EPISODE TWO
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EPISODE THREE
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Arnav cleared his throat and was about to extend his hand towards this woman, who seemed to have walked straight out of a ramp, when a high pitched voice from behind him caught his attention.
“A… A… Arnav Singh Raizada?!” He turned sharply to find a college going girl, with loosely done flicks partially covering a hazel eye, staring at him intently through her oversized glasses. Looking at her a moment longer, he realized it was the same girl who was demanding extra chocolate at the counter.
“Hi!” she said, and walked over to him, while he continued to stare at her with an unflinching gaze. She waved her hands before his eyes, trying to elicit a response and frowned, while her several accessories chimed. Her glossy lips tightened and a deep blush adorned her full cheeks as she pulled at her scarf in nervousness, and extended a hand to Arnav.
“Bb… big fan! Of yours! I am Khushi Gupta!” Arnav's eyes widened in shock and he immediately snatched his hand away from her!
“YOU are Khushi Gupta!” he almost shouted.
“What? Yes, of course!” Khushi knit her eyebrows, surprised at his reaction.
Arnav was highly irritated. He had expected Khushi Gupta to be a sophisticated, enigmatic woman, and here he was standing face to face with a college kid, who thought nothing of chatting with the attender for extra chocolate in her drink!
His sudden look of disdain hurt Khushi's pride.
“Uh, nothing… do sit.” he said, coldly, collecting himself. “What should I order for you? Hot chocolate? I’ll tell them to add extra chocolate.”
Arnav looked on as Khushi adjusted the rim of her glasses and peered at him quietly. “Excuse me?”
“For what?” Arnav asked.
Khushi shook her head and then toyed with a tissue paper. “Why did I just feel that you asked… na… you questioned me on my identity?”
“I did.” Arnav's flippant tone annoyed Khushi.
“Why?” Khushi scrunched the tissue and controlled her anger. She tried to reason with herself. Maybe Arnav was having a bad day, and that was why he was so irritable and so unlike all her ideas about him as a man.
Another glimpse at the man swiping through his phone and Khushi sighed. Physically, he was exactly, or even better than what he was on screen - he perfectly-chiseled jaw with just the hint of a stubble, gelled hair and shrewd eyes that spoke volumes of his intelligence.
Yet his approach had dampened all the hopes she had set on him. “Miss Gupta, I recall having made a slot out of a tight schedule to not discuss your identity but to receive a lead from you.”
For Khushi, he had crossed the limit. “Your schedule shouldn’t be too tight considering you were as good as clueless in this case!” she snapped back.
Arnav's eyebrows shot up at her sharp comment and he frowned. “Excuse me?”
“Sir, I recall having taken time out of my tight schedule not to excuse you or but to give you a lead on this case.” Khushi said with a winning smile, as Arnav pursed his lips and squinted at her.
Khushi pushed an errant strand of hair behind her ear and placed a chip on the table. “It’s a sting operation on Mehrotra’s agent…” she began.
“Miss Gupta, I have several tiny sting operations on Mehrotra’s agents. I need conclusive evidence not insignificant sting operations.” Arnav tapped his fingers on the table in evident irritation, while Khushi removed her glasses and stared at the man before her.
“Is this The Prejudiced Devil’s show at nine Sir?” Khushi hid a smile of contempt, as she watched his face tighten. “It’s a nice one, I’ve followed it for a year. Coming back to the point, you need to hear me out and kindly not be prejudiced on my way of working.”
Khushi paused to find Arnav looking around him distractedly. “You expected me to look different,” Khushi said softly, but loud enough for Arnav to hear. “I…”
Khushi chewed her bottom lip, and nodded. “It’s no surprise you are disappointed with the way I turned up, several are!” Arnav softened at her distant voice, when she cleared her throat and looked up again. “In this chip here, I have a sting operation on Rishab Vaidya - the right hand man of Nishad Mehrotra.”
Arnav nodded his head and found Khushi to be tapping the table “What?” he asked.
“Oh I paused so you could interrupt me,” she said, drily. She pushed back her glasses and stifled a chuckle. “With a GTV member.” Khushi looked around, and hushed her voice.
“GTV? Regarding what?” Arnav asked, sitting up at the name.
