It is a feeling inexplicable

When sensations draw you close

Breaking every shell you built around yourself

To bag the title of a recluse.

Time has its own glory,

There's not much we can do.

But the journey can be certainly worthwhile,

When you aren't one, but two.

So, let this time envelop you

As you delve in this new found glory.

Sunshine doesn't happen everyday,

So take a moment and pen down your own story.

.

.

''I love thee with a love that shall not die, till the sun grows cold and the stars grow old.''

That was most definitely the 19th quote from Shakespeare that Aly used to make the situation far more complicated for a deeply flustered Khushi as the two of them sat together on a couch in Aly's apartment.

Ever since she had come home from work, looking dazzled for the first time ever, at first Aly suspected maybe the docile Khushi had yet another bad day at work, since, in the past few weeks, those were pretty constant. 

But when she came and sat with a mug of coffee in her hand, and revealed what had happened in the office today, Aly couldn't help but grin sheepishly. She took the brand new maroon scarf from Khushi's neck and began pretending that it was a symbol of inspiration as she went on to recite some of the most popular romantic quotes of William Shakespeare.

''Aly, enough ya! There is nothing like that!''

Khushi said, feigning annoyance, though from within, every ounce of Aly's teasing was only intensifying the rampant thoughts bubbling in her head ever since this morning.

''Nothing like what? I didn't say anything. I am only reciting quotes from my favorite poet slash author. Why are you being affected?''

Aly teased again, deliberately trying to trigger some irritation in Khushi, and it did work. No matter how old you grow, there was nothing more laughable than seeing your closest friend get irritated by your teasing. And here, Aly was leaving no stone unturned to make the most of it, and all of it led to the 21-year-old Khushi color up all the more.

''What's going on?''

The two girls darted their eyes in unison to look at a smiling NK as he came back from work and soon joined them on the couch.

''Lauuuuveee is in the air, bro! That's what's going on!''

Aly said dramatically, making Khushi roll her eyes, while NK gave them a confused look. Aly waved Khushi's scarf in the air, as she said out loud, ''Handsome Raizada gave this to Khushi madam! And our girl can't stop blushing! Woooo-hoooo!''

''Uff!''

Khushi muttered as she gazed at Aly, and when the latter's grip on the scarf loosened a bit, Khushi grabbed the opportunity and got hold of the scarf quickly, and got up from the couch.

''There's nothing like that! And I am going to sleep for a while. Toodles!''

Saying that, she quickly disappeared into her room, but not before she heard Aly tease her again, saying, ''Wow! Possessive for the scarf, already? Man, our girl is gone!''

Amid all this, neither Khushi nor Alisha could notice the grim look that suddenly took over NK's face, on the mere mention of something brewing between Khushi and her boss, that rude guy he had encountered the day before.

Not that he had any personal grudges against the man, but from whatever he had heard about him from his network and how badly he had treated Khushi in the office in the last few days, he didn't really know what he should make out of it.

On one hand, he was extremely clear of the liking he held for his cousin's best friend and knew that if she reciprocated, this could definitely turn into something bigger. But on the other hand, the sudden change in dynamics that he witnessed sometime back-- his cousin teasing Khushi and the latter blushing to it, though she feigned irritation, NK was totally dumbfounded.

However, he knew, that whatever it was, he wasn't going to have any answers today. And so, he chose to grab a beer instead.

He can have a whole night and many more to himself to ponder about it and if he really had something to do, or it was wiser to go with the flow...

.

.

At Arnav's penthouse, it had been over an hour that he sat at just one place, with certain designs scattered over the huge glass table.

It didn't need any genius to figure out, all of those designs were Khushi's.

Yes, from the moment she had handed over her designs for the upcoming Fleur collection, he knew those designs were destined to make it to the ramp. He had never imagined that the challenge he had given her, just to make a point to Aman that he was wrong at hiring her, would turn the tables this way, that today, he would be simply staring at those designs for minutes uncounted, giving them his undivided attention.

And right now, he couldn't fathom his own silence and the silence that surrounded him in his huge penthouse.

