RISHTAA: An Arranged Love (IPKKND AU) **ON HIATUS**

Chapter 35: Arnav

"What are you doing?"

"Me? I'm reading the minutes of today's acquisitions meeting."

"Arnav-ji! Don't you watch any films?"

Arnav frowned at the papers in front of him, absently touching the Bluetooth device at his ear.

"Answer me like they do in films," Khushi's tone rose an octave as she implored.

"What do you mean?"

"You should say that you're lying down and staring up at the stars."

"It's cloudy," he objected, his eyes finding the night-time sky, "and that sounds like a waste of time."

"Fine! I'm hanging up."

"Okay. You should sleep, you have classes tomorrow."

"No wait, listen. I'll hang up now?"

"Yeah," he flipped to the next page.

"Should I really hang up?"

"Do you ... want it in writing?"

"Okay," Khushi seemed to perk up, "You hang up first!"

Arnav rolled his eyes at her childishness, "Good night."

Ending the call, he settled back into the chair with a weary sigh, but his phone rang not thirty seconds later.

"You hung up!" Khushi greeted, outrage clear in every syllable.

"Well ... yeah."

She huffed, seemingly so angry that she couldn't even speak, and it dawned on him that he was in trouble.

"You're not meant to hang up," she explained with exaggerated patience, "You're meant to say 'You first', so that I can say, 'No, you first' and then we talk like that."

"Why?"

"Because it's romantic!"

Arnav considered her words as he slid the file onto the table and reclined back.

She's trying to flirt. This is her filmy notion of romance.

He smiled into the phone, the realisation triggering a warmth in his chest. "What do you want to talk about, then?"

Immediately, she launched into a story about her latest project for college, a series of case studies into different pedagogies that involved day trips to local schools. While it was evident she loved children, and loved to learn, he'd started to wonder about her desire to become a teacher. For some reason, it didn't strike him as Khushi.

"... Then Barun said he wouldn't apologise to Pinky and we had a discussion about saying sorry ... why don't boys say sorry, Arnav-ji?"

"I don't know," Arnav traced a finger along the edge of his chair, "It's hard to say it sometimes."

"Even for you?"

"Yeah."

A knock on his bedroom door distracted him from her reply.

"Babe, I'll call you back, okay? Give me a few minutes."

"Oh ... what ... you ..." he heard her take a deep breath through the phone, "What did you c-call me j-just now?"

"What?" his fingers drummed on the chair as he replayed his words, "oh ... 'Babe' ... you don't like it?"

"I ... you see ..."

He grinned, imagining her blush stealing across her cheeks and nose. "Ten minutes. Hold that thought."

Sliding the phone into his pocket, he opened the door to find Aakash and Di on the threshold. He invited them in with a gesture, noting that Aakash looked pale, and folded his arms as they settled on his recliner.