, uncertain smile. "Anji..." Okay, how should she say this? How could she tell that the Arnav Singh Raizada she had criticised so cruelly for so many days had asked her on a date, tonight itself, and as a great duffer, she had accepted it.
"Anji... Actually..." she cleared her throat, her head throbbing as she felt her face blush deep red. "I've... I've got a date tonight..."
"Huh?" Anjali stared st her like she had lost it. "With who?"
"Arnav Singh Raizada," Khushi sputtered hurriedly. Seeing, Anjali's horrified look, she quickly added, "But it's purely business, I swear! He... he errm... he wants to discuss about the wind fall!"
Anjali narrowed her eyes, in deep thought, then she smirked playfully at her friend. "You accepted his date?"
Khushi nodded, highly embarrassed and her friend raised her brow inquisitively. "I thought you hated him. Weren't you just badmouthing him... say, a few hours back?"
"Anji! I told you it's purely business!" Khushi blushed darker and threw a cushion at Anjali's face.
"Ok, baba! But what will I tell Shyaam?" Anji's face fell while she thought of her sweet cousin. "He'll feel bad."
For a second, Khushi felt guilty too, but then, a fantastic idea struck her. "Anji! I can't go, but you can!"Anjali started shaking her head in refusal but Khushi urged her. "Oh, c'mon! You love ballet! Go!"
The girl sighed. "Fine! Let's decide what we'll wear? Chal!"
***
Five hours later, Khushi was striding inside St Ermin's Hotel, her chin held high though her heart was performing a series of somersault that she could swear even the best acrobat in the world would be unable of doing. A man in black tuxedo led her to a private corner of the restaurant where Mr Raizada would be waiting for her. She mentally checked her clothing.
Following Anji's advice, she had worn one of the few sarees she had brought with her. It was simple, red with a gold border which was embroidered in deep red in the middle, not meant for business meetings but as she was going to a very prestigious hotel, this would be very classy. Besides, Khushi always looked really good in sarees. She didn't wear a lot of jewellery, just her gold-plated watch with matching bracelet that had been a gift from Shyaam and a pair of jhukis she had borrowed from Anjali.
Khushi's saree: http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o573/ShikhaKhushi/Untitled_zpsc7a8bca0.jpg
Khushi's jhumkis: http://i1148.photobucket.com/albums/o573/ShikhaKhushi/1328-300x300_zps4554558a.jpg
She sighed and quit biting her lip. She was not nervous. She was not scared of the Raizada freak.
Freak? He was certainly not. Especially then, when she entered the private area, and he turned slightly to look at her. Khushi felt like her breathing had stopped. The tux man had left them alone already but she did not notice. She saw a small smile touch the lips of the ruggedly handsome man who stood before her, dressed in a dark maroon two-piece suit with a dark brown shirt underneath. His eyes darkened as he prowled lazily towards her so that she had to look away. He strongly reminded her of a lion on the hunt.
"Khushi," he had reached her, not too close, but not too far. She dared herself to look up in his coffee-coloured eyes. "Sit down."
***
He sighed as he stared at the list of desserts. "What will you-?"
He frozed as soon as his eyes fell on her and bit back the smirk which wanted to surface. She was ogling at the menu card greedily and he could easily guess she wanted all. The way she bit on her lower lip was cute and at the same time, he found it sexy. As if she was not beautiful enough. Since she had stepped in ' that nearly transparent gossamer saree wrapped around her, red, his favourite colour ' he had desperately wanted to sweep her off her feet, kiss her senseless.
But the little he knew about her was enough to hold him back. He knew that though she wore western, lived in London and all, she still was a normal Indian girl at heart. He called the waiter and she looked from the card at him, blushing a pretty shade of crimson which made him want her even more. Her eyes were on him, as he ordered. One of each, he said, and her eyes widened, the same cute way he liked it. He looked at her only when the waiter had left.
"I hope you don't mind, I ordered just one of each 'cause I'm almost completely full. So, we'll eat that half-half?"
"What did you order all of that for?" she stuttered.
He gave her a disarming grin. "You wanted to taste all of them right?"
Edited by ShikhaKhushi - 11 years ago