"Stop it! Stop!"
A little seven year old Khushi ran to her battered classmate, her hand raised and her face fuming in anger at the moronic third graders that were laughing at him. Her braids bounced as she ran, and her large water bottle juggled against her chest. To her frustration, the bullies kept laughing at the little boy, stepping on his large glasses and his superhero action figures.
"I said, stop it!" She stood between her peer and the older bullies, and gazed up bravely to look them in the eye. She was tiny and measly in her frilly little uniform, but still a proud pataka of courage. They hooted, pointing at the cowering boy who sat behind her.
"Raizada! You have a little girlfriend to fight your battles! How sweet!"
"Shush, you big bullies! Do you even know who I am?" Khushi said, crossing her arms threateningly against her chest. She reddened when their laughter grew more hysterical. "Principal saab ki beti!" The laughter stopped. Silence. She raised her little brows in triumph as they apologized to Arnav and scattered away. She turned towards the little boy behind her, picked up his glasses and blew the dust off them.
"It's wohkay Arnav. They won't be meanies now" She offered the slightly broken glasses back to him. He scowled and yanked them out of her little hand. "Shut up Kookie. I don't need your girly help, okay? You girly girls are so shtoopid" And with that he picked up his action figures and walked away, leaving a slightly teary Khushi behind him. No matter how hard she tried to be Arnav's friend, he never acknowledged her. He called her greasy haired Kooki and ran away to play with Lavanya instead, who always stuck her tongue out meanly in response.
Khushi didn't like Lavanya. She had pretty curly hair she got to keep open, big blue eyes, the biggest brown teddy bear and the exact white shoes Khushi had always begged her mother for. And Lavanya called Khushi Chamkili because of her big, shiny hair clips. She didn't like the nickname one bit, because Arnav always laughed at it. But hearing Kooki from Arnav hurt more. Every single time. And every time Khushi would get upset, bow her head and try to find another friend. Luckily, Akash was always there to play with her.
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One week later
"Arnav. What are you doing?"
"Shut up. Leave me alone, shtoopid"
She bit her lip, but continued anyways "You're not allowed to do that Arnav. Papa will get angry at you"
He turned around and glared at her. "Kookie, you're so annoying. Lavanya said I need to get.. what was the word again... oh yeah. Paypack. And Lavanya is always right. She's not shtoopid like you" And with that, Arnav sprayed the paint over Shyam's locker once again, spelling out "LOOSER" in bright red letters. Khushi sighed with worry. "Payback is not always right", she squeaked inaudibly under her breath. She knew that Shyam bullied Arnav... but she also knew that Arnav was wrong to tackle his bullying with more bullying. He finished the job and quickly hurried away, warning Khushi not to tell anyone, or else.
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The next day
"Lavanya! You told me no one will find out!"
Lavanya looked in Arnav's direction and shrugged casually, almost instantly returning to the conversation with the other girls about the newest Backstreet Boys single. Arnav felt the moisture emerge on his shaky palms. Principal Gupta had been furious upon finding the graffiti on the student's locker, and he had issued a suspension for the student responsible. However he had assured that if the student did not confess candidly to his deeds by the end of the lunch hour, he or she would be tracked and expelled from the school for good. Suspension he could deal with, but expulsion would ruin his education. His mother and father had no money to send him to a school of such competitive nature. Principal Gupta had been kind to him, and offered a scholarship that could not be reciprocated. Arnav sighed. He would have to admit to his behavior. That stupid Kookie's warning words ran through his jumbled head as he shuffled to the Principal's office. Arnav was about to knock on Principal Gupta's door, but stopped when he heard a stern voice booming from inside.
"Khushi. I am very disappointed in you. Very. Do not think, that because you are my daughter you will avoid this suspension. You are grounded for one week, Ms. Gupta. Perhaps you can think over your horrendous behavior when you are confined to the four walls of your bedroom. Graffiti is not tolerated here."
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"KOOKIE. KOOKIE WAIT!"
Khushi heard the familiar voice behind her and managed to turn and muster a weak smile in Arnav's direction. There was no spite and rudeness that she had become so accustomed to, but rather confusion and awe. She scrunched her brows, confusedly. He was looking at her differently.
"Why did you do that, Kookie?" He whispered silently to her, as his gaze shifted stubbornly on his shoes "No one has ever done anything like that for me"
"Because we're friends, Arnav."
