EPISODE THREE
“Hey!”
Khushi was startled out of her reverie and saw NK before her, looking amused.
“Stop daydreaming about your Arnav Singh Raizada and tell me, did he like your story?” he asked.
Still dazed as a result of her tete-a-tete with Arnav, all Khushi could manage was a soft ‘hmm’.
“Kya hmm? Lagta hain Arnav sir ne tujhe pehli hi baar me accha khaasa dose de dia!” NK laughed, leaving Khushi totally confused.
“Don’t worry, you’re just an acquaintance. Wait till you get to know him better!” NK said, amused thoroughly by Khushi’s state. With a smile playing on his lips, he popped a chocolate into his mouth while Khushi fidgeted with her fingers, still looking quite lost.
She happened to glance at her watch, and saw that there were barely ten minutes before it turned nine. Arnav was going to cover her story in his extremely popular 9PM bulletin. He had the entire hour dedicated to the Mehrotra case, now that he had the explosive evidence that she had collected. He was going to have a panel discussion and air her footage live. She couldn’t wait to see her hero present her story. She knew he would do an amazing job.
With an extra bright smile that spelt danger to NK, she turned to him. “Nazu,” she began in a sugary tones, “Tu mera best friend hain na, mera sabse pyaara dost…”
NK looked at her inquiringly. “What do you want, Khush?” he asked. He knew her too well to be taken in by her little tricks, bewitchingly innocent though she was looking.
“Yaar… Raizada sir na 9 baje ki news mein meri story cover kar rahe hain. I want to see him doing it. I mean in person. You can arrange that, can’t you? Please, please, please! I really want…” she said, when NK cut her short by stuffing a chocolate into her mouth.
“Hmm… Dekh main check karunga, zero guarantee okay?” NK turned and went into the PCR, while Khushi crossed her fingers, after giving him a last puppy look.
~*~
“It is indeed a sad day for the world of journalism and our country. It is the duty of the media to be an accurate mirror to society, and seeing media personnel stoop so low is indeed horrifying. We are still awaiting a statement from GTV and have received none so far. I would firstly like to thank all of our panelists for joining us tonight, and also the person behind this explosive revelation - our junior reporter Miss Khushi Gupta. With this I, Arnav Singh Raizada, leave you tonight with a promise to meet to again tomorrow. Till then, goodnight!”
Akash spluttered in disbelief in his cabin, as he watched his channel’s 9PM bulletin live, spilling his coffee. The Arnav Singh Raizada had acknowledged a junior reporter on air! And this sensational story which would change the fortunes of his channel was not Arnav’s finding! Akash couldn’t believe his ears.
But wait, did they even have a journalist by that name?
Descending the stairs rapidly, he walked right into the PCR, and was about to say something, when a young girl with large glasses and an excited expression on her face, leaning self-consciously against one of the walls caught his attention.
“Hey kid, who let you in here?” Akash asked her, frowning, while she just looked at him with wide eyes. So much had happened in the last few hours, that Khushi was finding it difficult to come to terms with it all. The atmosphere in this channel was totally new and foreign to her, for one, and hearing her hero acknowledge her work was too overwhelming.
“Oh, stop staring at me! It gives me the creeps! Holy smokes, please train your eyes elsewhere!” Akash snapped, impatiently, while a visibly displeased Anjali Roy stepped forward. She was the owner’s daughter and the PCR Head, and therefore enjoyed considerable importance and power in KKN.
“Singhania, don’t talk to her like that!” she said in overtly sarcastic tones . “She is none other than the genius child Khushi Gupta,”
“Kumari Gupta!” Khushi clarified, her own voice squeaky from excitement while Anjali rolled her eyes and continued;
“... who has secured a job for herself in KKN, without a vacancy or even consent from any of us!”
Khushi was rudely summoned out of her dreamland by this public outburst. Once she got over the initial shock, Khushi inspected Anjali from head to toe, trying to size her up. No doubt she was the perfect femme fatale, with her delectable figure and shrewd eyes. But there was definitely more to Anjali Roy than met the eye.
