Chapter Four

ASR smiled in his sleep feeling the hand brushing his hair and opened his eyes only to find Anjali sitting beside him caressing his hair. She smiled lovingly seeing him awake.

"Good evening Chotey" Anjali beamed. As Arnav smiled and brought himself up to lean on the headboard she passed the coffee she had brought for him knowing his brother's habit. 

Arnav took it gladly, "Thank You Di."

Anjali lovingly ruffled his already messy hair some more in response but her Chotey didn't mind rather he closed his eyes feeling the warmth of her.

Her eyes flooded with motherly affection seeing her Chote rested after so long.   

"Did you sleep well?" She asked still concerned for his health.

ASR opened his eyes with a teasing glint in them but said in full seriousness "had to... or else I would have confined in this room without my wives forever."

Anjali eyes grew wide and were ready to pop out from their socket while her jaw almost hit the floor.

Suppressing his laugh Arnav winked and pointed towards his laptop and phone.

Anjali followed his direction and blinked twice before understanding dawned on her and she slapped his hand in indignation for giving her such shock.

Arnav gave in and laughed whole heartedly.  "Di you should see yourself in the mirror, your expression is worth million."

Anjali's heart melted seeing her brother laugh so freely so what it was at her expense she too joined in.

"But I would love to see a real wife of yours sooner," Anjali commented as soon as they sobered up.

Arnav grinned at that and said genuinely "that's tough Di"

Anjali sighed and said with a pretended seriousness "yeah  right, it is indeed tough..." Arnav arched a brow in response while she continued"...  to find a third real wife you need time which is mostly taken by your other two non-living wives and showpieces like models".

Arnav chuckled hearing the clear dislike in his Di's voice for the lifestyle he followed and second later both of them heard his phone go off rather loudly. 

Anjali huffed "Uff... how much it rings in two hours ..."

He moved to check his phone shaking his head at his Di's comment when Anjali stopped him and went to get it herself for him.

Arnav asked getting up from the bed taking the last sip of his coffee, "How many times?" 

Anjali handed over his phone and answered exasperatedly "11 times, and this is 12^th and mostly from Akash and your secretary... God knows what is wrong with them when I asked them to not to disturb..." She dusted the bed with unnecessary force as if beating the hell out of Akash or his secretary whoever she had in mind that time forcing Arnav's eyebrows to shoot up. 

Though the next moment, he called back Akash thinking what went wrong for them to call so many time.

**

"Bhai thank God! You called finally! ... Di was not letting us talk to you... I told her it is important but she is so stubborn... I will not open my mouth at all when I next visit her... Akash ranted almost forgetting his reason for his frantic attempt to reach his brother since last 3 hours.  

"Come to the point Akash... what's wrong?" Arnav had no mood to hear Akash's rant after his goof in Di's house. 

"Ye ... yes, Bhai." Sensing his brother's not so good mood Akash stuttered and hesitatingly informed "wo ... Sheetal, she is here." and waited for his brother's  curses that were sure to follow.

"Okay I am coming." was his calm and composed response shocking Akash to push his falling spaces back in place. 

He managed to say "Okay Bhai" in response before he heard the beep of disconnection. 

**

Arnav got ready for office in record speed after he cut the call making Anjali wonder about what's so urgent but seeing his little tensed she didn't stop him to question deciding to ask later when he would be in better mood. 

ASR left the house in next 15 minutes bidding a Bye to his DI and Jijaji who stood astound on the door watching the supersonic speed of ASR.

***

In the meantime in office,

"Akash ye ASR kab ayenge?" Khushi whispered furiously in Akash's ear...

"I spoke to Bhai just 10 minutes back he said he will be here soon..." Akash consoled an agitated Khushi

***

Flashback, 2 hours back:

"Where is ASR?"

The receptionist looked up startled hearing the demanding voice that said the owner of the voice knew ASR quite closely. 

A lady in her twenties frowned upon her wearing a dress that hid less and showed too much. Her makeup though did a good job hiding her actual age and made her look glamorous no doubt. 

The receptionist schooled her face and forced herself to be polite to this haughty lady before she answered, "He is not in office madam?"

"I want to meet him right now. Tell me where I can find him," she demanded again.

Unfazed by the rude tone the receptionist girl continued in a monotone "ASR is not present in the office at this moment and that's all I know. I am not aware of his present location asI am not supposed to keep a tab on him. His secretary might know if you had an appointment with him and in the light of his current unavailability she might reschedule your meeting if she has not done it already. Let me make a call to her." With that, she picked up the receiver to call Khushi pleased with herself in succeeding to shut up the woman before her. She spoke in a low voice and cut the call. 