“So this Vaidya is working on the GTV editorial and ensuring favourable coverage. I am not surprised. B*******s.” Arnav muttered angrily, while Khushi scratched her head.
“You seem to be having a sort of special hatred for them…”
“I don’t think it’s your business to know the particulars of my relationship with one of the oldest broadcasting networks in India.” Khushi stiffened at Arnav’s sharp retort. He took a sip of his coffee and raised his eyebrows at her.
“What?” she asked, fidgeting with her kurti.
“In the sting, who was it?” Arnav frowned when he saw Khushi giving him too bright a smile.
“What do you think of the entire video footage of one of the senior editors of GTV discussing with Rishab Vaidya the entire plan to downplay the Mehrotra coal scam and taking hard cash from him for the same?” Khushi asked, wiggling her eyebrows at him. Arnav's face broke into a slight smile.
“You’re kidding me,” he said, his voice full of disbelief.
“You can test me!” Khushi raised an eyebrow and coughed while Arnav smirked at her attitude. He drew closer and whispered “How?”
She turned a bright red at their proximity and stood up. “I can’t show it here - we need to go somewhere private.”
Arnav nodded and walked beside her, his eyes constantly assessing the petite woman next to him. He rolled his eyes as she stopped to collect all of the things that were constantly falling out of her bag. But when her eyes perceived his irritation, they flashed in momentary anger.
“Miss. Gupta , I do hope you know that I give this opportunity to very few people...” Arnav remarked sarcastically, as she slid comfortably into the passenger seat of his car.
And before he knew what was happening, a certain Khushi Gupta got right out of the passenger seat and settled in the back seat. “Thank you for the reminder, sir” her hazel eyes spit fire and humiliation when they locked with his in the mirror, and did not miss the disdainful look in his.
“I was only talking of the video, but looks like someone interpreted my words very differently!” he said,
“The eyes do the talking Mr. Raizada, not the mouth,” Khushi snapped back.
Arnav frowned, “I guess you like to talk flossy.” He smirked, assuming an air of being unaffected by her, while Khushi wrapped her arms around waist a bit too tightly, controlling her rising temper.
“Really, I am surprised that you decided to honor me with an opportunity! I thought your attention was on the model who passed by.” Khushi said, pointedly as they were en route to the office. Arnav’s eyes widened… when did she notice that?
“I never said anything like that,” Arnav answered.
“Being the wordsmith you are, it can be hardly expected of you to say anything inappropriate or uncomfortable to yourself, but your body language and your eyes betrayed you, Sir. Your eyes were most markedly trailing that woman. And then I can barely forget your disappointment at finding a college kid who probably has too much chocolate!” Khushi blew at her nails and watched with contempt as his facial expressions rapidly changed from a scowl to an amused smile.
“And someone calls me a wordsmith,” Arnav said. He so wanted to wipe that smirk off her face.
~*~
Being the perfect gentleman he was, he opened the door for Khushi, who hopped out, without the help of his chivalry. “As if I fu****g care...” he muttered under his breath, as he saw her asserting her independence. Now, as he got a better opportunity to look at her, he realized that she was indeed beautiful - she was just not a tamed beauty. Her eyes were the highlights, so to speak, of her face, though that pretty pink mouth was an asset, too.
She was an innocent temptress. And she probably knew that too well herself! Arnav felt a strange, sadistic pleasure in riling her up - the fire in her eyes posed a challenge for him and Arnav Singh Raizada simply loved challenges!
“Khu…”
“Hey NK! How are you, yaar?” Khushi ran up to her best friend and pulled him into a tight hug. Arnav squinted his eyes as she began to talk animatedly with him.
“ Arnav Singh Raizada aur tu aamne saamne! Aur abhi tak tu faint nahi hui!” NK teased as Khushi sighed dramatically.
“Shut up! Dreams coming true happens unfortunately only with Disney movies. You never told me he’s a first class arrogant… boss!” Khushi whispered furiously, screaming every curse in her mind.
She was frustrated, pained and hurt… really hurt.
“I couldn’t bear to break your bubble, princess. What did you think? You’ll fall into his arms and you guys will be lost in a passionate eyelock or something?” NK laughed as Khushi slapped his arm. “Shit! That hurt, damn it!”
Khushi apologised and rubbed her friend’s arm, trying to get over her own disappointment.
