Chapter 44- Frozen hearts...will they melt by Deepti

Chapter 44

That evening, when Kushi returned home from college, she was glad to find all her dear ones assembled in the living room. “Do you both know how long it’s been since I got to see you both together!  If babuji is here then Papa is not in town and when Papa is here, babuji is in a totally different continent. Why are you working so hard these days??”, asked Kushi as she took the spot between Aakash and Shashi.

“Exactly! We are hardly getting a sight of you two in this house. Don’t we have enough of everything? Why are you both stressing yourselves so much?”, asked Devyani.

“Nothing like that Maa…it’s just that after Arnav joined us, the business is flourishing like never before and thus keeping us little busy”, replied Aakash.

“Is it really because of him or is Papa giving him unnecessary credit”, wondered Kushi as she started playing with her dupatta.

“True. We have to accept that our boy does know how to  run a business.  Haven’t seen such an astute businessman in all my experience”,  added Shashi giving his two cents.

“It’s in his blood.His ancestors were great businessmen. It’s just our bad luck that we lost everything including our home and came on to the roads without a penny in hand”, said Devyani recollecting the past, as she stared at her empty hands.

As the elders in the room got carried away with those words, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. Not able to see the gloominess which was fast seeping into Aakash’s eyes, Kushi rose from her seat and went to Devyani who was seated in the nearby couch.

“Dhadhi!!! No flashbacks please. What we have now is more important than what we lost in the past. So forget about all those and come to the present”, said Kushi as she took a seat next to Devyani and shook the old lady to make her come out of her thoughts.

“Okay Okay! Now stop doing that. I’m not young like you and if you continue shaking me, I will forget the present too”, said Devyani while her head was still wobbling due to Kushi’s actions.

“Oops Sorry!”, said Kushi, as she set the old lady free. ” Between, who said you are not young?You are always 16. Isn’t it ,Di”, added Kushi on a latter note.

“Yup”, replied Anjali agreeing with Kushi.

Kushi continued cracking jokes on  everyone’s age and made it impossible for them to hold back their laughter.

As the atmosphere in the room became much lighter and everyone’s faces lit up with smiles, a strange emotion filled the man who had been watching them for a while now. Arnav entered the house right when his grandmother was talking about the past and witnessed how the enchantress changed everyone’s mood. He was watching the person who was the reason behind the happiness prevailing in that room when Aarthi noticed him at the door step and said, ” Arnav! When did  you come and why aren’t you coming inside?” .

“I just walked in, Mamma”, replied Arnav as he walked towards the others.

“There he is!! The ASTUTE businessman!!”, mumbled Kushi ignoring the looks of the man who took a seat next to Anjali.

“Kushi,when you called this afternoon, you mentioned that you need to discuss something in person with Aakash and me. Now that we both are here, I would like to know what it is”, said Shashi reminding her about their call.

As Shashi’s words rose an interest in him, Arnav looked at her, waiting for her to talk.

” Actually, I wanted to check both of your availability on this Friday. Are you both going to be in town on that day?’, inquired Kushi hoping that they would.

“We will be in town for sure but can  be available  only if you let us know what you have in your head”, said Shashi.

“This Friday is going to be a very important day for me, Babuji. I will be showcasing my designs for the first time in a fashion show and I want you all to attend it. If you have any important meetings on that day, could you both please postpone them?”, asked Kushi with a pleading look on her face.

“You don’t have to request us, Kushi. We will be there. Right Shashi!”, said Aakash looking at his friend.

“Of course we will. How can I miss my daughter’s first exhibit”, remarked Shashi.

“Awesome!! Thanks Papa and Babuji. I will get the passes tomorrow. How many do we need? Dhadhi, Maa, Babuji, Mamma, Papa, Di, Rishi”, said Kushi as she counted the family members on her fingers.

“What about you and Arnav? Are you both not attending the show?”, asked Rishi, trying to make fun of his sister.

“I’m a participant you duffer.I don’t need a pass”, replied Kushi who preferred to ignore the other half of Rishi’s question.

“You will be joining us. Won’t you, Arnav?”, asked Anjali looking expectantly at Arnav.

“I have some important meetings on that day. Should see”, said Arnav looking at the lady who was not even ready to acknowledge his presence.

