Khushi woke up early in the morning. She stepped out of her room dressed in a blue anarkali suit. She went straight to the kitchen and started preparing breakfast for herself and her brother.

Shyam woke up a few minutes later. He joined her in the kitchen, staring at her with a confused look, "Didn't you wake up much earlier than you planned to wake up on Saturday?"

Khushi pouted, using her fingers to flatten her roti thin and then put it on the tawa, "That Cold Light kahike stole my sleep. I couldn't sleep after what happened last night."

Shyam joined to help her in rolling the remaining dough balls, "I thought you would be tired and sleepy since you got home late yesterday."

"Maybe it's because of the trauma and panic I went through last night that I couldn't sleep later," Khushi said, looking away from her brother as she was hiding the fact that what stole her sleep last night was actually the strange and intimate connection she felt with Arnav last night.

Shyam kissed her head, "I'm proud of you. You did the right thing by staying with him and calling the doctor yesterday. This helping nature of yours always reminds me of Amma."

Khushi smiled slightly, "I learned to be this way from her only," she watched him rolling the rotis, "Hurry up, bhaiya. Today I'll accompany you to the shop."

"Thank you, my Titaliya. But I suggest you stay home and take a rest as you couldn't sleep well last night," Shyam said.

"Well, I've my plans after I drop you off at the shop," Khushi said.

"And can I know what your plans are?" Shyam asked curiously.

Khushi smiled, nodding her head, "First, I planned to go to Mandir and pray for Arnav ji's health. I just found out that he has diabetes and since I couldn't sleep last night, I was reading more about his type of diabetes on google. I felt bad that such a young man is suffering from a long-lasting illness. And to make matters worse, he doesn't even take care of himself, nor does he let other people around him take care of him. That's why I want to talk to Devi Maiyya about my khadoos genie, pray for her health, and long life."

"That's really sweet of you, but I don't think your genie gives a damn about you. He doesn't really care, Khushi. He couldn't even say a simple thank you after knowing you stayed there with him till he regained his consciousness. Why are you taking trouble and going to Mandir to pray for him? You've done your part, it's enough na.. It's not necessary to go to Mandir and pray for him now," Shyam said in a serious tone, "See, you know that I'm not the kind of brother who keeps monitoring everything you do nor did I ever restricted you from doing anything you want. But you're my precious angel, I don't like to see you waste your time on people who don't really care about you."

Khushi's face fell, staring at her brother with her big sad hazel eyes, "He does care, bhaiya. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have insisted on dropping me home last night. You don't know. I was being so stubborn and firm on my decision that I'll catch a rickshaw to get back home. Still, he didn't give up and dragged me to his car to drop me home and accompanied me till the door of my house. Do you really he doesn't care? He just doesn't convey his feelings in words. Maybe that's why everyone misunderstands him."

"Khushi, he's not a Saint. You know that, don't you?" Shyam asked with a "Don't make me remind you of his wrongdoings" look, "I know he helped us a lot by giving us the opportunity to acquire our parents' house from him. But it doesn't mean you'll keep covering for his mistakes every time and portray that man as an innocent soul. You're aware of his short-tempered, rude, and arrogant attitude towards everyone, including his own family."

Khushi looked down to take the roti out of the tawa and placed it on a plate at the side, frowning slightly, she doesn't know why, but it was pricking her to hear words against Arnav, "He's human, not any monster. He's not perfect. He's a flawed human being like the rest of us."

"Di hurt me too. She thinks I should give Aman a second chance, even though I've already made it clear to everyone that I don't want Aman in my life anymore. Have you started to think she is a despicable human being because of this? Did you start to hate her because of this? Nahi na.. you are also hurt by Di, but you don't think badly of her.. you will eventually forgive her for what she said to me. So why can't you think of Arnav ji like that too, bhaiya?" she asked.

"Because I know Anjali.. but I don't know anything about your boss. Khushi, I've nothing against him. Trust me, I don't really think or care about him. But I'm very protective of you. I don't want anyone to hurt you, nor do I want you to get yourself hurt in this process. I know you, Titaliya. You started to have this soft corner for your boss, the moment you got to know about his past, that he was sent abroad by his parents when he was a little kid. I feel bad for him, too. But trust me, it's not your responsibility to do these things for him. You don't have to think much about him. It's their family matter, na.. they will deal with it. You just have to do your job as his personal assistant and that's it. Don't interfere much in his personal life," he said.

