#khushikumarigupta

He had a way with time. It reached out of his grasp, in moments he needed it the most. He had missed calls flooding his phone. Except from her.

The cocktail party. Something, he didn’t care for.

But Nani did. She had called him, hopeful and happy that her granddaughter was organising this party for him.

He had nothing to say. Anjali hadn’t cared about his wedding until a few days ago.

————

“Arnav”, she greeted as she stepped into his living room.

“You have stripped it bare”, she noticed amusedly.

He shrugged, looking at her with disinterest.

“I heard you were redecorating “

“You must have heard “, sarcasm dripped from his voice.

“Well, of course. You are marrying a girl, who is well..ordinary “

He refused to take the bait under her scrutiny.

“After someone like Lavanya, I thought you would have developed more….taste”

She said it like a curse.

“I met her ,you know. She was like a little puppy clinging to her sister. She didn’t have much of an opinion on her trousseau-“

“Maybe she is a better judge of people than I thought”

She smirked at his biting response.

“Come on, Arnav . This is who you picked? “

He frowned at that. Who was she talking about? Khushi?

“I guess you don’t see the reality. You are a textbook mismatch, Arnav. There is still time. Lavanya might still be willing to be with you. This girl is just a fascination. And fascinations wear off quicker than the honeymoon period”, she chuckled.

A hundred replies flooded his brain, ready to tear her apart. But he didn’t want to. His reply or reasoning will let Anjali into a door, he never intended for her to open.

“My personal life or who I choose to spend my life with is not something I need your opinion for”

“You are making a mistake Arnav. That divorce won’t come out of nowhere, trust me”

She walked away, her heels clicking against the marble floor.

———

He rested his head against his seat, as he brushed off the bitterness. This was going to be a beautiful night.

He reached for the sleek dashboard, opening it to reveal the small velvet box.

He ran a thumb across the surface, reminding him of old memories which brought nothing but pain.

Slipping the box into his pocket, Arnav stepped out. The stars glinted above him, seemingly in a beautiful melody.

———

He had entered the party ,greeted a few guests and was looking for her in every nook and corner , when it happened.

A force whirled into him, as her softness tumbled against him. He had to literally bite down the moan trying to claw its way up his throat.

He curled his fingers around her arm, pulling her from him before he could do something stupid.

“Khushi”, he almost groaned.

He looked down at her, to see her eyes flutter open.

Clouded with tears and shame, her eyes spoke to him.

His breath hitched as she looked away.

“Khushi, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head, looking at all the people around them discreetly. His heart jolted as she stepped away from his arms . Without a look back, she escaped from the nearest door.

Arnav chased her. Blind panic and rage settled within him.

He saw her settled on the stairs, trembling and clutching her ankle, her face twisted as if in pain.

Kneeling down on the floor, Arnav reached for her foot, with gentleness belying a man like him.

He took the offending shoe off, revealing her bleeding toe. He caressed her foot, in an attempt to ease her pain. His handkerchief was pressed against the injury.

All this to distract himself from the hurt in her eyes, which had more to do than with the pain in her foot.

“Who said what?”, his voice rang out in the deserted area, deadly in its finality.

“I-I can’t get married to you if her paintings are going to be on your walls”

He frowned at the curveball Khushi threw at him.

“Paintings?”

"Lavanya's paintings", she mumbled, "Maybe I am not mature enough to view them as simply art....maybe you can move them s-someplace else?"

Anger, pure and simple, blinded him once again at Lavanya being brought between them. But what sliced at him more, was her hesitancy. As if unsure about whether she could ask him.

"No. Khushi, there are no paintings anywhere. I asked Naina to take them a month ago. She might auction or return them back- I am not handling that."

It bothered him that she did not look at him, for more than a moment. She kept stared at her intertwined fingers in her lap. Reaching for her stubborn chin, he lifted it up to tilt and face him.

“Khushi? It’s non consequential. It means nothing”

“She sounded so sure though “, she said in a low voice.

“Did she ,now?” Irritation burned within him.

“Your sister didn’t help”

Khushi said sadly, with a chuckle , which did nothing to hide her pain.

Of course. Of course, she would do something like this. Her talk about Lavanya came back to him. The persistence. The mocking.

An unlikely calm settled over him.

“Nothing to worry about then”

He grasped Khushi’s hands , kissing her knuckles.

“I-“, she whispered.

"I am not going to let some nobodies ruin the evening for you. Come let's go", he said before reaching for her foot once again, clasping her shoes back on.

———

“That was some proposal”

Standing close by the railing of the ornate balcony, he took a drag of his cigar, saying nothing.

Aman walked up to him , joining him in silence.

“For all the wrong reasons though. You did it to spite Anjali?”, he wagered a guess.

