THIS UPDATE IS TOO LONG- HENCE IS BROKEN INTO TWO PARTS... BOTH BELONG TO PRESENT TIMELINE WHEN ARNAV FINDS KHUSHI IN THE PARTY AT TAJ.
PRESENT TIMELINE
(Timeline-wise this is right after Part-7)
Party at Taj, Bombay:
Khushi entered smiling with her colleagues in a light blue colored net embroidered saree..........
Seeing her brought back many memories for Arnav.........
"Bring her to me", he replied back to Aman.....
As planned, a waiter bumped into Khushi, spilling juice on her sari....
Khushi's jaw dropped at the silhouette of a man standing tall looking in her direction. She could even recognize his shadow in sleep................
She couldn't hold herself anymore. She ran straight into his arms and hugged him... her Sir ji... the love of her life...
"This is where she belongs", Arnav mused, "Khushi- the queen that rules my heart and life".....
As they stood together in the passageway in an intimate hug, time stopped for both of them. Khushi felt home after all these months of anguish. Arnav felt a huge weight taken off his heart with his beloved in his embrace.
He held her close as her petite body raked with sobs in his arms.
"Khushi", he said trying to soothe her, "honey, relax, don't cry"
Khushi just couldn't stop. Arnav couldn't see her tears. Her pain had always hurt him. Arnav watched her keenly. She looked frailer than she did 15 months back.
"What have you done to yourself Khushi?", he asked running the back of his palm on her left cheek, his lips touching her forehead.
She whimpered more and was unable to talk with hiccups. She felt her legs giving away and held onto him for support.
Realizing that, Arnav lifted her off her feet into his strong arms. He carried her to the elevators and pressed the floor button. She held onto the lapels of his coat, eyes closed, with her head hidden in his chest as she still hiccuped.
Arnav kept looking at the angel in his arms. He sighed deeply.
As he stepped into his grand luxury suite, he walked to his bedroom, and lowered her gently on his bed. He went back to lock the door, and got her a glass of cold water.
As he sat next to her on his bed, he made her drink it.
"Khushi", he hugged her close, "baby, are you feeling okay now?"
She nodded slightly in his chest.
He ran his fingers along the length of her free hair. He pushed his fingers deeper into her hair, holding a fist, he tilted her head up. She looked at him with gorgeous round hazel orbs. Arnav couldn't resist anymore.
He bent down and took her lips in a long passionate kiss. He bit and sucked on her lips, and shoved his tongue in to taste her. Khushi lifted her arms to his nape and slowly slid her fingers into his hair.
Khushi moaned softly.
He moved down from her lips, kissing her chin and then her neck. He sucked on her neck, tracing her jaw line with his tongue. He bit on her ear lobe as she gasped.
Arnav pulled back and looked at her.
"Honey", he spoke in a calm controlled voice, "why did you not contact me all these months?"
"I couldn't", she said looking down unable to bear the intensity in his eyes.
"Look at me", he ordered, "Out with everything Khushi"
Khushi looked at him with tears in her eyes. He closed his eyes, tightening his fists. As much as he wanted to know the reason why she did not connect with him all this time, he also wanted to go soft on her.
"I should first console her", he thought, "let her know that I am there to protect her, not judge her. As such, she went through sheer torture", theorized Arnav, a man with otherwise minimum tolerance and zero experience in comforting people.
Then again this was Khushi... his Khushi...
She had made him do things he had absolutely no inkling about or those that he had utterly despised before, with others.
He had explained to her why he had to travel out of Nainital, had taken care of her dad's treatment even without her fulfilling his deal, had always sought her consent, could never force her, begged her for her company, implored her to come with him to Delhi and finally had given her his heart.
For him, Khushi was an absolute angel, a gem that he treasured, a nymphet that he cherished and worshipped...
Hell, to say the truth, she was his life...
He would not scare her... he would safeguard her... from everything... from the entire world if need be...
Taking a deep breath to improve his non-existent patience, Arnav picked her up close, stroking his left thumb on her right cheek, he moved his right hand under her hair onto her back and rubbed her gently.
"Honey", he called her again, "why did you stay away from me?"
Khushi did not answer but hugged him tighter, if possible, as if to be subsumed into him.
He understood that she needed some time to answer. "I told you this before", he reminded her, "I can never ever stay away from you", "Do you even know what I went through?"
She kept listening to him silently, feeling a sense of protection and peace wash over her as he spoke with his chin on her head.
"When you went missing, it felt like a never-ending nightmare", he continued, "I felt life sucked out of me Khushi", "I felt dead..."
Khushi immediately pulled herself out and placed her palm on his mouth, "Don't say such things", she interrupted him with love evident in her eyes, "I couldn't take it when I saw you unconscious in the hospital bed after your accident", "I will not be able to survive if anything happens to you"
Arnav looked at the hazel-eyed damsel, with love oozing out of her every pore for him.
