He Loves Me Not - Part 30

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Chapter 30 

When Khushi comes back to Office the next day, the Clients have already arrived. Her colleague tells her they are in the Conference room with the board of Directors. Everyone around is so nervous for the floor walk of Client which is going to happen in an hour from now. She takes her seat and logs onto her Office laptop to start her day. Something isn’t right. She can feel it. And then she saw him. The man whom she keeps chasing in her dreams. Wearing a grey suit, he stepped out of the Conference room, holding a steady watchful gaze on everyone he was been introduced to on the way. He was no longer that suave man who would spray an aura of comfort in the hearts of people he met. Instead he had a foxlike feature, sharper eyes, making it impossible for even her to read his mind. Withdrawing herself from their past memories, Khushi focusses on him with only one question in her mind. What is Arnav Singh Raizada doing here at her Office?



“Guys, please meet our Client Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada. We have just signed the deal with them” Katherine, her manager, announced from the center of the floor.

Client? He was their Client and she didn’t even bother to know? Arnav scans the crowd around him, his eyes searching for her. As soon as she realizes this, she tries to hide herself behind one tall colleague of hers. That’s the best way she can handle herself in this situation now. Facing him itself is going to be terrible forget facing him before her coworkers. Somewhere inside, she could feel her heart pounding like a teenage girl who just got to know her crush is going to propose her tonight. That excited she felt everywhere within. He came back for her? Or has he been doing only Business? Does he know she works here? Did he keep a tab on her? Damn!!

When she raises her eyes, planning to sneak at him again, she realizes his stark eyes already on her from a distance lesser than before. Her tall colleague is missing. She didn’t even know when she was exposed to the man she was hiding from. There is no surprise, no hidden anxiety in his gaze on her. It’s plain, cold yet aggressive enough to handle for her. What is wrong with him? Why can’t she read his mind, his heart, just like she used to before? Is it her therapy or he has started shielding his feelings even from her? What’s wrong?
After another minute of his long powerful gaze, he says something to Katherine and makes his way out.

“Alright guys, ASR has got some other commitments to fulfil, so the floor walks and presentations from you guys stand cancels”

Khushi takes a sigh of relief. But he really left? Just like that? Ignoring her? Again?? Before she could draw a few more conclusions, her phone buzzes. It is Arnav’s call. She had his number all this time but she never dialed him nor messaged back in the past 4 months. Seeing it on her phone screen again makes her heart flutter. She is messed up, isn’t she? Just two days back Payal had asked her how would she react if he comes back to her someday. Who knew that day would come so soon? Whilst she is still thinking what to do with his call, it stops ringing and then a message pops up on her screen.

‘I am waiting for you in the car. Come out NOW’

He wants to meet her? Alone? Is that why he left urgently? Screwing the floor walk? His work?

“Khushi, I need to check your presentation again” Katherine interrupts her chain of thoughts.
“Yea, sure”

She grips phone in her palm and walks back to her desk to show the presentation to her Boss. Katherine wants to make some amendments and she asks Khushi to do that, letting her no time to even think about Arnav and his message.

The day passed with lots of more work. She felt glad that Arnav Singh Raizada didn’t intrude her again. She has no plans to meet him because if she does, she might forget the boundaries she has self-created between them and wants it to remain so forever.

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

“Akash? What are you doing here?” Khushi comes out of the office building where Akash is promptly waiting for her.
“Do I need a reason to pick you up from work?”
She smiles but her eyes wander around to see if he is anywhere here. But why would he wait for the whole day before her office building only for her to become free and meet him? She is over thinking. Akash clicks his fingers.
“You don’t seem happy to see me or did you expect someone else?”
“No”
“Lie” he frowns. “You know Khushi, anyone can read your face. Trust me. You are like a mirror. You can never hide your inner feelings?

She knows that too. Her feelings were always out there, open for Arnav Singh Raizada to read. But he never gave a try.

“Come on, tell me what happened at work? I am sure its related to your work”
“Will you ask me everything here?”
“Naah!!” he chuckles. “Let’s sit in the Café. Come”

Holding her hand, he drags her to the nearest Café Shop. Once settled with their respective Coffee mugs, he asks her again.

“So, mind telling me what has screwed your mood?”

Khushi exhales.
“Arnav Singh Raizada is here”
Akash doesn’t show any signs of distress. He seems fine with it.
“So?” he asks.
“Akash.. he is my new client”
“So?”
“So?” Khushi snaps. “You don’t see anything odd in this?”
“It’s called coincidence Khushi. Either its that or he is specifically here for you”
“I don’t believe that he is here for me”
“Hmm”

Akash promptly listens without intruding or poking her much with his own questions.

