13. OS 19. His Elusive Lover (Part 13)

Part 13

“Ask HP to serve lunch here in the room,” Arnav instructed Khushi quietly before settling down in his chair by the recliner to work.

Khushi called HP. “Hari Prakashji, can you please serve lunch for Arnavji and me in his room? We have a lot of work to finish,” she explained.

Arnav’s eyes were on the laptop monitor but his ears were filled with the music of her sweet voice. He secretly watched her smile at HP’s reply, cut the call and then sit in her place to type one of the many documents he had given her.

Why had he decided to have lunch in his room? He should have taken Khushi downstairs for lunch and placed her more and more in Shyam’s way so that he cracked sooner. He wanted the whole mess dealt with as soon as possible and Shyam out of di’s life at the earliest moment, but... Arnav drew air into his lungs. That moment in the kitchen when he had seen Shyam with Khushi... that moment had shaken him.

He looked at his hands.

They were steady now, but in the kitchen they had itched to wrap themselves around that...that slimebucket’s thick neck and squeeze the life out of him.

He shook his head to clear it.

He needed some time away from that lowlife to get back to a state of calm. An important part of that was knowing that Khushi was safe and there was no better way of knowing that she was safe than to have her sit across from him and struggle to type long English words without mistake.

A moment of peace. One moment. And then he would be fine, ready to take on that degenerate, that lecher he had to call jijaji. Just one moment to settle the panic within him. Take a deep breath, he told himself.

His eyes fell on the tray with a mug of coffee that he had placed on his table.

He grabbed it, letting the warmth seep into his cold fingers. With his gaze on the beautiful girl sitting and frowning at her laptop, he sipped from the mug, feeling comfort flow from his mouth to his insides, the warmth soothing him, the taste comforting him. His lashes fell to cover his eyes. Her coffee made him feel as though Khushi were running her hand over his hair.

His eyes flew open. What was happening to him?

He looked at her.

She was looking at the file, entirely focused on getting her work done right and without any flaws.

Suddenly she frowned and lifted her right hand to rub the smooth, creamy skin of her neck.

He quickly averted his eyes.

She turned her head to look at him. Why had she felt his gaze on her when he wasn’t even looking in her general direction? Pagal ho tum, Khussi Kumari Gupta, she chided herself.

                                                               ***

“Arnavji, shall we have lunch now?” she asked, one eye on the clock.

 It was one at noon.

“One minute,” he said, his eyes on the figures he was studying.

Khushi waited patiently for exactly one minute, her eyes on the hands of the clock.

“Arnavji, one minute is over,” she reminded him.

“Hmmm,” he said, taking his phone to call Aman. Talking to Aman, he got up and moved out into the garden.

Khushi sighed. Mice were running around in her stomach like children in the playground. After waiting for one more moment, she gave up.

She went to the trolley HP had pushed into the room and took out the plates and cutlery. She quickly served the food on two plates and then sat waiting for Arnavji.

Two minutes later, there was still no sign of him.

Khushi got up from her seat with an exaggerated sigh and peeped into the garden.

He was sitting on a black recliner, still talking to Aman. Or rather, he was giving orders in his office voice. Poor Amanji, she thought. No other man would stay with an Arnavji who shouted at employees and self-combusted every few minutes. 

Khushi frowned.

But he wasn’t like that at home. Here he was patient, soft-spoken, even kind to her. The frown cleared. Maybe he was scared of his nani, she thought. Maybe his nani expected him to be polite and courteous.

She clutched her tummy. Hunger was gnawing at her insides. ‘He Devi Maiyya,’ she complained, ‘what kind of employer have you given me? He lives on coffee and work and doesn’t need food! Aur hum he chatori, as buaji always says.’

This was too much.

She quickly turned around, collected his full plate and cutlery and marched out into the garden.

Arnav looked up to see a whirlwind stop before him. She placed his plate on the table by the recliner and stood by it, her hands on her hips.

“Aman, I will get back to you,” he murmured before cutting the call. “Khushi?” he asked.

“Aap khana kha leejiye,” she told him. “I am so hungry that I can gobble up your whole house, including your plants.” She looked at the pots of plants lined up near the pool.

He cleared his throat. “You should have eaten. Matlab, you don’t have to wait for me,” he instructed.

Khushi’s eyes grew wide. “Awww, eat before you do? Eat while you stay hungry and keep working? Nahi, Arnavji. You are my employer and I will take good care of you till my job is over. Aap please khaa leejiye so that I can eat too. Please.”

