The Contrivance-6

6

“OK! Good night ASR and thanks for all the interest in me” Khushi said getting up.

Arnav smirked.

Phase1. The women denied initially.

He said,” Adieus!” And sipped on his coffee.

She walked out without looking back and Arnav sat stiff in the chair as she never came back.

The Contrivance

“C’mmon! Tell your best friend” Varsha was too curious to know what happened the previous night as she sipped on her tea.

“Nothing.” Khushi said winding her waist length hair into a knot and securing it with a comb and smarting at the bright sunlight that seeped in from the huge window, whose curtains were drawn just then by Varsha.

“Nothing?” Varsha asked.

“Nothing!” Khushi replied.
Varsha winked and asked, “Nothing at all?”

Khushi looked away and said,” …er… nothing.”

“Are you sure?” Varsha probed softly.

“What do you want me to say Varsha? Let me know. Then you I shall say what you want me to.” Khushi spat at her.

“Oh! Oh! What’s this! You are so grumpy!” Varsha asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing. He just tried to talk me into going with him for a …er…out…that’s it. I refused and came back home.” Khushi clarified.

Somehow she did not want to share the Namitha Punjal murder case details of the story with her. She did not somehow feel like sharing that part.

“OMG! The ASR asked you out, and are you sure you turned him down and not the other way round?” Varsha teased her.

“Actually he just suggested. He was not dying to go…I am not blind. Our chemistry is just like the match stick and the water jug…”

Khushi was going on, when there was a sharp rap on the door, and Varsha rushed to open the door saying,” I asked Raju the caretaker to get some veggies for us as I am in a good mood to cook today so…”and stopped midway as she opened the door…

There was silence and Khushi thought the better off it and slumped back on to the pillow.

She was not prepared for what happened next. Arnav Singh Ranbeera’s voice boomed, “ Get up and get dressed Khushi.”

Khushi stared at the man who stood before her just as she left him the night before. The only difference was that his attire changed from black to grey. The three-piece suit he was in was some concession from the severely cut one the previous night. She gaped at him with the tea cup still in her hands as he glared at her asking,” Do you have today’s newspaper?”

“Aaarrrggghhh! Yeah!” Varsha was the first to recover, as she scurried in her tee and shorts to get the newspaper.

Khushi squirmed under the duvet she wrapped on her, and glared at him asking him, “You came all the way to borrow newspaper? And how can you just barge in like that? You…can’t!”

He looked at her for a long moment and disgustedly at the small room saying, “….believe me! I don’t want to be here as much as you don’t want me to be here.”

Arnav looked at the woman who looked fresh and adorable early in the morning. She had a typical radiance to her face and her hair was mussed up and gathered on her head, from where tiny tresses cascaded down making her look very homely. The women he woke up with took a minimum of two hours, to look presentable and none had the air of absolute elegance that she had right then! He mused. Her skin was so flawless and he liked the way she was all tucked in…like a girl of ten!
Khushi looked at him and grimaced. She was in her knee length one-piece nightgown and … he was standing right at the foot of her bed. She went red in embarrassment. How in the world would she ever face him! And… with that thought came anger. How dared he! She glared at him and was about to say something, when Varsha came with the paper, which was still rolled. She obviously did not get to open it and read through… Khushi observed. Arnav took the paper opened it and threw it at Khushi without looking at it.

“Wha…” Khushi was about to get back at him for his boorish behavior, but stopped midway and gasped as the front page had a splash of the pics of previous evening.

Millionaire tycoon’s yellow connection!

…was the caption and there was speculation about his wedding as the paper also supplied the earlier pics of Khushi in his arms…at the lounge.

Khushi made an o with her mouth and looked at Arnav then at the paper and then at Varsh and then at the paper again.

What? Varsha was astounded and her eyes popped out of her sockets.

Can you make yourselves scarce for a few minutes? I need to speak to your room mate in private” Arnav said without even looking at Varsha. He was keenly observing Khushi.

Excuse me? Varsha was offended. But she thought the better off it and said,” I will go check with Raju and raised her hand to Khushi when Khushi tried to say something. She said,” Khushi I am just going down… this man tried anything hanky-panky you know I am there just a shout away” and left.

Arnav moved towards her and said,” See the effect of your overenthusiasm at the Award’s Night!”

“Please stay where you are! Don’t you dare move any further towards me” she hissed. She felt like her lungs were deprived of air supply.

“ Oh I see! But you keep pouncing on me in public places and I get my image tarnished?” He spat at her this time.

“I..e.r…didn’t mean to…er…” Khushi did not know what to say.

“Well there is some good news for you. My gran has seen all this… and she has set a dead line for me. “ He said coldly regarding her.

Khushi smiled then. “See? Something good has come out of all this! I read a lot about how your gran is so very keen on seeing you married. She jumped out of the bed forgetting the condition that she was in, and forcefully shook hands with him and said,” Congratulations ASR! Atlast! OMG!!!!Do I get to cover the wedding?”

