UE part 8

Sunlight sifted inside the room as the curtains were thrown apart..

"Khushi..high time you get up!"

"hmmm..."

"Khushi, are you listening to me?"

"hmmm..."

"Khushi!!!"

She tightened the two pillows on her ears..

"I'll count till 3 before throwing the water on you"

"hmmm..."

"1..."

"2..."

"3.."

"there-"

Khushi sat up just in time to push Paayal's hands away..

"you are worse than cement pile..." she grumbled as she reached for her phone..

"my pleasure...Khushi, what's this? Last thing you did before sleeping was talking away on your cell...first thing you do this morning is picking up your phone. Can you ever leave the phone alone??"

"arre it's an email! From Sneha..."

"now don't start fighting again.."

"we can't help it jiji, it just happens with us.."

15 minutes later Khushi was still busy exchanging mails with Sneha, and the conversation had now switched to who had a larger brain size..

Khushi clicked on compose new mail-

my brain size is waaayyy bigger than yours...which I think is practically struggling for an existence

add recipient ' recently used-

now this is what happens when you mail with a sleepy head..in her hurry, Khushi in the 'recently used' list clicked on not sneha but the number just before...

Arnav's phone beeped beside him as he stared fixedly at the papers.. keeping his tea cup on the side table with one hand , he picked up the cell from the other.

One new message-

open-

number-94319523xx

my brain size is waaayyy bigger than yours...which I think is practically struggling for an existence

it took him moments to recognize the number...and then, well, it can be imagined...

Khushi meanwhile wondered how on earth Sneha had not sent a retort back..after waiting for five minutes she sent her a message-

"so you admitted?"

"admitted what?"

"you got my message on your brain being practically struggling for an existence didn't you?"

"no I didn't , and I must say I don't mourn the loss"

Khushi eyed her phone confused..she was sure she had seen 'message delivered'...

she opened her outbox...

last message

my brain size is waaayyy bigger than yours...which I think is practically struggling for an existance

delivered to- cement pile

5 minutes ago...

oh shit...

"oh no Sneha.."

"what?"

"i sent the last message accidently to cement pile!!! oh god.."

"cement pile who?"

"are Arnav Singh Raizda! The business tycoon! Looks, walks, talks, moves like a cement pile come alive..ok fine, spare the looks,but the expressions are still cement like..and I just sent him a text that my brain size was waaayyy bigger than his which was practically struggling for an existance!!! imagine!! what I do now????WHAT DO I DO???"

She waited..before her phone beeped again..

1 new message.

From- cement pile.

What now?she wondered

message- for starters, tell her that you sent the last one to him too.

Oh hell...

I new message from Sneha-

"why didn't u reply? Cement pile who??

The blast which he had been planning on seeing her first message had somewhat soothed on seeing the second...this girl was crazy...

As he came out of the bath and eyed himself in the mirror, her words came back..

"looks, walks,talks like a cement pile come alive, ok fine, spare the looks.."

really...

and for some unknown reason, I wonder why, the servant who spilled his juice on the carpet and looked horrified in apprehension of what would follow the same moment, was spared with a mere "what nonsense! wipe it off!"

"shut up"

"you shut up"

"excuse me? No one shuts me up"

"i did"

"no you did not"

"yes I did"

"no you did not"

"but you did shut up right?"

"no I didn't"

"see! You never shut up"

"it's not that way"

"it is"

"it's not"

"get a life!"

"i have one. Thank you. Why, don't you?"

"shut up"

"you shut up"

"i hate you"

"my pleasure"

"mine too"

"as if I care"

"you do"

"i don't"

"yes you do"

"no I don't"

"shut up"

"you shut up"

"GUYS ENOUGH!!!" Khushi intervened..

"i know. Just tell her I hate her to infinity"

"yes. And tell her I hate her to infinity +1"

"there is nothing like infinity +1"

"there is"

"there isn't"

"there is"

"shut up"

"you shut up"

"That'sit! Fight all day long but I am sorry I cannot put up with your nonsense! I am going..this is not what I had in mind on how to spend my holiday, the single one I have got in like days.."

Her two friends decided to take a breath and stopped arguing for a moment then ran behind her...

"Khushi!!!! we stopped!! waaaiiittt!!!"

But Khushi had already ran into someone...she looked up to see who and her eyes widened..

"you?"

"oh my God it's you!! what a pleasure!" she got the response..

"same here! hi! How are you? Oh goodness i don't even know your name.."

"neither do i"

"Khushi here"

"Anjali"

they shook hands cordially..

"i am so glad I found you...i was so ashamed I couldn't even thank you for-"

"please!" Khushi cut in.. "please don't mention..really.."

Anjali smiled at her...

"you are..i mean.."

"journalist" Khushi spoke, comprehending her question... "for indian times"

"you are so different from the rest you know..in a nice way.."

Khushi smiled a humble smile...

"i hope my brother thanked you for what you did that day.."

Khushi looked at her..

"oh yes, thanked me very well indeed.."

Anjali sensed a different tone in her voice..

"did..did he say something-"

"oh nothing, never mind.." Khushi hurriedly changed the topic..

They chatted as if they were long lost friends..Khushi had a way of describing things which could make you laugh...and even Anjali despite her sadness could not resist joining her in between...no one looking from afar would ever say this was just their second meet...

"You know what? Come with me to our house! Others will also be so glad to meet you.."

yeah right..Khushi mumbled in her mind as the image of a certain 'other' floated in her mind..

"oh no..actually i'm out shopping with my friends" she pointed at the two rushing behind her trying to catch up with huffed breaths after they had finally realised after a long wrangling session that she was missing.."but some other day for sure.."

Anjali waved a hi to her friends and nodded at her understandingly..

"okay, but another day for sure! I'll see to it.."

they exchanged greetings as Anjali was escorted back to the car by the chauffer..

Sitting there as she leaned on her seat, she wondered what magic this girl could do...one meet and she was feeling so much better, a nice change from the gloom which seemed to have been a constant feeling inside her ever since.....

she shook her head to clear away the thoughts..

but surely, this girl made her happy..

---

"Guess what, I met Khushiji today!"Anjali broke the news at the table..

Arnav halted his spoon midway and eyed her surprised...

Others enquired her upon the meet..

While she bubbled on excitedly Arnav looked on in wonder..she was talking like she had not talked since a long time..

"Oh no!" Anjali suddenly exclaimed "I forgot to take her number!"

"I have it!" Arnav blurted out and regretted it the next second as Anjali widened her eyes at him..

"you do?! how do you-"

silence..

"business work di..just that"

silence plus smile...

"what? I told you! I got it for work!"

silence plus very wide smile...

"forget it di!you are impossible.."

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