“These meetings are something which you will have all the time. Just postpone them and attend the event”, ordered Anjali.

” I will try, Di. But can’t promise”, said Arnav, turning his attention towards his sister.

As his answer angered her, “Forget it, Di. If he doesn’t want to come, why are you forcing him to? Anyways, his coming or not coming makes no difference to me”, said Kushi looking at him, eye to eye after many days.

“Kushi!!!”, as the warning bells rang in Sakshi’s tone, Kushi broke the eye contact and left from there, picking her stuff.

“I will freshen up and come”, said Arnav, excusing himself from the stares that were being directed towards him.

“Now what happened to these two? Did they fight again?” said Anjali as soon as Arnav left from there.

“Looks like they did”, replied Devyani  letting out a long sigh of despair.

“Fights between these two have become more common in this house now. You should have seen the way Kushi denied to take a ride from Arnav this morning. Only God knows what’s wrong with these two. I will be more surprised if they act civilized to each other. Don’t know when these two will grow up in this aspect. Anyways, let’s get the dinner ready before my daughter throws her hunger tantrums, Aarthi”,  said Sakshi  who soon headed to the kitchen, followed by the other women.

On the other level of the house, right when she was all set to enter her room, Kushi was startled when she heard him say, ” What were you saying to Di!”

As she turned around she found Arnav face to face. She took a moment to compose herself and when she did, she folded her hands and said, ” Are you deaf? Didn’t you hear? Fine! Then let me repeat it for you. I said, YOUR COMING OR NOT COMING TO MY SHOW MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME.”

He gave one cold stare to her and  said, ” Really!! So, is this your way of putting that you don’t want me to be a live spectator of your failure?”

“My Failure????”, asked an astonished Kushi.

“Of course…. your failure. I can understand why you don’t want me to see the fashion disasters which you have designed”, said Arnav ,crossing his arms against his body.

“How could you even say like that when you have no idea about my work?Have you seen anything which I have designed”, asked Kushi whose ego was hurt hearing his comment.

“That’s the catch. I don’t think your designs are capable to draw my or to that point anyone else’s attention. Thanks for not inviting me to YOUR great show. You saved my time”, said Arnav and without waiting for her response he took a step towards his room.

“Wait a minute!”, said Kushi before he went out of her sight and when he stopped in his tracks without turning around, she said, ” If this is what you think about my work, I wish you could come to the show  and see what my creations are worth of”.

“Ya and to witness your failure too”, he said turning around.

“Failure or success, you will come to know once you watch the show”, replied Kushi.

“Will see”, said Arnav as he departed from there.

“YOU WILL SEE”, replied Kushi as she stepped into her room and slammed the door to vent out her anger.

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On Friday morning, Kushi was at the dining table, having her breakfast when she received a call from her model coordinator. “Please make sure that all the models  reach there on time. I don’t want any mishaps in the last moment. You spoke to them right…..oh..okay… good. See you soon”, conversed Kushi.

While Kushi was having her conversation with food stuffed in her mouth, Arnav was amused to watch her talking and eating at the same time.

“Enough Maa.I can’t have more. I need to start. The show starts sharp at 7 p.m and I want you all there before that. Give me a call as soon as you all reach the venue and if I don’t answer the call assume that I’m caught up in something important. Find your assigned seats and sit there. There is a help desk to help you with the seating”, said Kushi giving out all the instructions to her mother.

“Okay okay. You forget about us and just stay calm. Don’t take too much pressure”, said Sakshi who was more concerned about her daughter’s tensions rather than the show.

“Ya..ya… I will stay calm. But take care of yourself Maa. You look more worried than me”, teased Kushi as she raised from her chair.

As Sakhsi stared at her, Kushi smiled and taking out the passes from her handbag she said, ” Here are the entry passes”. Once she handed the passes to her mother she grabbed her stuff and started taking the blessings from the elders.

When Kushi  moved to Anjali, she got a warm hug along with the good wishes. And once she thought she was done, ” Best of luck!!”, came the wishes from the unexpected  person.

As everyone look at Rishi, ” Did the sun rise from the west today? My little brother… wishing me luck? Not bad”, said Kushi with a surprised look on her face.

“Felt that you might need it very badly today”, teased Rishi throwing a wink at his sister.