Khushi nodded her head with a sad face.

*****************************************

When they were having breakfast in the dining room, Shyam noticed how her mood changed after their conversation. She looked sad and lost her appetite because she hadn't even touched her food until now.

His heart melted seeing her like this. He looked at her and patted her head affectionately, "Okay, if you want to go, then you can go to Mandir. There's no harm in praying for someone's health and long life. Please smile now. I can't see my Khushi upset. Amma and Babu ji named you Khushi so that you keep this beautiful smile of yours permanently on your face. Don't let anyone snatch this smile from your face, not even me."

Khushi smiled brightly, she side hugged Shyam tightly, "I knew it. You're the best brother in this world. And trust me, my khadoos genie isn't that bad."

Shyam kissed her head, "Hmm.. Just be careful. From the things I've heard from Anjali about his family, I feel it's best for us to keep our distance from this family."

Khushi sipped her tea awkwardly. After last night, she realized that she and Arnav are taking baby steps to get closer instead of keeping their distance. So she's not sure she's going to follow this advice of her brother now.

*****************************************

Raizada Mansion..

Arnav joined his family to have breakfast. He could see his mother's eyes twinkle in happiness to finally see him join his family to have a meal together.

"Look at my son.. he's so handsome!" Ratna gushed with pride over her son. His beautiful facial features never let him miss the spotlight. He always manages to catch everyone's attention, even dressed in his simple casual outfits.

"Of course. After all, who's his father? He had to be handsome like his father," Arvind laughed in his jovial mood.

Arnav pretended as if he wasn't a part of their conversation as he started to check important mails on his phone. Perhaps if he was that 5 year old boy Arnav, he would love to hear a compliment like that from his parents. But now he feels disgusted at being associated with his father or to share any resemblance with him.

On the other hand, Anjali couldn't help but feel jealous of her brother. Ever since he came back from London, he has been showered with praises and attention from their parents, something she craved for even after living in the same house with her parents for years. Her eyes moistened at the thought that it's been years since she heard her parents compliment her wholeheartedly. After they found out her passion for photography, it seemed like they stopped loving and caring for her.

"I heard you fainted last night. Are you feeling well now?" Arvind asked, glancing at Arnav.

Arnav, who was replying to a message on his phone, paused to look up to his father suspiciously, "How do you know that?"

"Just because I've retired, it doesn't mean that I don't know what's going on in my office," Arvind shrugged.

"Are you feeling better now?" Ratna asked, sounding concerned for him.

Arnav nodded in response. His sharp mind hinted towards Aman being the only person who could have told his father what happened last night. Only Aman and Khushi knew about it. He is absolutely sure that Khushi had nothing to do with this. But he was always suspicious of Aman from day one. The day he spilt coffee on his face in anger, he thought his father wouldn't think twice before throwing Aman out of the office after knowing what Aman said about his son. But his father surprised him when he started speaking in favour of Aman, although not clearly, he could feel that his father was trying hard to find an excuse to save Aman's job. From that day on, he decided to be extremely vigilant regarding anything related to this man. He would have fired Aman from this job long ago but decided to keep him there to find out what the connection is between his father and Aman. Through Khushi, he was able to understand more about Aman's character and personality. And it was no surprise or shock to him to learn that his father is associated with that filthy man. But he still needs to find out what exactly Aman does for his father. He is doing some kind of work for him or keeping his secrets, which he still needs to discover.

"Did you faint because of your diabetes?" he heard Anjali asking him in a soft tone.

Arnav moved his head sideway to look at her, surprised that she still remembers he has diabetes. He nodded his head in reply.

"Khushi told me yesterday," Anjali said.

Arnav was disappointed again, he asked in a sarcastic tone, "Oh really. You didn't know your brother has diabetes?"

Anjali frowned slightly, "I forgot. And you know why.. because you never cared to call and talk to me and tell me about your health related issues."

"Are you any doctor that I should call you to talk about my health issues?" he snapped.

"It's impossible to have a normal conversation with you," Anjali shook her head, getting irked with him. She looked away, lifting her tea cup from the table to take a sip.

Arvind, who was watching their bickering session between the siblings, spoke in a stern tone, "There's no need to fight over silly matters early in the morning. I'll call the doctor for your check-up, Arnav. Now, can we have our breakfast in peace?"

"There's no need to call the doctor for my check-up. I'm a grown-up man now. I know how to take care of myself," Arnav said, frowning.

