Part 13

The heart wants what the heart wants…

Time stopped for him the moment he turned around and his search ended at the least expected place in the most unexpected manner.

Her lips felt dry even as she gulped down the last drop of wine, her eyes fixed at him in pure shock.  That was before the world suddenly stopped spinning about its axis and completely threw her universe off balance. You know how you feel immobile at times, especially in your sleep when you have one of those lucid dreams, and you feel trapped by some invisible force that keeps you tied to one spot, and you struggle with all your might and yet fail to even twitch your finger – this sudden meeting had a similar effect on both of them.

Once it became all too clear that this was really happening, Arnav’s first reaction was one of happiness as a surge of relief washed through him as he stared at her, standing before him in flesh and bones and not some figment of his imagination. Suddenly, not just the surrounding but the voices around them blurred, it was like nothing else existed except the person that stood a few paces away. No amount of preparation or planning could have prepared either one for this moment, and as the clock ticked away, all coherencies deserted them. Khushi steadied herself,  leaning back against the antique wine rack, as he rose – Arnav’s reaction was slow and almost languid, his eyes charged with some inexplicable emotion and he took an eternity stand up and finally face her.

He noticed her shudder slightly and that involuntary gasp did not escape his eyes either as she struggled to steady herself for the inevitable. There she was, a few paces away from him, in one piece, safe and healthy. His Khushi was safe! But this physical proximity was nothing but an illusion that temporarily hid the chasm between them. Neither was aware if reconciliation was a possibility or where it was - a few paces away or lagging behind those unspoken words now buried deep within each or perhaps no longer a reality. But this wasn’t a moment for that. Not that they were capable of rationalizing at this point either; for now, each was content taking in what they could. It was raw, pure unadulterated joy just to see the other and soak in the moment that both had longed for in their own ways. An untainted moment, one of those rare true ones between them where there was no façade, no pretence and certainly no hurt.

Arnav was naturally drawn to her like a moth to flames, not sure if it was pure joy or sheer relief or perhaps a bit of both, but he felt like huge weights lifted off him; almost as if had been set free instantly! His feet seemed to have a will of their own though, as they itched to get closer still – close enough where that familiar fragrance would invade his senses. In complete contrast to his rapidly beating heart, his pace was slow, the walk was purposeful but as he neared her, the real world came crashing down upon their time warped bubble breaking that blissful air. To him, it felt like something previous snatched away mercilessly that left him gasping for air.

He was completely thrown off by the actions of another man, “No no no….?” Raul jumped right in between Arnav and Khushi breaking their eye-contact unwittingly, “Huh?” Khushi dragged her eyes away from Arnav with great difficulty, even though she would never willingly admit to such a thing; the irrevocable fact of the moment was she couldn’t take her eyes off him just as he couldn’t stop starring at her. Raul was like a nuisance, a blessed nuisance she would learn hours later but for now; a part of her still wanted to turn around take in the familiar features of that face that still haunted her dreams.

This escape however allowed her a moment to gain some composure, he was here – and every bit of her existence was alert to that reality, like her heartbeats which she feared the entire room could hear by now. He was here! It was yet to sink in. Raul’s timely distraction was good for her because only after breaking away from that captive trance of a moment’s ago, that a sense of normality returned to her. Still horribly distracted, Khushi was brought out of her reverie when Raul took the empty glass from her hands and tapped her gently on her shoulders, “You haven't been listening to anything I said back there, have you?” 

She gave him a faint helpless smile and stole nervous glances at Arnav as she answered back, “I’m…” well not quite, she was obviously at a loss of words. “I’…umm” It was Raul who broke that awkward stutter, “And that folks, is a lesson on how not to drink wine” effectively diffusing the silence in the room; and in no time the room came buzzing back with life. Except for two people, who simply could not get enough of each other!

