Chapter 3

Khushi started filing the bundle of papers that she sorted into neat stacks on her table. It was three weeks since the accident, and for the next week or so there was a buzz on the floor about the whole issue of the Prince coming down to the seventh floor, but it died a natural death, as nothing happened.

Life returned back to normal.

Even Mr. Avadhani resumed harassing her with too much of workload, and in a way she enjoyed it. She was so tired at the end of the day that sometimes she just flopped off after reaching home. That's the way she wanted it to be!

Four more months at least she had to pass that way, and then… there would be some respite. She breathed out a sigh and looked out of the window. Rain fell in torrents and she looked at the drops on the window. Tiny, and forming patterns, as she remembered…

"Amma… yeh raha naav and this is a cat mom!"

(Mom! This is a boat…)

She was hardly eight and she was making patterns joining the frost on the window, as it rained heavily.

"Rani bitiya kya kar rahee hain?"

(What's my sweet heart doing?)

A male voice sounded in the background and she bolted into the arms of a handsome man of thirty crying, "Papa! I won't go to school tomorrow."

"Koi nai! Its ok" he guffawed and her mom came charging in saying, "Bigaado aur!

(Keep spoiling her further!)

She is getting spoilt. Tomorrow I don't know who will marry her" … and she rolled her eyes saying, "Uski tho lag gayee!"

(He will be doomed.)

"Oh! C'mon! My Princess will rule the bloke. Raj karegi meri bitiya." The man said kissing her on her forehead and said, "She would be loved and kept on a pedestal and will be worshipped. Haina?"

(isn't it?)

He started tickling her…

*****

A loud bang made everyone turn to watch each other in panic, and then started the fire alarms!

Khushi who was deep in thoughts, quickly put the files into emergency lockers that got locked on their own after closure, and rushed out through the emergency exit and on to the stairway to see people coming down from the top floors.

She waited to check if Raina was there, and then on seeing her take to the fire exit and slowly descend the stairs, started walking down and let others pass as they started rushing down. As she stood watching them running for their life, she shook her head in exasperation, as a voice from behind her said, "Don't you think you should be

moving not for yourselves but for making way for the others?" It was The Prince!

He saw the woman stand and let others pass, as if she was there to receive death if it happened.

How crazy but how very odd, he thought.

All women were talking loudly trying to find the reason, but she quietly stood looking so cool that it irritated him in a way.

But he could never imagine what happened next even in his wildest of dreams, as the lady got freaked out and she turned and saw that the people behind Deepthimaan were not going to stop and so let herself slip, to create space for him, and so fell on the stairs. He rushed to give her his hand for support.

The people coming down were right then less than in the beginning and he said, "Here let me help you."

She glared at him saying, "You scared me! Where are your bodyguards sir? You shouldn't have stopped! See? You hurt me!"

"Did I now? Somehow I always happen to do so in your case. Isn't it?" He asked grimly as she denied him her hand, and tried to get up but collapsed into a heap.

"C'mon!" he hissed.

"You go on sir! I shall join you," she said as sharp pain shot through her ankle. "Khushi. Get up! We need to go two floors down further…" he said with his hands on his waist.

"I can manage sir you carry on" she said stubbornly.

Deepthimaan stared at the lady who he was sure twisted her leg, but was so coolly sitting on the stairs assuring him about her well-being.

"C'mon!" he hissed.

"My leg is uh…slightly…

Its ok! Please carry on sir" she said in pain.

Let me check he sat on his haunches and tried to check her ankle… The alarm blared still. She hastily said, "Sir you leave I shall join you."

"Kaisay? Udkay?" He sneered at her.

(How by flying?)

"Jaisay bhi. Aap jaayiye" she sneered back.

(However! Please go!)

He was stubborn. He caught her ankle…with his palm to check and immediately realized it was a mistake.

He felt as if he was holding a dove in his hand as her soft sole nestled in his palm, looked like one. Her feet were beautiful!

She winced in pain and he raised his eyes from her foot and said… "Dard ho raha hai?" (Does it hurt?)