"But-" Ratna wanted to interfere, but the serious intimidating look she received from her husband was enough to shut her up.

"Fine," Arvind agreed, "You're a grown-up, so you can go and visit the doctor yourself. But do keep us updated on your health issues, ok?"

Arnav swallowed hard before nodding his head in acceptance. He hated it when his father talked to him as if he was worried and concerned about his health as if it wasn't him who, upon learning that he was diagnosed with diabetes, became extremely furious stating that his son is a weak man, who wanted a strong man enough to take control of his empire, not a weak, sick man with a long-lasting illness. His father even considered having a third child as he wanted a healthy boy, but then his mother wasn't able to conceive again that time.

*****************************************

Khushi reached Mandir, and she was talking with her best friend, her Devi Maiyaa, about Arnav.

"I really want to help him, Devi Maiya. But I'm afraid of poking my nose into his personal life, and now bhaiya has also advised me the same. But it's just that I've started to understand why he is so reserved and short-tempered and kept his feelings to himself. It's because of his parents. I found out that his parents sent him to boarding school abroad when he was a child, and Di stayed here with her parents. This could have hurt him a lot, which is why he doesn't have a good bond with his family. And to make matters worse, his father cheated on his mother, and he knows it. I can't imagine what it must be like to know that your father cheated on your mother with other women. He must feel disgusted living in the same house as his father. I don't think Di and Mohan Kaka know anything about this. Di also never spoke to me as if her parents were facing this kind of problem. It seems only Arnav Ji knows this, and he, too, has been dealing with this pain alone."

"If this is the little information I could find about his past, I wonder what else he is hiding from everyone and keeping his pain and agony to himself. I really wish I could talk to Arnav Ji and help him ease his pain. I always hesitate to ask him anything about his personal life. He is my boss, and I have no right to interfere in his personal affairs. He doesn't want to be my friend either. It would have been much easier for me if he had opened up a little to me. But it's okay... I will always make an effort to be there for him whenever he needs someone by his side until we reach a stage where he feels comfortable sharing his feelings, his problems, and his past with me."

"And my last prayer for his health and long life, DM. Only yesterday, I found out that he has diabetes, and I was reading about this disease to gain more knowledge. Now I'm scared for him, Arnav Ji doesn't take care of himself. He skips meals and is always stressed because of work. Dr. Mehta also said that he fainted due to poorly controlled diabetes. I know he won't take care of his health, but I want you to keep him safe and healthy always.. please, please protect him always, Devi Maiya. For my sake, please don't let anything bad happen to him. In my khadoos genie's language, let's make a deal, okay? You keep an eye on my genie from above, and I will look after him here on earth. If you agree with this deal, then tomorrow I'm going to visit an orphanage, and I will feed your innocent angels (kids) my handmade sweets, especially jalebis."

After she was done saying her prayers for Arnav, she did the same for her brother's health and for his business and then for her Buaji, Anjali, Aina, Mohan Kaka, Payal, and her little baby, Roshni. Since she doesn't have a big family and most of her family members abandoned her and her brother when her parents died, she has become accustomed to treating her friends as if they were her own family so as not to feel alone.

When she finished her prayers, Khushi left the Mandir. She was walking down the stairs when she received a phone call. It was from an unknown number. She frowned slightly, wondering whose phone number it was. She picked up the call and spoke angrily, "Kya hai? (What is it?) I'm warning you if this is a prank call, then I'm going to file a complaint against you. You'll spend your entire life in the lock up, samjhe tum? (Understood?)"

*****************************************

Raizada Mansion..

Arnav pursed his lips to suppress the smile that threatened to appear on his lips as he looked at Mohan Kaka's wide eyes in shock at Khushi's threat.

They were in the kitchen now. Arnav went to the kitchen to give Khushi's phone number to Mohan Kaka so that he could convey a message to Khushi. Khushi and Mohan Kaka did not have each other's phone numbers saved on their phones, which led to a comical situation where Khushi thought it was a prank call and threatened Mohan Kaka on the phone.

"Khushi bitiya!" Mohan Kaka uttered once he was out of his shocked state.

"Mohan Kaka aap.. aiyoo.. I'm so sorry.. I didn't know it was you," they heard Khushi saying.

"It's okay, bitiya. Voh, Arnav beta gave me your number," Kaka said.

Arnav shook his head, staring at Kaka with a "You didn't need to share this with her" look.

