They were watching the movie in silence when suddenly he heard Khushi gasp, her jaws dropped and her hand reached to her chest as she jumped from her seat and dramatically scream horrified, "Tiger ji.. nahi!"

Arnav rolled his eyes to her side, glancing at her, taking her seat back apparently relieved after Tiger succeeds in the scene where he had to leap from the top of a mountain to hold on to a moving helicopter. She sobbed dramatically after recovering from the shock of watching her favourite actor performance on such a deadly stunt, "What's the need of risking your life always like this Tiger ji? You need to survive to come up with more instalments of this movie. Hey DM, please protect my Salman ji, keep him safe always. Usko hamari umar lag jaye (may he be blessed with my age as well)."

Two seconds later, the sounds of laughter echoed through the cinema room. Khushi turned her head to look at the source of the laughter sound, only to get completely mesmerised by a laughing Arnav. He looked so beautiful, his eyes squint when he's laughing, and glowed with a spark of a kid's innocence and genuineness.

This moment felt like magic. She was used to seeing this man with a straight face every day. It seems so unreal to watch him laugh like a kid. His laugh was magically filled with pure, innocent, and sheer happiness. His wide smile lit up his entire face. Man was glowing while laughing, and she was starting to get smitten with this man.

She kept staring at him, enchanted with his infectious laughter. When his eyes landed on her, his consciousness kicked in his mind. Khushi watched the smile fade away from his face, and she immediately regretted staring at him for so long and making him feel conscious of what he was doing.

His stiff demeanour was back as he looked back at the screen, mentally scolding himself for losing control like this in front of her.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? You were laughing at me when I was crying jumping from that mountain," Khushi asked intentionally to not let him feel awkward.

"Well," he glanced at her for a second before continuing, "let me remind you that this is fiction. In reality, your favourite actor's bones no longer have the capacity to accomplish such a feat. And, of course, most of the physically demanding stunts were performed by stunt doubles. So you don't need to worry about his safety, but the stunt doubles."

"And by the way, he is blessed with almost triple your age already," Arnav added with a teasing smirk.

Khushi's mouth opened in a big "O" shape. She furrowed her brows offended by the way he chose to insult her Salman ji, "You're talking like you won't reach his age. So what if he's 58? He's still the most beloved actor in our country, okay?! I bet you won't do half the things he does when you get to his age."

Arnav shook his head in disbelief, "It's impossible to talk logic with blind fans."

"Haan haan.. don't talk logic with me, kyun ki main dil mein aati hoon, samajh mein nahin," she retorted with a dialogue from Salman's movie, trying to raise her one eye brow with attitude to give more vibe to what she considered as her mic drop moment.

"You know what," he raised his one eyebrow perfectly that made Khushi stop her miserably funny failed attempt in embarrassment now while he continued, "You're deeply and seriously influenced by these over the top and illogical movies. That's why you can't bring seriousness, discipline, and focus to your work," he said, back to his Desi Dad's tone.

"Please don't talk about work. It's the weekend," Khushi pouted. She looked at him frowning, annoyed,"Aur khilaye mujhe kuch.. movie date par invite karte hain, aur kuch bhi nahi khilate hai (And feed me something.. invites me on a movie date and doesn't buy me anything to eat)," she demanded with her grumpy tone.

"I didn't invite you with me. I sent you to join everyone to watch the movie. You were being stubborn. That's why I had to bring you here," he retorted.

Khushi's eyes widened. She was about to open her mouth to say something to him, but he cut her off and asked, "What do you want to eat and drink?"

Khushi folded her arms across her chest.

"What now?" he frowned, staring at her clueless of her reaction.

She looked away, showing him attitude, not wanting to reply to him now.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself, "If you don't want anything, then I'll keep my phone aside," he showed her the phone in his hand with a threatening tone to get a reaction out of her.

Khushi looked down with a cute baby pout, adorning her lips, "My brother made chole bhature for me. I left my brother's handmade food to come here with you."

"Oh.. so you want me to cook chole bhature for you?" Arnav asked sarcastically.