“Miss Gupta why don’t you order coffee for the two of you? Such a happy reunion, hai na? NK, please continue talking to your friend for as long as you want because there’s NOTHING ELSE TO DO IN MBC!”
Khushi cringed at his tone and turned towards him. “Right, I forgot about your breakfast!” she said, bidding a hurried goodbye to her friend, while Arnav looked at Khushi.
“What?”
“Your breakfast, sarcasm… right?” Khushi muttered under her breath. while Arnav ignored her and walked into his cabin, wondering why was he even talking to her in the first place.
Ah, if only he found a lead…
He was brought out of his thoughts as Khushi yelped while trying to get her bag off.
“Hey Devi Maiyya…”
What? She cursed like… that? Arnav sighed and sat down in his seat, tapping impatiently on the table, while Khushi attempted clumsily to keep her bag aside and sit on the chair before him. His mouth involuntarily opened and then shut as he noticed the dori coming off her kurti.
A source of distraction for the ever focused Arnav. “Fix that,” he said, and shook his head in annoyance when she failed to understand.
“This isn’t a Hindi film for me to come and tie the dori of your kurti!” Arnav couldn’t help but feel slightly amused as Khushi’s eyes became as round as saucepans and she hurriedly adjusted her kurti, turning a deep scarlet.
So that was her weakness…
“Toh? Why do you need to stare like that? It’s a dori… it’s there to open and be tied and…” Khushi tried to manage the embarrassing situation, but one glance at his stupefied face was enough to tell her that she was only embarrassing herself further.
Coughing a little, she scratched the back of her neck and continued, “As I was saying… in this sting operation I have managed to record…”
“I’ll see what you have recorded Miss Gupta. First tell me how you managed to do all this? I mean, accessing the GTV Editor’s office is no child’s play!” Arnav rested his elbows on his table, while Khushi blushed a pretty pink in her excitement.
“Thank you!” she smiled, and cursed her heartbeat which seemed to escalate manifold the second he stared at her.
Quit staring, Arnav Singh Raizada. Quit staring, the handsome eyes… actually even the sharp nose and defined lips and…
Khushi shut her eyes as her age old fantasies floated before her eyes, in this precise moment. She had begun to admire and respect him ever since he had written a neutral article about her father, but the infatuation she harboured as a teen, looking at the enigmatic man on screen every night, had turned into a very potent feeling, perhaps more than admiration and idolism…
Perhaps desire.
A sharp jolt of electricity shot through her spine as she felt warm masculine fingers caressing the back of her palm, a totally unadulterated gesture which turned her knees into jelly. “Ss..sir?”
“MISS GUPTA? Have you zoned out or something?” He barked, while Khushi blinked a few times, nodding.
Man, doesn’t he bark like the devil. An egoistic arrogant devil… with fire in his eyes… oh his caramel eyes… his hair… his...
“I’m fine…” Khushi squeaked, completely missing Arnav's smirk. She drew a breath of relief when he stopped looking at her and reviewed a file.
If only he could be a fat or ugly middle aged man with a receding hairline!
“Why don’t you grow fat!” Khushi muttered, while Arnav looked up and gaped at her.
“Excuse me?” Khushi slid off her chair, when she realised he heard her.
“Eh… I… so yes what I did was that I had been pestering the senior editor since a few weeks to get in touch with GTV, I had smelt a rat in that channel before and decided to investigate it on my own… however the appointment of the editor’s with Vaidya’s came as a whole new surprise. Ab woh editor toh koi dudh ka dhula hua toh nahi hai, so I buttered up the receptionist to give me an appointment on the same day and then… the rest is history.”
“Interesting… yes, thank you for taking my permission to take my laptop.” Khushi coloured up on realizing that she had literally snatched his laptop in the excitement of showing the video.
“Umm… sorry, anyways - here’s the video and tell me if you like it or not.” Khushi tapped her fingers on the table impatiently as Arnav checked out the video. “Stop that!” He barked and she withdrew her fingers.
“Am taking them back! Bhokne ki kya zarurat hai!” But this time round she had the wisdom to keep her words to herself.
“Hmm… good.” Arnav turned his wrist and looked at Khushi
“GOOD? JUST GOOD. JUST FREAKING GOOD!” Khushi gaped at Arnav in disbelief. Anger bubbled in her system as all that she was rewarded for her hard work was by a mere good.
