The File...

She was pacing in the room, biting her nails, blabbering to herself.

“Argh... Where did I keep the file?”

“Hey devimayya! If I don’t find the file in next few minutes, that Laad governor will surely eat me.”

“Hey devimayya… Raksha karna”

She tried to remember where she kept the file. She remembered that Laad governor coming into her cabin and giving her the file saying that it is a very important file and he wanted her to study it carefully and then, meet him in his cabin after one hour sharp and tell her opinion about it.

She took the file and kept it carefully on her desk and then suddenly she smelt Jalebi and saw the time. It was lunch time and she was sure that one of her sweet colleagues must have brought those sweet Jalebis for her… She absent-mindedly walked out of her cabin and ate Jalebis offered by her colleagues. They asked her to join them but she remembered about the file and there were only 30 minutes left for her Laad governor to shout on her and she still hadn’t even touched the file.

She went back to her cabin and straightly went to her desk but ”Hey devimayya! Yeh file kaha chala gaya?

She lost the file!! This cannot happen. She clearly remember keeping the file on her desk and no one enters her cabin without her permission.

And from past 30 minutes she is searching but of no use. She sat on her chair waiting to hear his shouts… But she heard none. She was appalled. Arnav Singh Raizada still didn’t shout on her though she is late and didn’t meet him after one hour ‘sharp’.

Suddenly her phone rang. “Come to my cabin. Right now”, said the voice from the phone. She hung the phone, gulped hard, and timidly walked to ASR’s cabin.

He saw her coming to his cabin empty- handed, face full of fear, walking timidly.  He quickly understood the reason behind her fear. He opened his table drawer and saw ‘THE’ file. He sighed. He again couldn’t do it.

Khushi’s thoughts were all occupied with Arnav. In the starting, when she joined his office, nothing was fine between them. Slowly they started caring for each other. The staff knew only his rude and ruthless side. But she, she saw his caring side. Unlike in the beginning, he never scolded or got angry in her for no reason. He started talking to her in not – so – rude manner. She liked this side of Arnav. She felt a blush creep on her face as she thought about him.

Arnav was carefully observing her as she came up to his room. He observed that she was preoccupied in some thoughts. As he noticed a blush on Khushi’s face he understood that she was thinking about him. A smile crept on his face with this thought. Though nothing was so good between them, from the start, lately he felt a pull towards her. There was a big change in his feelings for her. He realized that he loved her. Yes. Arnav Singh Raizada loves Khushi Kumari Gupta. But does she feel the same for him??

He wrote all his feelings for her in a file and gave it to her saying that it is an important file. But as soon as he gave her the file nervousness spread in his system. When he saw her going to canteen he went to her cabin and took the file quietly and brought it back to his cabin. Argh… He is hating this. Arnav Singh Raizada is not a coward.

Khushi was still thinking how could she misplace the file. Then a supposition stuck her. ‘May be… May be I was so affected with the sweet smell of Jalebis that I absent-mindedly kept the file somewhere. Haan. This might have happened’ she said with a victorious smile as she felt she understood the reason behind her losing the file. But little did she know that someone was lost in that smile of hers. But however, her mind was not ready to accept that she was that careless. As she was climbing the stairs lost in her owm thoughts, something hit her face. No. She hit the glass door of Arnav’s cabin. Arnav controlled his laugh as Khushi looked up to him through the glass door.

She entered his cabin full of nervousness, guilt and fear. She dared not to look into his eyes. All of a sudden, she heard his husky voice, “So, Miss. Gupta”.

Arnav was in fear himself. He knew that she was guilty for something she didn’t do. He didn’t know how to say this to her and make her understand. He saw her gulp hardly as he spoke.

“I am so sorry, sir.” He understood that everything is just as he imagined. Suddenly an idea struck him. He wanted to play along.

“Sorry for what, Miss. Gupta?”

“Sir, I …I…”

“What?”

“Woh… Woh..”

“What happened?” , he asked a bit louder.

“Sir… Sir… That file…”

“What happened to that file?” He asked filling anger deliberately in his voice.