"Do you even know how to cook?" Khushi questioned, grinning and using the same tone as his.

"I know.. but not the dishes you're used to eating," he shrugged.

"Then what do you know how to cook?" Khushi asked curiously.

"We're not here to talk about food," he said as he got up from his seat, making her frown slightly.

"Arnav ji.. Where are you going now?" Khushi panicked, watching him walk through the aisle. She thought he was going to abandon her in the cinema room.

"Have patience, Khushi!" she heard him say as he disappeared from her sight.

Khushi couldn't help but smile at the way he uttered her name. It's rare to hear him call her by name, but when he calls her by her name, it's sounds different to her.

She looked at the screen and kept glancing back at the entrance side to check if Arnav was coming or not.

"What if he dumped me here and went home?" Khushi thought, biting her nails with a worried look. It was the light coming from his vibrating phone that caught her attention. He was getting calls from someone named Abhay. The person tried a few more times and then gave up.

A few minutes later, Arnav came back and sat back on his chair.

Khushi looked at him, frowning slightly, "Kahan the aap? (Where were you?)"

"Were you scared? I thought you wouldn't mind me leaving for a few minutes as you  feel safe with your Tiger ji," he smirked, teasing her.

"You received phone calls," Khushi informed him, ignoring his teasings.

Arnav checked his phone and then put his phone in Air plane mode. He noticed how she became quiet and serious, her eyes fixed on the big screen.

"I don't know how to make chole bhature.. so I had to go and buy it for you."

Usually, he's the kind of person who doesn't like to offer explanations of his actions to anyone. But something about her fallen face, the change from her talkative mode to a silent serious one that made him break his rule for a moment to explain to her why he left her alone.

"I was really getting scared.. because I don't like to stay alone.. and I'm scared of darkness too," Khushi offered an explanation from her side, too.

"You're reminded of the moment you lost your parents.. you felt like you were alone in darkness when they left you," Arnav said, staring at her intently.

Khushi looked at him and taken aback as she was not expecting him to guess the reason behind her fear right before she slightly nodded her head at him, "Yes," she whispered.

"Kuch nahi hota (nothing would have happened).. your Tiger would have cracked the screen apart and come in here to protect you," he said to lift her mood.

Khushi giggled softly while her eyes widened and her mouth watered, following the waiter coming towards them with two plates of chole bhature.

"Aap toh sach mein mere genie hai (You're really my genie). Thank you!" Khushi smiled brightly, her mood instantly changed as she impatiently waited for the waiter to place their plates on the tray table so she could attack her food. 

"I said thank you," Khushi stressed as she stared at him, having his food nonchalantly.

"Maine sun liya (I heard you)."

Khushi shook her head in disbelief, narrowing her eyes at him before shifting her focus to her plate, muttering to herself, "Cold light.. khadoos kahike!"

Arnav smiled inwardly.

While they were eating, Arnav ate silently while Khushi kept commenting and cheering for her Tiger ji loudly and sometimes sending him flying kisses.

"Aiyoooo Pathan aaya.." she screamed in excitement while glancing at his plate and casually stealing a pickled carrot from his plate, then kept her eyes glued to the screen to watch the scene between Salman and SRK. Arnav noticed that she stole a pickled carrot from his plate but didn't say anything as he continued to finish his food and left those pickled carrots on his plate for her.

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

On the other hand, Shyam was unable to concentrate on the movie. His mood was off the moment he saw Aman and his mother settle in a few seats in front of theirs.

"What is he doing here?" Shyam frowned.

Anjali glanced at him, gulping nervously, "Relax, Shyam. This is a public space, and he has the right to go wherever he wants to. He wouldn't ask your permission to come here and watch a movie."

Shyam sighed, "You're right. I'm glad Khushi didn't come now. Otherwise, seeing him and his mother here would have spoiled her mood."

"Hmm," Anjali unwillingly agreed while thinking, "Khushi spoiled Aman's plan by not joining us. He had planned to dance on stage on Salman's movie song to woo her back, but she refused to come. Sorry, Aman.. but this was the last time I was helping you. Now, I can't risk losing Khushi's friendship by helping you without her knowledge."

