He Loves Me Not - Part 31

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Chapter 31

“Let me go” she scoffs struggling to come out of his hold.
“Too late for that” he snaps. “Don’t play games with me, Khushi.”
“Games? You played games with me all these years. And doing the same now. Why did you come back here? After all these days when I have decided to move on? Why Arnav?”
“You want to know? Then have dinner with me”
“No” she snaps.
What was he offering? A dinner? So that he can try to brainwash her again? He chooses to remain still despite her denial, admiring her, feeling their togetherness in this dark lobby. Khushi notices him too and this time seriously focusing on his changes. He appeared different. That spiky beard was never a part of his look so far. It’s been four months and he has changed into a man she doesn’t recollect knowing about.



“Have dinner with me, you will. I know.”
She lets out a laugh filled with sarcasm.
“So confident about your effect on me, are you? But I am not that silly girl anymore. I am over it.. Over you!!”
Her words stab his heart. He comes closer and grips both her forearms.
“Prove me its over” he groans.
“No I won’t. I won’t prove anything to anyone. Only because you don’t believe I have moved on, doesn’t mean I have to prove anything. It’s your problem. Not mine”
His brows rise. She is really behaving like a stubborn woman. The question is how far can he go to woe her. This is just the beginning. He tried his direct approach now comes the indirect ones.

“Fine” he leaves her arms and steps back. “See you at office tomorrow”

Giving her another heated look, he makes his way out of the building. She takes a sigh of relief now that he is gone. It was tough. She was very close to mellowing down for him. Had he pushed her for some more minutes, she might have agreed to have dinner with him. But did she do the right? She missed an opportunity to actually know what happened between him and Ayush Singh Raizada. He could have told her, shared his grief and she would have given him her shoulder to ease upon his sorrows. But instead she chose to push him away this time and even shut the little hope of knowing what made him what he is at the present… so brutal!!

She takes the elevator and rings the doorbell. Shashi opens it for her and she immediately puts a smile on her face.

“Hey dad… how was your day?” she hugs him. “Oh wow… is Buaji cooking Paneer?”
“Yes she is” Shashi nods, shutting the door behind.
“Perfect. I am very hungry. I will change and be right back”

She rushes to her room and locks it up. Thank God her father didn’t notice the changes in her mood this time. Or did he?

At the dinner table when she serves the Paneer curry in her dish, she recollects Arnav’s offer to dine with him tonight. If she had agreed, she would have been sitting with him, learning his new issues. She hopes he doesn’t skip his meal because she declined to have with him.

“You didn’t tell me how the meet with your new client go?” Shashi asks in between the morsels.
Khushi hadn’t expected him to ask this.
“Yea.. it went well. He .. I mean.. they were at office for a brief period.”
“Hmm” he smiles. “It’s an emerging new company. I wonder how they got the deal with a renowned business empire like the Company you are working for?”

Khushi stops eating. New company? What does that mean? Arnav works for AR Group which is definitely not new.

“AK Software Tech” Shashi adds. “Never heard of it before, did you?” he asks her suspiciously.

Khushi gobbles her food and gets up.

“I just remembered; I have to send an urgent email to my Boss. I will come back and eat the rest”
“Khushi.. .wait” Shashi tries to stop her but she flees in her room. “This girl.. always in a hurry”

Buaji chuckles.
“Except in one thing.. Marriage” she replies. “Shashi Babua, don’t you think Akash is genuinely taking a step forward? He seems to desire Khushi”
“Hmm, but unless they both talk to us this time, I won’t take any initiative ahead Jeeji. Khushi needs her space, let her take it. She is already handling a new job. How much pressure can she take alone?”
“Alone” Buaji stresses on the word. “That’s what I am saying Shashi. She is alone.  She needs a partner to share her problems”
“We are there for that, Jeeji. Aren’t we?”
“Yes we are. But.. a life partner is always a better partner than parents and relatives”

Shashi sighs. He knows she is right. Khushi needs a life partner but is she ready to move on with Akash? They seemed to be very friendly together but there was clearly no love in Khushi’s eyes for him.

