Posted:
loved it Nayika! aww poor Arnav! so many troubles the poor guy has to face! Why did she hav to sit on the same side!! 🤣
This content was originally posted by: sruthirishiWONDERFULL...is all i can say!!!!!
loved it😊update as soon as u can😃add me to PM !!!
This content was originally posted by: AquaBluez17loved it Nayika! aww poor Arnav! so many troubles the poor guy has to face! Why did she hav to sit on the same side!! 🤣
Here's that super long update I promised you! Unfortunately I must warn you that I have a huge uni assignment this week so definitely no update until next Friday at the earliest!
However I do have an OS already written that I'll post some time during the week so you won't miss me too much :P
Make sure to send me a Buddy Request for future PMs (rather than just asking me to PM you because it gets very confusing and time consuming for me to go through the replies and send buddy requests myself) and check out all my other work at my INDEX.
Please like/comment (good and bad I appreciate them all!) :)
Chapter 17
Arnav waited anxiously for it to be 5 o'clock. All he had done today was wait around until he could see Khushi again and each time he'd been unable to wait and turned up early. First at her house and then at lunch and even now. Obviously this was also the time that his watch decided it no longer wanted to move with real time. Instead it seemed to want to stay at 4.45 and not move beyond that. Arnav had to keep checking the time on his phone as well just to make sure he wasn't being misled by his watch. Finally the time came when he could look at his watch and not want to break it into a hundred pieces and so he sat down to wait.
Usually Arnav would come down exactly at 5 and just walk towards the door expecting Khushi to follow. She had been dreading this moment since lunch, worried about her own reaction towards him but it was already 5.15 and there was no sign of him.
'Anjaliji, I think Arnavji is busy today. I'll just catch a taxi and go.'
'No Khushiji, you can't go, you know how angry he'll get. Just wait I'll bring Chote down.'
Khushi knew what she had to say and reluctantly stopped Anjali as she began to get up. She couldn't expect Anjali to go up and down the stairs just for her, 'no you sit, I'll go.'
Abhi was right. She was too nice for her own good. Why couldn't she just put her foot down and say 'No! I'm getting a taxi and that's it.' The door was closed and she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer before she knocked timidly.
Arnav had been pacing impatiently in his room but when he heard the knock he suddenly felt nervous. 'That's ridiculous, Arnav Singh Raizada doesn't get nervous' he told himself as he opened the door. Khushi however, did look nervous and strangely that made him feel more confident.
'Arnavji... I thought maybe if you're busy...'
He motioned with his hand that she should come in and walked back into his room stopping at the chair and turning around to see her still standing outside the door. 'Khushi, come inside.'
'No, no... it's fine. I'll get a taxi. I just...thought...'
Arnav walked back, pulled her inside and closed the door behind her, 'sit down Khushi.'
'Sit down? But I need to go home.'
Arnav gave her a look before walking over to his wardrobe 'I don't plan on keeping you here forever.' He hesitated ever so slightly before he took out the box that was inside and walked back to where Khushi was still standing.
Khushi couldn't speak, being in his room reminded her of last week when she'd been in his room and then of the party when she'd been in his arms. She almost didn't feel the hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her down onto the bed. Then there was a hand in front of her face holding a small box wrapped in brown paper. She looked up at Arnav confused but he only held out the box to her more insistently. She took the box from his hand slowly and breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped back from the bed and sat down on his green chair.
'What's this?'
'Well if you opened it, you might find out.'
'Oh yes... okay.'
Arnav watched as Khushi heartlessly ripped open the brown packaging that he had spent an agonising hour over, making sure it was perfect. Maybe she would have noticed the perpendicular angles and the perfectly cut tape if he had chosen a brighter colour. Next time he was going to pick the bright pink wrapping paper definitely. Then maybe she'd notice, he told himself. Next time? There was going to be a next time?
As soon as Khushi had ripped off the first chunk of paper she knew what it was. She could tell by the picture on the box and she stopped. 'Arnavji, I can't accept this. This is too expensive and I could buy my own. Besides I don't need one really. If I ever do need one I just use Babuji's...'
