Khushi stepped into ASR's office, half hiding behind Lavanya.
"Chamkili kya kar rahi ho? Stop this childishness." And against Khushi's protests, pushed her forward. [Chamkili what are you doing?]
ASR looked up at her glaring, remembering Payal's words from yesterday, the taunt echoing in his ears.
"Where are we on the look test?"
Lavanya placed a file before him. "The clients loved it and have given us the green signal. The alterations are midway and it will be ready well before the deadline."
"Aur tum!" [And you!]
Khushi jerked as he addressed her. "Take this bundle of newspaper to the storeroom." He barked out an order, pointing at a bundle next to his table."
Khushi nodded, rushing forward to get the work done. She tried pulling the bundle, almost falling under the weight.
Arnav cleared his throat when Lavanya tried to help her. "Dekh kya rahi ho? Phata phat yeh kaam niptao aur aaj ke photoshoot ke liye tayariyan karo." He dismissed her and Lavanya with a wave of his hand. [What are you staring at? Quickly get the work done and prep for the photoshoot!]
Anger boiled under Khushi's skin as she picked up the bundle. She was used to lifting around heavy cylinders in her Babuji's shop back in Lucknow, these papers are nothing.
She carried them and hurried down the stairs, grumbling to herself. "Samajh teh kya hain woh apne aap ko? Laad Governor kahi ke! Hum unke yaha naukri karte hain, koi gulaam nahi hai ki hum par hukum chalte rahe. Devi Maiyya ki kasam uss ASR ko toh--" [What does he think of himself? Such a demon! I am an employee here, not a slave that he can order me around. I swear on Devi Maiyya, that ASR is going to --]
"ASR ko kya?" [ASR what?]
Khushi jumped, the papers flying out of her hands as she heard the voice. Arnav stood in front of her, crossed arms and glaring at her.
"Aap, yahan? Kaise itni jaldi--" She looked back at where his office was and back at him, near the storage room. [How are you here? So quick?]
Arnav smirked. "You're too slow. Now quickly gather these and bring the fabrics from inside for the set decor."
Khushi grit her teeth and started collecting the papers that had spread out on the floor, when suddenly an idea struck her.
"Laad---Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada!" She called out, stopping ASR in his tracks.
"What?"
"Which fabrics do you want from the store room?" She asked from inside the storeroom, yelling so he could hear her.
"The new organza ones." ASR replied, his voice fainlty.
"Kya? Sunayi nahi diya!" She yelled back biting back a grin. She was going to make ASR complete his own orders. [I can't hear you.]
"THE ORGANZA ONES." He said loudly. This was definitely embarrassing for a top CEO like him, yelling for fabrics like he worked in a boutique.
And Khushi's calculations were right. Arnav was fuming as he was forced to shout and give her instructions like a lowly tailor. He was thankful this was a deserted corridor and his other employees couldn't witness this.
He turned on his heel and walked into the storeroom and watched with irritation as Khushi stood with her back to him, happily yelling out to him.
Not able to take the yapping anymore, he strode forward, grabbing her arm and twisted her around. Khushi's eyes widened as she noticed him, about to scream when Arnav covered her mouth with his hand.
"Enough! Kitna bolti ho tum! Mute button hai ki nahi tumhme?!" [Enough! How much do you talk? Do you have a mute button?]
Khushi pushed his hands away, pointing her finger at him, about to say something when the two froze.
A loud thud was heard. Both were still, frozen in place as realization dawned on them.
"ASR, yeh voh storage room toh nahi hain na? Jiska door jam hogata hain?" Khushi nervously asked, eyeing the shut door, fiddling with her slingbag. She hadn't even gotten the time to keep it down before ASR set her on tasks. [ASR, this isn't the storage room with the door that jams, right?]
Arnav shut his eyes and exhaled sharply.
It was the storeroom with the jammed door.
"Hey Devi Maiyya yeh kya kiya apne mere saath, iss rakshas ke saath mujhe iss room mein kedh kar diya?" [Oh god, why are you doing this to me, trapping me inside this room with this demon?]
"Excuse me? Rakshas kise bulaya?" [Excuse me? Who are you calling a demon?]
Khushi glared at him. "Aapko aur kisko? Khud ko badi apsara samjthe hain kya aap? Rakshas kahi ke." [You, who else? Do you think you're some sort of fairy? Demon!]
