Chapter 3: T... for Tamasha?!
Khushi entered the office with a lazy smile adorning her pretty face. She smiled at Arnav's Secretary, Sheena, who waved at her. Then, she found her friend, Tanya and waved at her. And then it was Rahul, Sumant, Shrishti... Well since the list of waves and smiles from Khushi seemed to be endless, Chilli decided to make his presence be felt. Jalebi was about to go out and greet the drivers too, for she had forgotten to greet them before and here as she turned, she collided with a very hard rock.
"Aah"
What followed after this "Aah" was a scene that was supposed to be straight from a SRK-Kajol starrer wherein the heroine loses balances and the hero catches her and an eyelock follows. But alas! What happened here was the heroine lost her balance and in the most unlady-like manner and grabbed the hero's hand to prevent any fall. Arnav, of course, allowed that little grabbing of his hand and nothing more. He never promised to be a gentleman, did he?
Khushi made herself steady as Arnav left her hand and followed Arnav without any questions. This did make Arnav wonder if last night's call had helped. Damn she is silent! That is the first success. Now here is where the question of whether Arnav knew Khushi at all arises.
Khushi made faces behind Arnav. When Arnav looked behind him to see if she was following him or if she again got busy with everything other than work, he found her giving her the most innocent smile while batting her eyelashes. Weird! He thought. And another round of how "obnoxiously handsome man" he was, was uttered by Khushi, which Arnav royally ignored. Oh how wrong he was in judging her silence. It definitely should have been something bad or flirty. Now, now Arnav did know her.
"Report?" He asked sternly. Khushi rummaged through her bag's contents to produce the very report he was asking for and the very same report which had been their point of discussion the previous night.
(Continuation of the phone call)
"What should I take? I already seem to love what I have been gifted with."
"Arnav Singh Raizada?"
The rest of the jalebi dropped from her lips and the hunger was long forgotten. Gift?Her eyes rounded at the realisation. Seriously? Gift? What gift did she give him? Her mind immediately took her back into the memory lane to zero in on any moment that involved her gifting him anything.
"Uh gift?! Which one are you speaking about?"
"Oh this looks like I have received more than one. But no I am speaking about the one I got at 7:00."
"At 7:00? Uh I did not send anything to you. How did you get anything at all from me? It isn't possible."
"Clearly shows. How did I expect that you will remember that?" His sarcasm tinged voice clearly hit the warning bells in her mind.
"Report." They both spoke at the same time, one with a voice mixed with surprise and confusion while the other with a voice laced with anger and frustration.
"Yeah the very same thing you call it as a report. What bloody nonsense have you mailed to me? It is so full of faults and mistakes. What were you thinking while typing it? You could have as well mailed it to your trash. I have already deleted it."
Khushi's frown intensified with every word Arnav uttered.
"What the hell? You called me at..." She stopped to check the time which showed 12:15 am. "Yeah at 12:15 at midnight to tell that a report is bad. Couldn't you tell it tomorrow? I am an intern, so I am learning it. You can't blame me."
And then for the first time Arnav Singh Raizada argued with an intern regarding a report for half an hour. What was the result? Of course it was he who had cut the phone in irritation as the girl on the other end rambled on and on about her Jalebis and talked while munching on them. Seriously? Why the hell did God make her so foolish?
Presently, he skimmed through the report that was so unceremoniously thrust under his eyes. It spoke of stuff. But Khushi's behaviour spoke of laziness. He needed to set it right, he mentally decided.
"You may leave now."
"That's all? Yesterday he calls me at 11:00 to shout, now can't he tell me how it was." Khushi kept on mumbling to herself.
"Do you have anything else to say?" Arnav asked looking up from hi computer screen. Khushi shook her head. "Then stop wasting time and get back to work." And his attention was back to the screen again.
"Obnoxiously rude," she muttered under her breath, but not loud enough for Arnav to hear, before leaving for her cabin.
~0~
Smita Singh Raizada and Garima Gupta convinced a crying kid to go to his class leaving his mother. Weren't all kids this emotional to adjust to a new environment with unknown people? But no, not all were like that and Garima smiled at her thoughts."Khushi again?" Garima chuckled at that.
"Yes. The girl never leaves my thoughts. This kid made me remember about Khushi's first day at school. She was the one who ran into the school without a backward glance. No emotional crying or anything."
"Ha! She is unique and my favourite."
"Oh you don't know what your laadli did today. She is getting too naughty. Roz naya tamasha. I don't know how she became this naughty. Neither me nor Shashi were this mischievous."
"That's a good thing. She makes sure she is in your thoughts and she makes us laugh. Pagal hai par cute hai and very witty too."
"But she is lazy," the troubled mother put in, "I don't know how she will progress in her career." "Arnav hai na? He will set her right,"added Smita putting her friend out of misery with those words. "I hope so, Smita. This girl worries me the most."
"Today we will finalise the paint colour for the new wing, shall we?"
