The Learning Curve - Chapter 22

'Pride and...Prejudices?'

"Anjali devi..." khushi said uncertainly as she saw the older woman standing stiffly by her door, she looked on, shocked by the sudden appearance of the most unexpected person "Yes, me..now are you going to let me in or should I stand here all night?!" anjali devi said haughtily to which khushi blushed and stood aside to let her pass.

"So...you must be wondering why i'm here..." anjali devi said stiffly as she looked around khushi's flat; her eyes looked up Shilpa once before moving over to the rest of khushi's modest abode, she finally turned to look back at khushi who had a puzzled and confused expression on her face "Y..yes...I mean...you c..came to my house?" khushi said nervously, glancing at Shilpa di who shrugged her shoulders after realizing that this was the woman khushi had just told her about.

"Yes..i know..it is shocking isn't it? I mean this is the first time I have come to a ser..I mean an employee's house" she sneered as she surveyed the small couch before sitting down; shilpa who was annoyed at the woman's audacity spoke up before khushi had a chance to respond "Madam, khushi is not an employee...she is counciling Anaya out of the goodness of her heart...so please show some respect to the woman who is helping your family out" shilpa said calmly, her anger simmering just beneath her serene face.

Khushi looked between anjali devi and shilpa di and tried to diffuse the situation "Di..I'm sure anjaliji did not mean it that way..." she said, gesturing shilpa to calm down, she then turned to Anjali devi and asked her in a polite voice "Anjaliji, what can i get for you? Some tea? Coffee?" khushi asked softly to which the older woman shifted her piercing gaze from shilpa to khushi "No..i don't need anything...plus I highly doubt you will stock the brand of tea that i drink or for that matter even the mineral water that I prefer" she said snootily which got both khushi and shilpa bristling, but they did not say anything.

"Anyways...lets just drop the pleasantries...I have come here for a very important thing" anjali devi said to khushi who silently nodded and sat down on the opposite couch, facing her "And we need privacy...so if you don't mind.." she said glancing at shilpa who pursed her lips and was about to walk out when khushi's voice stopped her "Shilp di is more than family for me...what ever you need to speak to me, can be spoken in front of her..I will not have it any other way" khushi said firmly as shilpa gave her a warm smile and came to sit next to her.

"Very well then..." anjali devi said as she cleared her throat and looked straight at khushi "Are you and Arnav having an affair?" she asked her directly without even blinking an eye. Khushi who was shocked at first at someone, practically a stranger asking her such a personal question took a deep breath and said in a barely restrained voice "I don't see how that is of concern to you"

"Oh, it does concern me!..you see, I don't want just anyone in Arnav's life...after all the woman who marries him will be responsible for anaya as well" she said to which khushi gave her an annoyed look "Oh, so you think the girls you were looking for him fit that bill?" she asked casually when in actuality her heart was beating like a drum

"Yes, obviously they do...they come from Rich, cultured background...and know how to poise themselves as a billionaires wife...which I think, you lack in plenty" she said snobbishly to which shilpa started her protest again but quieted down when she felt khushi hold down her hand "So, I will ask you once more...since you are not denying you have an affair with arnav..I need to know if he has proposed to you" she asked khushi again, completely unfazed by the rudeness of her questioning

Khushi closed her eyes against all the insults thrown at her and said in a very controlled voice "Anjaliji, like I said earlier...you have no rights to come and discuss my personal life with me...In fact if your thoughts reflect in such a way about me and Mr Raizada...you should have asked him these questions". Anjali devi observed her for a second before saying in a much lighter voice "I did ask him...but he refused to discuss anything with me"

Khushi widened her eyes at anjaliji's words "Oh, don't get any ideas...arnav is a playboy..once he gets bored of you he will move on...plus I don't know what I thought...he will never propose to you...I know the kind of girl you are...looking for a better life, getting friendly with the household staff just to get through..." she kept on saying when Shilpa shouted at the top of her voice "Shut the f**k up you batty old woman!"

To say khushi was shocked was an understatement, she had never seen shilpa like this...she was positively shooting hellfire from her eyes "Now you listen to me An-ja-li-ji...Who are you, to come and question khushi like this...you have no rights to belittle and insult her in this way...whatever is between her and arnav is their personal matter...and if you ask me, Khushi will be the perfect mother and wife...while you on the other hand, I can see very well...were probably never a good daughter, a good sister, a good aunt and most definitely not a good mother...no wonder you are childless...I am sure even God shuddered thinking how your child would have turned out" shilpa screamed at the woman who was visibly shaken by her words.

"Shilpa di...please...calm down..." khushi said pleading her to sit down, she then turned toward the fuming old lady and said in a very stiff voice "Anjali devi ji, please leave my house at once...I have tolerated enough of your nonsense...I cannot take any more of this...I gave you respect as you are an elderly person...but even I draw a line when it comes to the kind of behavior you have displayed in my house...towards me...so please, the door is that way..." khushi said in one breath as the older woman got up in a huff

"As if i want to stay another second in this god forsaken house with such slum mouthed people" she said looking at shilpa, but before shilpa could say anything, khushi spoke in a very cold voice "How dare you insult my di...if you don't leave my house this instant...I swear to God, i will do something that I have never dreamt of before.." she said menacingly her eyes blazing with anger.

