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"Hi" she said into the phone as he picked up.
"I thought we had covered that part already. Aur kitna hi bologe?" Arnav asked and Khushi's eyes widened.
"Okay, aur nahi bolungi phir. Tell me what did you want to talk about earlier." She asked and Arnav's eyes twinkled as he held the contract he had drafted up in his hands.
"I have something to show you." He said.
"And that would be?" she asked with excitement.
"What fun is it if I tell you directly?" he asked and she was hopeful that they would get to meet. Her wishes came true as she heard him speak.
"Why don't we meet somewhere and I can show you in person?"
She jumped in joy. Well, not too high that he would figure it out at the other end. Arnav was anxiously waiting for her reply.
"Khushi?"
"Yes yes. I mean I am here."
"So, is that also a yes to meeting me today?"
"Sure, where do you want to meet?" she asked.
"I'll text you the address and time."
They didn't drag the conversation further and ended the call saying they would see each other soon.
*******
Khushi was in a dilemma. She was not sure what to tell her parents. To lie or not to lie?
Well, she was always open about everything with her parents. She didn't see a reason she had to start hiding things from them now. She decided she would tell them ASR wanted to meet her and she didn't know what it was about. Which was the truth.
She checked her phone and saw that she had a text from Arnav with the address of a restaurant. He had proposed to meet at seven. She had about two hours in hand. She went downstairs to where the family was gathered for evening tea and snacks.
"Khushi, acha hua tum aa gayi. I was about to call you." Garima said as she saw her younger daughter join them.
"Do you need some help Maa?"
"Na baba, sab hogya. Just get your tea and sit with us."
Khushi did as instructed and thought of how to bring up the topic of her meeting Arnav for dinner.
She got lucky when the conversation naturally flowed and reached the topic of dinner.
"Dinner se yaad aaya, ASR wants to meet me for dinner tonight." Khushi laid it out there for the others to comprehend and respond.
"What? Why would ASR want to meet you again?" Payal asked.
"Seriously?" Akash asked as he took a sip of his tea.
"Kis baat ke liye beta?" Shashi asked and Khushi decided to address all the questions in one go.
"I have no idea. He just said he wanted to show me something and asked if I would be willing to join him for dinner tonight." She said.
"Well, where are you meeting him then?" Shashi asked and Khushi gave him the name of the restaurant.
"Well, he seemed like a nice guy. You should go meet him and see what it is about. I know I don't have to tell you this, but, be careful." Garima said and Shashi nodded in agreement.
"Wait, when did you guys meet ASR?" Payal asked in confusion.
"Jab tum talli hoke apne behen ko peeche chodke aayi thi. Yaad hai? Arnav Singh Raizada dropped her home yesterday."
Payal did not respond to that. Garima just giggled as her husband made fun of their daughter and Akash looked away. Khushi finished her tea as fast as she could and got up.
"I should go and get ready if I am to reach in time." She said as she turned in the direction to her home.
"Tum kaise jaoge beta? The car has gone for servicing. I am not comfortable seeing you roam around in that activa of yours late at night." Shashi said.
"Don't worry Papa. I will get a cab."
*******
Khushi stood in front of her wardrobe. She was confused. She had looked up the restaurant and it was an upscale place. She had to dress up nicely for this. The final choice was between a red dress and a grey one. Then Anjali's words flashed in her mind.
"This is Chottey's favorite color." Anjali had said when she had tried that red lace dress on for the party.
There was no more doubt in her mind. She picked the dress up and examined it. She made a mental note of the accessories to go with the dress. She rushed to the washroom to take a quick bathe.
*******
By the time she came out, Payal was sprawled on her bed.
"Hey jiji." Khushi said as she wrapped her hair up in the towel.
"I am sorry for leaving you there. I was wasted." Payal said, slightly embarrassed.
"Oh, come on. It is okay. Since I don't really like to drink, this has been the case for the past few years. You know I like the responsibility. Papa was just pulling your leg."
"Still, it was an unfamiliar environment for you. I should have been supporting you."
"Not a big deal jiji." Khushi said as she sat in front of her mirror.
"So, what is this dinner about?" Payal asked as she walked to stand next to Khushi.
"I don't know. He just said he wanted to show me something. Are you worried?" Khushi asked as she remembered Payal's words from last time.
"Oh no no. He probably wants to talk to you about the contract or something. What is there to be worried about?" Payal asked as she handed Khushi the moisturizer.
"No. last time you told me to be careful around ASR." Khushi reminded.
"Oh well, that. Don't get me wrong. You had that lovestruck expression on your face. I have seen a lot of girls with that expression around him. And ASR being ASR pays no attention whatsoever to them. I see them heartbroken. Didn't want you ending up like that. I was just looking out for you."
Payal's words put Khushi at ease. She was worried about how Payal would react if she were to take this thing forward with ASR, whatever that was going on that is.
"Do you want my help?" Payal asked as Khushi took her damp hair out of the towel and looked for the hair dryer.
"Ye bhi koi poochne ki baat hai?" Khushi said as she handed the equipment to her sister.
Khushi meanwhile examined her nails, which was manicured the other day. There was no chipped nail paint and she was glad she chose black the previous day. It went well with the dress she had chosen.