Mohan Kaka looked at him with a sheepish smile before shifting his attention back to the phone.

"Acchaa.. aisa kyun? (Really.. why so?)" Khushi asked.

"We're going to watch your favourite actor, Salman Khan's Tiger 3 movie tonight. He booked tickets for us. So he's inviting you and your brother to join me, Anjali bitiya, Payal bitiya, her husband Akash, and our little Roshni too. He already bought tickets for you and your brother too," Mohan Kaka explained.

"Thank you for the invitation, Kaka, but I'm not coming!" they heard her reply as the phone was on loudspeaker, and Arnav was hearing their conversation.

Arnav frowned as he asked aloud, "Why?"

*****************************************

Standing in the middle of the temple's main stairs, Khushi replied to him with a lopsided smile on her lips, "Marzi meri! (My wish).

"So this is your way of conveying to me your gratitude for saving you when you passed out last night. It's very sweet and considerate of you, my genie khadoos, to buy Salman Ji's movie ticket for me. But I don't like that you're asking Mohan Kaka to convey your indirect thank you message to him instead of directly talking to me. That's why I'm not accepting your invitation," Khushi thought to herself, smiling inwardly.

Khushi thought he would protest, but he didn't. Instead, Mohan Kaka informed her that he left without saying anything.

Khushi bit her nails nervously, "I hope I haven't ruined things now by acting stubbornly. But DM, he should learn to say thank you directly to me, not through a third party."

*****************************************

Raizada Mansion..

"Khushi bitiya!" Mohan Kaka called her confused as he heard mumbling something inaudible, and he didn't understand anything she was saying, "Do you have any other plans? Is that why you refuse to join us? I thought Salman Khan was your favourite actor, and you would never refuse to watch any of his films, like you said that day in the car."

"It's nothing like that, Kaka. I'll ask bhaiya to join you all. Since Di is also coming, then he won't deny it. But I'm not coming because I'm upset with your Arnav beta. I want him to say something to me only, but he's not saying it," he listened to Khushi's explanation but became even more confused. But he also knows that neither Arnav nor Khushi would say anything clear to satisfy his curiosity. It seemed as if they were talking in a secret language that only they understood what they were conveying to each other.

*****************************************

After she was done chatting with Mohan Kaka, Khushi hung up the call. Then she turned to look back at the temple entrance, smiling and sending a flying kiss to her best friend, Devi Maiya, "Thank you, Devi Maiya. I know you made me hear Arnav Ji's voice right after I prayed for his health and long life. I'm sure this is your sign to me that our deal is on!"

*****************************************

Sometime later..

Khushi joined Anjali, who was waiting for her at the coffee shop. She rushed to Anjali's table and pushed the chair back for herself, saying apologetically, "I'm so sorry, Di. I kept you waiting here for me. I was in Mandir, and then I caught a rickshaw to come here. That's why I got late."

"It's okay, Khushi. You don't need to apologize for such small things," Anjali smiled politely, watching Khushi settle into her chair and keep her bag on the other chair.

"Do you want to eat or drink something before we leave for shopping?" Anjali asked, passing the menu book to Khushi.

Khushi shook her head, "Just water. In fact, we will have to wait for my friend Aina too. She works with me at AR. And I invited her to join us shopping too."

Anjali nodded her head, "Okay."

Khushi ordered water for herself, then looked at Anjali intently before starting the conversation she planned to have with her, "Di.."

Anjali looked up at her, "Haan bolo Khushi."

"Bhaiya told me what you spoke to him about me and Aman," Khushi said.

Anjali immediately kept her phone aside on the table and listened to Khushi attentively. She thought Khushi might open up to her now and share with her that she's still in love with Aman and willing to give a second chance to him.

"Di, I wanted to tell you that I'm clear about my feelings. You don't have to prove anything to bhaiya that I'm still in love with Aman and hiding my feelings for him due to my fear of his reaction. It's nothing like that.."

"But Khushi," Anjali interrupted her, "Please ask yourself this.. have you really stopped loving Aman?"

"Yes, Di. I don't love him anymore. It must be shocking to hear this from my mouth, right? I was so deeply and blindly in love with him that I used to consider him my life. You can think whatever you want of me. You can think that my love for him was fake. But the moment he asked me if I was getting money to sleep with my boss. I couldn't bring myself to love him again. It felt as if I was insulting myself by loving a man who questioned my character, who didn't trust me enough to know what kind of woman I'm. Whatever Aman does now to win me back, it won't be enough to erase that memory from my mind," Khushi said.

