Khushi could not help but steal glances at Arnav as they walked into the hall where the Christmas party was being held. The memory of the moment they had shared seemed to glow within her, as the overwhelming happiness she felt burst out from her heart in her smiles.
When he looked towards her and caught her gazing at him, she could not even bring herself to blush. She was just that happy, for having finally realised just how special he was to her, and how lucky she was to have him.
He slipped his hand in hers, making her heart skip a beat, but even in the uncontainable joy that she felt in that moment, she could not help but notice that the loving smile he threw at her, bore an unmistakable tinge of sadness. Something was amiss.
And then NK joined them and Arnav circled his hand around her shoulder, and she understood.
She had not exactly told Arnav that she loved him, or that she no longer loved NK. Maybe he was under the impression that they were still pretending to be in love. She felt a burst of laughter build up within her at how utterly ridiculous it was that he should think so. She made a mental note to herself to clear his misconception at the earliest.
But at the same time, the realisation struck her, that Arnav had not exactly told him that he loved her either. Maybe he only saw her as a good friend and was helping her because that was just how kindhearted he was. Maybe his words of praise were his way of boosting her confidence, and the moment they had shared by the poolside was... just a moment, a temporary daze, a slight lapse in judgment, out of which the phone call from Lavanya had shaken him.
The thought lodged itself firmly as a sob in her throat, as she tried to bring herself back to reality.
"Arnav," NK was saying, "I'm so glad you could come."
"Thanks, NK," Arnav replied smiling slightly.
Khushi scrutinised NK's beaming expression, puzzled. Why was NK being so friendly all of a sudden?
"Khush," NK continued, "You look amazing, sweetheart! Red is my favourite colour, as I am sure you remember."
"Thanks, Sir," Khushi replied, her tone frigid, "I don't actually remember. But I like red too."
"We have so much in common, don't we?" NK said, unfazed.
"Not really," she muttered.
It was a lame reply, she realised instantly, but she was so confused by his behaviour that her words seemed to fail her. What was NK playing at? He had made every effort to avoid her since their last conversation outside the washroom, which she had been most grateful for. And now he was being all gallant?
She looked towards Arnav, but his eyes were determinedly avoiding hers. She did not miss the tautness of his jaw muscles as he subtly removed his hand from around her shoulder. Was this what NK wanted? To make Arnav insecure?
A sense of foreboding seemed to have invaded the air around her.
"Arnav," she said quickly, "We need to talk. Excuse us, Sir."
"Just a second, Khush," NK said genially, "Arnav, I need a favour from you."
"What is it?" Arnav enquired.
"Well," NK replied, "We are running short on waiters. So could you please step in? It would be a huge help."
Khushi gaped at him. How dare he!
"Sir!" she exclaimed, outraged.
If anything, NK's smile only broadened, as he said to Arnav, in a fake apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, man. I know you've come here to attend the party as a guest. But you are a waiter, right? Khush here told me how you badly need money, how you are so poor that you have to do all sorts of odd jobs to make ends meet. We'll pay you double, don't worry."
"Wh-what? I - wh-when did I - " Khushi stammered, too shocked and disgusted to speak. How could he stoop so low?
"Yes, yes," NK continued, "I know you told me not to tell anyone. But we are among friends, aren't we? I'm sure Arnav won't mind. You don't, right? You see, Khush told me all about you and how she is paying you to pretend to be her boyfriend. How charitable of her, and of course, it's so cute that she would go to such lengths just to be with me."
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Khushi spat at NK, as fiery tears began to fill her eyes. She had no idea how he had come to know about the whole fake boyfriend plan, but that was the least of her concerns. His lies, and the disparaging tone with which he talked to Arnav, made her blood boil.
"It's okay," Arnav said through gritted teeth, as he turned and began to stride out of the hall.
Khushi spared a moment to throw a dirty look at NK before weaving through the clusters of people at the party, to stop Arnav.
"Arnav, wait, please!" she called out desperately, as she tried to usher people out of the way.
Finally, she caught up with him and held his arm to stop him.
When he turned to look at her, his eyes were filled with a most heartwrenching sense of hurt and betrayal. Khushi felt a tearing pain in her chest just looking at him.
"Arnav," she said, her voice choking up, "It's not what you think. I don't know how he knew. I didn't -"
"It's okay if you told him," Arnav interrupted, his tone matter-of-factly, even as an accusatory look weighed down on his eyes, "It's only a matter of time before you guys get together. I can see that I am no longer needed, so I will leave now. I will include these... ah, fifteen minutes, in the bill that I send you."
It was Khushi's turn to feel hurt. Each word of his, every stony look of his, felt like a whip cutting through her heart.
"So you think that I wanted you to attend the party because I needed you, because I wanted to use you to make him jealous?"
"I guess," he replied coldly, "Or did you do it because you felt it was the charitable thing to do? To get the poor boy to attend a party at a five-star hotel surrounded by your business tycoons, so he can believe in Christmas miracles or whatever."
Fury surged through Khushi at his words. How could he think of her in this manner? They were such close friends, he knew her more than anybody else on earth, and he was saying such things?! A part of her wanted nothing more than to slap some sense into him. She didn't care what the rest of the world thought about her, but this was Arnav, for crying out loud. The best friend she had ever had.
And then his words came back to her. Everyone has their insecurities. Everyone. Maybe even Beyonce.
Khushi felt the dark clouds before her eyes dissipate as she realised why Arnav was so affected.
Arnav was the sort of person who never engaged in self-pity and was never apologetic in any way for having been somewhat somewhat short of means. He enjoyed working hard for every penny and did not find any shame in doing any odd job that he could find.
But he had told her once about how he was looking forward to the day when he would finally become an architect, so he would no longer be treated as dirt by the snooty customers he often came across. She saw it now - beneath his jovial, carefree nature, there was a lot of pain that he kept hidden. He was spurred on to work hard and persevere by a thirst to vindicate himself, to prove his worth.
NK's caustic words had hit a raw nerve.
"Arnav," she said, gently, "Is that really what you think? Is that the sort of person you think I am? That I go around taking poor people to parties, and orphans to pizzerias, because I fancy myself as some kind of messiah?"
He closed his eyes tightly, painfully, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, the coldness had left them and they were filled with regret.
"I didn't mean all that. I just..." he began, before his voice trailed away uncertainly.
"I know, I understand," Khushi smiled, as she laid the palm of her hand against his cheek.
And then she turned back towards the direction of the party, and her smile faded away.
"Come with me," she said firmly, pulling him back into the party.
...