"What the, you--"
"Yeh what the chodiye aur yeh dekhiye ki hum yaha se kaise niklenge." [Forget your what the and figure out a way to get us out of here.]
Arnav bit back his words and scrolled through his phone trying to find a way to get out. Khushi did the same clicking her tongue.
"Service nahi hain." [There's no service.]
"Hamare phone mein bhi." Khushi stared at his blackberry. "Laye idhar dijiye." And without waiting for a response, snatched the phone from him.
"What the--"
Khushi started hitting Arnav's phone against the palm of her hand, trying to get it to work like an old tv remote.
"Pagal hogayi ho kya? Pata isski kimat kya hain?" [Are you mad? Do you know how much this costs?]
"Kya pharak padta hai? Aapke 30,000 phone aur mere 3,000 phone, dono mein signal nahi hain." [What is the point? Your 30,000 rupees phone and my 3,000 one, both don't have signal.]
Khushi grumbled and sat down on the pile of fabrics set in the corner, nervously snacking on the channa from her bag.
"Seriously? Iss time pe tumhe bhuk lag rahi hai?" [Seriously? You're hungry at this hour?]
Khushi stared at him. "Toh kya kare? Aapke tarah uss darwaaze ko ghurthe rahe kya?" [What else is there to do? Glare at the door like you?]
Arnav wrestled with his tie, a bead of sweat rolling down his neck as he rolled up his sleeves.
Khushi noticed and bit back a smile. So the silver spoon rakshas cannot handle the Delhi heat.
Taking advantage of the newly learnt fact, Khushi fanned herself with her dupatta, humming loudly. "Ah, this cool air is a blessing from heaven. My dupatta is the best, multipurpose."
Arnav sat down across her on another pile of heavy fabrics, wiping his face every two minutes while glaring at Khushi.
Khushi fiddled with her phone, jumping up when the call to Aman went through. "Aman-ji? Sunayi deh raha hain kya aapko?" [Aman, can you hear me?]
"Hello Khushi-ji? Kaisi hain aap?" [Hello? How are you Khushi?]
"Hum badiya hain, aapk kaise hai? Khana khaliya?" Khushi asked, forgetting why she had called him in the first place. [I'm great, and you? Had your lunch?]
Arnav lost his patience as Khushi went on to recite the entire canteen's menu and snatched the phone from her.
"Aman! We're locked in the storeroom on the third floor. Come and get us out now."
"Wait why are you in the storeroom? With Khushi-ji?"
"That's not important."
Aman felt like playing with fire. "Please jijaji bolo tabhi madad karne aaounga." [Say please only then will I come to help you.]
"Aman stop this nonsense!"
"Kya bola? Sunayi nahi deh raha hain Saale Sahab." [What? I can't hear you my dear brother -in-law.]
Arnav pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please."
Khushi's jaw fell to the ground. The great ASR saying please?
"Dusra shabd bhi bolo." [The second word as well.]
Arnav inhaled sharply. Aman was dead when he got out. "Please Jijaji."
Khushi dropped her channe and jumped up. "Kya? Aman-ji aapke Jijaji hain?" [What? Aman is your brother-in-law?]
Aman, hearing Khushi's exclamation laughed. Now there was no saving ASR from Khushi's teasing.
"Mein carpenter ko bulata hoon Saale Sahab." Aman gleefully kept the phone, turning to Aakash. [I'll call the carpenter.]
"Kya kiya aapne?" [What did you do?]
Aman held his stomach, laughing so hard that tears sprung out the corner of his eyes. "Arnav ki laga di maine." [Trapped Arnav in a pickle.]
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"Eh Payalia? Shyam-ji ka kamra tayaar hua ki naahi?" [Payal, did you fix up Shyam's rooom?]
Payal gritted her teeth as she angrily cleaned the guest room. She did not like having a paying guest one bit.
His gaze.....it was not right.
And the protective instincts in her only flared when she thought about Khushi.
The way he looked at her was unnerving.
Gathering the blanket to sun dry it, Payal stepped out to the verandha when she heard hushed voices from her parent's room.
"We have such a big debt, how are we going to repay it?"
Debt? What debt? Payal's heart gripped with an unexplainable fear. Khushi.
"Shyam-ji is adamant on keeping a close eye on us. It's why he's moving in the first place." Garima's voice floated out.