He honestly didn't know what to make out of anything that was happening. He hadn't experienced something like this before.

Yes, he had dated the choicest females from all high-end nooks of the society-- models, designers, celebrities, and many more, but commitment was something that never had a role to play in any of his relationships.

He was very clear with his vision on how he wanted all those relationships to be a relationship of convenience and fortunately for him, his partners too had a similar thought and will.

A good rapport, amazing sex, and of course the tag of being ''ASR's present girlfriend.''

Though his last girlfriend Sheetal Kapoor was someone who had momentarily forgotten the lines they had mutually drawn at the beginning of the relationship, he had always been levelheaded about his requisites from a relationship to date.

He never hid who he dated from the world.

Hush-hush wasn't ASR's forte. But the context of being sentimentally or emotionally attached or even thinking marriage, in all these relationships were elements that had never ever occurred to him.

Because despite his nature of keeping his emotional attachment short and dating span for each girl shorter, he did believe in the institution of marriage.

He had always looked up to the relationship of his mother and father, and when he would think about himself, he knew that commitment was a big thing and he couldn't take it for granted. He never denied the theory of getting married himself, but he knew it very well that once he does get betrothed, that commitment was going to be about forever. Unlike his flings.

And that's precisely why he never gave any of his girlfriends even an inkling of the word commitment.

He had thought he wouldn't be seriously committed to anyone, till he feels like he's ready and also finds someone, who is worth spending the life with, being committed to.

But before any of it could even shape into living reality, the biggest shock of his life had unfolded itself in front of his eyes, when he got to know that his parents' marriage was nothing but a sham in all these years, and that the so-called commitment, loyalty, attachment, that he used to vouch for, somewhere in his heart, looking at his parents, were all built on false inferences, all of which took only a second to crumble down...

Even the mere recollection of those sporadic thoughts made him let out a frustrated sigh at present.

He honestly didn't know what was it about Khushi that was constantly etched on to him somehow.

She had made a dramatic entry in his life, with the most illogical, irrational perspectives, yet he had taken it all at face value and envied her right away whenever she boasted of having the perfect family ever, something that was snatched away so brutally from him.

She had made friends in a jiffy and he was well aware of the fact that almost everyone in the office loved her dearly, including some girls who were first jealous of her A-listed styling. And men, well, they had been bowled by her since day one itself.

And there again, he felt something pang.

What was it to him, if she was wanted by other men?

It was not like he had filed a patent on her and got it approved as well, was it?

But then it did make a difference.

It was utterly unpleasant to even envision her in a frame close to any other man. It was weird, but it was true. She seemed to have solutions for everything and everyone.

Hell, that chit of a girl even went on to take the blame of someone else on herself, and got thrashed for it in front of the whole office, but didn't even once raise a word or finger.

Was she even for real?

Well, that was another debate altogether, Arnav thought.

A person who treated soft toys as her own babies and spent the entire evening of her day one in office, trying to look for any kittens or puppies under the cars at the parking lot-- she definitely was something.

At that thought, Arnav couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips on recollecting how he had thrown her dumb soft toy on the first day they met, and how in the evening she was all about searching for small animals in the parking lot, looking like a 3-year-old looking for chocolates that her mom had hidden somewhere.

He now knew consciously that he was once again drowning in her thoughts, something that was kind of a routine for the past few days.

He muttered a cuss for himself for being so distracted instead of working and when he was just about to get up and fetch himself a bottle of scotch, Aman entered the hall and averred, ''Your Austin flight tickets are here, ASR.''

Arnav looked at Aman who carried a small pouch in his hand, that would contain his tickets and other information for his trip to Austin. Arnav mumbled a small thanks to Aman, as the latter stepped forward to take a look at the designs spread on the top of the table, and it didn't take him long to realize who was the creator of these.

As soon as the realization dawned on him, he couldn't help the small lopsided grin that curved his lips, while Arnav tried his level best to not snap at his closest employee slash friend, and maintained a stern look nonetheless.

