Locked - Part 8

 

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Chapter 8


Day 6



Arnav’s POV


I really cannot believe Khushi is unaffected by my confession that Sheetal is my baby sister and she need not be serious about it. I am happily single. Akash and I are working on a presentation whilst my mind processes everything that transpired yesterday. Khushi’s father has picked a groom for her.. Some Australian guy who is here in Delhi and will return only after he finds his bride. That’s superfast. Ever since Khushi has announced me this news, I am unable to focus anywhere. Forget doing business, I cannot even make a cup of coffee since yesterday. I had heard Payal and Khushi discussing last night about this proposal and Khushi was all excited and thrilled to get know his name and see him on a video call. Fortunately, none of that happened last night but what’s the guarantee that it will be the same today? Since morning I have this weird feeling that she might have already started chatting with that guy too and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Bhai” Akash clicks his fingers to get my attention. “Where are you lost today?”

I take few seconds to process what he asks and then check the watch. It’s 09:00 am and its time Khushi comes for cooking breakfast. I shut the laptop.

“Bhai? What you doing?”

I get up. “We will do this later. I have to assist Khushi for breakfast first.”

“Right. That’s more important than all of this..” Akash grins at my excuse.

I glare at him.

“I mean.. Without breakfast how can we concentrate Bhai?” He mocks rising to his feet.

“You know what Akash?” I frown. “You better focus on cleaning the house. I am not blind to not notice what you exactly do in the name of cleaning with Payal.”


Now its turn to blush but the next moment he is defensive.

“What do you mean? What did I do Bhai?”

“Really?” I smirk. “You want to know from me?”


He nods.

“Fine. I heard that… Payalji… Jee Akashji… and the rest of these silly ways of addressing each other while you were dusting the couch yesterday.”


Akash blushes.

“Oh that..” He grins. “We were just acting like two innocent and shy couple.” He explains.

“COUPLE? Already?” I ask, curious to know when did this happen?

“No. I mean, yes. Actually, No”


He looks totally confused.

“Akash? Yes or No? You are confusing me.”


He flops back on the couch and cuddles to the pillow.

“Bhai I am equally confused. I mean, at one side Payal gives me this green signal and the other side she also says that her father is looking groom for her.”

“Ditto” I flop on the couch beside him, snatching that pillow from his hand and cuddle it.

“What?” Akash groans. “No.. No way Bhai.. This cant happen.”

He shouts like I destroyed him.

“What do you mean, can’t happen? It has happened Dammit” I shout back. “She gives me green signals every freaking time she is near me and then… she is also interested in her father’s choices. I mean.. How is that even supposed to work?”

“She gave you green signal too?” Akash is almost on the verge of bursting into tears.

“What do you mean by too? I am the only one she is giving signal here. She considers you not less than her little brother.”


“BROTHER?” Akash shouts snatching the pillow back from me. “She takes me as her little brother? Despite spending the whole day talking to me about her likes and dislikes, she is giving signals to you and considers me as her brother? Damn!! I am screwed Bhai.”


I don’t understand why he is overreacting.

“Akash? Why are you screwed? I should be the one banging my head on the wall. She is misleading me.”

“She is misleading me too Bhai.” He stutters. “never thought she is interested in both the brothers.”

“WHAT?” I get up angrily, turning to Akash. “How dare you say that Akash? Khushi is not that kind of a girl.”


Akash nods embarrassed.

“Right Bhai. Khushi is not that kind of a girl. I wished Payal too was like her then.”


I am even more confused.

“Wait. Whom are you exactly talking about?” I ask to be sure.

“The same girl who is giving you mixed signals, Bhai.” He gets up nervously. “But Bhai, don’t worry. I will back off. I will get hundreds of women like her but not a brother like you. I love you more than her.”

“You love KHUSHI?” I glare.

“Khushi?” Akash is the one confused now. “Why will I love Khushi?”


UHHHH!! I want to strangle his neck for confusing me.

“Because I am talking about Khushi, Akash.” I snap.

He takes a minute to process that statement and his smile is back.

“You… you were talking about Khushi? Not Payal? I mean, the girl who gives you mixed signals is Khushi.. Not Payal?”


Oh, he thought I was interested in Payal. No way. I hold his arms and shake him a bit.


“I am least interested in Payal and vice versa.”

“THANK GOD” He hugs me tight and kisses my cheek too. I push him off.

“Akash, behave.”

“Sorry.. Sorry Bhai… But this really made my day. I thought you were talking about Payal. Glad.. its not her..” He suddenly pauses. “Wait.. that means you like Khushi? Like seriously?”


My grin is back.

“Yes. I think we can make a great pair.” I shrug casually to pretend it doesn’t affect me much yet I am thinking on those lines.

“Bhai.. Not just pair.. you two can make great babies too.”


Babies? With Khushi? I am transported into a different world where my room is filled with dozens of toddler babies and Khushi is playing with each one of them while I work on my laptop whilst admiring them all.


“Bhai?” Akash shakes me to break my trance.

“Yea… We can make great babies too but for that, Khushi has to stop thinking of that proposal her father has selected for her and focus on me.”

Akash nods.

“You are right. I think Payal is an easy bait but Khushi, she is the harder one. Glad I liked Payal more than her. I would have been exhausted otherwise.”


I roll my eyes at his silly banter.

“So, what do you suggest?” I ask. “We both should work as a team to get our girls. As is we don’t have many days.”


Akash nods in agreement.

“You are right Bhai. Just 9 days and then our quarantine period will be over. We will fly back to our destination which though is the same city but we will miss them.”

