He Loves Me Not - Part 8

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Chapter 8

Khushi checks her watch. It’s sharp 1o:00. She is half an hour early for the presentation. Her Software is ready and she just hopes that AR gets what they want from it. This is going to be a game changer for her.

Assimilating her thoughts, she advances to the Conference room where the presentation is about to begin. Ayush Singh Raizada is present with few heads of the Finance who will be using the Software if they agree on buying it. And to her surprise, Aman Mathur is here too. What is he doing in an AR company meet? Or is he here deliberately to fill in Arnav’s place?




“Good Morning Gentlemen” Khushi greets them all and gets inside the room.
“Lets see what you got Khushi, I hope you are prepared” Ayush asks.
“I am, Sir. Lets begin this”

She turns on her laptop and the presentation begins. After an hour, when she is done taking up all the questions this team has related to the Software, Ayush Singh Raizada and the Finance Head discuss something privately.

“Alright Khushi, you seem to have got some nice work done here. We will have another look on it and let you know”
“No Problem Mr. Raizada” Khushi warmly agrees. The meeting ends and everyone start dispersing the room except Aman. He gets up from his chair. They are the last two remaining.
“I hope you don’t have any other interest apart from assisting the Company” Aman mutters.
“Excuse me?” she answers sharply. “What is that even supposed to mean?”
Aman chuckles.
“Arnav told me about you” he replies.

Khushi is suddenly out of focus. Arnav told Aman? This had to happen. But what part did he tell and what did he skip? That’s why Aman was so silent during the entire presentation. He was just gazing at her, blankly, as if trying to gauge her actions.

“Don’t worry” Aman interrupts her chain of thoughts. “He is my best buddy and this is going to be our secret”
“Secret?” she lets out a sarcastic chuckle. “I don’t know what you are talking about”

She packs her stuff hurriedly and tries to leave but he blocks her way.

“You cannot win him running away every time” he snaps.

Khushi swallows hard. Win him? Does Aman really want her to win him? But then what about Sheetal? She is Aman’s sister. Will he just let her lose Arnav forever?

“Why are you telling me all this?” Khushi asks.
“Because I want to help you sort this”
“Why?”
“I don’t want three lives wasted”

Khushi breathes hard. Aman wants to help her? What kind of help? Will he go against his sister? Why? She cannot take that risk of believing anyone. What if this is Arnav’s trick?

“I don’t need help” she says confidently.
“I am not helping you but Arnav here”
“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t be talking to me. Go to him”
“I will. But right now, all I need to know is if you are seriously thinking in the benefit of this Company through your software or is it just to distract us all from your actual intentions? Let me warn you Khushi, Arnav has put his life for this Company, you should not screw with it” Aman’s voice is sort of threatening.

Khushi keeps her stuff on the table again and crosses her arms at front.

“I am not amazed. You both think alike” she replies. “he doesn’t trust my feelings and you are not convinced that I am genuinely interested in helping the company”
Aman smiles.
“We have hardly met. You are trying to snatch my sister’s place and throwing yourself on my best friend who is saying he is not interested in you. How can I trust you?” he scowls.
“I am not throwing myself on him” she points a finger angrily at Aman for his choice of words. “I am just reminding him what he has forgot. I have seen love for me in his eyes which he is purposely trying to ignore. I am also trying to save three lives here Mr. Aman Mathur”
“Maybe he has really forgotten you.. maybe he is seriously disinterested in you. Can’t you take that defeat and move on?” he asks.

It hurts her to even imagine this is true.

“Then ask your friend to prove it. I promise to leave and never come in his life again”

She carries her laptop again and makes her way to the door. But before she can leave, she turns back again.

“My father works here, Aman. And I know what this company means to him and Arnav. I will never do anything to hurt them”
Aman nods at her. She really conveyed a lot through their little conversation. She is strong and Aman gets those positive vibes from her.

********************

Mumbai 

Sheetal sips her coffee and zips her bags. It’s been 4 days she and Arnav are here and even after harassing him with all of her romantic side, he didn’t cross any limits. That sucks. Something is terribly wrong with this man. Or is it another woman he is giving all those rights to? These thoughts terrify her beyond control and she decides to leave back to Delhi, without him. She has to dig his past a bit and get her answers. She won’t find them sitting here. And maybe the distance between the two for some time can put some change in his behavior.

“You are leaving somewhere?” Arnav asks stepping inside her room. He is here to check if she is ready to leave with him to see the next Bungalow.
“I am going Home”
“Home? But we still have 2 more days to go. What’s wrong?” he senses she is upset.

She keeps the bag down.

“What’s right here, Arnav?” she crosses her arms at front. Arnav reads her eyes and he can sense whats bothering her.
“Sheetal things like these don’t happen at our pace. We have to give each other time to understand”

Sheetal shrugs.
“I don’t give a damn to your excuses Arnav”
“Watch your tone” he snaps.
“I wont.. What will you do? Don’t think I am some ordinary girl you can control.”
“I don’t want to control you. I am expecting some decency in your talks. That’s all” he scowls.
“And what about my expectations?”

Arnav sighs in frustration.

“You want to leave, leave” he walks out of the room, his reply annoying her even more.

**********************

Arnav finalizes the house in Mumbai for his parents and returns two days later to Shantivan. His mother Revati is getting her Manicure done.

