SS: 6 Din, Ladki In! - Part 5

Read all previous parts of this SS over here.

AU Office based story. Khushi matchmakes between Akash and Payal. Title and some story inspiration from the scene in Kal Ho Na Ho.

Part 5

Khushi pulled the door at AR and then frowned as it wouldn't move. She'd been unable to sleep and so had decided to use her nervous energy productively rather than sitting around at home, worrying herself into a frenzy. She tried again before trying to look through the small panels of glass to see if Mahesh was around. Usually the front entrance was open when she came on weekdays but that had been shut so she'd come around to the back entrance. She tried one last time before taking her phone out of her bag.

The phone rang for a few seconds before a husky voice spoke on the other end. "Yes?"

"Sir? Sir it's me, Khushi. Can you come and open the door please?"

There was a pause and then he spoke again, sounding thoroughly confused. "The door? You're outside? Now?"

"Yes sir."

Khushi waited silently for a few minutes, listening to the sound of him moving around and various doors opening and closing until he spoke again. "Where the hell are you Miss Gupta?"

Khushi grimaced as she realised her mistake, "oh sir, I'm at the back door, not the front one. Sorry."

"What the...? Why the hell are you at the back door?"

"The front one was locked," she replied, her tone implying that it should have been obvious only to receive some muttered curses in response.

"Now where are you?"

"I'm still at the back door sir."

"No you're not. I'm at the back door!"

"Sir, why would I lie? I'm right here."

"Oh for f... Why are you even at my house Miss Gupta? And why are you calling me? Couldn't you call Akash to let you in instead?"

Khushi frowned and wondered if she'd heard correctly, "your house? Why would I be at your house sir?"

"Then where the hell are you?!"

"I'm at the office."

"What?"

"The office? You said we had to work on the clothes today?" Khushi wondered if perhaps she'd made the whole thing up in her head.

"Miss. Khushi. Kumari. Gupta. Why the hell would you go to the office at 6 in the morning on a Saturday?"

"But sir... I said bright and early..."

"Oh never mind. Wait there, don't go back round to the front yet, it's not safr. I'm on my way."

---

Akash couldn't' sleep. He'd been up practically the whole night and so when he got a text message from Khushi, he almost jumped out of bed in relief at having a legitimate excuse to wake up so early.

Decided what you're going to wear today?

He immediately rang her and then spent the next hour describing every single item of clothing in his wardrobe to her.

"Sir is there a ban on the Raizada men wearing colour or something? It's just that you and Arnav sir both seem to have an extraordinary amount of white shirts."

"Well actually white is very flattering for most South Asian skin tones you know."

"What?"

"Er... I mean, I don't... know? I guess we just like white?"

"I suppose it does look good on him though,'" she said thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

"Oh sorry sir, nothing. I just meant that white does look good on you. I'd go with that white t-shirt and just the plain blue jeans. Oh and do you still have that jacket I picked for you yesterday?"

"You want me to wear the same jacket two days in a row?"


Khushi smiled and shook her head, "Don't tell me I've created a fashion monster!"

---

Khushi quickly jumped off the ground when she saw Arnav's car pull up and begin to park. She had almost begun to laugh when she noticed he was wearing white but then her gaze fell to his very pert behind as he leaned back into the car to retrieve something. He emerged holding keys and his bag in one hand and two cups from the cafe and a pastry bag in the other.

"I thought I told you to wait at the back?" Arnav said handing her the cups and the bag before opening the front door. He went inside, holding it open for her and then locked it again behind them.

When they got in the lift he took one cup from her and began to drink it. He took a few sips before looking down at her quizzically. "Why aren't you drinking? I got the right drink didn't I? Milk and two sugars?"

Khushi nodded slowly, her mind still trying to wrap itself around the fact that Arnav had bought her a drink.

"You realise that's pointless don't you? And bad for your health. You should drink it black"

Khushi nodded again, her tongue felt like cotton in her mouth.

"Oh there's a donut in the bag too. Chocolate filled," Arnav said casually as he stepped out of the lift and walked towards his workroom.

---

Oh my God! She's here, she came! Do I go and talk to her?

Akash sent the text with shaking hands, praying that Khushi would reply quickly. He watched as Payal, dressed in a pale lavender dress stopped at a particular sculpture he'd admired himself when he'd arrived at the exhibition three hours ago.

