Infelicitous Desires

13

As soon as the clock struck 6, Khushi was out the door, rushing out of the building. She quickly hailed down a cab, gave the driver Arnav's address, and about a little more than half an hour later, Khushi reached his building. Normally Khushi would head up to his apartment through the garage, but that was because she was either with Arnav, or was picked up by Grayson. But on the few occasions she had gone over on her own, Khushi had made an acquaintance with the doorman, Paul, who had quickly gotten to know her given her frequent visits, and would let her pass easily and head on up to Arnav's penthouse.

Khushi headed into the elevator and jabbed the button for the penthouse, then let out a sigh as she leaned back against the elevator.

Wait, I'm early in comparison to Arnav. What should I do? Arnav mentioned in his text that Kayla would be in so she's obviously opening the door for me, but... I mean what do I do to pass the time? Plus it's odd being at Arnav's place with Arnav not being there. I mean who am I to be in his place alone- well, not alone-alone, but still....

The elevator dinged, signaling her arrival, and Khushi stepped out into the small hallway. She went over to the door of Arnav's penthouse and rang the bell. Moments later, the door opened, revealing Kayla.

"Good evening, Khushi," Kayla smiled at her. 

"Hi Kayla," Khushi smiled in return as she stepped in. "Oh! Something smells really good!"

"I've got a lemon tart baking in the oven."

"Yum!"

Kayla couldn't help but to chuckle. "Grayson called moments ago; he said Sir landed early and they're on their way here."

Khushi was slightly surprised and she felt her heart thump. "Really?"

"Yup, they should be here in about fifteen, twenty minutes, depending on traffic."

"Okay, cool."

"Are you hungry? I've got dinner ready to go."

"Um... I think I'll just wait for Arnav to get back and then we can eat together."

Unless he eats me first.

"Sure! I'm just gonna quickly go into the wine cellar and get some wine."

"Okay," Khushi nodded, and Kayla headed off.

Khushi let out a small sigh and looked around the penthouse. It had only been about a week since she'd last been here, and yet, a small part of her missed the place.

Mainly, she missed its owner.

Khushi stepped into the kitchen to see all the work Kayla had done. She caught a peek of the oven, noting the lemon tart Kayla had mentioned. She also noticed a small bowl of fresh berries, which she assumed Kayla would put on top of the tart to decorate. 

Let me stay out Kayla's hair....

Stepping out of the kitchen, Khushi headed into the spacious living room. She hadn't spent much time in here, but it had become familiar ground. In fact, since the first time she entered the penthouse, a lot of it had become much more familiar. 

Khushi placed her purse down on a couch and looked at the room around her. There were glimpses of the city coming through the floor-to-ceiling length windows and it truly was a sight to see. With the sky dimming and the city lights twinkling more, Khushi couldn't help but to be in awe of the sight.

Arnav truly does have an amazing view of the city, regardless of which room you're in. It looks amazing now, but I bet even in the winter the view is stunning.

Khushi glanced over at the immaculate fireplace, the mantle covered in photos as a large flat screen hung above it. She was sure that the pictures were family photos, but Khushi never pried, nor cared to look.