Taking her palm off his mouth, he advanced to take her lips again in a frenzied kiss. His hands moved of their own accord all along her body sensuously. Khushi moaned at the slow tortuous contact.
Arnav laid her back on the bed settling himself next to her. He peppered kisses on her face, neck and shoulders. Not able to take the assault on her senses, she molded herself to him completely. Arnav gradually peeled the sari off of her, kissing her bare waist, moving up to her breasts at a leisurely pace.
He stripped her naked, all the while kissing her senseless. He stepped out of the bed for a second to disrobe himself without taking his eyes of the bare beauty. Khushi realized his stare at her state and pulled the sheets over her with a pink tinge on her face.
Arnav smiled at her shyness. "What's the need to cover yourself sweetheart?", he spoke huskily as he got back under the sheets with her, "There is nothing that I have not seen before"
As he pulled her closer with his big hand on her dainty waist, kissing her again and again, Khushi submitted to her beau willingly. She melted in his arms forgetting the horror of the previous months.
Later, as he plunged into her repeatedly, driving her to the brink, Khushi clutched onto his sturdy forearms and splintered into a million pieces. Soon after, Arnav lay spent on her, with his head resting on her bosom. Nothing else mattered to them at the moment. They drifted off into a deep slumber.
Next Morning, Arnav's luxury suite, Taj, Bombay:
Khushi was the first one to wake up from her sleep blinking a few times to understand her surroundings. It was a heavenly feeling- being in his arms again, and seeing him first thing in the morning. His head still on her naked chest, his breaths were tickling her.
Adoringly, she ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him softly on his forehead. She knew she had to leave. She then realized he was not surprised to see her last night- it was as if he was expecting her.
"How did he find me?", she thought, "Did he actually track me down or was it a coincidence?"
Lost in thoughts, she got up cautiously without disturbing his sleep. She stared at him fondly for a long minute, dressed up and left.
By the time Arnav woke up, it was pretty late. He had an undisturbed sleep after a long time.
"Khushi", he called, when he couldn't find her on bed.
He got up wearing a robe and searched around in his suite, half-expecting her to be present. He understood that she left, one more time.
"Dammit Khushi", he swore loudly hitting his fist on the wall, "Not again. I lost you once, I won't let you evade me again. What is that you don't want to tell me? What is that you are hiding sweetheart?"
He was determined to get to the bottom of this.
On the other side of Bombay:
Khushi stepped out of the taxi in front of her house as Mrs.Batra stood watching her.
"Khushi beta", Mrs.Batra sounded worried, "Where were you last night?"
"I... I was at my friend's place aunty", Khushi lied as she ran inside the house to get cash to pay the taxi driver
Mrs.Batra followed her as Khushi stepped inside after paying the taxi fare. "Vanitha was worried about you", Mrs.Batra said, "We both tried calling you but you didn't lift your phone"
"Is everything okay in Nagpur?", Khushi asked concerned
"Everything is fine", Mrs.Batra reassured Khushi, "Vanitha just wanted to talk to you"
"I'm sorry aunty", Khushi had to lie again, "I forgot my purse with Nitu", "and um... I went off with my other.. friend"
Khushi walked into her room cautiously to avoid more questions.
Mrs.Batra felt something was not right. But she didn't want to look nosy. Just then the landline rang, and Khushi picked it up to speak to Vanitha Vade.
At Arnav's luxury suite, Taj, Bombay:
Arnav was getting more and more agitated with every minute. All he wanted was Khushi, back in his arms. He was getting ready for work when the phone rang.
"Chote, how are you?"
"I am fine Di, How are you all?" he was impatient to finish the call soon
"Chote", Anjali spoke apprehensively, "Dadi wants to talk to you"
Before he could respond, Dadi questioned him in an irritated tone, "Arnav, what is this I hear?"
"What are you talking about Dadi?"
"Are you still in Bombay?"
"Yes"
"When are you getting back?"
"Wait a second Dadi", Arnav realized, "how do you know that I am in Bombay?"
"Is this the way to treat Tina? If you are in Bombay on some personal work, why can't you take Tina with you?"
"That's because, like you heard, it is personal"
"Arnav", Dadi bellowed
"Dadi please, I am right now in a hurry. I will talk to you later"
"No" his Dadi refused, "I want you to come to Banglore right away"
"Sorry Dadi, I cannot.."
"Arnav, Tina is upset here. Is this the way you take care of her? How am I supposed to answer her parents?" dadi ordered, "You will come here now, and spend time with all of us"
"Dadi, please understand. I am in the middle of something very important..."
"Surely, nothing is as important as your family, right? Is it more important than me?"