Anjali devi strode straight past them to the open door and turned around as she stepped out "I can't believe the kind of people you are...so rude! But let me warn you...if arnav ever proposes to you...and if you accept, the consequences will be severe...so I need you to promise me...you WILL say a NO to him when he does...otherwise..." she said trying to sound threatening when khushi came right in front of her and said in a calm voice "Make me" before shutting the door right in her face.

...

"Aman...i hope dadi-bua has left by now" arnav said in a relaxed tone as he leaned back in his chair; he was still on cloud nine after the incidents of this morning when he had come down for breakfast. As he had sat down to sip on his coffee, maggie had informed him that dadi-bua had cut her trip short and was leaving by lunch time. He was very surprised at first..but then waited to talk to her, as she got down.

He saw the stiffness in her stance when she spoke of some emergency which had come up, because of which she had to leave early. He nodded at her before informing mohan about dropping her to the airport...but when he was about to leave, she stopped him and told him the most bizarre thing. She told him how she had visited Khushi last night to ask her about her and arnav, since arnav had point blank refused to tell her.

At first arnav's shoulders had gone stiff at the audacity of the woman, but when she told him about khushi's behavior and how she had rudely thrown her out of her house..he could not help but smirk inside...he knew dadi-bua too well to understand why khushi might have reacted that way, so when he did not show any remorse or anger at khushi's behavior dadi-bua had stomped her foot and cursed him saying that they both deserve each other before stomping out out the room...and hopefully out of his life as well.

He grinned as he looked at aman observing him "What? Is anything the matter?" he asked a perplexed aman who shook his head "N..no sir, its just that you are smiling a lot...now a days...I mean..." he said as arnav threw his head back and laughed loudly "Happy days are here my friends...why will I frown when I can smile?" he said as he dismissed a confused aman before texting khushi...he had waited till lunch time to text her, since he knew she was busy with classes till then

'Hi...how are you? I did not get a reply for my text last night' he texted and waited impatiently for a few minutes before grabbing his phone as it beeped with an incoming message 'Sry...m nt feeling 2 well...nt in school...i need to talk 2 u abt sumthing impt' her text said. Arnav pondered and was concerned for her as text seemed a bit off. He quickly called aman and canceled his other meetings of the day before informing the driver to bring his car around. Time to visit sabrina.

...

Khushi had just finished her shower. Since she did not go to school today, she had lazed around the entire day eating a late breakfast and simply catching up on her textbook corrections..but her mind was very obviously occupied with other thoughts...all night she was worried about how bad the situation had gotten between her and anaya's dadi-bua...she did not even text arnav back since she had no idea what anjali devi had told him.

She dried her hair and left it open to dry as she went back to check her phone...after the text arnav had sent half an hour ago, she had relaxed a bit...but he had still not replied to her reply about talking to him...was he upset about the dadi-bua episode? Was she mistaken about how he felt for her? Was he really just looking for something casual with her? All these thoughts were running amok in her head as she slipped on a simple loose vest over her old comfy track pants. She was just about to walk into her kitchen area when the door bell rang.

...

Arnav waited impatiently at khushi's door..waiting for her to open it. He knew that he should have called and told her that he was coming...but he just could not wait...he had to know why Khushi had reacted the way she did last night...he was sure she was affected by him...but to what extent..that was what he wanted to know...and the fact that khushi would not give dadi-bua a straight answer about their relationship when she knew that anjali devi was fixing his marriage, gave him a confidence like nothing else.

He took a deep breath as the door slowly opened and khushi's fresh dewy face peeped out, her eyes widened as she started at him before opening the door a little bit wider. Arnav took in her intoxicating scent as he stepped inside her flat before closing the door behind him..she had still not said anything and was probably wondering if he was a hallucination "Khushi?" his husky voice made shivers run up her spine 'He was really here'

She stepped back as arnav stood stiffly by the now closed door watching her "Arnav?..what.." she started asking as arnav looked her squarely in the eyes "Khushi...i'll only ask you this once...did you throw dadi-bua out of your house last night?" Khushi looked down guiltily before slowly raising her head "Arnav...it wasn't like that...I mean...I'm sorry for behaving soo horribly with her but..." she started saying when arnav held up his palm

"Just..yes or no khushi..." he said looking at her with an odd glint in his eyes..khushi who was a little hurt by arnav's questioning, before even hearing her side looked at him and said in a soft but confident voice "Yes, i did" she knew she was right in the way she reacted and arnav better..., she started thinking when the shock of arnav pulling her body roughly against him and slamming his lips on hers left her completely fazed out and shocked beyond her wits 'What the hell just happened'