Journey towards Love

Chapter 25

Arnav woke up with a shrill ring from his phone. Gently withdrawing his hand from Khushi, he silenced it, lest she would wake up.

'Yeah Aman', he spoke, almost whispered, standing far from the bed.

'Sorry to disturb you early in the morning. But this is important', Aman apologised from the other end.

'Its okay. What is it?' Arnav asked concerned, as he knew Aman was not the one to disturb, especially knowing that he was with Khushi.

'Mr. Patel wants the meeting to be held tomorrow. Which means you should start to Mumbai today!'

'What? But that was supposed to take place few days later, ain't it?' Arnav asked, bewildered.

'Unfortunately, he needs to leave the next week for the US. Some emergency', Aman exhaled.

'But that's not possible, Aman. I cannot make it', Arnav exclaimed, rubbing his fingers on his forehead. 'Listen, will you be able to represent me?'

'What? Arnav this is a huge deal and you know about Mr. Patel. That man will never appreciate this!' Aman retorted.

'Not more than Khushi, Aman', Arnav roared. 'Tell him that I will not be able to make it, rather you will be there in Mumbai. If he has a problem with it, lets just cancel this whole thing!' Aman firmly stated, providing no room for arguments.

'Are you sure?' Aman asked from the other end, but Arnav did not reply to that as he knew how serious he was and that his friend would understand.

'Arnav!' Khushi's voice startled him, who had probably woken up by all the yelling.

'I.. I am sorry, I did not mean to wake you up', Arnav apologised.

'No that's okay. Work?' She asked gesturing the phone. 'Is everything okay?'

'Yeah.. Yeah. It's nothing', he shrugged and walked off the room, preparing to talk to Mr. Patel himself.

She sat frowning as she realised that something major had happened, but refrained from asking him, unwilling to elevate his tension.

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

Khushi sat on the small balcony on the first floor of the house, examining the handicrafts her mother had made. From small pots and dolls till huge vases and various other items, her mother was a pro.

'She really was talented, wasn't she?' Khushi asked, as she eyed the things she played with during her childhood, were actually made by her mother.

'Yes! Anu was so much into these handicrafts, totally opposite to Garima, who ventured into totally different things', Shyamala replied.

Her enthusiastic self turned sober with the mention of Garima, which did not go unnoticed by her grandparents and Arnav.

'Khushi, why don't you take Arnav to do some sightseeing of Lucknow?' Ramnath broke the silence, cheering her up. 'You both can go shopping!'

'Shopping? No way! I always heard it's dangerous to go shopping with girls', Arnav joked, receiving a pillow throw straight on his face from Khushi, bringing the smile back on her face.

Just then, Arnav received a call on his phone, and his expressions turned serious, while wrinkles formed on his forehead. He was definitely under some pressure.

After some yelling at the person on the other side, Arnav returned only to be stopped by Khushi. She stood with her arms folded across her chest, while her eyes demanded to know about the situation.

'Hey', he greeted her, in no mood to disclose, but Khushi's stern face made him give up his resolve.

'There is a problem in the office, which needs my presence. But do not worry, Aman is taking care of it!' He gave her a tight smile, which confirmed her suspicions. Something was really bothering him.