"I feel like you still love him a lot.. it's just that you're deeply hurt, Khushi," Anjali talked as if she understood Khushi's inner turmoil.

Khushi sighed, "Di, please stop it. If I still loved him, I would have been thinking about him every day. Trust me, I'm at peace and happy in my life. I'm moving on, and it's actually getting annoying that you keep bringing my past to me and my brother. This is the reason I wanted to talk with you personally to clear this once and for all. You don't need to make this "prove to my bhaiya that I'm still in love with Aman" a mission of your life. Di, the only reason I'm here and still willing to provide an explanation to you from my side is because you're my best friend, you're someone I consider as my family, my sister. We shared a deep and special bond, and I don't want to ruin our relationship because of Aman. But if you keep on insisting on bringing Aman's topic again and again in my life, then you'll leave me with no other choice than to distance myself from you."

Anjali gulped. She couldn't lose Khushi's friendship. Khushi is connected to Shyam. If she hurt Khushi, then Shyam wouldn't want to see her face again in his life.

"I'm sorry, Khushi. Please don't talk about breaking our friendship. You know I feel like I was alone in my life, my family members were strangers to me.. it was when I found my new family in you and your brother. Please don't talk like this.. it hurts me to even think of breaking our friendship.. the only time I was willing to sacrifice our friendship was when Arnav asked me to choose between our friendship and your job.. I wanted to help you and save your job.. that's how much I love you and consider you as my little sister," Anjali spoke, her eyes brimming with tears.

Khushi felt bad seeing her cry. She got up from her chair and rushed to Anjali to console her, "Di, please don't cry. I'm not breaking our friendship, neither separating myself from you now. You're also precious to me. This is why I came here to politely request you to stop all this. You don't need to prove to bhaiya that I'm in love with Aman when I'm myself telling you that I don't have any feelings for him anymore."

Anjali nodded her head, "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

Khushi caressed Anjali's hair affectionately and changed the topic to cheer her up. When Anjali smiled after a few minutes, Khushi was relieved. She went to sit back on her chair.

They continued talking about random stuff when Anjali curiously asked Khushi if she is willing to give a second chance to love, if she was ready to fall in love with another man again.

Khushi's reply certainly wasn't in her favour.

"Yes. Why not?" Khushi replied with surety in her tone, nodding her head, "I already told you about my Amma and Babu ji's love story, right? It's only because of them that I believe life is all about giving yourself chances to commit mistakes, learn from them, and move on in life carrying the lessons from your previous mistakes to be careful next time. I'm willing to fall in love again, but this time, I'll be careful enough not to commit the same mistakes I made when I was in a relationship with Aman. I don't want to waste my life and live in fear to fall in love again because what if that person turns out to be like Aman. I believe my mistakes in my previous relationship will help me choose my life partner wisely this time."

Anjali forced a smile on her face, "You're right."

Khushi smiled back at her, and then her eyes randomly glanced at the entrance of the coffee shop. Her smile widened as she watched Aina coming to them. She got up from her chair and rushed to greet Aina enthusiastically.

Anjali kept staring at them, hugging each other. She couldn't help but think Aina was taking her place in Khushi's life, and if she continues to help Aman, then very soon, Khushi would break their friendship and make Aina her best friend. And then, if Aina manages to catch Shyam's attention, Khushi will make sure to get them married. She might lose the little world she's dreaming of soon if she continues to help Aman.

Khushi and Aina took their respective places to sit. They started talking about Arnav, who fainted last night. Aina was asking Khushi what exactly happened and apologised for not being there to help her. She also informed Khushi that when she reached AR, it was already late as everyone had left, and the guards informed her that the boss had left with Khushi already.

Anjali remembered the way she fought with Arnav this morning because of simply asking him about his health. Her mood changed. She wasn't interested in having this conversation about him. But it seemed like Khushi and Aina were more interested in talking about him and his diabetes.

Aina was sharing with Khushi that she has a family member with diabetes type 2, and she was sharing details about the same to Khushi.

"Khushi, can we go shopping now? I guess it's getting late," Anjali asked, sounding bored with their conversation.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's go," Khushi said, taking her purse, sensing that Anjali was getting impatient now.

The three ladies left the coffee shop, planning to go shopping first and then to the beauty salon.