Arnav smirked and added, “Sure! Coz you cover crime right?”

“Crime? What crime?” She asked still in the same wistful mood.

“Of murdering the bride.” He said coldly.

“ Why…er….. why….would you…” She inched back and noticed his eyes roam on her.

Khushi froze and then she noticed herself in the mirror that was attached to the space saver cupboard.

Arnav realized what she was thinking about, the moment her eyes started darting and she blushed a crimson.

“God! Did women still blush?” He didn’t think so!

Khushi looked around helplessly. She felt very odd standing before one of the most powerful industrialist in the country in a cotton knee-length nightgown. It had pale peach roses printed on a light green base. She felt like digging a hole and crawling into it. How embarrassing! She stepped back and hit the bedside lamp that was kept on a wooden stool and it fell making noise as she stumbled and found herself falling on to the floor and Arnav lunged forward only to be told off by her, as she said,” No! don’t you dare touch me… Just stay away!”

Arnav stopped midway, and she landed on the floor with a thud and looked at him and smarted.

Arnav looked away pursing his lips as for the first time in his life, he was about to laugh out loud and break his own record of never doing it before! The woman was freaking funny. He was only trying to help but she had to take it on to her complex about men! He looked back at her and again pursed his lips as she sat glum faced looking at him as he turned his face and looked away.

Arnav folded his arms in front of him and looked on.

Khushi felt like an idiot. He was only trying to help. She should have let him!

Now she was sure of a muscle pull in her left thigh while her right leg seemed to have lost its ankle. Going by the pain, she was sure her foot got separated from her leg for sure.

“Ehem!...” She cleared her throat and Arnav smirked and said,” Ms. K! I don’t have much time. Shall we…er…proceed with our conversation?”

Khushi gaped at him.

He wanted to talk? When she was sprawled on the floor and was in pain?

He understood her train of thought again and said,” Well! I wanted to help but you chose to fall. And your friend will come in only when I move out. So I am trying…lets say still to help …to finish this conversation so that she can er…restore balance to you….”

Khushi was stumped by his weird logic and said with gritted teeth,” Ok! Tell me”

But as she tried to move, she winced and Arnav swore and walked to her and amidst her “Don’t you…touch me” gathered her and put her on the bed.

She weighed a feather and she smelt of wild roses! He inhaled deeply as her hair come undone and splayed on his face.

Khushi felt her palms go cold and clammy with fear.

Arnav settled her and then asked her “You ok?”

Khushi found herself staring into two intense pair of eyes that were pools of unfathomable expression. She felt being drawn into their depths as if hypnotized but nodded all the same indicating that she was ok.

His gaze dropped to her cheeks and then came back to her eyes.

Khushi sucked in her breath, as she found wry amusement there.
She was blushing! She realized and was mortified as he stood up and asked,” Tell me K. Are you like this with all of my species or am I the privileged one?”

Khushi’s temper rose. She asked tongue in cheek, “Are you like this with all women or am I the only lucky one?”

Arnav stepped in front and sat by her, facing her and alarming her at the same time saying,” What if I say yes?”

Khushi panicked.

Oh No!

She gulped thrice before she denied saying,” O…ofcourse… I am not! I…we…all know that! Don’t we?”

“There is no we in it K. Its me and you” He said suddenly.

She just stared at him, as what he said hung between them

It was crazy. A complete stranger walked into her room and sat by her on her bed and was sermonizing her about life! She was petrified but remembered what she had to do. Face the fear and never show the world that she was scared.

She shook her head and said, “ Get a life ASR. I think you can find better toys to play with than a two penny crime reporter”

She looked everything but what she described herself to be, he thought looking at her perched on the bed with her hair flying in all directions and her face sweet and all flushed.

“I was trying to get on with my life before you K. But unfortunately, you stepped into it to sabotage it, he said succinctly.

“Me?” She squealed, “What did I do?”

Dunno what you did woman! But you are very much involved in this as I am and god knows for what! Arnav thought and then he got a flash.

He suddenly lowered his voice and asked,” Listen! Are you…er… oh! How do I ask this! Are you involved in any…er… issues?”

Khushi saw red. Who was he to ask her! She moved back, flinched and asked,” What issues?”

“Er…you know…legal…or…something on the other side of law you know” he probed softly.

Khushi took a deep breath and said, “ None of your business!”

“You see…”he said bending slightly forward and tucking an errant strand of her hair that flew astray, “ My gran prefers a lady without any criminal record for her grandson.”

Khushi tried her best not to squirm but trembled all the same and croaked,” No! You cant mean…er….”

In reply, Arnav pulled out another daily from his pocket and spread it across between her and him and Khushi coughed loudly as she felt her lungs stopped working.

__________

Happy Diwali!!!