Khushi turns her laptop On and starts surfing about AK Software Tech, their new client. The CEO of the Company happens to be Arnav Singh Raizada who also happens to be the active Director of that Company. But there is one more Director, a hidden Director whose name is yet to be mentioned. Whats happening? The Company has recently formed and registered in the portal but because of ASR’s name, it has already a list of Big companies wanting to have a partnership. What is going on? Is Arnav not the CEO of AR Group anymore? She researches about AR group again and finds Arnav’s name there too on the Present CEO list. So, he is still a CEO there. But is he on notice period? Is the bitterness between him and Ayush Singh Raizada leading him to quit AR forever and hence he started a new Venture of his own? So many changes have happened in both his personal and professional lives and she didn’t know anything about it? Everything was out in the media, on social network and she never tried to find out.  Whose fault is that?

All these changes are huge and she wonders how he is tackling it all alone. There was so much pain in his eyes, she wanted to soothe that; God knows she wanted to do that but .. but she was not prepared to hurt herself again. She became selfish. She chose herself over the man she once loved… probably.. the man she still loves silently.

The door knock breaks her chain of thoughts. Her father is leaning against the door and watching her curiously. She wipes the wetness in her eyes and minimizes the search window on her laptop. She doesn’t want her father to know she was surfing about Arnav again, though it was after a long long time.

“So you really didn’t know?” Shashi asks getting inside.
“What dad?” she fakes a confused look as if she has no clue what he is asking her.
“That Arnav has formed his new company and he is your Client now not for AR Group but AK Software Tech.”

Khushi gulps hard. How did he get to know? Shashi reads her mind. He sits next to her.

“I might have quit my job, moved here. But I have sources who tell me whats happening there”

Khushi nods. She should have asked her father instead of surfing so much then.
“I myself got to know about it today” Shashi adds. “I am still processing why he formed a new company like that?”
Khushi remains quiet. She is equally surprised about it.
“Did he meet you today, I mean.. privately?” Shashi asks.

Khushi is stupefied what to reply? Will her dad take it positively still if she tells him what happened at the lobby downstairs?

“No” she lies. “he tried to .. but..”
“That’s good. Don’t involve yourself again in his mess. Let him deal with it himself”

Is that so? She is not even supposed to help him?

“Yes Dad” she looks down.
Shashi pulls her chin up, making her tears visible to him.
“It is just now that you are living a life free of past, don’t hurt yourself again. That man himself has been a pain to you.. Always. If he hurts you again, I don’t think I will take it all calmly this time. I hope you will do as I say”

Khushi is confused. She doesn’t reply to that.

“Khushi.. as your father I have always supported your actions. I gave you freedom to choose what you want. But this time if you choose him, over all of us.. it will be a big mistake and a huge stab on your other relationships. So, please be careful”

No. No… No.. No one is able to understand what she is going through right now. Her father is right on his part.. Arnav is right on his part.. Both of them are pulling her towards them and she is going to face a tough time to balance. 

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

Next Day 

Khushi steps in her office. Though she is been warned by her father not to bother about her new client, Khushi’s heart falls weak for a moment. She scans the area to see if there are any signs of Arnav.

“Khushi” her boss Katherine stops at her cubicle. “Good you are early. Sam is on emergency leave today. I want you to brief the Client on Sam’s behalf today. We cannot give any excuse to ASR.”

Khushi’s heart skips a beat.

“Me? How can I brief it? Sam did all the presentation”
“I know, but you are his backup now. And this is your chance to shine. Take it as your luck. ASR and his team are having breakfast right now in the Canteen. Once they are done, brief Michael.”

It’s a little relief. She doesn’t have to brief ASR, but Michael, a young talented guy working in AK Software Tech.
“Okay, I will brief Michael” she agrees.
Katherine leaves and Khushi works on Sam’s presentation. She has to prepare herself thoroughly before she meets Michael in an hour.

