ArShi-One Shots

The Turning point

Arnav Singh Raizada's eyes,flickered between the door of the café and his Rolex watch, every few seconds.If you had looked up the meaning of 'Confidence' in a dictionary, on any of the remaining 364 days of the year, you would've probably found his name beside the word. However, currently, he was a bundle of nerves. Afterall, he was going to meet someone, who had the power of making a decision, that could turn his life a complete 360 degree,for the better or for worse.

He clicked the home button on his iPhone 6 and the wallpaper instantly brought a smile on his face,just like every other time. Right at that moment, he heard a new message alert and his smile widened.He quickly opened it to read a ,"What's going on?" inside the green bubble like thing on the screen. He could totally imagine her adorable face ,with her button like nose scrunched and eyebrows knit together in concentration, her hair tied in a careless bun with few loose strands kissing her face. He was also certain, that she would be biting her nails , a habit she resorted to, when in tension. He replied with a "Thinking if I should stay or just run from here as fast as I can, before she arrives". His phone notified him of a new message, in less than a minute,which read "Aww baby don't be scared,she will realize how amazing you are. It will turn out fine,for you,for US <3". He badly wanted to see her right then, but he knew he couldn't leave immediately, as he was about to do something for a possible forever with her."Thankyou M'lady. I hope so : ) Love you",was his reply to her before his mind drifted to a happy place, which consisted of all the wonderful moments spent and memories made with his love,his happiness,his Khushi.

Arnav and Khushi had met in grad school in London,while they were doing a course in business administration,two years ago.It wasn't love at first sight,though it was hard to avoid the attraction they felt for each other. Being among the few Indians in the batch,they hit it off almost instantly. Getting assigned to the same project, only increased the number of texts and long duration phone calls till wee hours of the morning, with the 'Project discussion Vs. Random talks' being in the ratio of 20:80.One thing led to the other and slowly but surely,they realized that they had fallen in love with each other. A week before coming back to India, they decided to visit one of the most romantic destinations in the world, Paris and they shared their first kiss in front of the Eiffel tower.

Arnav and Khushi had decided to settle down in their respective professions, before informing their parents about their relationship. Arnav had taken over AR Designs from his father and was now quite successful in running the business. Khushi, a chartered accountant, was now working in one of the most reputed consultancy firms in Mumbai.A mutual decision was made and Arnav told his parents about Khushi and they were happy with his decision. Khushi however, decided to tell her mother first and ask her to break the news to her father. Being the only daughter, she was the apple of her parents' eyes. She had a feeling that her father would ultimately agree,but at times it was easier to talk to her mother when it came to talking about guys and relationships. Her father was extremely protective of his little doll afterall. So,Khushi's mother wanted to meet Arnav, before she could talk to her father about him.

"Earth to Arnav", Arnav heard someone say and he was immediately brought back to the present,where a woman around fifty years of age, was sitting on the chair across him and looking at him with an amused smile. To say he was utterly and extremely embarrassed, would be an understatement. He was caught day dreaming, with probably a goofy grin on his face, by his lover's mother. Excellent first impression.

He quickly replaced his silly expression with a small smile and greeted his, hopefully, future Mother in law with a "Hello Mrs Gupta" and extended his hand for a hand shake.

"Seriously? Mrs Gupta? We are not in a business meeting Arnav. Aunty should be fine", she chuckled and Arnav's smile now became a wide grin. He liked Mrs Gupta and he could see the source of Khushi's happy and cheerful attitude. Garima Gupta was a teacher by profession and like they say, interacting with kids regularly helps you stay young, Garima looked like she had just turned forty. Her warm brown eyes which could make anyone feel comfortable in her presence and her bright and genuine smile,made Arnav realize how similar Khushi was to her mother.