Shyam offered her popcorns, and she smiled, taking a few popcorns from his popcorn tub.

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

Much to Arnav's relief and Khushi's mixed emotions, the movie ended. Khushi was happy with the ending, but she never wanted it to end as it's not always that she's treated with a new Salman Khan movie.

They walked towards the parking lot, Khushi munching her popcorn on the way with a huge smile playing on her lips, "Did you enjoy the movie?"

"Yeah!"

She heard his reply and stared at him suspiciously, "Liar. I know you didn't like it. But thank you for bearing the movie because of me."

He didn't say anything else. Not that Khushi expected him to say anything, too. She was used to his way of giving her answers or explanations whenever he deems fit.

They got inside the car. Arnav watched her keep her popcorn bucket on her lap and, like an obedient kid, pulled the seatbelt first to buckle it before he started the car. Her face beaming with a smile, content with whatever he did as a gesture to thank her for being there with him when he fainted yesterday. But he wasn't happy with what he did.

When she asked him if he enjoyed the movie, even though he's not a fan of mass and over the top movies, he said yes not to spoil her mood.

He was feeling guilty seeing her being so happy about this movie date that served as compensation when, in fact, she just wanted to hear a simple thank you from him. He finds it difficult to express his feelings in words. It's not that he's not grateful to her for calling the doctor at the right time and saving his life. But when it comes to expressing his own feelings in words to someone, he always fails in life. This is a consequence of his past and the way he was raised by his parents. They always scolded him and scared him to the point where he was afraid to speak his heart out to anyone. As he grew up, he began to keep his feelings to himself and speak out whenever necessary. All of this leads to the man he has become today.

He even went order the chole bhature she wanted at the nearest chole bhature outlet. But still, the happiness on her face at every little he was doing to cover his inability to express his gratitude in words wasn't letting him in peace now. He wanted her to know he was thankful for everything she did for him, especially after he watched the footage of the part where he was unconscious and her attempts to bring him back to consciousness.

"Khushi," he cleared his throat, mentally rehearsing the way he would say thank you to her.

Khushi looked up at him, a bit surprised that he called her first, "Haan ji."

Khushi noticed how he started playing with his car keys and averting his eyes from her awkwardly while contemplating the right way to convey his gratitude.

She smiled lightly and said in an understanding tone, "It's okay.. jo aapne ne kaha nahi.. maine voh bhi sun liya! (What you didn't say.. I heard that too)."

Arnav looked up to her with an expression that revealed he was caught off guard with her words. All he could feel now was his heart beating dhak-dhak. He thought no one was able to understand his feelings and read his mind. Then why was she able to understand his unsaid words?

"Chalein ghar?" Khushi asked, trying to clear the air of silence and awkwardness between them, "I hope you don't forget to take your meds at home.. Mohan Kaka-"

"Thank you.. you were there for me when I fainted yesterday.. you called the doctor.. you went to buy medicine for me. What you did for me means a lot to me. Thank you, Khushi."

Khushi stopped blabbering the moment his voice reached her ears, she took a few seconds to make herself believe she had heard him finally thanking her for saving him before she turned her head to look at him with a surprised expression etched on her face.

She smiled a little, "It was nothing. Trust me, what I did to help you is nothing compared to everything you did till now for me. From giving me the chance to work in your"

"Don't you get tired of repeating the same thing again and again to me?" he cut her off with an expression, asking her to shut her mouth now.

"I listened to everything you wanted to say patiently, now that's it my time to speak, you're shutting me up like this. It's not fair," Khushi complained, glaring at him as she continued to eat her popcorns.
Arnav shook his head as he started the car and headed out of the parking lot.

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

"Aapko chahiye popcorn? (Do you want popcorns?)" Khushi offered him her bucket while he was driving. He was the one who bought two buckets of popcorn for her. The first one she finished during the second half of the movie and the second one, he bought for her when they were leaving the mall.

Arnav shook his head in reply.