Forcing the polite smile back on her face she informed the model like lady, who looked sure angry to wait, that ASR's secretary on her way here.

"May I know who are you?" 

The lady in short dress turned furiously towards the owner of the voice who had the audacity to ask her identity. 

The receptionist only thanked God that she wasn't the one to ask thought she should have.

"You work in a fashion business and you don't know who I am? You don't know Sheetal Kapoor, the supermodel? It surely states you are unfit to work in any place that connects to AR. Who are you?" She asks maliciously, arrogance dripping from her voice.

"Khushi" came the one-word introduction while the owner of the name looked her in the eyes unbothered with her tone. 

"Oh! But believe me, I don't feel even a little bit of Khushi seeing you" Sheetal sneered "so what are you?"

"I am ASR's secretary" Khushi bit out her own temper rising.

Sheetal eyebrows rose in astonishment and pretends horror "Now I know how my ASR has lost his taste."

Khushi's eyes narrowed and shot dagger. She decided that this woman can go to hell for all she cared and started to walk away not willing to converse with the bitch anymore. 

The receptionist hid her smile but in the next moment, her eyes widened. 

"where do you think you are going, girl? You said you are his Secretary then tell me where is he and tell him his Sheetal wants to meet him right now." Sheetal smirked as she saw Khushi grind to a stop hearing her.

Khushi stopped as she heard the Sheet-sal lady claimed ASR hers. Realising that this lady shared more than she wanted to think of with ASR she let out a deep sigh before she turned and spoke as calmly as she could manage to see the smirk  on that cunning face. 

"He is out of the office today. He will only come tomorrow when the office hours start. If you like I can fix a meeting for you with ASR sometime tomorrow."

Sheetal snapped at her "Sheetal Kapoor doesn't need an appointment to meet ASR, just call and tell him that I am here, he will come right away." She said proudly.

Khushi arched an eyebrow seeing her confidence and wondered just how ASR manages to bear her around.

"Ms Kapoor, I have order, I can't call him so please try and understand that I cannot disturb him."  The please didn't sound pleading to even her ears.

"To hell with your order, I have come all the way from UK to meet him and you are giving me bloody excuses as if I care, call him or give me his address so I can meet my ASR as soon as possible. I can't wait, and remember you Ms... Whatever, I have seen many secretaries like you coming and going in ASR' office for 7 long years so don't show me this attitude of yours that you f*ing care for his orders..." Sheetal spat venom with every word.

Khushi's had a sudden itch in her hand to print her full palm on that annoying Barbie's face. If only looks could kill.

How dare her... Oh, she can bloody dare! She knows ASR for 7 years and if her suggestion is any indication then that too very closely so she can bloody dare but why should I care. I am his secretary, not hers and she has no right of bullying me... if she is so close to her ASR then she better find him herself, with these thoughts Khushi felt a new kind of determination to follow her boss' err! Not exactly boss but boss' elder sister's order with respect and decided to go from there as soon as possible else she had no clue what she would do with this bloody infuriating creature in front of her.

So she opened her mouth to close the conversation sternly but Akash decided to make an appearance right at that moment and got caught by the desperate-I- want- to- meet-ASR Sheet-al in an unavoidable situation

***

Akash spotted  Khushi standing with a frown in the reception area near a pillar and missed the figure standing behind the pillar. Walking towards her he greeted her in his usual cheery voice, "Good afternoon Khushi, what's up?" let's go for Cof.." but his words got stuck in his throat as he just then noticed the person standing before her whom he had least expected to see here in India and to his horror smiling in her irritating sassy way at him, Sheetal Kapoor, the Witch (courtesy Anjali)

"Hello, Akash!" Sheetal drawled and Khushi rolled her eyes. 

Akash opened his mouth to say something but then decided against it quite resembling fish out of the water.

By the time Sheetal threw herself at an unsuspecting Akash and hugged him choking the life out of him.

Khushi conveyed her pity for his situation through her eyes standing at a safe distance. 

When Akash succeeded to come out of her death grip after a lot of struggle she sweetly started the pleasantries "Hey Akash I am so happy to see you... how are you? Looking dashing as ever, she winked brazenly before she came to the point looking as innocent as she could manage in her visage, ... see na Akash I have come all the way to meet ASR and this stupid girl, she pointed a fuming Khushi, is not letting me meet him" 

Akash looked at Khushi apologetically before he responded to Sheetal's complain in a not-so-pleased voice, "She isn't letting you because she has been ordered to do so and anyway he is not in the office."

If Sheetal was irritated she didn't show it in her face and said in her honey-dipped voice, "Oh Akash I can't sit and relax before seeing the reason behind my visit... tell me where is he now so I can go and meet him NOW." Her emphasis on now clearly stated her serious intention to not rest before meeting ASR.