Arnav chuckled humourlessly.

“To spite her?”

Aman simply turned and looked at the fountain gushing with water.

“Lavanya is lost right now. She is jealous and Anjali is leading her on”

“Doesn’t excuse a thing”, he interrupted coldly.

“Not at all.”, Aman agreed.

He turned to him with a smile.

“She seems really nice”

Arnav smiled back, before his features clouded over once again.

“She didn’t-she did nothing to deserve this. It was going to be a beautiful evening. I had it all planned.”

Regret and rage blazed in his eyes, as he took another drag.

“Men plan and God…”, Aman coughed.

“There’s still a silver lining, you know”

“Don’t mess with me now, Sinha”

“I am serious. The way you made Kashyap shiver in his boots and then shut Anjali up? Khushi will know you will stand up for her whenever she will need you to”

Arnav looked at Aman for a long moment, before shaking his head.

“She still shouldn’t have gone through that”

His friend sighed.

“I would love to meet her”

“No chance in hell”, Arnav grinned.

“Who’s asking you?”Aman laughed, patting him on the back a bit too hard.

——

He rushed out, ignoring the herd of cars and heading straight to where he spotted her.

Walking at a pace too slow, dressed in black, she looked…

He reached for her, to assure himself more than her.

“Khushi”

With a shiver, she looked up at him, all beautiful and wide eyed.

An unfamiliar protectiveness took over his soul, as she leaned into his touch.

“I’ll take care of everything. Forget it. Forget about everything that bothered you tonight”, he said as he tightened his grip on her waist.

Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink, and the resistance he had put on his own desires crumbled.

Leaning down, he allowed himself a kiss on her cheek.

She threw an adorable startled look his way, before slipping away into the waiting car.

———

The evening seemed to stretch longer than either of the Gupta sisters could anticipate. Buaji had dressed in a simple emerald sari, embellished her hair with a beautiful red rose, before setting off to Shantivan for the evening.

But Payal and Khushi had been asked by Anjali to go to Mr Feroz’s boutique.

And now, sitting amidst the wooden panels of the store, Khushi couldn’t help but wonder if Arnav’s cocktail party would be any different from what Akash had thrown for Payal.

“Miss Gupta! Mrs Malik!”, Mr Feroz exclaimed as he walked into the lounge, followed by two assistants carrying their outfits for the evening.

“Is Anjali going to come soon?”Payal asked.

“No,she is tonight’s hostess”, he said simply.

“Well then let’s not waste any time. Khushi, come now…”

———

The chandeliers gleamed over the floors of Navy club, an esteemed private club known for hosting the highest echelons of society. Tonight, it saw the biggest names from media, politics, fashion, business and law. 

The armour Khushi had donned was a black dress, red lips and louboutins. She swallowed down the uneasiness clouding her senses, and slipped her arm around Payal’s.

“Di”, she whispered, “Your engagement party was far more toned down, it only had friends and family…”

Payal shook her head, “There’s also a difference in families, Khushi. Anjali and Arnav ,both, are the most speculated celebrities in the city. So if she hosts a party, no one declines an invite ”

She looked around, hoping to see a familiar face or two. But wherever she looked, she could only see the subtle display of wealth. A display not intended for envy, but still managed to incite some.

“Khushi “

She turned to see Manorama aunty walk towards them.

“Anjali has been looking for you-“

“Where’s Arnav?”, she blurted out .

Manorama smiled knowingly, “Somewhere around”

With a sigh, Khushi grabbed a drink from the nearest waiter. If she was going to wait, she might as well enjoy herself. 

No sooner had she thought of resigning herself to a quiet corner, that Anjali found her.

“I have been looking for you all evening” Anjali’s measured smile grated at her.

“I have been looking for Arnav all evening “,Khushi shrugged and took a sip out of her glass.

“Arnav is stuck in traffic. You see, Friday is the worst day for the city’s roads . You’ll realise once you join the workforce Khushi “

She sighed, “I’ll wait then”

Twirling the glass of wine in her hand, Anjali shakes her head, “Please let me introduce you to some of the guests in the meantime. It would be such a waste if the star of the evening doesn’t grace them with her presence.”

———

Led by Anjali, Khushi met politicians, actors, erstwhile royalty, and media personalities in a daze. She could hardly believe herself, simply accepting their greetings with polite smiles.

After meeting Aman Sethi, Arnav’s right hand man and the one ruling Indian media at the moment, she turned to Anjali.

“Gosh! I can’t believe I met the Aman Sethi! I have read all his books! Thank you Anjali “

“Of course”, Anjali smiled, “I hope you weren’t as starstruck with Arnav, given how much more famous he is in his field-“

“Not really, I had no idea about him…” Khushi trails away.