"Let's put it this way Dadi", Arnav spoke, his patience hanging by a thread, "This is as important as you"
Dadi gasped. She had never heard him say anything close to as significant as her. She and Anjali were always given the primary importance in his life. They were the only people worthy of Arnav's attention... at least till now...
"Chote", she was perturbed, "You are scaring me now, what is the personal work that is keeping you occupied in Bombay?"
"Dadi, please hold your horses. Just give me some time. Don't ask me anything now. I'll talk to you once everything clears out"
"Okay Chote, I will wait for your call"
Tech Designs, Bombay:
"I am sorry Nitu", Khushi spoke to her friend & colleague, "I couldn't come back with you last night. Do you still have my purse?"
"Here it is Khushi", Nitu gave it back, "Your phone rang a few times, but I did not lift it. Is everything okay?"
"Thank you, everything's fine. Nothing to worry"
"By the way Khushi, did you hear this?..you won't be working here from today"
"What? Why?"
"The manager said so. Go speak to him"
Khushi went to speak to Atul, the manager in Tech Designs.
"That's right Khushi", Atul confirmed casually, "You and a few others have been absorbed into ARB"
"But sir, why?"
"It was a part of the contract that we signed last week. Remember our tie-up with ARB? That is the reason why we had the party last night"
"I know sir, but how can I contribute to them?" Khushi was surprised, " I mean... I am also very new here. Why can't they take in a more experienced professional?"
"Honestly, I don't know Khushi, it is purely their choice. I am not aware of what criteria they used. By the way, ARB bought three floors in the same building as us. They will have an extended branch here that they apparently want to use for conferences and other stuff"
"Right here, in the same building?" Khushi was relieved, "That means, I don't have to travel anywhere else. Thank God!"
"I know!" Atul agreed, "Our CEO is over the moon with their collaboration. In fact, he gave us strict orders regarding..."
Just then the CEO of Tech Designs, Mr.Raman walked out of his cabin. He addressed the staff:
"It is with great pleasure I announce that ARB has chosen us", he beamed proudly, "I expect everyone to be well organized at all times and at their best behavior. This is going to be very advantageous to our company. I do not want to hear negative remarks on any of our staff"
Mr.Raman continued, "We have the big heads of ARB coming over now for an important meeting. Employees that have been assimilated into ARB will also be required to attend the conference with me. Get ready and follow me to the conference room on 4th floor. No mistakes will be tolerated"
The next few minutes went off in a flurry of activity. The entire office was set to receive the superiors of ARB.
Finally Khushi settled down with her colleagues in the conference room waiting for the meeting to start.
The CEO of Tech Designs, Mr.Raman, received Akash Bansal well. Some of ARB employees accompanied Akash. After exchanging pleasantries and a few introductions, the talks began.
Mr.Raman addressed Akash, "Mr.Bansal, Shall we start the meeting?"
"Actually Mr.Raman, I am waiting for Mr.Raizada to join the meeting. He has been helping me out since ARB was established. In fact, ARB is a sister company of AR"
Khushi was stunned to hear the piece of information. She was sure she heard it wrong.
"Mr. Raizada?", she rewinded what Mr.Akash Bansal had said just then, "As in him?", "and ARB is a sister company of AR- as in AR, Delhi?"
She was still lost in her thoughts, when in walked Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada in all his masculine glory. He exuded power and arrogance so strong that everyone was spellbound- while women were captivated at the devastating combination of his authority, wealth and charm; Men were enthralled at the raw control and magnificence he wielded.
All eyes were fixed on this young successful business tycoon while his eyes searched for a particular pair of hazel orbs. He smirked as soon as he found them.
To say Khushi was awe-struck was an understatement. She now understood clearly that she was pursued by him. This was no coincidence.
She knew him and she knew him well...
Khushi didn't even notice that she had held her breath until he started speaking. He briefly introduced himself which was totally unnecessary, thanks to his renown. All heard him with rapt attention. Akash and Raman took over from him and discussed their goals.
Khushi could not process anything. She was too stumped to understand anything.
Once the presentation started and the room was darkened, Arnav looked at the focus of his interest.
His eyes kept darting back and forth to her. He admired how beautiful she looked in a simple beige colored sari with minimal makeup.
"My Aphrodite..", he mused, his eyes softening in affection, as he stared at her continuously.
Khushi felt his eyes on her. Their activities of previous night flashed before her and she blushed visibly.
Noticing her blush, Arnav smirked wider comprehending the reason. His body contracted painfully with need at memories of her undressed self. He wanted to take her then and there.
"F*ck, this is pure torture", he thought as he adjusted himself, "Khushi, what the hell are you making me do?", "the only reason I am in this useless meeting is for you"
Whatever be the reason that kept her away from him, he was determined to win his ladylove back...at any cost...
.................continued in the next part......................