Arnav nodded slowly. He set the phone aside on the small table by his plate.

“I will get you a glass of water,” Khushi said, returning to the room.

Soon she came out with a glass of water. There was no space on the table to keep it.

He stood up and held out his hand.

Khushi handed over the glass.

The tips of his fingers touched the tips of hers.

The glass fell from their hands and shattered into pieces.

They stood staring at each other, discomfited, their fingers aflame, their brains scrambled, their hearts racing.

Khushi clutched the fabric of her sari, hoping that would cool the burning sensation. Her eyes fell on the shards of broken glass on the floor. She bent to gather them.

Arnav managed to croak, “No. I will get HP to clean it. You go inside and have your lunch.”

Khushi nodded and left on unsteady feet.

Arnav sat heavily on the recliner, feeling the red-hot flame of desire burn through him, sending his senses haywire.

Later, when HP removed the slivers of glass and loaded the trolley with used tableware, Arnav noticed that her plate was still full, just as his was.

He swallowed hard.

                                                                   ***

Arnav carried his laptop to the garden and spent the rest of the day working in its relative safety, away from Khushi. If his eyes rested on her form frequently, he assured himself that he was just checking on her work habits.

HP brought tea and Khushi served him quietly.

They then continued to work in silence.

It was almost time for dinner.

“We need to go down for dinner,” Arnav said, returning to his room.

“Ji,” she said softly without meeting his eyes.

At the dining table, Arnav pulled the chair next to his for her and seated Khushi. Then he took his seat.

The Raizada ladies smiled at them.

Akash and mamaji joined them.

Then Anjali and Shyam came down to take their seats.

“Chotey, why didn’t you come down all day?” Anjali asked with a pout.

“Work,” he replied quietly and briefly.

“You could have let Khushiji spend some time with us,” Anjali complained.

Arnav didn’t bother to reply.

“Yes, Saalesaheb, you could have sent Khushiji down to us. We didn’t get an opportunity to talk to her to our heart’s content. There is much we don't know about her,” Shyam said, his greedy eyes on Khushi’s glowing face and lissom body.

Nani looked away in anger and mami looked at him with disgust in her kajal-lined eyes.

Akash and mama grit their teeth to stop themselves from responding to the cheat.

“What do you want to know about her?” Arnav asked mildly.

“About her family,” Shyam persisted. “Khushiji, Rani Sahiba told me you are from Lucknow?”

“Ji,” Khushi replied.

“Where exactly in Lucknow?” he asked, his predatory eyes running all over her torso.

“I am not sure,” she replied, after a glance at Arnav. “I was young when my parents died. Then I lived with my uncle and aunt. We travelled all over Uttar Pradesh as my uncle’s job entailed travelling. Then they died, one after the other and I came to Delhi to find a job.” Her voice was even and her eyes were on her plate.

“We are glad you did, Khussi bitiya,” nani said, her voice filled with love.

“And Devi Maiyya brought you to hamre Arnav bitwaa’s ophice, hello hi bye bye,” mami concluded.

Khushi smiled at the two ladies.

Shyam chewed his food as though he were tasting Khushi’s skin. An orphan with no one to ask questions if he used and abandoned her! Khushi was perfect for his needs. But first he had to seduce her away from Arnav.

In his preoccupation with his plans, Shyam failed to notice Arnav’s sharp eyes on him.

                                                                 ***

Khushi showered and changed into a sleeveless white suit before crawling into bed.

She was exhausted. Her back hurt from sitting all day, hunched over her laptop.

She stretched her arms and legs and stopped short in mid action when she heard the washroom door being opened or shut in Arnavji’s room.

She looked at the line of light at the bottom of the connecting door. Reassured, she switched off the light in her room.

She lay back and thought of her family. Babuji was getting the medical care he needed. Buaji and amma were happy. A boy was coming to see jiji tomorrow. Would it work out? she wondered. If the boy and girl liked each other, how would buaji and amma make all the arrangements for a wedding? The money...

She heard a sound that chilled her blood.

She turned terrified eyes towards the door leading from her room to the corridor. 

Someone was trying to open it. She could see the knob move even in the dark.

Khushi leaped out of bed and ran helter-skelter to the connecting door. Too panicky and agitated to even knock, she pulled open the door and ran into Arnavji’s room.