Part 31

Eyes stayed locked. Blinking not causing a break. Time, reality and realm forgotten. Feelings trying to break out. Brains shut down. Hearts beating in unison… DHAK DHAK…

The World fading away… leaving just the two of them… just Khushi and Arnav.

An old couple who were being directed to their table passed by and smiled knowingly at the two lost in each other... love like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it. The head waiter felt it too when he stepped away from the table to give them some privacy.

Just then an over enthusiastic junior waiter walked up to the table from another side to fill ASR’s half empty glass and in his eagerness bumped into the table and bought Khushi and Arnav out of their…..mmmm something.

Khushi jerked back to her senses and as soon as she realized what she had been up to blushed and her cheeks picked up a slight pink tinge. Arnav glared at the young waiter ready to chew of his head, when the head waiter who was waiting on the side lines stepped in and said “Sir, your order is ready shall I server?”

ASR looked away and nodded. He watched irritated as the waiter started putting dishes in front of Khushi he put one, then another and then another till half the table filled up with her order and his irritation turned amusement as her watched her outrageous order materialize in front of him. He could not keep the smirk out of his face no matter how much he tried.

He looked at her, she looked adorable gawking at the amount of food she had ordered, little did ASR know that his adorable companion was not gawking at the food but drooling over it and wondering how she is going to be modest in eating in front of him when the food looks soooooo delicious.

Just then the waiter brought one dish, Picoline pasta cooked in white sauce and placed in front of ASR and before leaving said “Sir, if you need anything else just hit this button under the table and enjoy your lunch, sir”

ASR hadn’t heard anything the waiter had said was watching Khushi look at her order and then look at his order and then look at her order and then his order and then hers again and he watched her his amusement growing by the minute and the size of his smirk growing with each passing second. Until she looked up all embarrassed at him, he quickly bit his cheek to keep himself from showing his amusement from her.

Then she started talking…”I don’t eat like a pig.. I mean… I … I .. usually… don’t…eat…I mean order this much food. I just thought I could …. take it home… yaa… take it home and eat it later…no.. no I mean I could take it home and everybody could eat later.” She finally finished, slightly satisfied that her final explanation seemed convincing.

Arnav was watching her and enjoying her flustered crazy explanation, mirth was bubbling inside him and he had to really bite his cheek to keep himself from laughing out loud. Just then two waiters walked up to the table one with a couple of puri’s and the second with Rasgulla’s. And Arnav’s eyebrows shot up.

The first waiter said “Mam the madam in at that table said that you had forgotten to order puri’s your favorite to go with your chole.” Pointing towards Payal’s table. By now Khushi was shaking her head vigorously whispering a “Noooo…”

The second waiter placed his dish on the table and said “Mam that Madam said you can’t finish a meal without dessert.” Showing in Lavanya’s direction. Khushi had given up by now and was holding her head in her hands.

Then she sighed and looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders and smiled awkwardly… that’s it…ASR burst out laughing….and laughed till his eye’s got moist.

And Khushi looked on…mesmerized by this new side of Arnav… mesmerized at the happy feeling that was filling her looking at him laugh at her… her embarrassment and awkwardness forgotten…just his happy face filling her heart and her memory.

As his laugh died down…he caught her looking at him with some heartwarming expression on her face and he tried to decode what she was trying to say. Whatever it was pure, simple, genuine, wholesome and it tugged at him like nothing had ever before and he opened his mouth to voice the one word that had changed his world..”Khu…”

He was cut short when a beautifully manicured had fell on his shoulder and intimately squeezed it and said a cool venom filled voice said “Soo ASR, this is the reason that took you away from me…”

ASR stiffened as he knew who it was and how bit**y that person could be. He looked at Khushi who was looking at the new entry with a slight frown trying to understand what she was saying.

Sanaa bent from behind him and kissed him loudly and lavishly on his cheek and said “ASR baby.. you know I am not the jealous type you could have just told me that you found something new to keep you occupied..”

ASR’s hand fisted and fury was rising at a very dangerous speed, he noticed that Khushi had caught on to what Sanaa was saying and she had stiffened and looked away with a slight frown on her face. He left something when she did that… pain. His fists clenched tighter.

Sanaa had pulled out a chair for herself and had sat down by now. And looked at Khushi and back at ASR and was going to say something when ASR said in a dangerously low tone “Sanaa, I told you it was over between us…”

Sanaa smiled and said “Yes you did right after making out with me…but it’s ok ASR.. I understand like all other men you want a little freshness too…”when both ASR and Khushi looked at her questioningly..

She said “You know, little young inexperienced girls…” Khushi stood up and looked at Sanaa with complete loath and was ready to go away when Sanaa said “Don’t need to act so innocent in front of me.. I know you were trying to attract some rich guy’s attention with your innocent looks and I should have known you have achieved your goal by the ASR was looking at you that day in the restaurant.”

Khushi just looked at her with something more than disgust and when Sanaa finished she looked at him and it was a mixture of disappointment and…   pain. Then she turned and walked away towards Lavanya’s and NK’s table.

He felt rage blinding him, if Sanaa was not a member of the fairer sex he would have pounded her head into the wall for making Khushi look at him like that. More than that his ego was dented…”How dare she look at me like she is disgusted with me…who the hell is she to judge me…”.

“See I told you these feelings are no good.” butted in his brain.

“Did you not notice the pain in her eyes?” questioned his heart.

ASR’s stubbornness always took front seat especially if he was being driven by his anger and so he concluded “How dare she walk away like that….”

But before that he knew he had to take care of something else first so he turned and focused all his wrath on his target

“Sanaa.. I told you when we met that I promise nothing in our relationship, if we can call it that and that it has no future at all and it will be open ended depending on whoever wants to end it first. And you agreed … if I remember correctly almost instantly. So what the hell are you doing now??”

“ASR I know I did but somewhere in being with you, I fell in love with you. I can’t live without you…” said a teary eyed Sanaa

“No.. not me Sanaa… you fell in love with my money and my power. You cannot live without them too and that is why you are trying all these cheap tricks to get back into my life.”

He stood up threw a bunch of currency on the table which would probably be twice the amount of all their orders combined and looked at Sanaa and said

“Don’t ever try something like that again or else you will be sorry…” turned and started walking away stopped and added “And you of all people should know…I don’t believe in LOVE.”