While Sakhi caught his ear, Kushi giggled and turned her attention to that one person who was silently having his breakfast. She then looked at Anjali and said, “See you at the show”.  Though she said those words  looking at Anjali, Arnav knew that they were meant for him and he smirked looking at her disappearing figure.

“I might keep them somewhere and forget. You take care of these, Anjali”, said Sakshi handing the passes to Anjali. Once they were in her hand, Anjali counted them and said,   ” We have eight. Will you be coming Arnav?”, looking at her brother.

“I don’t know, Di”, said Arnav who soon left from there. While Anjali’s excitement vanished into the air, hearing his response, ” Don’t worry! Everything will happen the way it’s supposed to. All we have to do is just wait and watch”, said Devyani.

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It was 6.55 pm and Kushi was near the green room when she received a call from Anjali.

“Hi Di!Did you all reach”, asked Kushi, checking the dress in her hand.

“Yes. We have. But where are you?Can’t see you  anywhere”, said Anjali, who was looking here and there for Kushi.

“I’m backstage Di. I will be there in a minute”, replied Kushi who soon went in search of her family. She found them in no time but was disappointed to not find Arnav among them.

“Why isn’t he here? I thought he would come… at least… hoping to see my failure. Then why didn’t he?“, thought Kushi as she continued walking towards her family.

As she reached them, she hugged Devyani and said, “Now that you all are here, I feel much better”.

“Don’t worry beta. Everything will go well. By the way, you look very pretty. Did you design this one too?”, asked Devyani admiring Kushi’s peach and orange combination anarkali suit, for which Kushi nodded her head in response.

“Are all the preparations done”, inquired Aarthi.

“Yes Mamma..the models are getting ready… I need to go back. Why don’t you all take your seats.The show will be starting in another 5-10 minutes”, said Kushi, who showed them their seats. It was only when they were sitting, she noticed that her brother was also missing among them.

“Where is Rishi??”, asked Kushi, addressing her mother.

Before Sakshi could open her mouth to answer that question, ” I’m here”, came the response from behind.

Kushi turned around and before her eyes landed on her brother, they met the chocolate brown ones which were staring at her.

“I went to get Arnav. He came directly from office and all the passes were with us”, said Rishi giving the reason for his late entry. But nothing entered Kushi’s head as she kept staring at the man who was watching her very keenly. As Arnav’s eyes ran along the length of her body, he was thoroughly impressed. He noticed that she changed her dress which she wore in the morning and was looking gorgeous in the peach color suit.She was looking more like a model rather than a designer, with her long free flowing hair  and the high heel pumps which added few extra inches to her height. As his eyes rested on the pendent she was wearing, he heard his grandmother say, ” Today also you are wearing the same pendant??”.

” Yes Dhadhi. It’s my lucky charm. Don’t feel like wearing anything else”, replied Kushi turning her attention to Devyani, with her hand on her pendant. While a faint smile danced on his lips hearing her answer, Kushi’s phone buzzed, drawing everyone’s attention.

The expression on her face changed when she answered the call and when she said,”WHAT?? Wait I’m coming”, the panic in her voice concerned her family. But before they could address her, Kushi ran from there as if someone was behind her.

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” What do you mean by he is not here???”, yelled Kushi, looking at Amit, the model coordinator.

“I’m trying to reach him on his mobile Kushi… but he isn’t answering it”, replied Amit helplessly, pressing  the redial button on his phone.

“I  checked with you  in the morning and you said everything is arranged. And now you are telling me that my show stopper is not here???”, said Kushi with tension all over her face.

” Everything was fine until this afternoon, Kushi. I spoke to him around 2 and he is very much aware that he needs to be here by 5.30. He is under a contract with my agency, and should be here at any cost. If not he is going to be in a very big trouble. Don’t know what’s wrong with him. He must have got caught in the traffic”, said Amit who was  constantly trying to reach the model.

“What will I do now? The show will be starting any moment now and here, I don’t have my show stopper”, said Kushi, who felt very helpless at that moment.

“You don’t worry Kushi.I will try to make some arrangement”, said Amit and he rushed from there without expecting any response from her.

Just then an announcement about the show was made hearing which Kushi’s head started spinning. All the past days stress and hard work took a toll on her and her current situation made her  very weak. Not able to hold herself, she was all set to faint when she was caught by someone and was supported from behind.