Because it was the truth. She admired AR media, and had even attended a job interview for a junior level position before he swept into life with the proposal.

But the man? No, she really hadn’t heard of Arnav. The only ones she knew were the ones who had published papers, been in front of the screen- not the power magnets who financed it all.

“Aah!”, Anjali looked at someone behind her, “Here is someone else I wanted you to meet Khushi”

Khushi didn’t have to turn around, because that person walked straight up to Anjali and air kissed her cheeks.

Lavanya Kashyap 

Supermodel. Heiress. And the one who had shared her heart with the man she was going to marry. 

The olive beauty stood tall , draped in the most gorgeous white sari. Her hair fell around her beauty in waves, and her lips were glossed up in the most beautiful shade of pink. Her perfume in the tones of jasmine and bergamot flooded the air around them.

And then the vision flashed her pearly whites at Khushi, as her eyes crinkled and her cheeks dimpled with a smile.

Khushi Kumari Gupta had never felt so ugly. Not even when that one jerk from seventh grade had dropped black paint over her head. 

She might be the girl betrothed to him, but it was this woman who stole the spotlight.

At this point, seeing the glimmer of the chandeliers reflect off Miss Kashyap’s diamond earrings, Khushi wouldn’t blame anyone who doubted Mr Raizada’s judgement.

“Meet Lavanya Kashyap, Khushi. You might recognise her from her modelling days. She now heads Kashyap industries-“

“Hardly”, Lavanya dismisses, her husky voice like whiskey on scorched earth,” Dad still heads everything. I am just trying to do a decent job at learning the ropes. And how would Khushi recognise me? She must have been in school”

Lavanya shares a meaningful look with Anjali. A look meant to not go unnoticed.

“Oh, probably. But I remember your retirement very well”, Khushi smiles watching the glee on Lavanya’s face falter.

Anjali laughs forcefully , “Lavanya didn’t want to work anymore Khushi. You can’t call resignation retirement “

“Well, that’s what my generation believes “, Khushi shrugged smugly, surprising even herself. 

Because when she saw that the two women were going to use her age as their target, she was going to use theirs. 

Even if she was trembling from fury and humiliation within, Khushi reigned herself in and kept her head held high.

Why did the Raizadas invite Lavanya? Did…did Arnav know about this? Did he not think of warning her even once?

“I hear he is remodelling the Lucknow apartment”, Lavanya said, now seemingly oblivious to Khushi’s presence, “I hope he keeps my painting safe”

And she laughs. The sound grated at her like shards of glass against her skin.

A moment goes by. She holds her silence, looking over them as if bored.

“Don’t mind Khushi. Lavanya is an excellent painter. She has her art displayed all over Arnav’s properties”

That’s it. The straw that broke the camel’s back. She was not a doormat. And yet, she was raised to be a Lakhnavi enough to not create a scene.

“Excuse me”, she willed herself to withhold her tremors, before walking away. 

————

She rushed past everyone and everything. 

The glitter which had fascinated her, now hurt her eyes. The perfumed air of the hall was now a source of nausea. The music was giving her a headache and her heels bit into her skin. She needed to go, and she needed to do it fast.

But the Gods were clearly not acting in her favour this evening.

Slam!

And she crashed into all muscle and suit. The man himself.

“Khushi”, his fingers curled around her arm.

Her lashes fluttered open to reveal her hurt.

“Khushi, what’s wrong?”

He was now frantic. Startled upon seeing the tears in her eyes, Arnav held her tighter.

She couldn’t say anything. Not now, not with hundreds of eyes watching her every move. 

Shaking her head at him, Khushi ignored the pain in her ankle and left the hall. There was only so much she could take in twenty minutes.

She walked on, till she reached the staircase at the end of the corridor. All grey and sleek. Settling herself on the steps, Khushi wanted to breathe. Just breathe for a moment or two. Breathe before Payal or buaji came running for her.

And then she noticed them. The pair of leather shoes.

She hadn’t even heard his footsteps. Swallowing her discomfort, Khushi looked up to see him.

Only, he wasn’t looking at her. His brows held the most fierce frown she had seen. His eyes held a storm in them. 

 Neither spoke. 

He knelt down, reaching for her foot. Unravelling the straps in a second, he removed the heel to reveal the bleeding little toe. His warmth had her gasping as he engulfed her foot in her hand. 

Reaching into his pocket, Arnav took out a pristine white handkerchief. Crumpling it into a ball, he placed it at the site of injury.

Khushi could sense it.

The restraint. The concern. The fury.

And just before she decided she couldn’t be silent anymore, he asked, in a controlled manner belying his eyes,

“Who said what?”

------

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