''So, these are the final designs for the showstopper I believe?'' Aman asked, trying damn hard to keep any iota of teasing in his tone dormant.

He only earned an affirmative nod from Arnav as a reply and chose not to push him further. But then again, it is not every day that you get to push the mighty ASR into a tongue-tied situation.

And so, giving it his best shot to stifle a grin, he asked feigning unawareness, ''Umm, are some of these Khushi's designs?''.

Arnav rolled his eyes at that.

Having known Aman for years and years, he could totally understand when and where he was faking something or being sarcastic, so not letting go of his stern demeanor, he averred nonchalantly, ''All of these are. Anything else?''

Aman was enjoying this.

Though it was a common sight these days to see Arnav talk extremely less and keep that straight face on, this time given the reason for it being so different, he was totally loving it.

And so, he said, with wide eyes, ''ALL of them? Whoa! ASR! Are you forgetting? She is just an intern. How can you use ALL her designs for the showstopper at Fleur?''

That was it.

Arnav totally knew that Aman was instigating him, and so he looked at him directly in the eye, and remarked in a tone that was serious yet sarcastic-'' Just an intern, eh? What happened to 'ASR she is the best out of all the applications I evaluated and she will be an asset to AR, trust me' hmm?''

At that, Aman couldn't help but smile sheepishly.

If he was good at playing, ASR was the best.

He was observing his closest buddy for the past few days and knew that was not just something but a lot going on in his mind lately. And he also knew that a major stake of that lot belonged to the young intern Khushi Gupta.

And now, seeing that ASR had chosen all five designs of Khushi's for Fleur, who needed no further validation for his perception of where exactly this was going.

He only hoped, wherever it headed from here, it was good and disaster-free for both his friend and the beautiful Khushi.

Because nobody knew it better than him that Arnav's temper and dating history-- both were insanely sketchy and from whatever he had learnt of Khushi, the girl was devoid of anything remotely shady in her life and lifestyle.

But nevertheless, even he couldn't deny that if things went on the right track, these two would actually make a drop-dead gorgeous and good looking couple, who the paparazzi would love to feature on every leading tabloid.

He had already gone way too far in envisioning the future of these potential lovers when Arnav's voice broke his little reverie--''Aman! Are you even here?''

''Oh, sorry! Just got lost a bit!''

He apologized, as he handed over the pouch to Arnav and was soon to take his leave, but Arnav's voice stopped him.

''Wait.''

He turned back to look at a seemingly calm Arnav looking at the pouch and wondered why did he stop him.

But he didn't really have to wait for long as the answer to that came right away and he heard Arnav say, ''There's a slight modification to be done in the itinerary for Austin.''

...

Enchanting is a new story

As it begins with a prologue.

The plot thickens and things unfurl,

All's fine as you beat the odds.

So embrace it all right away

The love and the nuances

Make the most of this moment

As you feel the merry in these chances

When tomorrow comes and things dwindle

Remember that it's not over

The end doesn't come till you call it,

So for now, let it keep you sober..

.

.

The day at AR today was extremely busy.

With hardly a few days remaining for Fleur, the place was hustling and bustling as everyone was on their toes, running errands, giving it their 100% to ensure everything was going at the required pace and nothing was halted due to any glitches.

However, amid all the busy bees and their chitter-chatter what no one could notice was the buzzing tension between two souls, who could now see each other from a distance, but tried their best to avoid being caught by one another.

Yes, Arnav and Khushi were in every bit a part of the buzzing crowd at AR at the moment but looked like they were only physically present for namesake, while their minds were completely at different places.

For Khushi, Aly's endless teasing from last night kept echoing in the back of her head. And for Arnav, whatever he had planned last night, paired with Aman's teasing came ringing in his ears.

Both were completely oblivious though, to the fact that they were being observed by two other souls, who although surprised, were insanely joyful at seeing this unexpected turn of events between the two individuals who had been anything but sober with each other from the time they first met.

Yes, Kartika and Aman, were surprised, but pleasantly so.