They owe a debt to the paying guest? Payal's mind whirled at the revelation, gripping the rail to keep her from falling to her knees. Why would they bring the person they owe money into their home.
"Calm down Garima, I told you I'll handle it." Shashi's stern and grounded voice was heard next.
Payal willed herself to straighten up and inched closer to the window, careful to not let her silouhette be seen. She leaned against the wall by the window frame.
"I have something that will satisfy Shyam's demands."
Payal gripped her dupatta tightly.
"What do you have to offer?"
"Khushi."
Payal sunk to the floor, a single tear slipping out.
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Arnav leaned against the door, eyes shut as he ignored Khushi's one million questions per hour.
"Toh Aman-ji aapke dost hai jo baad mein aapki Di se shaadi ki? Toh voh Raizada kaise hue? Aur aap aapke Jijaji se aise kaise baath kar sakte hain?" [So Aman is your friend who married your elder sister? Is that why he is a Raizada too? And why do you talk to your brother-in-law like that?]
"Just. Shut. Up." Arnav gritted his teeth, all falling in deaf years as Khushi still processed the new information.
As Arnav's saviour, Aman knocked on the other end of the door. "Arnav! I got the carpenter."
With the new information Khushi had, she started noticing things she overlooked before. There was a certain fondness and adoration in the way Aman said Arnav's name.
A certain casual atmosphere when he talks to ASR that is not there with his own sister.
"What is taking so long dammit?" Arnav stood by the door with his arms crossed for the past fifteen minutes as the carpenter tried to open the jammed door.
"Arnav, the door is jammed too tightly, you might have to wait a bit longer."
"Just break open the door, I don't care!"
"It's not that easy, there is very sensitive wiring around this side of the building. The carpenter said it will take another two hours."
"What the? Aman get me out of here fast! I have to close a deal with our vendors. I have an important board meeting in an hour."
Aman sighed. "It can't be helped. I'll postpone your meetings for today."
Arnav rolled his eyes, pausing when he smelt a certain aroma of spices fill the poorly ventilated room. Incredulous, he looked at Khushi who had spread out a full five course meal, happily eating.
Chole bature, jeera rice and jalebis for sweet.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Lunch." Khushi replied, not looking up from her food.
"Yeh sab, ek insaan ke liye?" [All this for one person?]
Khushi glared at him. "Aap se matlab?" [What is it to you?]
Arnav sat down, watching as she gobbled down food as if she had been starved her entire life. Just as Khushi was about to eat the jalebi, the door swung open, Aman and the carpenter on the other side.
"Lunch break is over! Get to work now!" Arnav barked and strode out.
Khushi alternated between rage and sadness. Rage on that Laad Governor who dared to come between her and her beloved jalebi. Sad because ASR came between her and her jalebi and now she couldn't savour the desert.
"I'll save it for the end of the day." Khushi decided and packed up her things, rushing to get the work done.
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"Chamkili, yeh documents jaake ASR ko dedena." [Chamikili, go give ASR these documents.]
Khushi shook her head like an adamant toddler. "Nahi High Heels-ji, mein uss rakshas ke paas nahi ja rahe." [No, I'm not facing that demon again.]
The model who was supposed to model their designs had left before Arnav managed to get out of the storeroom.
Hence the CEO's anger was boiling up, yelling at anyone who as much as breathed wrong.
But Lavanya was hearing none of it and pushed Khushi into ASR's cabin.
Khushi stumbled and steadied herself, waiting for a scolding. But it never came.
Arnav was at his chair, head leaning against his fingertips, as though he was troubled or worried about something deeply.
Khushi cleared her throat and approached the lion. "ASR, Hig- Lavanya ji has spoken to the model Lisa-ji, she'll be here first thing in the morning. The photoshoot will be done and we'll be back on track."
Khushi rambled on, pausing when she realised she hadn't been interrupted even once.
"ASR? Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada?"
Still no response.
She went closer, shaking his shoulder. Arnav's eyes were still closed, swaying as he fell forward into Khushi's arms, unconcious.
"ASR?" Khushi felt his forehead. Cold.
"ASR? ARNAV-JI?!"
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Hope you liked this chapter! Khushi has finally transitioned from calling our hero ASR to Arnav-ji.
Those waiting for Teej and Guesthouse it's there in the following chapter I promise! It just interrupted the flow of the story.