“Hey Mom” he greets her and sits on the bed. The girl doing her Manicure flashes a dazzling smile at him which he tentatively ignores and continues speaking to his mother. “Did you check the pictures?”
“The house you mean?” Revati asks.
“Yes”
“I did” she nods. “I didn’t like it though”

Arnav is confused.
“But it has everything you were looking for. A perfect view of the beach, the amenities are as per your choice and also the interiors”

Revati asks the girl to walk out for some time so that she can speak to her son. The girl leaves.

“I heard Sheetal came from Mumbai 2 days prior to you”
“What does that have to do with the house, Mom?”

Revati gets agitated.
“Why do you think we sent you there specifically?” she snaps. “To spend time with your fiancée and you lost that chance. I don’t know what happened between you two but talking to Sheetal I felt you are not matching her expectations. It worries me. You disappointed me Arnav.”
“Revati” comes a harsh voice of Ayush Singh Raizada, who just happens to hear their conversation.

Arnav feels terrible to hear such sensitive words from his mother. He disappointed her? Only because he didn’t get cozy with his fiancée?

“Mark your words Revati. You cannot pressurize Arnav like that” Ayush warns.
“Ayush… I am talking to my son. Don’t interrupt me” she snaps. “You think I like feeding him with harsh words? I love him equally like you but seems our love is not enough to make him believe in our choice”
“Mom” Arnav mutters nervously. “I can never doubt on your choice for me”
“I hoped that too Arnav. But you proved me wrong.” Revati leaves the room.

Arnav swallows hard. Ayush places his arm over Arnav’s shoulder.

“Arnav.. don’t take it to your heart. I will talk to her. Women are very sensitive to such subjects. They want their man to look after them forever and they aren’t expecting much, are they? I am so proud of you Son; you are not among those opportunists’ guys who are willing to take their relationship forward even before knowing each other well. I want you to stay so”
“I made Mom upset” he mumbles.
“Don’t worry. I will talk to her. She will be fine”

Ayush pats him again and follows Revati.

Arnav fists his fingers. He feels remorse and guilt for what happened. His relentless energy and power fail to work when it comes to hurting his parents. He has enough things in his plate already to sort and he just added one more to that list. Sorting his mother’s expectations. Is he going to spend his entire life living up to other’s expectations?

His phone rings. He reads the caller name and realizes its important.

“Hello”
“Sir, we have got the tape”
“Good. Send it to my Cabin tomorrow”

Arnav disconnects the call. Now he has something solid against Khushi and he cannot wait to see how she handles it this time.

*********************

Gupta Residence

“I am called at AR today?” Khushi asks her father the next morning when she wakes up.
“Yes” Shashi bites his sandwich. “I got a call from office and they said you are called. Will you come with me?”
“I have to shower dad. I will take an hour to get there”
“Okay” Shashi gets up. “Come soon” he gives her a side hug and leaves for work.

Khushi has no clue why she is called? Is this because they want to tell her the result of the Software? Is this going to be good news for her or bad?

*********************

AR Office 

“Hi, I was asked to meet today.” Khushi asks the girl at the reception.
“Khushi Gupta right?”
“Yes”
“Okay, please wait outside ASR’s cabin. He is in a meeting right now. I will inform him you have arrived”
“ASR?” Khushi asks fiercely. “You mean Ayush Sir?”
“No. .I meant Arnav Singh Raizada” she replies. “He is the one who asked us to fix your appointment with him”

Khushi’s jaw drops. Is he back? Why does he want to meet her?

“This way Ma’am” the girl guides her to Arnav’s cabin. Khushi waits at the Couch, outside Arnav’s cabin. She bites her fingernails. What does he have to talk to her? Why an official meet? Arnav comes out with their client, to drop him outside the cabin door.

“We will take this forward next week, Mr. Patel” Arnav shakes hands with the Client.
“Sure. Have a nice day”
“You too”

Khushi glances at him. He looks so powerful and ruthless today, his beard is the reason behind it. He forgot to shave or he kept that to scare her on purpose? He looks tired and probably something is disturbing him from inside. What is it? Is everything okay between him and his parents? Or is this because Sheetal Mathur instigated some serious tactics upon him which he obviously rejected?
She feels proud at times for how much she knows him. No wonder how many women surround him, she is aware he will never feel anything for any of them except her. Is she overconfident?

“Miss Gupta, you can go inside” Pam informs.

Khushi comes out of her stance and walks inside. Arnav is standing against the Glass wall, next to his working desk, looking magnificent in that grey suit.

“Play the TV” he barks without turning around.
She doesn’t understand why he asked her to play the TV? She checks for the remote and finds it on his desk. She does as told by him and when the video starts playing, her eyes dart in shock. It’s the video footage of the CCTV camera from the Golconda Hotel. She is blindfolding Arnav, dancing with him, kissing his cheek and then walking off from there before getting caught.

She had skipped about the possibility of a CCTV camera at that Dinning area. And he just got enough proof to show her she failed. When she slowly moves her gaze back to him, she finds him staring intensely at her. It looks like he is going to take away every bit of smile from her face today. This is no more a secret mission now. He knows why she is here and what she is capable of doing. It’s high time she accepts it and face the consequences. One thing she promises herself, she is not going to let herself deprive of him anymore. He belongs to her and she will make him agree to that.


To be Continued.



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