"Khushi," he called her two seconds later, and she readily showed her popcorn bucket to him, earning a no reply from him again.

"Fir kya chahiye? (Then what do you want?)" she pouted.

"If you let me speak, then you'll get to know that too," he replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Haan boliye!"

"You're Di's best friend.. you know more about her passion for photography than me," he paused to glance at Khushi, who looked serious now.

She nodded her head, "Yes. It's her dream to become a professional photographer. Unfortunately, your parents didn't allow her to turn her passion into her profession."

"What if I give her the chance to become a professional photographer in AR? She will work with our team as their head," Arnav asked.

Khushi gasped, and her eyes widened in surprise as she smiled broadly, "Are you serious? Can you do this for her?"

"I can.. but I want to know your opinion as her best friend. Do you think she will accept this offer or not?" he asked, unsure.

"I think she will be very happy if she gets to know about this. I just can't believe this. Your idea is amazing, Arnav Ji. It's like killing two birds with one stone. She'll be working for her family business just like your parents want and also doing what she loves the most," Khushi said excitedly, genuinely happy for Anjali.

"Okay. Then you talk to her about this, ask her to join from Monday if she wants to work in AR," Arnav said.

"Hain?" Khushi scrunched her nose, "Why do I have to talk with Di about this when it's your idea?"

"Don't ask questions, Khushi. Just do what I'm asking you to," he replied, his tone laced with annoyance.

"I'm sorry, but I'm only blind fan of Salman Ji, not yours. So don't expect me to blindly follow your orders," Khushi frowned as she stated firmly.

"Fine," he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Don't look at me like that," Khushi gave him a scolding look before she continued, "Do you think it's normal to treat your own sister as a stranger? Why can't you just sit and talk to her about this? Why do you need a third person to convey your message to her?"

"She won't listen to me. Anyway, just let it be. I don't want to talk about this anymore," he said emotionlessly, shifting his focus to the road ahead.

"This is why I call you Mr. Cold Light," Khushi stared at him in disbelief, "Let's do one thing. 50%-50% partnership, ok? We will both talk to Di. Baat khatam. Deal?"

"I'll wait for you tomorrow at my house, 10 am," he said, indirectly agreeing to her deal proposal.

"Okay," Khushi shook her head, staring at him with a teasing smile, "I didn't know my Khadoos genie can be a grumpy kid as well!"

"What the.. I'm not a grumpy kid!" he frowned.

"Of course you're," Khushi giggled.

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

When they reached Khushi's house, Arnav opened the car's door for her, and she got down the car.

Khushi looked at the car parked behind them. She smiled widely seeing her bhaiya, Anjali and Mohan Kaka getting down that car.

"See.. they also came now," Khushi pointed at them, showing Arnav.

"Hmm," Arnav didn't look surprised by their presence.

On the other side, Shyam was confused about seeing Arnav with his sister, but still, he didn't react much as he would ask Khushi privately about it later. For now, he shifted his attention to Anjali and Mohan Kaka, thanking them for the movie night and bidding goodbye to them.

Anjali stopped Shyam from entering their building as she approached him to say, "I forgot to tell you one thing."

"What?" he raised his brow.

"You look handsome in this look!" she complimented him with a sweet, shy smile playing on her lips.

Shyam had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from blushing like a fool in front of her as he replied, "Thank you. And you're looking beautiful like always."

Her smile widened at his last line.

Meanwhile, Arnav was about to leave when Khushi's voice stopped him, "Arnav ji!"

"What?" he looked back at her.

"You invited me for a movie date. And I accepted it. Tomorrow after we talk with Di about your idea, I had planned to visit an orphanage and spend the day there with the kids. And I wanted to invite you to join me," she bit her lips, hesitantly inviting him to spend his Sunday with her.

Arnav thought for a while before nodding his head, "Fine. But you'll have to pick me up like I did for you."

"Done," she chuckled softly.

Even though it was dark outside, she noticed he was smiling too. When he got inside the car, she watched him start the car and leave with a silly smile on her face.