Payal dried Khushi's hair. She instructed Khushi to change into the outfit before she styled her hair. Being in the industry, Payal had picked up all tricks from the stylists she often worked with. She styled Khushi hair into a side swept waves and Khushi loved it.
"Is this is a date, you would tell me, right?" Payal asked with a glint in her eyes.
"When I go on an official date, I would definitely tell you."
"Okay cool."
*******
Arnav dressed in his favorite white button up shirt and dark jeans. He paired it with a deep blue jacket. He looked at himself in the mirror. He was satisfied by what he saw. He brushed his hair aside with his fingers. He opened his watch drawer and picked the Rolex his dad had gifted after the success of the event the other week.
As he climbed down the stairs, all the eyes fell on him.
"Did I not tell you guys? I have a dinner meeting." Arnav informed his family. He very well knew he had not informed them.
Shyam shook his head in response as to say no with a mischievous smile on his face while the others waited.
"Have dinner without me. I don't know by when I will be back."
"Okay beta. Take Mohan with you." Ratna said.
"No Mom. I'll drive. See you all later."
*******
The Guptas soon rushed Khushi off as her cab arrived. Delhi traffic was no joke and they did not want Khushi keeping Arnav Singh Raizada waiting.
Arnav was already seated by the time Khushi reached. The manager showed Khushi to the table Arnav had booked for the two of them.
Arnav stood up, as the gentleman he was, pulled the chair for Khushi to sit.
"Thank you." Khushi said as Arnav sat back in his chair. He hadn't said anything yet.
"Hi" Khushi tried when he still hadn't spoken.
"Arnav? Is something wrong?" Khushi was getting concerned now.
"It's just that... I mean... you look just.. wow.." He managed to utter the words.
"Arnav?"
He took a deep breath in response.
"Sorry about that. Let me start again. Hi Khushi. Thanks for joining me tonight. You look gorgeous."
Khushi blushed, almost the shade of the dress she was wearing.
"You don't have to be that formal you know."
"Well, you saw me blabbering like an idiot. Let me please maintain my image."
Khushi smiled at that.
"Well, you look really handsome too."
"Thank you." Arnav said as he took a sip of water from his glass.
"Okay, so what did you want to show me?"
"Have a little patience. I will definitely tell you that before this night ends. Shall we order first?" Arnav asked and Khushi realized she was hungry. Due to the excitement for this date, Khushi had not eaten snacks with her tea. She had only had one proper meal.
"Sure." She nodded in agreement and Arnav signaled for the waiter to come get their order.
After the waiter left with their orders, Arnav's attention turned to Khushi.
"So, how was your day?" he asked.
She told him how the family had a very lazy day and how Payal and Akash were still hungover. Arnav agreed they would be in a bad shape given how much they drank.
"How was yours?"
"Almost the same. I slept through breakfast. We had lunch together. Then I worked a bit with jijaji."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I was in a hurry to get that done. Oh yeah, and Di is pregnant."
"Oh, she told you." Khushi exclaimed without thinking.
"Wait, you knew?" he asked and Khushi realized her mistake and bit her tongue.
The waiter came with their food and set it in front of them. As he left, Khushi picked up the fork and looked at Arnav. He was waiting for her response.
"Well, it kind of slipped her tongue yesterday when she was giving me a dress to change into after the juice fell on my dress. She asked me to keep her secret and I agreed. It was her news to share."
They talked a little about other things as they ate their dinner. The waiter came again to clear the plates and Arnav and Khushi placed their dessert orders.
"So, I won't keep you guessing anymore. Here you go." Arnav said as he handed over the iPad to her with the document open.
"You finished the contract." She said almost immediately as her eyes fell on the screen.
"As I said, I wanted to get it done at the earliest."
He briefly explained it to her. Khushi would get into an exclusive contract with AR for a year. There were some special clauses that Shyam had included in case she was to work with some other label. It looked pretty straightforward to Khushi.
"This works for me." Khushi said excitedly.
"You might think that. I will send it to you now. You should get a legal opinion before you sign anything. Okay?" Arnav asked and Khushi nodded.
"So, you called me for this dinner to show me this? You could have just mailed it earlier." Khushi suggested as she took a bite of her dessert which had arrived.
"Well, I want to strengthen my case." He said with a smile.
It was almost nine thirty by the time they finished. Arnav paid and the two of them moved towards the exit.
"I forgot to ask; did you drive here?" Arnav asked and Khushi nodded as to say No.
"I took a cab. I'll call an Uber now." She said as she fished for her phone.
"No way. I will drop you home. I have your clutch in my car as well. I figured it would be odd, me entering the restaurant with a shiny clutch and left it in the car earlier." Arnav said running his hand through his hair.
"Thank you then." Khushi said as she gestured for him to show the way.
On their way back, they talked about what they were like when they were younger and realized how different both of their interests were.
"Come in, Maa and Papa would like to meet you. They really liked you yesterday."
"Some other day. I have to go now."
"Okay. Let me know after you reach. Drive safe." Arnav nodded in response.
"Goodnight Khushi."
"Goodnight." Khushi said as she waved him off as he drove off. She smiled as she walked to the door.
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