Arnav noticed her fidgety hands as she played with the hem of the plain dupatta; it took him a good few seconds to realize why he felt suddenly sick, it was all wrong, the damn color that’s what it was! The drab beige stripped her of life, gone were the pompoms and as she stood there spunk less exactly like the girl he had left behind at the airport that day, it hit him hard and he was sure he physically reeled back as the realization dawned upon him; the damage was his own doing! Adding to his woes was this man, a charmer by all means and this familiarity of another man around her was not something he was used to; he wanted nothing more than to yank her away from this crowd and him in particular to some secluded place but his steps would not comply.

Arnav’s listless stare was a giveaway and his forlorn lost look did not escape Khushi’s notice even as she was kept busy by Raul’s theatrics. And his voice Khushi recalled, so unlike his characteristic Khushi, this had sounded more like a call, a whisper, barely audible so unlike the man she had once known. His pensive stare unnerved her as she rued the fact that he still held that power.

Arnav was stunned into silence possibly for the second time in his life, Khushi had the knack of running into him when he least expected like she had done a few minutes ago! He stared at the two of them unabashedly ignoring everyone else. Come what may, he was not going to blink now, fearful that she would vanish if he did. No matter what, he was determined to stand his ground even as Raul and Khushi’s close proximity had begun to make him somewhat jittery.

Raul poured Khushi a second helping and offered it to her, “This time you have to do it right Bella” She hesitated, “I’m on duty Raul. I don't think I should drink more” Arnav closed out the last remaining gap between them and voiced his displeasure, “Last I heard, a no meant a no” his voice firm and slightly reprimanding, stemming from jealousy no doubt. It irked Khushi though, what right does he have barging back into my life and trying to take my decisions, and rightly so! She narrowed her eyes at him disapprovingly as she took the glass from Raul in a show of defiance. Encouraged by her, Raul urged her to take it up, “Let her decide for herself, will you?” Arnav watched with growing unease as Raul snaked his arms around his Khushi's waist like it was the most natural thing and apply unrelenting pressure, “This time, you have to do it right Khushi”

“Follow the Expert…Come on Khushi” a few other voices egged her on, making it almost farcical, clearly Raul had charmed more than one already, it wasn’t amusing Arnav, at all.

Arnav knew Khushi wouldn’t back down, not now anyway, that look of defiance told him everything that her words had not. But he wasn’t prepared for what happened next, as she brought the glass up to her eyes, holding it delicately by its stem against the light source – her eyes transfixed at the bowl no doubt fascinated by the sight.

“Now tilt the glass away from you, best against a light source…what color is it? Raul guided her, “Dark pink color…” her voice soft, “deep and yet amazingly fresh…more like…” she struggled to find the right word, “Blush…” Raul practically whispered in her ears while Khushi unaware of his advances was too caught up in the process to realize what was going on. Unlike her, Arnav was not clueless but the uneasiness in the pit of his stomach evaporated into this air as he saw her gently swirl the glass, her eyes full of curiosity and drawn into it completely. And when she closed her eyes to take in its intoxicating aroma his heart practically skipped a beat, “Well?” Raul like Arnav was taken in at the sight of this beautiful woman and waited anxiously for her final verdict, “It tastes like strawberry, apple and something acidic…” Arnav was taken in by an intoxication of another kind, all too familiar and yet so distant. What he wouldn’t give to take her away from here and kiss her senseless. The spell was broken too soon for his liking, by none other than Khushi herself, who smiled back at Raul irking him further, “Yes, you were right. I did drink it the wrong way earlier. This was much better” in between her words, she did not fail to look back at Arnav either “We err when we haste, don’t we?”Her last words were a clear jibe at Arnav. Cued into to the underlying tension between them by now; Raul caught both of them off guard with his question “Wait a second, do you guys know each other?” He looked back and forth at both Arnav and Khushi as both hesitated to answer.

“I sense something here…” Raul smiled, inwardly reveling at his intuitive hunch, “Now who is going to tell me…Khushi?” he expected an answer from her more than Arnav, now that she was his friend. Khushi in turn looked back at Arnav expecting an answer; she needed to hear his response but it was not forthcoming. The man of very little words was truly living up to his reputation and she wasn’t going to be fooled a second time. That irked her no ends, he was still a stuck up man! She would be damned if she gave in this time.