I am still not sure from where she gets this confidence or she is still with Bhai and we are mistaken to think they are not together anymore.  But Bhai is in Di's place and Di will sure not be pleased to see Sheetal and somehow I have a feeling she will not move from here until she gets to meet Bhai so I better tell Bhai...

"um...Sheetal, she looked at him expectantly with full attention and he sighed, let me call Bhai and inform him about you and till then you wait in his cabin."

Sheetal looked pointedly at  Khushi as if saying what- did -I -say -that- I- am -important.

Khushi gave her a pure look of disdain. Ignoring her evil smile she ushered her to follow her so she could show where ASR's cabin was.

Since then Akash had been trying to call and inform ASR and Khushi on the other hand , trying her best to not blast the head of that disgustingly annoying species. 

7 years, f*cking 7 years ASR managed to survive through this torture. She wondered for the umpteenth time.

*** 

In the present, she is counting the coffees and juices she had already taken for that self-proclaimed special guest of ASR, Sheetal, who is hardly taking one or two sips but enjoying her silly revenge by ordering her unnecessarily.

Khushi was frustrated enough to leave her job happily while Akash sat discouraging her not to do so, hoping for his brother to come soon and sort this mess named Sheet-al.

***

ASR entered the office in his usual confident gait. The throng of woman stuff and models' explored the male species before when he passed them not noticing their brazenly ogling eyes like they thought of him as a creation of Aphrodite herself, who took her sweet time shaping His Hotness.

He walked straight to his office. One the way he noticed Khushi, sitting in her place and pressing her forehead, Sheetal affect the common sign of her presence especially on his secretaries ... he smirked. He also saw, amused, Akash standing near her and whispering something only audible to her... hmm... sweet talking! Quite Akashly! And without them seeing Arnav disappeared behind his cabin door.

Sheetal let out a squeal seeing her ASR and jumped from her chair to clung on to him just like she did to Akash. But unlike Akash he held her upper arms in time to stop her from any physical contact though she didn't seem to get the point.

ASR signed her to take a seat while he settled on his chair. First thing, he picked up the receiver of the intercom and ordered Khushi for a cup of coffee and her riled up voice on the other end surely made him chuckle silently surprising Sheetal to the core.

***

"Yes ss... I mean ASR." 

Bring me a black coffee just the way I like.

Huh!!

Did you not hear me? A coffee. My usual.

Yes S...  ASR... Coffee (gritting teeth) just the way you like...yes... Right away.

And fast.

Yes (hissing)

***

Khushi eyes narrowed dangerously to the offensive receiver she was still holding in a death grip and it seemed to Akash that if it would have been Treta yugh then the fire which was coming through her eyes would surely have burnt the receiver into ashes.

Akash cleared his throat to get her attention and in response she banged the receiver hard on the cradle, making him jump a step back and she declared through her gritted teeth "I am not going to drink coffee rest of my life... I hate coffee... I hate it." and stormed out of the place towards the pantry.

***

"So Sheetal how are you?" ASR started formally.

Sheetal frowned at his cold gesture but she could not afford to mind at this point so she answered in a much cozy and seductive voice, leaving her chair and approaching him with a predatory look, "Now I have seen you I am very much feeling good and I believe if I spend a few hours with you I will definitely be feeling alive."  With those meaningful words, she made herself comfortable on ASR's lap and kissed him on his left jaw.

She purposefully rubbed her behind on his thighs pretending to make herself comfortable. Her arms went around his neck pulling him closer to give him a view of her ample bosom.

But Arnav didn't seem even a little bit moved by her attempt rather he waited for the intervention he had himself called for and there was a knock on the door.

Soon the door clicked open and Khushi walked in the most embarrassing scene of her life so far.

**

Khushi eyes resembled saucers and a gasp escaped her mouth before she could stifle it and then... well, then nothing happened other than she stood like a statue in the same spot as she didn't know what to do in this kind of situation when your boss was boring into your eyes and a girl No the s**t was sitting on his lap in a compromising position throwing daggers at you at the same time. She could not turn on her heels and run out of the place as it would not be appropriate so for the life of her she didn't know what to do.

But that lapse was for a second or two before she pulled herself out of her temporary shock and cleared her throat to find her voice back before she barely whispered  "ASR your coffee".

"Just the way I like" was ASR's response making her eyes pop out of her socket as her jaw dropped. But the person responsible for her mortified state only smirked.

Sheetal looked from ASR to Khushi and Khushi to ASR.

Khushi blinked a few times, her mouth was still open but the laughter in ASR's eyes brought her back from her trance. She realised what a comical picture she was portraying. She closed her mouth immediately and pep talked herself to walk till his table to give him the coffee and leave this damned place soon after.