“He saw me in the office, but he didn’t react. But when he went out, he messaged me to come down and see him”
“Did you go?”
“No”
“Good” he sips the coffee again. “Must say the therapy is working then”

She doesn’t know if its working or not. Can a 4 months therapy and counseling control heart? Feelings? Love?

“You are lost again, Khushi”
“I am not lost. I am trying to understand what went wrong with him? Dad said he and his family is facing some issues between them”
“Good for you”
“What?”
“Hmm. He left you for them, so now he deserves that rift, doesn’t he?”

Khushi gives him a frustrated look.

“Akash, I am not someone who would draw happiness by other’s pain”
“I know” he keeps his cup aside and holds her hand over the table. “That’s why I am worried for you. He is here to snatch your peace of mind again, don’t let him do that. You have moved on. And it’s a big change. Don’t turn back and let him affect you again. You will enter a loop otherwise; things will repeat itself and you will be the one who would be left hurt and dejected at the end. I am sure you don’t want that to happen. Neither your close ones, like Buaji, your father and me will like to see that”

He is right. But why isn’t she convinced?

“And Aman told me something has happened. I knew that already” he adds

Khushi is shocked. Aman and Akash are in touch, she knows. Because Akash’s family treats Mathurs as their Godfathers.

“You knew it all the time? Then Why didn’t you tell me?”
“This is why I didn’t tell you” he replies. “This..” he points at her “ This sudden breakdown and anxiety that you go through after getting to know anything about that man”
Khushi sighs in disappointment.
“I am not like before, Akash. I know to draw lines between me and him now”
“That’s great”
“Whatever. Tell me what Aman told you”
“Arnav is moving out of Shantivan. That’s all I know. Aman didn’t give me reasons neither I asked. It’s their personal matter. How could I get involved? And in fact, all this is on the social media too.”

Khushi goes back in her thoughtful mood. No one will tell her what went wrong but the man himself. Only if she could go straight to him and ask. They finish their coffee and come out. A posh black car halts at her feet. The chauffer gets down.

“Miss Gupta?” he asks.
“Yes”
“Mr. Raizada wants to meet you. He has sent me to pick you up”

Words choke in her throat. Seriously? Now he is desperate to meet her that he is sending his car to pick? Akash clears his throat.

“He is waiting for your reply Khushi” Akash murmurs.
Khushi nods weakly and takes another minute to decide. She wants to go and see him, know why he has made such freaky plans to quit his home? What went wrong? What is haunting him? Whats the reason behind all this? But doing all this would wipe off the thin line she drew between them. And doing so might hurt her and everyone related to her. She cannot risk it. Not now!!
“Tell him, I am not interested to have a meet and greet with him”

The chauffer hadn’t expected that kind of a response but considering it as her final decision, he doesn’t bother her again. He gets back in the car and drives away.

“That’s the spirit” Akash pats her back. “You look very promising when you make such decisions. I am happy”

Khushi fakes a gentle smile. Why isn’t she happy? Did she miss the only chance she had to know Arnav’s current grief?


Akash drops her to the apartment. She presses the elevator button, waiting for it to show up when suddenly someone turns her around and pushes her to the wall beside. It’s him.!!
“I came here all the way for you and you don’t have a minute for me?” he snaps in anger.

Khushi takes few seconds to absorb whats happening. He is still in his grey suit and looking extremely dangerous by his expressions. He has even managed to grip both her wrist and somehow her body is pinned down by his own, his entire weight on her and the wall behind it. This is not what she had expected. He was in her residential complex waiting for her to show up from work?

“You sound desperate and insecure, Mr. Raizada. None of which you were before for me. Now please back off” she shouts.

He is startled, horrified by her denial to express her joy of seeing him again, but not for long.

“I was waiting outside the office, I sent you a message to come out. Why didn’t you come to see me?”
“I work there and have no plans to lose my job”
She is handling this great.
“After work? I sent you a car to pick” he continues.
“Don’t you get it Arnav? I am least interested in meeting you?”
“Heck you are” he shouts back.

Khushi swallows her nervousness.

“I have made myself very clear to you. I don’t want anything from you Arnav Singh Raizada, love and relationship being the least”

He fights for air to breathe. He had broke her before, the effects of which is still lingering in their lives.
“I don’t know what is left of me to offer you either. But whatever there is… is all yours Khushi.. I have come a long way for you this time. And there is no turning back”

His confession makes her want to sob. She cannot hide the violent contractions happening inside her body. She can feel it now.. He is broken.. Just like her. But why? What went wrong in his so called happy life with his adoptive parents?


To be Continued.


NEXT PART 


To Read He Loves Me Not from the Start. Click HERE


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