Arnav only looked at her scathingly until she ran out of steam. 'Khushi, it's my fault your old one broke, so I've replaced it that's all. Nothing else.'
Khushi looked from Arnav back down to the box as she remembered the incident in the storeroom and began to peel the rest of the wrapping paper off slowly. Then she opened the box and took out the phone and examined it.
Arnav hadn't been expecting full on gratitude from Khushi but she was looking at the phone with a strange expression on her face. He'd chosen the latest Blackberry to buy for her, which was a newer model than even his own phone but she didn't look pleased at all. 'Don't you like it?'
Khushi looked up startled 'no. I mean yes I like it. I just... I've never had one of these before. I don't know how it works.'
Arnav smiled without meaning to as he got up and took the phone from Khushi's hands before sitting next to her on the bed. 'Here, look.'
Khushi stared at Arnav, smiling made his face so different, so much more alive.
'Okay, now you try.'
Khushi looked down at the phone which had suddenly appeared back in her hands. What had he shown her? She fumbled with various buttons until Arnav's hand came over hers and he directed her thumb to the right button. She looked up again only to get lost in his gaze. His thumb began caressing hers and his fingers were slowly interlocking with hers underneath the phone.
The phone made a noise and Arnav pulled his hand back hastily and looked away from Khushi back to the phone. 'Erm... I'll just show you how to put a phone number in.'
Khushi made sure to look at the phone this time rather than his face as he opened up the contacts.
Okay, tell me a number.'
She started to recite her house number when Arnav stopped her.
'I've already put that in for you. How about somebody else?'
Arnav typed in the numbers as she spoke, trying to control the desire to just abandon the phone altogether, push her back on the bed and teach her how to do something completely different, something completely inappropriate. 'Name?'
'Abhi.'
Arnav's fingers stilled. He'd been expecting her Babuji's number or maybe her sister. But the first number she could think of was Abhinav's? She knew his number off by heart? He closed his eyes briefly trying to control his irritation before he typed in the offending four letters and handed the phone back to her. 'There now you can...' he stopped and turned as he heard the door handle being turned.
Even before the door could fully open Khushi stood up, feeling nervous about being caught sitting in such close proximity with Arnav. Her speed caused the box that had been in her lap to drop on the floor along with all of the wrapping paper. She bent down to pick it up at the same time that Arnav did and hit her temple on his head. 'Ouch!'
'What the... Khushi!'
'Can't I leave you two alone for 5 minutes without you starting a fight Chote?' Anjali walked into the room shaking her head at the two of them.
'Khushi just always manages to do something wrong Di,' Arnav stood up rubbing his head and dropping the box onto his bed.
'Me? I didn't do anything Anjaliji!' Khushi stood up as well.
'So are you saying I dropped all this then?'
'I didn't drop it on purpose! It was an accident.'
'Accidents just seem to follow you around Khushi Kumari Gupta.'
Anjali smiled as she watched them argue. There was no bitterness in their argument as there used to be but they looked like small children fighting over a toy. 'Chote, Khushiji, that's enough. No more fighting.'
Arnav and Khushi both stopped and looked towards Anjali still sulking.
'Come on Chote, you should take Khushiji home now or she'll be late.'
Khushi picked up the box hesitantly from the bed and began walking behind Anjali when she turned and saw Arnav picking up all the wrapping paper that had also fallen to the floor.
'Khushi, you go, I'm coming.'
'But...'
'Khushi, go!'
Khushi paused for a second before she ran towards him on impulse and took his head in her hands and knocked their heads together once again.
'So we don't get horns' she called behind as she ran back out of the door leaving Arnav dumbstruck.
Arnav walked downstairs where again Khushi was standing with Di avoiding his gaze. 'Bye Di,' he said as he walked past them and waited with the door open for Khushi to follow.
He drove for 5 minutes with her still trying resolutely to avoid looking at him and he just had to ask. 'Horns? Really?'
She looked up at him embarrassed, 'I'm sorry, I won't do it again. Promise!'
'You mean until the next time we bump heads right? Do you really believe all those things?'