While Khushi's cheeks matched the color of the jumpsuit she was wearing, red, Arnav was trying to focus on what his secretary was updating him with, about the upcoming fashion show, but if there was one thing the two of them had in common today, it was the fact that they were both distracted from their respective work.

..

.

For the rest of the day, Khushi had tried her level best to focus only and only on her work and nothing else. She knew her ultra interfering subconscious mind was way too stringent when it came to distracting her constantly with his thoughts, but she was headstrong that she won't let it affect her work in any way.

The date for the launch and fashion show of the Fleur collection was hardly some days away and this was not at all the right time to go Cinderella mode, being captivated in a fairy tale universe.

''God, Khushi! Why do you always think about that Lord Voldemort with a nose! Ugh!''

She berated herself as she finally reached the storeroom.

She was done with her work way early today, but she anyway had to stay at the office till 7 p.m. and when she had checked her watch, it was just 5 p.m.

So, she had asked people around her if she could help them with something. While on the technicalities, she could hardly do anything, being just an intern, an employee named Lana told her that she could use some help.

Khushi being Khushi, agreed readily, but little did she know that Lana would give her the strenuous job of fetching and sorting some fabrics from the storage unit.

But hey, work was work, and anything no matter how tiring or petty was better than sitting idle and let the devil rule your mind. Pun intended, the devil called Arnav Singh Raizada was indeed ruling her mind these days, and she thought a venture into the storeroom was a better choice.

And so she began her work inside the store room, holding the list of fabrics she needed to fetch in one hand, while the other continued to browse through the many fabrics that resided there.

She began to hum a tune as she kept going with her task, half of her energy already gone with all the finding, sorting, and checking if the fabrics were all right to be used.

It was in that particular second that a tiny part of her whispered, ''You know being lost in his thoughts would have been better than being lost in these endless fabrics in the storeroom.''

Khushi shook her head like a child as if her conscience was a real living person and she wasn't going to comply with what she was saying.

Anyway, ignoring it for the umpteenth time this day, she finally stood on the tall stool to fetch the remaining of the fabrics that were placed in the top penultimate shelf, and so lost was she in looking for the required fabric that she barely realized her feet subsiding to the edge of the stool plane and before she could do anything, her balance went for a toss and she slipped.

She closed her eyes tight expecting a strong and excruciating pain from the fall to slowly build, but neither the pain came nor the thud sound of her collapsing on the floor.

What she heard instead was the loud sound of her own heartbeat that drummed as if she was induced with some drugs that gave her an unceremonious arrhythmia.

When she slowly opened her eyes, she was in for a shock as her hazel orbs collided directly with his dark brown ones, and in no time, her eyes went wide as saucers.

.

.

He found her expressions a little too amusing.

He would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy seeing her in a state of confusion followed by yet another embarrassment, but man, this girl weighed like what? A feather?

He felt as if he was carrying nothing, because the petite Khushi was lighter than any woman he had previously dated and carried, but then again, he knew she was here, in his arms, courtesy her big doe shaped hazel eyes that stared at him so intimately, that for a second he felt this time it would be him who would lose his balance.

But that thought became interrupted as he saw her struggle and so, wasting not another second, he placed her feet on the floor.

She was still breathing heavily, thanks to whatever just happened and how abruptly it happened, while he looked at her followed by darting his sight at the top shelves from where she was trying to fetch something.

''What the hell were you doing here?''

He was the first one to break the silence as he asked her that, a tinge of concern evident in his tone.

But Khushi, thanks to the adrenaline that was still rapidly pumping through her veins, couldn't come up with any decent answer and chose to reply with another question itself, as she quickly quizzed, ''What are you doing here?''

''It's my office, remember?''

Arnav retorted, the sarcasm he intended fully evident in his tone and words, while Khushi realized what she had blurted in a fit of too much adrenaline and quickly lowered her gaze as she said, '' Umm, Lana needed some help so she asked me to fetch her some fabrics from this room.''

Well, he should have known.

Arnav sighed.

Why wasn't he surprised? This girl was an epitome and carried a PhD when it came to going beyond limits for helping others, often forgetting about her own self.