No you just stare at her from afar. Of course you should go and talk to her!

He read the text a few more times trying to work up the courage when he received another message.

You can do it sir! Go and get her! 6 Din, Ladki In!

Akash found himself smiling, if this worked, he'd make sure Khushi had a double... no triple bonus this year! He took a deep breath in, smiled and walked over to Payal just like Khushi had shown him; confidently with just a hint of a swagger. "Hello P...p...payal." He'd started well at least. 

"Akashji? What are you doing here?"

Her wide stunning smile made his legs feel like jelly, but he could almost hear Khushi's voice in his head. 'You can do it sir! Go and get her! 6 Din, Ladki In!' "It's n...n...nice to see you too," he said instinctively before realising she hadn't said what he'd been expecting her to.

Payal looked at him with a bemused expression before smiling, "yes, it is nice to see you. Thank you so much for telling me about this exhibition, it looks brilliant. Have you seen this sculpture?"

"Yes actually but t..this one is my favourite. I j..just love the details don't you?"

---

Considering how neat and orderly Arnav's office and desk were compared to her own office, Khushi had expected his workroom to be similarly ordered. Instead, it was a riot of colour, fabrics strewn over every surface possible, the walls plastered with mood boards, pictures and random pieces of fabrics. Her eyes fell on the row of 12 mannequins lining one wall and she gave a small shriek, covered her eyes and turned around.

"What the... Khushi? Are you okay? What happened?"

Khushi felt his hands on her shoulders but she kept her hands over her eyes"'no, no you have to take the clothes off the mannequins! I won't be able to think of new combinations if I see them like this!"

"Oh you are impossible Miss Gupta! Are you being serious?"

"Yes! Please? Just put them into piles of different categories. Dresses, skirts, trousers and all that."

As he did as she'd asked, not without lots of complaining though Khushi ate her doughnut with her "back to him, careful not to spill any chocolate onto her bright orange kurta. The bright surroundings and the happy feeling in her stomach from her coffee and pastry made her feel brave. "Sir?"

"Yes Miss Gupta?"

"Why do you wear white so much?"

"What?"

She could tell he'd stopped what he was doing and was looking at her, but she didn't turn around. "I just mean that this room, it's so colourful and your designs are too so why do you... always wear white?"

There was silence for a few seconds and then Khushi heard him go back to taking the clothes off the mannequins. She had just resigned herself to not getting an answer when he spoke.

"Convenience. There are more shades of white are commercially available than any other colour. It also means I don't have to take too long deciding what to wear every morning. There's a myth perpetuated by certain eccentrics that all designers wear ridiculous couture clothes in their everyday lives and it's simply not true." He paused and she could almost hear the smile in his voice even before he spoke, "oh, and Akash said something about white being flattering for my skin tone so there's that too of course."

---

"C..can I offer you a lift home?" Akash's heart thundered in his chest and he was sure that Payal would be able to hear it. If he was this nervous just asking if he could drive her home, how on earth was he supposed to ask her out in two days time?

"As long as you're sure it won't be any bother."

"Of course not! P..please come, my car is parked over here." His legs had been growing steadier throughout the day and as they walked towards the car he didn't even have to think about adding the swagger, it came almost naturally.

"So did you enjoy the exhibition?"

"Oh yes, thank you so much again for telling me about it. I really had fun."

---

"Not bad."


"Don't you know any other words sir? Or do you think your masculinity would be threatened somehow if you actually gave me a compliment?"

Khushi didn't receive a reply; instead she simply got a raised eyebrow and the quirking of one side of his mouth.

"So are you going to change them? Is there time before Monday? Don't we have to get the different models fitted again?" She tried to hide the eagerness in her voice, already excited at the prospect of seeing her re-imagined combinations on a catwalk.

"Well there's the outfits I said I prefer the original way and the orange dress we can't alter in time but apart from that, the rest are certainly achievable. We'll have to cancel the dress-rehearsal tomorrow and have the alterations done then and move the rehearsal to Monday morning."

"Really? Thank you so much sir, I'll email everyone right now!"

"You're the one providing me with free labour," Arnav smirked and began to tidy away his materials. "Now, would you like a lift home Miss Gupta?"

Khushi looked up from the laptop and looked at him. When she didn't reply he looked up at her and repeated his question. "Are you sure sir?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."