'Well it's worked for me so far, I don't have horns, look!' She pushed back her fringe and pointed.
Arnav looked away from the road to look at her, she really was strange. 'I don't do all of that Khushi, and I don't have horns either,' he pointed at his own forehead with his hand.
'Well not ones that you can see at any rate,' Khushi muttered loud enough for Arnav to hear.
Arnav looked at her in disbelief for a second before a smile overtook him at the sight of her guilty but mischievous face. Then he blinked his eyes in shock at the sudden flash 'Khushi!'
'I was just trying out the camera,' she said as she looked down at the picture she'd just taken.
'Well you could give me some warning you know! I could have gone blind.' He looked over at her still playing with the phone. 'You'll be able to figure everything else out right?'
'Mmm,' Khushi replied distractedly still looking at the picture.
'Khushi! Look at me when I talk to you.'
Khushi looked up and made a face at him, 'rakshas!'
Arnav smiled again at her face and Khushi feeling brave at the sight of his smile reached up to touch his forehead and almost stroked it with her fingers, 'see look, horns. They're right there. I can feel them!'
Then she started to laugh and Arnav couldn't help but laugh with her.
'Go on tell me, what other weird things do you believe then?' He listened as Khushi told him all about her superstitions and which ones she believed and which ones she thought were ridiculous and Arnav told her he thought they were all ridiculous.
Khushi felt a sense of disappointment once they reached her house, she was sure they'd gotten here much faster than usual. 'Thank you Arnavji, for the phone. Erm... what network is it on? So I can...
'No, you don't have to worry about any of that, just use the phone.'
'But the bills! I need to pay my...
'Khushi. We've arrived, go home,' he said exasperatedly and looked away from her hoping to end the conversation.
Khushi hesitated for a while, she didn't want to take a phone from Arnav and have him pay her bills when she was more than capable of doing it herself but she didn't want to make him angry either. 'erm... thank you,' she said as she left.
Arnav only nodded at her as she got out of the car. Once she was inside the house he touched the part of his forehead that she'd touched smiling to himself before he turned the car around.
***
'Khushi, will you put it away please! I'm trying to sleep!'
'Sorry Jiji!' Khushi pulled the cover over her head trying to dim the light from the phone and stared at it. As soon as she'd gotten home she'd tried all the various applications on her new phone. The biggest surprise had been when she'd checked the contacts. Abhi's name had been first obviously but then the very next one was labelled 'Arnavji'.
Khushi couldn't get the image out of her mind of Arnav typing his own name into the phone and adding the 'ji' at the end of it. She couldn't explain why but it had made her blush. All evening she'd had the phone in her hand and been agonising over one small text.
Payal kicked her, 'Khushi!'
Khushi closed her eyes and pressed send quickly before she lost her nerve.
Arnav was still awake, sitting on his chair trying and failing to concentrate on his work. He was leaning back in the chair not thinking about anything in particular although thoughts of Khushi kept strolling through his mind occasionally. His phone beeped and he leant over to pick it up and almost dropped it when he saw the name.
Thank you for the phone. It's very nice. Goodnight. Khushi.
Arnav stared at his phone with a ridiculous smile on his
face for the next 10 minutes before he closed his laptop, no longer in the mood
to even pretend to work. He lay on his bed still looking at the text and
agonising over whether to reply. He almost typed out a response but deleted it immediately.
How was he supposed to reply? What did he put at the end? ASR? Arnav? Arnavji?
He'd had the same dilemma when he'd added his number to her phone. He'd only added three, her house, his house and his mobile number. He'd deliberated for ages as to what to write in the 'Name' section and eventually gone with 'Arnavji'. But he couldn't very well end a text as 'Arnavji' could he?
He didn't reply in the end but he spent the next hour reading and re-reading her text before he fell asleep with the phone still clutched to his hand.
Khushi stared at Arnav's picture under her blanket occasionally touching the part of the screen where his smile was until Payal kicked her again and she put the phone away under her pillow and went to sleep.
Chapter 18: Here
comment:
p_commentcount