FF: It's Not Right - Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

'How should I know why she isn't talking to you? Why don't you ask her?' Arnav went back to watering his plants hoping his Di would go away.

'I did. Well I tried, but like I said: she wouldn't talk to me. She's been avoiding me ever since... that day. And today when I asked Payal why Khushi was avoiding me she said I should ask my brother. So now, I am. Tell me the truth, what did you say to Khushi?'

Arnav looked up at his Di in disbelief, 'she said what?' He couldn't believe this. So not only was she ignoring him but his Di too? And she had the nerve to act like it was his fault? 'I didn't say anything to her Di except what she deserved. If she doesn't want to talk to me, good for me. I mean if she doesn't talk to you... I... it's up to her who she talks to and who she doesn't. It's got nothing to do with me.'

Arnav saw Anjali giving him a strange look before she shook her head at him in a despairing fashion and left the poolside.

'Khushi Kumari Gupta,' Arnav slammed down his watering can on the table. There hadn't been a single day he hadn't thought of that ridiculous girl and her unnecessary tears. Did she have to cry every time he opened his mouth?

Arnav had only seen her once in the past two weeks and she had blatantly ignored him on that occasion. After about a week without seeing Khushi he had arranged for Abhinav to come to his office on the pretence of signing an addition to their contract but he regretted it within moments of her arrival.

The whole hour she had been there she had refused to look at him or talk to him. Even when he'd addressed a couple of direct questions to her she had given her replies to Abhinav. Her friendship with Abhinav was even more ridiculous than she was. Arnav had watched them walk into the office laughing and talking. And every time Khushi called that guy 'Abhi' he felt like strangling one or both of them.

He'd intentionally avoided the office the next time they had been due to come in because he didn't want to see any more of their sycophantic drooling over one another but now this was too much. How dare she refuse to speak to Di? If his Di wanted to speak to someone then she would damn well speak to them!

***

Khushi gasped when she saw who was at the door. Her Lord Governer was standing there looking what she could only describe as 'hot' wearing only a pair of trousers and a shirt with its sleeves rolled up. The lack of his usual accompanying jacket, waistcoat and tie made him look slightly less imposing than usual but she still felt nervous. Her eyes darted into the living room where her father was looking at her questioningly. Thankfully everybody else had gone out or she could only imagine what her Aunt would say at the sight of Arnav Singh Raizada on her doorstep on a Saturday for no apparent reason.

'Would you like me to provide you with a picture? Then you could stare at it all day, Khushi Kumari Gupta.'

'Er.. er...' Khushi struggled to think of any reason Arnav could be here today, she had tried so hard to do exactly what he wanted. Even at his office when he had been practically galling her to get a rise out of her she'd bitten her tongue and just cursed him in her head and now here he was looking angry anyway! 'Come in?' She gave him a pleading look praying to herself that he wouldn't say anything in front of her Babuji.

Arnav finally understood Khushi's strange look when he stepped in and saw a man he assumed to be Khushi's dad sitting on the sofa with a newspaper. He might not believe in rituals and customs but he knew his Di would kill him if he didn't pay his respects in the normal fashion.

'Babuji, this is Arnav Singh Raizada, remember I used to...work...' Khushi trailed off in shock as she heard Arnav greet her father with a 'Namaste'.

'Thank you son, how are you?'

'Fine, actually I needed to speak to Khushi,' Khushi's father reminded Arnav of his Uncle somehow, quiet and peaceful.

'Of course, I'll take my paper into my room, you two can talk here.'

Khushi's eyes grew wider if possible. Babuji was leaving her alone? With a man? With Arnav Sngh Raizada?

Arnav saw Khushi follow her father with her eyes, she clearly had no idea why he was here although he thought it should be obvious. He sat down casually where her father had just been sitting and put his right leg on his left knee. 'Khushi? Aren't you going to offer me tea or anything?'

Khushi missed the sarcastic note in his voice and started hurrying to the kitchen, 'yes, yes, of course.' She poured the water into the pan and just reached for the tap to turn it off again when she felt Arnav's hand cover hers and she turned her head to see him standing next to her.

Arnav slowly tightened his grasp on Khushi's hand and used both of their hands to turn the tap off. He needed time to think, time to breathe. He'd known exactly what he was going to say to Khushi before he'd even gotten in his car today but now, actually seeing her, he could barely even remember the reason he'd come. 'I don't want tea Khushi,' he murmured.

Khushi couldn't say how long she stared at Arnav, it could have been 30 seconds or 30 minutes but she couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away.  Then she heard a voice repeated in her head saying 'Would you like me to provide you with a picture? Then you could stare at it all day, Khushi Kumari Gupta.' She immediately stepped back right into the sink, 'Ouch!'

'Khushi, are you okay?'

'Er... I'm fine,' she slowly released her hand from his grasp and held it behind her back. 'Oh God, what was I doing? Making up for all those days I didn't see him in one look?' she thought to herself, trying to look anywhere except at Arnav's face.

Arnav watched her hide her hand behind her back in disbelief. As if he was going to try and hold it again or something. He cleared his throat and took a step back himself. It was so much easier to think clearer when she wasn't so close. 'Khushi, you know why I'm here so stop all this nonsense.'

'Nonsense? You turn up to my house out of the blue angry about something and I should know what it's all about? Obviously, because everything that goes wrong in your life has to somehow be Khushi Kumari Gupta's fault right? So tell me, what have I done now?'

Arnav clenched his teeth together to stop him saying something he really shouldn't and counted to five in his head before he began. 'Why are you refusing to talk to Di? She said she phoned you and you wouldn't talk to her.'

Khushi took a second to process what he was saying. He had come here because she hadn't talked to Anjali? 'Is that why you're here? But you were the one who told me not to. I thought you'd be happy!'

'What? When? Why would I say that?' He'd been trying to forget what he'd said to her that day and wondered if he really had said that.

'Err... you said you wanted me to leave you and your family alone. So that's what I was doing.' Khushi thought to herself that 'something must be wrong with him if he's having trouble remembering things from only two weeks ago.'

'What? Khushi, that's not what I meant.'

'Well that's what you said! If you say one thing but mean another how am I supposed to know what you meant? I'm not psychic! Next time just say what you mean and then we won't have any problems will we?'

'I'm going to spend the rest of my life just counting in my head aren't I?' Arnav thought while he counted to 10 this time before speaking. 'Khushi, the only reason I am here is because of Di. Di wants to talk to you. I have no idea why but she actually likes you and your company and so you are going to talk to her okay?'

'So you're here because of Anjaliji?' Khushi spoke slowly to allow herself some time to think. 'So he still wants me to leave him alone, but he wants me to talk to Anjali?'

'Yes Khushi, I'm only here for Di,' Arnav spoke slowly matching her speed as if he was speaking to a child. He could see the concentration on her face as she tried to think of her answer. 'It's not hard Khushi! Yes or no!'

Arnav's raised voice startled Khushi and she responded immediately, 'yes.'

'Good, let's go.' Arnav turned and started walking towards the living room when he realised Khushi wasn't behind him. She was still stood in the same place looking from him to the pan in her hand in a bewildered fashion.

'Go where?'

'My house! You just said you'd talk to Di,' he walked back towards her and took the pan from her hand and put it down on the counter, 'come on.'

'You mean now?'

'Yes now,' Arnav was starting to get frustrated. How many more questions was she going to ask?

'But...but I have to ask Babuji first.'

'Then go quickly! I'll be waiting outside,' he bit out before striding out of the kitchen leaving Khushi still standing there.