Retrouvaille: An IPKKND FanFiction

Chapter Twelve: Dreams

Khushi sighed, frustrated as she struggled to read the second chapter of the book she had in her lap for the past hour. She looked around, sinking further into the plush leather chair at one of the corners of the AR library right outside Arnav's Penthouse apartment in the office building. She took a deep breath and inhaled the unique smell of leather-bound books that lined the wall. And she smiled. It had been quite some time since she had been to a library. The best memories from her childhood were not those from a library or of reading the books but she remembered the thrill of sharing new information with her babuji and jiji whenever she found some interesting facts. Nonetheless, when she looked at the introductory book on microeconomics that lay open in front of her, she pressed her lips into a thin line. But if she was honest to herself, when she decided to choose a spot in the library that afternoon, she knew she would be reading a book similar to this. She hadn't really expected Arnav to display comic books in his private library.

She looked outside the window next to her and reveled in the muted heat of the sun that peeked through the sheer curtains. She sipped the last of the chai that rested on a side-table and revisited the past couple of days that she had loved every moment of. Earlier in the morning, Arnav had treated her to fresh jalebis from her favorite local vendor when her doctor gave her a clean bill of health. Later, when he drove both of them to AR to attend a meeting at work, he made sure Khushi was taken care of at his Penthouse suite before he had made his way back to the conference room. A teenage Khushi would have wanted nothing more from her Prince Charming.

An adult Khushi, however, scowled at the chapter of microeconomics she had been reading. She had realized she wanted to be the one to take care of Arnav, to help him in every way possible. In her opinion, getting familiarized with his world was the first step. Because Prince Charming or not, he was important.

Unfortunately, at that moment, Khushi needed more chai if she were to survive the next chapter. She giggled to herself as she got up on her feet and gathered a few books that she had found engaging in her hands. She walked across the room to the elevator that would get her downstairs to the cafeteria. But when the doors beeped and opened, she heard some commotion that floated to her through the corridor, followed by several angry voices. That was followed by some metal banging against the wall. She frowned at the noises coming from the direction of AR Studio. Hoping that she won't regret her decision later, she decided against having Manju ji brew her another cup of chai and walked in the direction of the sound.

When she pushed open the door to the spacious room that served as AR's in-house photoshoot studio, she saw a few people rolling racks after racks with an assortment of shoes towards the couch set against a backdrop at the far end of the room. She gasped when she recognized the model who sat cross-legged on a chair pulled next to it. She was tall and lean with her hair messily rolled into a French twist. Khushi watched as she re-fastened her robe and drop her feet to the ground. Khushi frowned when the model completely disregarded the options an AR designer presented to her.

"Ma'am?" Aman's familiar voice pulled her attention away from the scene, "Umm, we weren't expecting you here. Did you need something?"

Khushi turned to face him, "No, Aman ji. I just walked over to the studio when I heard someone shout. And that went on for a while, so I thought I will check in."

Aman smiled, "Yes, Ma'am. That would be the models for the day. It's Lisa and Ujjwala doing our main shoot today; they always have some suggestions for us. Usually, ASR handles them, but we are used to dealing with them too."

"What is it this time?" she asked curiously.

"Something about a shoe," Aman told her, "Apparently," he added.