“Well...err... “ Arnav stammered and struggled to come up with an appropriate response, now how was he going to explain this. Why the hell was she silent?

 “Yes Raul we do know each other” Khushi finally answered but with a voice so distant and cold, it startled him, “We were ma…” Unfortunately, Khushi was interrupted by Natasha who joined the trio at the worst possible moment, “Looks like the Maestro has moved to this corner of the room. Won’t you introduce me to our gracious host Arnav?”

And with that the walls were back up in no time for Khushi as a chilling sensation warped her spines throwing her into a cesspool of uneasiness, and a whirlpool of her past came whizzing through carrying with it all that angst and pain. Natasha, that beautiful stunning, sophisticated woman she had openly marveled at earlier had come with Arnav! It felt like a mortal blow alright, and served as a painful reminder of the past – Natasha represented everything that Arnav had always pointed out Khushi was not! And then suddenly, she felt an overwhelming need to steady herself, and involuntarily grasped on to the nearest support which was Raul, whose other arm went instinctively around her waist steadying her.

 “Yes Raul” Arnav had already started to hate the sound of that name but nothing would possibly irk him more than her next few words, “He was my employer…“ With that she handed her glass back to Raul, “And if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to the kitchen. Mrs. Silvio must be looking for me” She left without sparing Arnav or Natasha another glance; she needed to get away from him for her own sanity.

“Your loss was certainly our gain” Raul added as the three of them watched her leave.

He was my employer… her words bounced off the walls of his head… like a recurring nightmare. “What the fuck!” Arnav clenched his fists in anger. And he would have gone after her right away had it not been for Natasha’s timely intervention, “Quite a show you put on out there Raul”

“It was not a show, I meant every word...” Raul gave her an impish smile before looking at the half empty wine glass Khushi had handed back to him, “Beauty like all art has to be appreciated” But Natasha was no naïve fool either, “I think it’s safe to rest your charms for now given your muse is not here right now”

“Muse? “Effectively startling both men, “Oh come on, who are we kidding here” she dismissed their shock. All this talk was not making things any easier for Arnav who was still trying to wrap his head around everything, “So did she cook for you too?” It was Raul distracting him once again, “Huh?” Arnav turned to him clearly startled, “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that?”

“Don’t tell me you own a restaurant too?” Raul asked a totally clueless Arnav.

“I’m intrigued Arnav. First a fashion house and now this?” Natasha looked at him pleasantly surprised.

“Will you guys excuse me for a minute…” Arnav raised his left hand slightly, “ I need to…”

“He wasn’t just an employer was he?” Raul asked ruefully, sipping the left-over wine from Khushi’s glass, “Not a chance… looks like you have some competition here” Natasha added as both stared at Arnav’s back as she strode towards the kitchen door.

Meanwhile, away from him, Arnavji… Khushi repeated that name numerous times as she stared at the simmering pasta sauce. Her heartbeat still erratic, and breathing uneven – it was finally sinking in, her cover was over. He was here, Arnavji. She desperately tried to calm herself down by closing her eyes but it was of no use, he was all over her thoughts. A part of her wanted nothing more than to run up to him and envelope him in a bone crushing hug while another part of her made fun of those very thoughts. Natasha had been a timely intervention; otherwise Khushi would have never forgiven herself. She realized she needed to be strong now more than ever because he had found her, and she had already made her decision, there was no turning back this time!

Arnav barged into the kitchen, and sought her out, stopping right behind her, Khushi unaware as she stood with her back turned to him lost in the thoughts of Arnavji.

“Employer...really Khushi?” his hoarse voice startled her triggering a mini-panic attack as she struggled to decide whether to turn back or not, but there was no running away anymore Khushi realized; so she took a deep breath and turned around only to bump right into him. He had her trapped between his body and the kitchen counter, his hands on either side, there was no way in hell he was letting her go this time. This infuriated her no ends, had this man not changed one bit?

Khushi pushed him back with all her strength, “I was your contracted wife, wasn’t I?”