He couldn't tell her right away at the moment, that he was passing from the corridor when he had heard her voice, humming some Taylor Swift song, and that had immediately halted him in his tracks.

He couldn't tell her that he had been watching her for a good two minutes, wherein his thoughts went from, ''Typical female! Taylor Swift songs!'' to a peculiar silence where he just chose to be a silent spectator and watch her do what she was doing.

But thank god, that stupid Taylor Swift croon of hers did make him stop or else this clumsy girl would have definitely injured either her head or ribs, falling from that height.

The hypothetical thought again made him concerned. And so, with a very serious face, he told her, ''Listen Miss Gupta. This is NOT your job. If Lana is working on a project, she has to take complete ownership of it, including getting the fabrics from the storeroom. I pay her for that, NOT for delegating her tasks to others. So, next time, at least be a little vocal about practical stuff rather than always being ever ready about going overboard with helping anyone and everyone. Understood?''

His authoritative tone made her flinch a little and a nervous expression adorned her face, making his own expression soften a bit.

Maybe, he was sounding rude, but he was being pragmatic.

Not that he didn't know it already but today's instance cemented it further in his mind that this girl was quite naive. And anybody could take undue advantage of her, and at that realization, he suddenly felt very protective of her.

When he didn't see her say anything, he tried to change the topic and finally disclose to her what he had had in his mind since last night.

''Well, this time I saved you, but I hope in Austin, you will behave well, and be anything but this clumsy.''

..

As soon as he said that, a curious frown took over Khushi's face, paired with confusion, as she replied in a soft voice, ''Austin?''

Arnav took a step towards her, once again making her feel self-conscious out of the blue and before she could even contemplate where this was heading, he said a little too casually, ''Don't tell me, you don't know already! You and I are leaving for Austin day after, to have a meeting with some clients and sponsors related to Fleur.''

.

.

.

Whoa. whoa. whoa.

Freeze.

Rewind.

'What?'

That's what Khushi's insides were averring out loud as she heard her devilishly handsome boss say all that.

'What the hell was even happening?'

That was her conscience's second question.

When she looked at the waiting face of Arnav, she tried to compose herself, and uttered with a stutter, ''M... Me?''

Color rose up to her cheeks as she saw him take yet another step towards her and bend a little, wherein she was now able to hear the sound of his breath.

She was anticipating now.

Anticipating that something unexpected was coming her way, and it did.

But not what she had thought it to be, as Arnav bent and looked over her one shoulder followed by the other, and said, in his husky voice, ''Well, I don't see anyone else other than you and me in this room now, so yes, Khushi Gupta, YOU.''

Saying that he raised himself from the bent position and took a step back, leaving an extremely flustered Khushi rooted to the ground, with a dazzled expression on her face.

While Arnav totally enjoyed her confusion, he thought it was better to be direct now, and so, keeping a casual face on, he said, ''Your designs are being used on the showstopper for Fleur.''

''That's why you need to come. Our flight is in the morning, the day after tomorrow. Aman will mail you your tickets.''

Khushi was too stunned to even react.

A trip to Austin?

With.. with him?

It looked like her gods were hell-bent on lining up shocks after shocks for her, all of which left her taken aback.

She was still processing what happened and what he told her when she watched him smirk at her before turning back and reaching the exit door of the storeroom.

She thought now she could breathe a sigh of relief and clear her head and think about what just unfolded less than a minute ago, but hey, as we said, the gods had too many shocks in store for her today.

And so, when she thought she was finally alone, his husky voice suddenly came out of nowhere as she lifted her gaze and watched him come back at the door of the storeroom as he said, ''By the way, it is a business trip. So, I hope you don't pack your soft toys in the suitcase.''

Khushi's mouth flung open as she heard those words and Arnav couldn't help as his smirk deepened and before giving her a chance to make the most annoying face ever, he just left.

Khushi, on the other hand, was left with two things-- a truckload of confusion and a rapidly beating heart. 

All because of him.

**