It had been a week since I started planning the wedding, everything was going great, the decorations and everything was finally getting completed and it looked so beautiful.
I had like three days left before the wedding functions began, the haldi, the mehndi, the sangeet and then finally the wedding, and as the time came closer, I got a bit nervous. Sonali and Samar had passed by the garden yesterday to check on the decorations and they had requested some changes which I was handling currently, but I had to rush things up as I dint have much time left now.
Earlier today, I finally received the customized carpet with Samar and Sonali's picture, it was so beautiful but I had to show it to Sonali and Samar just incase they dint like it or something, so I called her up to see if she could come check it out but as usual, she was too busy with the other wedding related stuff so once again, I had to go to Raizada Mansion and show her the carpet, gladly it was all printed on a thin material that folded up well and wasn't too big for me to carry.
I was quite nervous about going to Raizada mansion though, anytime I had any kind of interaction with Arnav, it would just leave me with a lot of feelings that I couldn't understand, I wish Sonali would have called me to her house instead, but most of the time she was at the Raizada mansion so I had to go there.
I hadn't seen Arnav since he last dropped me at the garden so everything had been quite normal for me apart from those few times when I was just seated and I would randomly start thinking about him.
I parked my car in the usual spot and headed inside the mansion nervously, the hall was empty today, there were just a few workers around cleaning it, I headed straight upstairs passing by Arnav's room, the door was wide open so I just looked inside when I passed by and Arnav wasn't in his room.
At least I wouldn't have to face him today, I don't know what got into me every time I looked at him, it was like I was going crazy or something.
I knocked at the door of Samar's room, I heard Sonali's voice so I pushed it open and walked in, she was alone in the room trying on her wedding outfit.
"Wow, that's a beautiful outfit." I said as I looked at her in awe, this had to be the most beautiful wedding outfit I had ever seen, they way it fit her, and looked on her, it was just so beautiful. Of course it was red, not the usual red but a different kind of red, I dint know how to describe it but it matched her skin tone so perfectly and make her look like a dream.
"I had to chase Samar away so I could try it, I wish I could show it to him, but I can't wait to see his reaction when he sees me in it on our wedding day." She said excitedly.
"He's definitely going to fall in love with you all over again." I smiled, honestly she looked so pretty in it even thought she was just trying it on, I was sure she would look like a dream when she was all dressed in it with her hair styled and the make up and the bangles and everything related to it.
Oh, weddings were just so beautiful, weren't they?
"If I'm not wrong it's Sabyasachi right?" I asked.
"Of course, it is." Sonali smiled, I could figure it out, his outfits were always so dreamy and perfect.
Anyway, let me change and then I call Samar and we take a look at the carpet, did you bring it along?"
"Yeah, it's in the car, I'll go get it while you change."
"Great."
I rushed out of the room and headed downstairs, seeing Sonali trying her wedding outfit just reminded me of my wedding dreams, I had this perfect plan for my wedding in my mind, how I was going to plan it, how my outfit was going to look like, what song I was going to dance on, the only thing left was to find a groom for myself.
I unlocked the car and opened up the boot as I grabbed the carpet and pulled it out, it might be on a thin material but this thing was quite heavy, I struggled with it so much.
"Do you need help?" I heard his voice.
Oh No! Why Arnav, why are you everywhere? My heart did a little dance hearing his voice I was kind of happy and not happy that he was here. Happy because deep down I knew I wanted to see him and unhappy because he was making me feel too much and I wasn't even sure what these feelings were.
"Mr. Raizada. I thought you were at work." I smiled as I turned to look at him.
"I was, I just came to have lunch. I like eating with my family." He smiled.
"Oh great." I smiled back and stood there awkwardly, he was dressed in his usual three-piece suit but he looked a bit different than usually today and I was literally staring at him trying to figure out what was different.
"Sometimes people do tell me I look handsome." He smirked. Okay wait, was this Arnav Singh Raizada smirking? Why did he look so freaking hot when he smirked? I was drooling but I was confused what he meant.
"I'm sorry what?" I asked.
"You're staring at me continuously." He laughed.
Oh, now he was laughing... my heart. Someone save my heart, oh that ticklish feeling, these goosebumps. Arnav, why are you making me feel all this?"
"You just... look different than usual." I smiled nervously as I tried to look away from him but he looked so good I wanted to stare.
"Yeah, I got a haircut." He smiled, that was why, his hair was a bit longer before but he had cut it pretty short and I swear this short hair looked bomb on him.
"It looks great on you." I smiled.
"Thank you... so do you need help with that?" He asked as he looked at the carpet.
"Yes please." I smiled, he nodded as he put his phone and keys in his pocket and walked closer to help me carry the carpet, I mean he could have just called one of the house workers to carry it for us but he helped himself, it showed how different he was.