*****************************************

It was 6:05pm. when Shyam knocked on the door of Khushi's room and walked inside after getting her permission.

He looked at his sister half-laid on the bed, keeping her phone aside as she looked up at him.

Shyam did a ramp walk pose in front of her to show off the outfit he was wearing for the movie outing, "How do I look?"

"Charming!" Khushi smiled, showing the 'nice' hand gesture to him, "Be careful.. you might be proposed by someone special tonight!" she teased him, hinting to Anjali.

Shyam blushed, then shook his head at her, "What rubbish.. Me and Anjali are just friends. There's nothing like that between us!"

"I'm not even talking about Di. Why are you assuming that?" Khushi asked, raising her brows and smiling mischievously.

And the realisation itself made Shyam feel embarrassed, "I'm not assuming anything. I already know how your naughty mind works," he quickly covered it up for the blunder he committed in front of his little sister.

Khushi chuckled in response.

"Are you sure you're not joining us?" Shyam asked as she approached and sat on the edge of her bed, placing his palm on her forehead to check if she had a fever. He thought she refused to join them because she was not feeling well and was lying to him because she didn't want him to get worried for her.

Khushi nodded her head, "Yes. I'm perfectly fine, bhaiya.. you go and enjoy yourself with Di," she mentioned Anjali's name again to tease him.

"If you are feeling good, please come with me, Khushi. I know Anjali will be there.. but still, I feel weird going to watch a movie with a ticket bought by your boss. It makes more sense for you to come with me, because he's your boss. He's mainly doing this to thank you for helping him yesterday," Shyam said.

"You know I'm sacrificing to watch my Salman ji's movie because of that Khadoos genie. It's hurting me more than anything else.. because this was my exciting plan for this weekend. But I need to do this only. Don't ask me why now," Khushi pleaded with him, making a cute pouting face.

"You went to shopping and beauty parlour today, so your hair looks beautiful and you've new clothes to flaunt on a Saturday night.. but you want to stay at home, doing nothing because of your Genie. Seriously, Khushi, you will regret wasting your Saturday because of him. He will never say thank you to you," Shyam said, pressing his lips tight, to stop himself from laughing at her face, expecting someone like Arnav to come and say thank you directly to her.

Khushi glared at her brother, taking a pillow to hit him on his back, "Stop making fun of me, bhaiya. It's okay if he doesn't say thank you to me.. but now he also knows that I've my ego too.. I didn't accept his indirect thank you gesture!"

She pouted, folding her arms across her chest. Shyam shrugged with a teasing smile, "If you say so!"

He got up to leave, saying, "Dinner is ready. I made chole bhature for you. You just need to heat it up when you want dinner."

Khushi nodded her head, "Thank you!"

"Chalo, bye-bye!" Shyam patted her head affectionately and left her room.

*****************************************

Sometime later..

Khushi was watching some viral YouTube shorts on her phone when her phone rang, almost making her jump from her bed as she wasn't expecting phone calls at this time.

'Mr. Cold Light', flashed on her phone screen, and her eyes widened, twinkling with happiness as she quickly picked up his phone, "Haan ji.. boliye?"

"Come down. I'm waiting for you!" his husky voice reached her ears, and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

Khushi climbed down her bed and ran towards her balcony to check if he was indeed there or not. She stared at him, waiting for her outside his car, leaning his back against his car bonnet. He was looking charming dressed in a casual black shirt and grey pants.

"Agar nahi aayi toh? (What if I don't come?)" Khushi asked teasingly.

"Then I'm going back," he replied. She watched him standing straight as if getting ready to leave, and she yelled, panicking, thinking he would really leave, "NO! Ruko.. main aati hu (Wait.. I'm coming)."

Arnav heard her scream not only from the phone but also from above. He looked up to check whether she was there or not and saw her looking at him from her balcony and showing her palm to him as if gesturing for him to wait for her.

*****************************************

A few minutes later, he saw her coming towards him, dressed in a plain white kurta and pink brocade duppata. She wasn't wearing that before when he saw her on her balcony. She was already in her pyjamas suit.

When she approached him, he noticed something different about her hair. It looked smoother and more straight now.

Khushi cleared her throat to call him back to earth since he had been staring at her for so long as if he was mesmerised by her.

"Why did you call me?" Khushi asked, wiggling her brows.

"Why didn't you go with everyone to watch your favourite actor's movie?" he asked.