“Hmm”

The very thought of departing from here pinches my heart though I am missing my family too equally. I hope by the end of these 9 days, we walk out of this house as a couple.


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


Khushi’s POV


I reach the kitchen but strangely don’t find Arnav here still. He is usually the first one to be here. Payal follows me in.

“Where are these boys? They haven’t come out of their rooms yet.” She says.

“So? How does it affect us? After 9 days, we will never be meeting them. What will you do then?”


Payal sighs at my question.


“You won’t like to meet Arnav Singh Raizada again?” she asks innocently and my breath hitches.

“No” I lie turning to the faucet to clean my hands.

“No exchanging numbers either?”

“No Payal” I lie again.

“How mean? Only because Dad found a good proposal for you, you are ignoring the man who gives you so much attention… Poor ASR”


My jaw drops.

“Excuse me? Do you think I am selfish? And wait, he doesn’t give me any attention. He irritates me. Didn’t you see us fighting all the time?”

Payal chuckles.

“That’s not called fighting Khushi. It’s your way of expressing your possessiveness on each other.”


I look away.

“Stop reading fiction books. You need to draw line between fiction and reality Payal.”


She turns me back to face her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well..” I explain. “Do you think we four have met here because God has planned a future between us?”

Payal is silent.

“No Payal. This is just a mere coincidence. We are bound to live together based on the situation around us. And relationships made over such drastic situations can never be permanent. It’s high time you come out of your dream world and see the reality.”


Her face pales down. I didn’t want to hurt her but that’s what the truth is.


“I know you have started liking Akash” I say cupping her face. “And probably he likes you too but is this little period enough to know each other? I don’t think so. What if after getting back to our respective lives in Delhi, he is totally different than what you had imagined or seen him to be here?”


She is even more dull now.

“I don’t want to demotivate you but I feel you are hurrying. In fact, I too did the same mistake. Arnav and Akash can be our crush for the time being but they can or cannot become our life partners depends on too many factors and the coming 9 days will not be enough to judge them.”

“Maybe you are right.” Payal finally agrees though her voice and expressions don’t match. She still looks like madly in love. “So? What should we do now?” she asks.

“Nothing. Just focus on our lives more than what life we want to see with them. That’s all. I am not saying they are not good guys. Of course they are, but its too soon to trust them for a lifetime at the moment.”


Payal nods briskly.


“Phew. You just had to say this and bring tears in my eyes. I was almost on the verge of giving Akash my heart.”

“Aww..” I pull her close and give Payal a tight hug. “if you still feel the same way till the last day of our stay here, I think you should talk to him then. Maybe you two can see more of each other once we head to Delhi and see how this goes.”


That brings hope in Payal’s eyes.


“Right. I will do that. Let these 9 days pass. If I still feel the same for Akash, I am going to tell him. And so would you.”


Me?

“What?” I ask her and she grins. “Don’t think I am that innocent not to notice the way you and Arnav look at each other. As if, in mine and Akash’s absence, you would eat each other .. in love..”


My cheeks burn.

“Shut up Payal. I told you there is nothing much between us. Yes, I like him and his silly ways of irritating me but …”

“But if you feel more for him, you will tell him that before we leave this place. Just like I will talk to Akash.. Promise?”


She extends her palm for me to promise her and I do. I keep my hand on hers.

“Promise”

We smile at each other and then get back to our respective work.


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


Arnav’s POV


Khushi is extremely quiet as we cook the meals. In fact she is the same since we started our day together. But she is getting these frequent messages on her phone which she keeps attending to and she smiles only during those messages. I finally, cannot take this anymore. So the next time her phone buzzes, I pick it before Khushi and hide it at my back.


“What the hell?” She groans. “Give me my phone back Arnav.”

“Why are you not talking to me?” I demand to know.

“I am talking to you. Who said I am not?”

“Khushi, since morning you are busy on text messages. Don’t you think I can see that?”

“So?” She shrugs. “It’s my phone. I can text anyone I like.”

“Not by ignoring me” I growl taking a step towards her. She watches me curiously before stepping back until she finally is blocked between the kitchen slab and me.

“Arnav, what nonsense is this? Give me my phone. It could be an important message.”

“Oh yeah? And I assume that important person is the same Australia returned guy who likes photography and little weak in Hindi?”

“NK.. His name is NK. Nandakishore.”


Anger courses through me as I see her smiling taking that name.


“So you got his name now? Did you start to chat with him too?”


She stares at me like I asked her something outside the world.

“Did I ever ask you whom you call, message or chat with the whole day?”

“No. That’s because I don’t do call, message or chat with people the whole day.” I snap.


She shrugs.

“That’s your choice of living. Not mine. I like to be social to people.”

“Then be social to people. Just avoid this man in specific.. That’s all I am asking you to do.”

“Why? If I talk to NK, message or chat with him, how does it affect you?”


I grip her arms and pull her to me, her phone still fisted in between my fingers.


“It affects me Khushi..” I growl. “It effing affects me.”

“But Why?”

“Because I..” I pause. Silence stretches for long between us and we do nothing except glaring in each other’s eyes.


Khushi’s phone begins to ring in my fist and we see the screen flashing “Dad”. It’s her father’s call so she snatches her phone from me and walks out to take the call. Dammit!! I groan louder. What the hell just happened here? I have never been this possessive before and this looked like obsession more. My motive is to win Khushi, not push her away by playing such acts. I have to compose myself and woo her which I will.


To be Continued.

NEXT PART 

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