He grabbed it from one side while I did from the other side, and in that moment, our hands brushed slightly and my heart literally jumped. I really needed to visit a doctor and figure out what was wrong with me.
I mean I get it, maybe I had a crush on him, but I thought those feelings were just something normal not out of the ordinary, but with him everything felt so extra ordinary, too much for me to handle, so was this really a crush or was something wrong with me?
'Stop acting like the clueless movie heroines Khushi, you know what this is exactly, you are starting to like him and he's way out of your league.' My inner voice reminded me, well it was true, I mean look at him, he was definitely out of my league.
Why did I have to like him so much though? Couldn't I like him just a little? So, it would be easy to get over the feelings once I was done with this wedding planning because I wasn't going to get to see him after I was done with this wedding, and that was just kind of sad.
"Thank you for your help Mr. Raizada." I smiled at him as we put the carpet down once, we were inside.
"You can call me Arnav, Mr. Raizada makes me feel like an old man." He said.
"And you can call me Khushi too, instead of Miss Khushi, I feel like a school teacher." I rolled my eyes.
"You're funny." He laughed. Oh, once again that beautiful laughter of his. God! Why are you doing this to me? Stop it okay.
"Arnav, you're back." Samar said as he walked down the stairs along with Sonali.
"Yeah, it's lunch time, you're so busy with your wedding you've forgotten food." Arnav teased him.
"This gorgeous lady standing beside me makes me forget everything." Samar said as he looked at Sonali and cupped her face staring into her eyes.
"Okay stop being cheesy now." Arnav rolled his eyes at them.
"So open it up, let's see how it's turned out." Sonali said to me, I nodded as I opened up the carpet, Arnav helped me once again, we pulled it from opposite direction and placed it on the floor, both Sonali and Samar looked at it from starting to end, picture by picture.
I really hoped they were going to like it, I had put so much effort into getting it designed to match the wedding theme.
"You have such great ideas; you arranged the pictures and everything on your own or?" Arnav asked as he looked at me.
"Yes I did."
"It's beautiful, you are so creative."
"Thank you." I giggled nervously, okay why did I start acting like a teenager around him though?
"So what do you guys think? I decided to place this picture in the beginning itself because it's so beautiful so pure, it would be perfect for the entrance point." I walked towards Sonali and Samar as I took them through the details of it and why some on the pictures were place where they were and everything.
"We love it, everything is just so perfect." Samar smiled at me.
"Really? Thank God, I was nervous about it." I jumped up and down happily, I swear I would have been so much stressed if they dint like it and would have wanted me to change it, that would have meant sleepless nights for me because I'd have to plan it all again, change the picture arrangement and make it fit their criteria, so when they said they liked it, I was so happy about it.
"We have to go." Sonali said as she pulled out her phone from the pocket of her jean.
"Oh yeah the measurements, we have to go get my outfit to be altered, it was a bit big on me, but I guess everything is sorted now?" Samar said.
"Yes, you can leave, I just wanted to make sure you both liked the carpet." I said.
"Hey, you can't leave me alone, I came here to have lunch with you guys, and by the looks of here, I see even mom guys aren't around." Arnav said.
"Sorry Arnav, you know the designer is always busy and we had scheduled this appointment, can't miss it. Maybe Miss. Khushi here can give you company, we have to rush." Samar said as he grabbed Sonali's hand and the both rushed out of the mansion.
"Miss Khushi... Sorry I mean Khushi. Would you care to have lunch with me then as everyone had ditched me today?" He looked at me. Of course, Arnav I would want to have lunch with you, you don't even have to ask duh.
"Sure, I don't mind." I smiled politely trying to act all normal about it. I should definitely think about the acting auditions on a serious note.
"Perfect, I tell someone to wrap this up and put it in your car." He said as he called two workers and instructed them what to do and then he led me to the dining table where like a gentleman he pulled out a chair for me as I sat down, he sat opposite me and soon a few of the servants walked out of the kitchen with food.
"I've actually never eaten alone, I can't eat when I don't have company." Arnav said.
"Well, I eat alone daily." I said.
"Why? You don't have a family?"
"I do, they live in Gujrat though, I live here all alone and most of the times I'm busy planning weddings so I just eat wherever and whenever."
"Doesn't it feel lonely?"
"Not when you like your own company, a person always has to be in love with themselves, that way you would never feel alone in any situation." I smiled.
"I admire this about you, you are so full of life, always happy and dancing around and talking nonstop, and you also like your own company, I think that is very beautiful. You are very interesting Khushi." He said as he looked at me, for a short moment there when I looked back at him, we shared this beautiful eye lock and that was when I knew I was totally screwed.
But hey, at least there was something about me he admired, I was happy about that I even wanted to start dancing already but I just tried to control myself. Like he was being nice and polite and not flirting but everything he said gave me goosebumps and just got me more attracted towards him.