“I am so sorry sir. I didn’t want to..but..”

“But what damn it ? “ he asked loudly

Words ditched Khushi Kumari Gupta. She couldn’t answer.

“Answer me. I said Answer me” he shouted.

She jumped in fright. “Sir, I lost the file.” She said finally. She didn’t dare to look at his face. Suddenly she heard a laugh fill the room and she looked up in surprise. Arnav Singh Raizada was laughing. That too, when she lost his VERY IMPORTANT FILE. She must be dreaming. She pinched herself. “Ouch!”. It’s paining. So, this is not a dream.

“Sir?”

“Yes, Khushi”

“Sir, are you okay?”

“Yes. Why do you ask that?”

“No sir, it’s just that you are laughing. So…”

“What the. So, Can’t I even laugh Khushi?”,  he asked raising his eyebrows.

“No Sir, I didn’t mean…”

“Arnav” he said with a smirk.

“Sir?” She asked confused and controlling herself from staring at his face. ‘ How can a person be so handsome. Argh… and his smirk… god knows why he is smirking. Hey Devimayya, raksha karna’ she thought.

“Call me Arnav, Khushi”, he said continuing to smirk and moving forward, towards her.

“But sir,…”

“Arnav”, he said moving forward another step.

“Arnavji” she said blushing.

 “Arnav” he said almost leaning into her.

“Arnav … ji”, she said blushing very hard.

“I said Arnav, Khushi”, he said huskily in her ear.

It was then, that she realized how close they were. Her heart beat paced and her breathing heaved.

She wanted to say something, but again her voiced ditched her. Arnav was totally enjoying his effect on her. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere “Where is the file Khushi Kumari Gupta” asked Arnav in a loud voice. Khushi jumped in fright.

“Sir, I los…”

“Open my draw, Miss. Gupta.” He said with a smirk. She was hell confused but went to his desk opened his draw and found the file. She took it out with a shocked expression and all her blush on her face went away. “Sir, this file..” “Yes, this is the same file which I gave you. I said you that this is a very important file, Khushi. But you, you left it on your table and went to canteen to eat your Jalebis…” He continued speaking as he slowly took steps towards her. She noticed him etching closer to her, but she was so lost in their proximity to react. She was finding it hard to concentrate on his words with him so close to her, that she was inhaling his scent. But she had to know. She had to know how the file reached him. Then she heard him saying. “I was afraid Khushi. I really was. I am still nervous. I don’t know how to say you Khushi, but I have to. I am afraid of how you would react reading this. So, I took back the file while you were away.” “What… What is there in this file, Ar.. Arnavji”, she asked  hesitatingly with her new found voice. “Arnav gently pulled the file from her hand and pulled out the papers from the file and threw them up in air. All of them fell around them. Khushi could see different colours of papers fall all over the room. Few words were highlighted. They read “ I LOVE YOU, KHUSHI. I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT YOU. YOU ARE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE KHUSHI.” And many more such words. Khushi’s world stopped. She didn’t understand anything. She started loving him but she didn’t know that he loved her too. Tears of happiness started to flow from her eyes.

Seeing her cry, Arnav didn’t understand anything. “I am so sorry Khushi, if I have hurt you. But this is the truth and I can’t hide this from you. I LOVE YOU KHUSHI. I REALLY DO.” Khushi’s heart skipped a beat. “I LOVE YOU TOO ARNAVJI” She said.

Arnav’s happiness knew no bounds. He was never so happy till today. No one dared, till today, to come close to him. But this lady, this lady not only came close to him but also broke the walls of his heart and captured it.

“Say it again Khushi”, he said into her ear. She blushed hard and hid her face in his chest. “Say it again. Please” he said. “I LOVE YOU ARNAVJI”. “Arnav, not Arnavji “, he said teasingly.

“Arnav”, she said, still her face on his chest. “Say, I love you “, he said.

“Say what?”. It was her turn to tease.

And then they continued for ever so long, saying I love you to each other… pulling each other’s legs… enjoying their realized love… Thanks to “THE FILE”.

 Thanks for reading...