But she was Khushi Kumari Gupta, and no person, no matter how impressive, could intimidate her. She was well aware of what a favour she had done to the channel by sharing that story, and they had better respect her for it! “To the best of my knowledge, people about eighteen are adults. Since I am well past that milestone, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from referring to me as a kid!” she snapped. Anjali turned a bright crimson with rage, not used to her father’s employees replying to her so nonchalantly.
“Kya kar rahi hai Khush!” NK hissed. Khushi shrugged her shoulders.
“I am used to being respected for my work, NK! I am not signing a contract for bonded labour!” Khushi said, angrily, while Akash looked at her, with growing admiration. The girl had spunk, and was spicy to the core.
“Arnav’s taste has improved!” Akash laughed, while Anjali glared at him.
“What do you mean, Singhania?” she asked him in icy tones. The smile on Akash’s face faded as Anjali gave him a you - are - so - dead - look.
“Ah Arnav!” he said, with a sigh of relief, seeing Arnav enter the PCR.
Anjali placed her hands against his chest as soon as he came near, though he did not respond to this gesture, and did not seem at all interested in her. “Raizada,” she said. “How could you hire this girl without consulting any of us? We don’t even have a vacancy and you need to discuss these things with us first! You always do! Why an exception for her?”
“My dearest Anjali Roy” Arnav broke in, sensing matters heating up. “Aren’t we the same? How does it matter whether I take a decision or you do? How about dinner at my place?” He said with a seductive smile. Anjali immediately forgot her grievances and blushed a pretty pink, while Khushi stared at Arnav in wide-eyed surprise.
“But Raizada, can you tell me why you have hired her?”
“Alright, fire her then!” Arnav said breezily, while Khushi looked at him in disbelief and dropped her bag. “Fire her and find someone who can get us better stories. And anyway, our channel could do with a few more capable reporters!”
“Okay, now why did you take her name in the bulletin? You have never mentioned a junior reporter’s name before, Raizada!” she asked him, with a hint of jealousy in her tone.
“No junior reporter has given me such a story before!” he said, as unruffled as before.
Anjali knew when she was beaten, and with a shrug of her shoulders, she walked out of the room, with Akash following close behind, leaving as well. Khushi, who was standing in the far corner of the room, walked quickly up to Arnav and smiled at him, trying to attract his attention. He saw her immediately, and with a brief nod of acknowledgement said, “Oh hello Miss Gupta!”
He outstretched his hand, and gave her a long, firm handshake. Khushi was too overwhelmed and was at a loss for words, letting her small hand be enveloped in his warm, large one.
Ah… bliss…
“Hi!” she managed to say at last. “and… thank you.”
“Don’t” he interrupted her. “Don’t thank me before you know me too well!”
Khushi was about to argue when he shushed her, “I know you are my fan, so you probably know everything about my life and career. But what do you know, yet, of me as a person?” Khushi let out a sharp squeal of pain as her foot hit the wall.
She didn’t even realise that he had been taking steps towards her, and that she had been moving backwards - so much did his presence affect her. “I… uh…” she fumbled for words.
“It’s fine,” Arnav chuckled. “Pata nahi mere saamne aake log shabd kyun bhul jaate hai!” Khushi snorted at an unladylike manner at his arroagance and then shook her head, all this doesn’t make a difference.
“I got another piece of information…” she said, finally.
“That’s great, work on it and we’ll talk about it another time. For now, keep calm and enjoy. By the way, how are you leaving?” Arnav asked her, for it was rather late.
Khushi fidgeted, nervously, with her fingers. “Um… a taxi or an auto and yeah Nazir’s here so maybe he..” she began.
“Oh, that’s good,” he said. “And, by the way, collect your appointment letter from Lavanya, Lavanya Kashyap, that girl in the red dress and black jacket. You can join from tomorrow.” He walked out of the room, coolly, while she stood rooted in her place, looking like she had just been hit by a storm.
She couldn’t believe she had been interacting at close quarters with her hero! This was an evening that she would never forget all her life. However she was a tad disappointed that he had not offered to drop her home. But then, who was she kidding? She was expecting THE Arnav Singh Raizada to drop her, after an acquaintance of not more than a few hours?
Over-thinking was so Khushi Kumari Gupta.
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