"But Smita you said there is a puja in the evening and you need to leave early."
"Arrey, I forgot. What will I do without you?"
Garima laughed at that. Of course, what would both do without the other? Their paths were meant to cross due to Arnav and Khushi, which had later led to the birth of "Play and Learn" Kindergarten School. It was now headed by both of them. It has been 8 years since they have successfully run it, together.
Another crying kid soon caught their attention fishing them out of their thoughts.
~0~
Ajay saw a deeply focused Khushi who was trying to figure out something, maybe on the recent task Arnav had given to her. He then looked at Arnav who was in a video call, no doubt cracking yet another deal. Now where was Akash? He had vanished into the thin air since the morning. He decided to call him and as he took his phone out, he heard a knock.
"Bade Chacha?"
"Come in Akash. Where were you?"
"At the launch location. I wanted to personally be sure of all the minute details. Arnav was too worried about the models too. So I went there to check it up."
"Oh at 7 in the morning?" Ajay raised an eyebrow, a signature trait of the Raizada men.
The very question threw Akash off guard. He didn't see it coming. "What?"
"No, I was just wondering if all the models turned up at 7." Ajay's casual remark had its effect.
"I needed to sort certain things out."
Ajay nodded. "Just know that I have big ears to lend it to you. Don't bottle up all issues." Akash smiled faintly at him and left the cabin, while Ajay's thoughtful gaze followed him.
~0~
"Coming to the launch site?" The way Arnav put it, Khushi wasn't sure how to answer it.
Was he asking or informing? I am sure he is asking. If he was telling then he wouldn't be using present continuous. It should have been an order and he would have used it like an imperative sentence. Yes, that's it he was asking. Khushi's thoughts were interrupted by Arnav's booming voice again,
"I am asking you, damn it."
Did he read her thought?
"How? I mean you heard me didn't you?" She asked trying to confirm her doubt.
"What the hell are you blabbering? Yes or No?" Arnav asked irritated by her confused blabbering.
"Yes", she accepted cheerfully.
"But no lazing around. Okay?" At Khushi's dutiful nod, Arnav's dubious mind was very perturbed. She and not lazy? After all her laziness had made them meet first.
10 years ago,
Arnav was frustrated and agitated. He was positive the new event would be a failure, after all he has been given such a team. Being the School's Pupil Leader was a demanding task, especially if you had a lazy bunch as the team. They still had to put up the banners, check the newsletter, decorate the venue, and oh, the never ending list continued. Arnav shook his head finding the team sitting on the bench and munching snacks. "Guys, if you all are done, let's get back to work. Please." They all got on their feet and scrambled out, when Avni approached him.
"Bhai how is this banner? Does it look good? Should I make some changes?"
"No this looks good. Go ahead. Are you all done with all the banners?"
"Um.. no bhai. Still three left."
"Avni can't you find more members and group them in and do the work?" As Avni shook her head and got back to work, Arnav sighed.
Just then a girl caught his attention. It did look like she was fairly new to the school and that explained why he hadn't seen her before. While the whole school was bustling with work, this girl seemed to be eating something and ignoring her friend's call to help her.
Arnav approached her, determined to make her work. "Excuse me." She looked at him with a raised eyebrow indicating him to go on. Arnav was shocked at her nonchalant reaction. "Which class are you in?"
"9B" she smiled cheerfully. "Why aren't you doing anything for the cultural event?"
She stuffed something that looked like a jalebi into her mouth and continued, "Because I don't want to. It is lot of work and it requires spending too much of energy and you know what. I am telling this to you, don't tell to anyone. This isn't organised. It isn't systematic. By the way, which class are you in? You are also bored like me?"
"I am the School's Pupil Leader."
"Wow! Congrats."
Was she really stupid and mad?
"Do you realise that I am the one organising it?"
"Organising what?"
"This event."
"Oh...really?"
"Yeah really." Khushi swallowed thickly. Her big mouth will cause her death, one day.
"Umm.. my friend is calling me."
"Oh for what?"
"For.. um... work of course."
Arnav looked at her incredulously at the brilliant escapade she had come up with, but it seemed that the world was conspiring against her, for her friend came up then."Will you at least help me with pasting these? Stop being so lazy." With a meek nod, Khushi followed her friend and did as told. Halfway through Khushi did turn around to see if he was there or not. Could she go back to her Jalebis? Bam, she found him right behind her, overlooking her work. She sighed getting back to it forcefully...
~0~
Akash paced around his cabin, deep in thought. "What to do? What not to do?"His phone rang and he mechanically accepted the call.
"What? No! This won't lead us anywhere. Do you understand? I am so fed up! I have work. Will call you later, when you would have calmed down and think straight. Don't start it again. Bye."
What the hell was happening with his usually happy life? He mused.
*****
So we finally see what the phone call was about. Are you enjoying the back and forth banters of Jalebi and Chilli?
How did you find their first meet?
Please let me know your thoughts about the chapter through your comments and please vote.
Love,
Arunima