She said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and instantly, Arnav's head jerked up to look her straight in the eyes. Hazel. How had he never noticed those big hazel eyes? He decided he liked them. They were very pretty. And suddenly he noticed her little smile, the third tooth missing. He noticed her rather big ears and her tiny hands. He noticed how the sunlight made her braid look brown and the little gold bangles she wore on her wrists. She was like the dolls Anjali put along her bedroom shelves.
And suddenly, out of their own accord, his hands held her shoulders and he left a small, fleeting kiss on her pink cheek. He smirked as they turned a beautiful ruddy red. Like the roses in his garden. "Sit with me at lunch next week Khushi. I'll save you a spot." And leaving a blushing, baffled Khushi Kumari Gupta holding her cheek behind him, he waved and ran away to catch his other friends.
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One week later. Lunch Time
Khushi carried her tiffin hesitantly, hoping Arnav would still want to sit with her at lunch. She had asked her mother to make cholle last night, knowing it was Arnav's favorite dish and she could offer him a taste. She had also taken out the hair clips and chosen her prettiest dress, hoping not to embarrass Arnav in front of his popular friends. But he was missing.
"Payal. Where is Arnav?"
"He left yesterday for Lucknow. His papa got a job and your daddy recommended him in the top school there. Didn't you know? "
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20 years later.
"He is so sinfully sexy. Lavanya Kashyap is the luckiest woman to live"
"Are you sure they're dating?"
"They way she's clinging to him, I wouldn't be surprised"
Khushi smiled bitterly as her friends gossiped about the very great and very handsome Harvard graduate, Arnav Singh Raizada. She concentrated on her drink, mixing her margarita quietly and trying to avoid contributing to the juicy discussion. Arnav Singh Raizada was to be awarded Businessman of the Year and of course, with Akash as a connection in the industry, they were out to see him make his appearance and his speech at the lavish Ritz Pavillion. Khushi stole another glance at the VIP table and saw a glimpse of the chocolate brown eyes of Arnav Singh Raizada once again.
20 years had done him well. The stubble framed his face and the sinewed muscles framed his body. The hair was gelled to perfection and the signature smirk was still enact. As was the beautiful eyes candy linked to his arm. Lavanya was, without a doubt, stunning beyond compare. Khushi could not help but feel an all too familiar pain tug at her heart as she saw them walk through the flashing paparazzi like the ideal tabloid couple. And it hurt her even more when Arnav completely and skillfully ignored her existence as he shuffled past her measly table. She didn't know why she had dreamed any different. This was her childhood replaying.
But even today, her heart beat faster as Arnav took the stage to receive the prestigious award, the spotlight radiating in his magnificence and his stance epitomizing power and class. Her pulse quickened as his husky voice mingled with the applause erupting in the room, echoing in her ears.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you... for this heavy thing. This is such a great honor. Truly. And I'd just like to take this moment to thank all the important people in my life who have made this possible. My mother. My father. My sister. My teachers and academic inspirers. And most importantly, the woman in my life." Khushi turned to glance at Lavanya's beaming smile and her radiant eyes... her body inching towards the edge of her seat to rise and wave to the cameras at the announcement of her name.
"Yes. The biggest crush I've had in my life. The young woman with the dark green dress and the sequined gold stilettos. Thank you."
Dark green? But Lavanya was dressed in red. Then why would he---
The world spun. Khushi looked down at her outfit of choice, and somewhere all noise ceased to exist. The music faded and the gasps from her friends were inaudible. She didn't see the cameras flashing around her or Lavanya's scowling face. For all she heard was the loudest buzzing and all she saw Arnav Singh Raizada walking in her direction with the same boyish smirk on his ruggedly handsome face. Somewhere she heard a faint, husky voice ask her for a dance and felt a large hand take her sweaty one in a firm grip. She felt herself being led to a crowded dance floor, and whisked into strong, muscled arms. And as she looked up hesitantly, she met the gaze of the eight year old boy who had haunted her dreams for years.
And suddenly, he was all that mattered. They were all that mattered. It all fell into place. Instantly.
The innocent kiss of friendship was where he had left her last, and she felt her heart bloom as his gentle lips met again with her own. This time, with new promises. Promises beyond friendship.
"I am not one to take advantage, Kookie, Oops. Sorry. Khushi... but this was long overdue. And I promised you a lunch date twenty years ago. It's time I finally appease you."
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