Sheetal was still intact in her place, on his lap, showing no sign to move from there anytime soon.

Khushi placed the mug on the table and turned to leave only for ASR to call her back sternly, "Did I ask you to leave?"

Two heads snapped in his directions one Khushi's who had been trying to look anywhere but at the scandalised scene before her and Sheetal's who had been busy glowering at Khushi.

But ASR seemed not to care. He continued nonchalantly, "I do not like to repeat myself and I am surely not going to say this third time so make it clear, you are not allowed to leave till I ask you to... so...". He quirked his brows with a pointed nod.

Khushi sighed exasperatedly.

There was no way to escape so she stood there like clueless.  She wanted to shut her eyes but that would be like inviting your hell with open arms.

Now ASR looked at Sheetal and the fire in his eyes made her spring up from his lap to her feet in no time. He too stood up slowly and then for the first time Khushi saw the glimpse of ASR which Akash talked about before his arrival in the office.

The stern face, clenched jaw and the burning eyes contrary to his ice cold voice which can freeze your very existence... "Sheetal while I appreciate your effort that you took the pain of flying from London to India to find me here in AR office I certainly don't like the idea of someone pushing my brother and secretary to summon me to meet you apparently for no reason when I am supposed to be somewhere else." he said the part quite menacingly but then he smirked and continued in a lighter voice, "hmm... I never knew the famous Sheetal Kapoor for a dumb.You don't get the point, do you?"

Sheetal looked affronted to be called dumb before a secretary and equally confused as Khushi, who didn't really care for the dumb part as it was a fact she already knew. 

The fury in his eyes and the smirk on his face with the calm voice was a complete mismatch.

"If you are not informed of my whereabouts and not provided with required contact details before I moved out of the city that clearly means I AM NOT INTERESTED IN ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU."

"But ASR..."  A shocked and embarrassed Sheetal opened her mouth only to get interrupted by ASR as he was in no mood to hear her annoying voice and waved his hand in front of her dismissively.

"Oh Please Sheetal, Don't say you care and you are hurt and all that because you and I both know those words will be as weightless as you body" he scoffed.

Sheetal tried again with hurt showing in her expression and voice, "But ASR I DO CARE"

ASR closed the gap between them in one dangerous step and towered Sheetal who trembled in her place, and said in a voice full of cold fury, "Oh really, you care... and care so much that you never back off from taking the privilege of my girlfriend status after our break up also..." and any listener would know that he was just not only implying on the present scenario. 

Khushi had been helplessly watching the scene unfolding before her eyes and she gasped as the last bit of information sunk in. She rolled her eyes towards Sheetal... she mouthed Lire.

Sheetal recoiled under his smouldering gaze but he moved away creating distance as fast as he had neared.

He closed his eyes to compose himself for a moment. When he opened them the heat was no more there rather he smothered the collar of his shirt and started folding one of his calves while starting the talk casually, "So as soon as you come out of the misconception of 'you being mine and I am being yours', is good for your sorry excuse of head, he started doing the other calf, And considering our college friendship and close relationship of last few years I am not throwing you out of this office, though I have every reason to do so, but I cannot be a pig now. can I?" he said the last part looking straight in her eyes with a smirk and continued "so Leave Yourself before I call someone to help you out".

The message was loud and clear. The insult was too much to bear. So Sheetal left the place in a lightning speed but not before giving a dirty look to Khushi who cared less and muttering a fierce "go to hell" for Arnav who in return pissed her more with his "with pleasure." 

ASR closed his eyes on the loud bang of the door and so Khushi but in next second both breathed out loud sighs of relief.

***

After a few seconds, Khushi blinked but ASR eyes remained closed.She looked heavenwards for mercy if she was about to get a lashing herself for she was standing in the line of fire.

But when He opened his lids, he was as calm as never before. 

"Khushi..."

This was the first time she heard her name in his unnecessarily husky voice and for few moments, she gawked at him. But the slight twitch in the corner of his mouth made her put a straight face and she waited for his instruction.

"You may go now."

"Huh!" escaped her mouth before she could stop herself. She was back to her clueless gawking self but looking at the frown on his face she remembered his warning and before he needed to repeat himself in long few strides she was near the door holding the doorknob to open it. 

Just when she was about to go out of the door she looked back and surprisingly found him watching in her direction.

When their eyes meet she held his gaze and touches her jaw line with her right pointer and told him with her eyes to check the same place on his face.

ASR looked at the glass of his cabin wall and found lipstick mark...Sheetal. Shaking his head he picked up a tissue from the table and mouthed a thank you while wiping the mark. Khushi acknowledged his thank you with a polite nod and closed the door of his cabin behind her.