Looking at the person who held her, “Dhadhi!!”, said Kushi with gloominess and helplessness  reflecting in her eyes.

“Don’t worry Kushi.. everything will be fine.We heard the conversation between you and that man.He said  he will make some arrangement right. Don’t worry”, said Devyani consoling her favorite grand daughter. The rest of the family joined her and made her drink some water. As Arnav looked at her pale face which lost all of its color, he felt his heart clench.

As all her friends and other students were busy with their models  no one knew  about her situation. The show started and the first contestant’s models started walking on the ramp and with each passing minute, Kushi’s tension started mounting. After ten minutes when the fifth contestant’s designs were  being presented, Amit returned with a guy.

“Kushi, he is the only  model  available right now”, said Amit, introducing the guy to Kushi.

“HE????? What will I do with him???”, asked a shocked Kushi.

” He can be your show stopper, Kushi. If there are any size adjustments, I think you can manage them. You are the 18th contestant. So we have a considerable amount of time for all the minor adjustments”,  said Amit trying to explain.

“If he tries my dress, there will be no need for me to make any adjustments… the dress itself will rip apart”, said Kushi with a lifeless smile on her face, looking at the model who looked more like a body builder to her.

Even in that tension filled atmosphere Kushi’s comment managed to make few people giggle.

“Sorry brother. When I design something which could fit you, I will definitely let you know. But for now, I can’t take any risk with my dresses”, said Kushi apologizing to the guy whom Amit brought.

“Never mind”, said the guy who walked out from there  after giving a look to Kushi.

“What will  you do now, Kushi”, asked Sakshi who was more worried for her daughter.

“Have you gone mad, Amit??? Didn’t you see the guy whom I selected to be my show shopper??? How could you bring this weight lifter. And how in the world did you think that my dress would fit him”, barked Kushi.

“I didn’t meet that guy in person, Kushi.He joined us recently. I just saw his picture and it’s my colleagues who deal with him. I never got to interact with him  directly.Can you give me an idea about how he looks. Anything that could describe him”, said Amit.

As Kushi started biting her nails trying to recollect the image of the person whom she selected,  “Does he look like him?”, asked Amit, showing some guy to Kushi.

“No. I designed the dress  for a 6 feet tall guy. This one will drown in that dress “, replied Kushi.

“Will it fit that guy”, asked Amit showing a super lean guy to Kushi.

“Two people of his size can fit into my dress”, replied Kushi.

“Come on Kushi…just  look around…there must be someone whose physique could be close to the one we are looking for”, said Amit, who was losing hope that he could help Kushi.

Kushi looked around  but was not at all convinced looking at the different sizes of men who filled the green rooms. But when her eyes finally landed on Arnav, she said, ” Find me someone who looks like him. This tall and with this physique”, said Kushi pointing at hand at Arnav.

“LIKE THIS GUY???”, asked Amit staring at Kushi.

As the  10th contestant’s name got announced by then, Kushi’s heart raced and she said, “Yes like this guy.Now stop staring at me and go find  someone like him. We are running out of time”.

“When we have him , what’s the necessity to find someone else like him. Why can’t he be your model. He will make a rocking showstopper”, suggested Amit watching Arnav from head to toe.

While everyone in the family looked at each other knowing that something like that would never happen, ” WHAT THE”, came Arnav’s instant reaction hearing Amit’s suggestion.

“HAVE YOU GONE INSANE??? HE IS NOT A MODEL AND HE NEVER WALKED ON A RAMP…HOW CAN HE BE MY SHOWSTOPPER?”, barked Kushi, who was all set to choke Amit by then.

“Relax Kushi! We don’t have time to go and find someone like him.Just think about it. This is the best bet we have”,  said Amit trying to calm her down.

While Kushi tried to think, a complete silence prevailed there for few seconds, breaking which, ” I’LL DO IT!”, said Arnav.

“WHAT?? YOU’LL DO IT?”, asked Kushi , who no more trusted her ears.

“Ya. Any problem??”, asked Arnav.

“But you have never walked on a ramp.How will you?”, asked Kushi.

“DO YOU HAVE A CHOICE??”, asked Arnav for which Kushi  had no answer.

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