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

After an hour, Khushi notices Arnav Singh Raizada heading to the Conference room with Katherine and the other heads. He wont be coming out for an hour at least. Using that as her only opportunity to handle the briefing of the presentation with Michael, Khushi quickly makes her way to the other cabin, where the Projector is arranged for her to demonstrate the presentation. Michael is working inside on his laptop.

“Hi Michael” she shakes hands with him. “I am Khushi Gupta, I will brief you out on the Software details today”
“Oh yes, Katherine told me Sam is on leave. Please begin”

Khushi connects her laptop to the Projector screen and begins the presentation. She is not even a bit nervous. She would have been if Arnav was around. Michael raises his doubts after she finishes walking him through all the slides in the presentation file. She clarifies his doubts and the ones which needs Katherine’s approval, she says him and promises to revert. Michael is extremely satisfied with the details and appreciates her work. That’s exactly when Arnav Singh Raizada storms back in the cabin, startling Khushi and Michael both. He is wearing a Black suit. He has always looked handsome in black and somehow, it’s a huge distraction for her still.

“Done with the presentation?” he asks Michael.
“Yes Sir. We are through it.”
“Great. You have to attend the seminar with Katherine and the rest of the team Michael.”
“Now?”
“Yes, Now” he puts his hands in pant pockets, waiting for Michael to leave.

That tone was straight and rude. It was more of a Get out type which hurt Khushi as he had never behaved so with others before. He was always polite and patient. Michael leaves out and Khushi winds up her cables and laptop to walk out too when he blocks her way.

“Not you” he snarls. “Sit down”
Khushi feels her lungs short of air.

“Arnav.. Don’t.. ”
“Miss Gupta, I am your client.. You need to obey me whatsoever” he cuts off her further words. She takes the seat and he takes the one next to her, close; so close that their knees even touch each other. Khushi shifts her chair to maintain some distance which is not much, just few inches from his knees though, enough to make her fake normalcy on her face again.

“Let me put this very straight to you. What time are you finishing work today? I want to take you out”
“I don’t go on dates with my Client” she snaps. “You cannot break the first rule of business”
“Too bad, I just did” he leans back on the chair with pride and arrogance

It zips her mouth for few seconds. The same man who always wanted his personal and professional lives to run parallel and never mingle in each other is now breaking his own rule?

“And I am taking you on out of office hours.. Technically, I won’t be your client then” he adds.
“I would still not go with you. So please cut this discussion here and let me continue my work.”
“fine.. I will find another way to take you out with me during the peak office hours then. You know I can do that. It’s not a big deal for me. We will have lunch together. I will talk to Katherine. Fake her some goddam reason and will drag you out with me”

He is almost threatening her.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she shouts getting up and is about to bang her fist on the table.
He places his palm on the table where she is supposed to hurt her fist. When she bangs it hard, he is hurt, not her. She feels guilty for not noticing that. He must have been hurt badly!! He smirks.

“You hurt bad, Khushi Gupta.. And that shows how much I have hurt you all this time”

She goes speechless again as he withdraws his arm and blows air on his palm where it hurt him.

“And to your last question, I am your Boss’s Boss. So, what I say.. .goes.. Now its upon you to decide whether you want to make it noticeable for people to know whats brewing between us or will you let it all happen quietly, under their radar. I leave it upon you. If you want to take it quiet and nice, my car will be parked to pick you up after office hours. Get yourself in there and it will ride you to me. That’s all you need to do. Have a great day ahead. Now you may leave”

He opens his own laptop and starts typing something, without even giving her a second glance. He has become so rude and pathetically manipulative. She picks her stuff and slips out.

To be Continued.

NEXT PART

PRECAP FOR NEXT PART

Note: Many of you wanted the ASR back in this Arnav who was spineless, a puppet of his adoptive parents.. So here he is.. BACK!! But the reasons behind him to be so, his sudden overheated confidence and arrogance, pain and grief will be out as the story progresses. 

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

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