UE part 2

Half an hour. Half an hour had passed and the man hadn't made an appearance yet. Why call her if he wasn't interested in the first place?!

Khushi tore a page from her notepad and silently sat making an airplane out of it (the returning kind, which would come swooosh right back to you when you flew it in the air.)

Anybody who knew Arnav Singh Raizada would have suggested her to not try such a thing in his cabin even in his absence. But no one happened to be around.

Swoosh!

and hit!

Hit..where? On Arnav Singh Raizada's face, who had taken a very timely entry inside just then.

He didn't move an inch, his face remained as plastic as it always was, his eyes just moved sharply from her face to the paper creation on the floor to her face back again.

Khushi literally staggered out of her chair.

"I'm- I'm so sorry, it wasn't supposed to hit you..it had to come back..and-”

He arched an eyebrows at that.

"So it would all be justified if it just came back to you right?"

"No..I mean..I was waiting..." She shook her head in frustration "I was under the impression that my appointment was scheduled for half an hour ago."

He moved towards his desk. God, this man even walked like a robot!

"You were not mistaken," he said.

"Were you then?" she asked.

His eyes shot up to look at her and anger leapt in them as his secretary who had just entered flinched at her remark. The fellow moved to intervene, but Arnav stopped him with a glance, and turned towards her.

"I was not. You got what you asked for."

"Huh?"

"When you have an appointment you don't barge into the person you've got to interview. There are people called personal secretaries if you know. Professionalism is a bi-sided affair."

He said it in one go looking straight into her eyes as he spoke. Her cheeks flushed in response but she soon regained her composure.

"Shall we?"

"Sure, go ahead.."

The secretary drew out a chair for her following which Arnav signaled him to leave.

The interview began. The questions as well as the answers were straight and to the point. He was a successful man no doubt,and a proud successful man at that. She usually kept a jovial tone, with a light joke here and there in her interviews , which made her comfortable, it being so in sync with her nature, but she noted to keep the tone low with him..this was a man whose facial muscles due to some reason had more or less solidified and she doubted whether even Charlie Chaplin could make him as much as even twitch.

His answers were crisp, he didn't brag, but the responses had a tone of smug pride in them. He didn't roll his eyes at the questions , but the occasional smirk here and there was enough to convey his contemptuous attitude. He didn't ask her or said anything himself a word apart from business, but she knew that he was simultaneously assessing her.

She finally stood up to leave and he stood up himself.

"A pleasure Mr. Raizada" she said as she shook his hand.

The grip was firm, almost iron-like and she felt as if her entire system shook along with her in that momentary exchange.

"Pleasure" was his curt response.

As the door closed behind her she rolled her eyes. Pleasure my foot!

---

Khushi literally fell upon the bed of her small room, with the high speed fan above flowing her hair around.

"So, how was the day?" her sister asked. Paayal, was Khushi's elder sister, whom the latter had fondly nicknamed 'cow' (not that she physically resembled one in any way but because she was no less than one by nature. For a change Khushi sometimes used 'book worm' and cast frequent apprehensions that Paayal would suddenly dissolve into books one day and they'd never know.)

"Guess what?" she rolled over on the bed to face her sister. "I talked to live cement today!"

Paayal giggled as she nudged her elbow into her sister's side.

"Seriously ! You don't believe me? He's what Birla Cement come to life would look like!"

"Who?"

"Ar-oh, wait" she jumped out of the bed and half bowed in front of her sister. "THE Arnav Singh Raizada. His majesty. His royal-"

"Oh shut up will you! Really khushi, wait let me get a cold drink for you."

"Please do before I die. I'm this close," she pressed her fingers at her sister and winked.

"Ya right, apparently," Paayal muttered, rolling her eyes as she walked away.

---

Next morning,

Arnav slowly leaned upon the bed post as the morning tea and papers were kept beside him.

Sipping on the tea, he ruffled through the papers. The staff had been directed to not even let before his sight any Page 3 kind of newspaper where he would surely get news of every creative relationship he could be currently involved in. His sister was enough to obsess over that kind of rubbish.

He swiftly sifted past the pages of the Indian Times , finally reaching the business section where his eyes fell upon his own picture.

Oh yes, the interview yesterday.

the thought of it brought the image of a flying airplane hitting his forehead, of a daring 'were you then?', of a cheeky response of 'I, for one, am not done'...

His teeth set up firmly upon one another as his eyes fell upon the undersigned name beneath the article-

An interview by-Khushi Kumari Gupta; Indian Times.

Khushi Kumari Gupta...of all the nerve..

-------

She tied her hair into one hasty pony tail as her family screamed and shouted around her to have at least something before leaving..her mother tried stuffing a roti into her mouth by force but she as usual was in her tornado self in morning..

"not now..will have a full fledged dinosaur meal for lunch..promise!!" she rushed at her mother who had a frown visible on her face...

"arre baba promise! " she screamed out as she hurried for her office..again, as usual, she'd be late...

She hastily threw her purse inside the cab as she shouted instructions to the driver

She was busy typing on her mobile when she caught sight of some confusion outside the Khakri area temple..reporters with mikes cameras flashes crowded the place closing in on someone..a woman perhaps..

she shouted at the driver to stop and rushed out begging him to wait just 10 minutes for her...and made way towards the chaos..

"Ma'am do you think your scandalous break up with your husband could affect your brother's business reputation?"

"Ma'am how are you feeling right now? How will your brother react?"

"Ma'am excuse me-"

Khushi fought her way past the crowd as her eyes finally fell on the desperate, broken down woman before her...the woman's eyes searched hither and tither for help...her pitiable helplessness gleaming in her eyes..Khushi's temper rose at the screaming crowd around...shame on this society..the lady was evidently from a respectable family, and to harangue her this way...

"Ma'am excuse me ,do you think-"

"JUST SHUT UP GUYS!"

And along with the rest of the crowd Anjali's eyes darted towards her...

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