"Did you really come all this way to ask me that?" Khushi asked with a fake, astonished look.

Arnav smirked, "No. I came here to drop you at the theatre so that I don't waste my money on the ticket I bought for you."

Khushi made a face, narrowing her eyes at him, "Don't worry. I'll give your money back. Wait here.. I'm going upstairs to take your money."

She turned to leave, and he spoke, losing his patience, "Khushi, stop acting stubborn. Enough now."

Khushi looked back at him and asked serious this time, "Do you really think this is the right way to thank me for helping you yesterday? First, you didn't even call me to invite me to the movie outing. You asked Mohan Kaka to do this for you. And second, you're just telling me to go there and watch my favourite actor's movie with everyone but you! Do you think I'll be happy with that? I feel like you're only doing this because you felt forced to do something for me. But you're not doing it from the heart."

When he didn't speak anything for a minute, she shook her head, staring at him with a look that said she had no expectations from him anymore before turning to go back to her house.

It was then she felt his hand on hers. Again, he held her hand from behind to stop her from leaving like last night.

She didn't turn back to look at him. She stood still, feeling his rough, warm hands tightening his hold on hers.

"Chalo mere saath fir (Come with me). I'll book an entire auditorium to watch this movie with you!" he said huskily.

Main Bhooli Nahin Hasin Mulaaqaatein
I haven't forgotten our sweet meetings
Bechain Karke Mujhko, Mujhse Yun Na Pher Nazar
Don't turn your gaze away from me after you've made me restless
Roothhega Na Mujhse Mere Saathiya Yeh Waada Kar
Promise me you'll never be angry at me
Tere Bina Mushqil Hai Jeena Mera, Mere Dilbar
Without you, my life is difficult, my love
Zara Zara...

Khushi felt her heart racing. When she turned to look at him, the proximity between them didn't help either. She gulped, speaking nervously, "Koi zaroorat nahi hai.. we can join everyone to watch the movie at the theatre."

"That's not possible. First, I don't enjoy watching movies, and second, I hate crowded places," Arnav shook his head in no, "You want to watch the movie with me, right? That's why I'm giving you this option, then don't come and tell me, I'm not doing this from the heart," he said with a serious offended tone.

"Okay. Now I accept it," Khushi nodded her head, smiling inwardly, realising what she said had some effect on him.

Arnav took her with him to his car. They were still holding hands as if it was normal, he opened the car's door for her and she got inside. Then he walked around and got in his driver seat.

Khushi sent a message to Shyam to inform him that she's with Arnav.

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When they reached the private theatre, Khushi was feeling awkward and nervous to be sharing this empty auditorium with him to watch a movie.

Arnav was standing behind her, waiting for her to decide which seat she wanted to take. Khushi looked back at him, gesturing with her eyes for him to decide.

Arnav was about to say something, but then the senior manager personally came there to greet him. He kept talking with the manager for a while. Khushi pouted and took the decision herself for their seats. She thought since it's empty anyway, sitting in the middle row would be the best experience.

The senior manager informed Arnav that he would send someone shortly to take their orders if they wanted something to eat or drink. Arnav nodded at them, then joined Khushi.

The lights dimmed when the movie was about to start. Khushi was super excited now to watch her Salman Ji's new movie. For a moment, she forgot the awkwardness she was feeling when she arrived with Arnav at this place.

On the other hand, only 10 minutes had passed, and Arnav pressed the bridge of his nose, wondering how he was going to handle this torture for the next 2 hours.

Khushi glanced at him and noticed his reaction. She smiled a little and asked him in a casual tone, "If you don't like watching movie. Then what do you like to watch?"

"Documentary movies," he replied.

"Boring insaan (boring human). That's why you're so serious," Khushi said with a fake realisation tone.

"And now I know why you're a comedy disaster," he said, taunting her back.

"Don't call my Sallu a comedy disaster, ok?" Khushi pouted, offended.

"What the. You better watch your movie in silence now," he frowned slightly.

"You still want silence after booking an entire empty auditorium?" Khushi asked sarcastically.

"Your voice is equivalent to 20 people speaking at the same time. It actually doesn't feel like I'm in an empty auditorium!" Arnav retorted.

Khushi turned her head to look at the big screen. She mentally decided that now she won't say a word to him.

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Thank you for the votes and comments on the previous chapter. Here's the update. Hope you enjoy reading it.