Just. A. Good.
“A good from Arnav Singh Raizada’s dictionary is getting bestowed with the highest compliment ever, so stop expecting something more.” Khushi choked on her bottle of water as Arnav read her thoughts. Giving him an awkward smile, Khushi wiped her mouth and waited for him to go through the video, her eyes memorising the several expressions which flitted across his face.
“Interesting. This works. Well, let’s run it and get over with the case already. Have an hour to spare?” Arnav asked a beaming Khushi who squeezed her bag to control her happiness. “Oh thank you. Yes, great. Yep, I do have an hour to spare.”
Arnav cracked his knuckles and stood up “Stay back for the live telecast.” Khushi’s eyes widened in shock at his proposition. “Sir… you mean… literally…”
“Yes.” He answered, barely smiling at her childlike joy.
Khushi muttered a quick prayer and walked up to him “Sir if you like me so much, why don’t you think of keeping me for more than an hour.”
“What!” Arnav snapped, his own eyes round in undisguised
“Are you asking me out?” Arnav raised an eyebrow and almost laughed as Khushi turned red and shook her head.
“What! No, I meant just keeping for more than an hour...”
“Do you know what that means.” Arnav faked innocence as Khushi stammered and coloured deeper. She gently backed and stood against the wall of his cabin.
Keeping for more than… oh shit, no!
Pretending to think Arnav tapped his chin and muttered loudly “What were you saying… that...”
“No!” Khushi shook her head in negative while Arnav decided to tease her further.
“No to what? Oh no to for just an hour?”
“No… I meant keeping me in the office.”
Arnav smiled a little and said “You’re really stuck at the word keeping.”
“Arrey nahi! I meant of a job at MBC. Not of anything personal, even if you look handsome!” Khushi said, unable to meet his eyes. Arnav smirked at her red cheeks and cleared his throat “Should I say a thank you?”
“Hey Devi Maiyya! What the hell am I saying!” Khushi murmured, unaware that she was voicing out her thoughts. Arnav raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door “Interesting.”
Realization dawned on Khushi when she noticed the annoying smile plastered on his face. So he was enjoying at her expense?
She made a face and crossed her arms “See sir, I want to work in MBC. Since you already liked the sting operation...” She removed her resume from her bag and placed them on Arnav's hands. She watched his expressionless face to say something.
Yes
No
Let me think
Nothing came by for a few seconds - which seemed no less than hours for Khushi. He just seemed to be flipping her resume as if it was a fashion magazine!
Khushi gaped at the clock, it had been only twenty minutes since their meeting out of which twelve minutes had been consumed by the video, yet all she saw she could swear that an hour had passed by!
“Not possible, you won’t be able to handle.” Arnav slipped the resume back into her bag while Khushi stood shocked, not even moving a muscle.
“No way… that’s not possible. Then thank you Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada- I would like to have my video back as well.” Khushi walked behind Arnav who marched up the flight of stairs.
“And sir if I didn’t feel that I didn’t even deserve this then I would have never met you…” Khushi rattled on, oblivious at people staring her tailing their Editor in Chief.
“Junior Reporter.” Arnav stopped and held her arms as she bumped right into him. “Sorry.” she whispered and backed off, pushing back the tendrils of hair to control the sudden rush of embarrassment.
“So.. Junior Reporter.” Arnav said and folded his arms as Khushi pushed back her glasses and frowned “As in?”
“Tumhara job. You’ve a month to show you’re worth it, else you’re welcome to get kicked out.” Arnav showed mock annoyance as Khushi squinted her eyes and stared at his black eyes for a few seconds.
“Kicked out! Point one, there’s not a chance of me getting kicked out - I might stumble but I won’t fall. Point two, I’ll prove myself to the position you’re giving me… MBC will barely be a hell!” Khushi almost gasped as Arnav took a few steps in front and noted her hazel orbs carefully.
Arnav Singh Raizada was a fool to have missed the spark in them.
He gave her a lopsided grin and said “Then Miss Gupta, you’ve yet to know Arnav Singh Raizada.”
“Matlab?” Khushi asked while Arnav shook his head and walked away, not before passing her a challenging grin.
Khushi's felt her heart jump out of her ribs;
Handling the job was barely an issue...
How would she handle him?
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