Somehow Khushi just went mute on that simple question coming out from the man. She was starving for care and affection and that one single soft sentence from the man, who hitherto was considered to be very tough and serious, touched a chord somewhere in her. A teardrop rolled down her cheek as a lone testimony of all that she went through which the world would never come to know. Least of all, the man who held her foot in his palm, as if it were made of crystal and was frowning at her, right then.

What was happening! She was supposed to be tough and he had seen her pain threshold limit, which was unusually high… but she went pale and was crying! Deepthimaan simply got up and lifted her up in his arms much against her protests and said, "Just shut up. Your foot is now out of order."

When she protested, he simply said, "Put your arms round me else I will be out of balance Ms. And please…" he said, when she said something about putting her down, "I just don't want to argue." When she looped her hands round his neck he looked down at her left hand and groaned saying, "Awe the mark is still there", looking at the burnt part of the skin.

"I told you scars remain." She smiled and he just went still. She smiled but there was a melancholy to the whole thing! What was this lady? He thought as he effortlessly carried her down the two floors. She weighed a feather! He must give it to her he thought. She was so petite and fit into his arms as if made to order.

"Khushi? What happened?" It was Raina who ventured to ask amongst all the staff that stood aghast at seeing the prince carrying her down and Khushi felt embarrassed and started trying to wrench herself away from him when he hissed in her ear, "Relax! Don't make a scene"

Don't make a scene? How dared he said that when he was the person who actually created a scene! She seethed from within.

"Get a doctor!" He was barking, as he lowered her on to a plastic chair that someone supplied.

"No! I am alright" she said unable to raise her head and loom at the crowd, which was now openly staring at her.

"The hell you are!" His voice boomed making everyone go silent at once. Khushi went red in her face.

Why was he making it so very obvious…Oh God! She closed her eyes and he misunderstood it as pain and yelled, "Where is the doctor? And what happened?"

"Sir it's a fire drill… just to check on the safety measures and the awareness of the staff in case of emergencies" the admin head was saying as Khushi looked at her swollen ankle, as she slightly lifted the hem of her sari. She should escape before anyone noticed that and made a fuss of it she thought, as the doctor came and he recognized her this time much to her chagrin…

"Yes! Miss! What are you up to this time?" he asked her and she raised her eyes just in time to catch that amused glint in those blue eyes that sparkled…

"Oh OK! What do we have here? A swollen ankle!" the doc said as he examined her leg, and turned to the Prince saying "Kunwar, I think it's a dislocation or worse still a fracture…"

"What?" Raina was worried…

"Ok… everybody! Get back to your seats now…" the admin head cleared the rest of the staff as the doctor put a crepe bandage and advised for diagnostics and left. "Call her people and ask them to take her home" Deepthimaan said to Raina as he made to go back…

Raina looked at Khushi and said, "Can I drop her home sir?"

"Why? Can't someone come?" He asked and added … "or will that hurt her ego!"

"No!" Raina flinched and said, "I would like to go settle her at …er…home…"

"You? Are you crazy? You need looking after first. You know that?" he asked the fully pregnant woman.

"Ahem…please sir" Raina pleaded with him.

"Why can't someone come from her home?" He asked glaring at her when Khushi glared at him and said coldly. "Coz there isn't anyone there to."

He was stunned. Of course! Why didn't he think of that before! She lived alone. So what?

"Put me in a taxi and …." she was still talking to Raina when he called out loudly, "SURI…" silencing her.

"No I don't need help…." She sputtered as he bent over her, his hands resting on the arm rests of the chair, and his eyes piercing through her heart and said, "You don't! But I don't leave any of my staff unattended to that way! So shut up and go home…" She made an 'o' with her mouth, and saw that that amused him and his lips twitched as he said "Suri inkay gharwaalein…"

(Suri! Her family…)

"Nahee hai!"

(…aren't there) She said coldly making him to turn and look at her at the cold inflection in her voice. "Ok! Drop her home and intimate her people. She might be needing help at home" he told Raina this time.

"I told you there isn't anyone!" Her voice came steady and cold.

"Oh they must be at your hometown…which is…?" he inquired… "Er…nahi! Humaara…koi nahi hai"

(There isn't any family) She said reluctantly he realized.

He slowly turned and asked, "How did you descend on to the earth Ma'am? You flew down from Heaven?"

Khushi smiled. HA! She did not know where she flew down from but she knew that she descended into hell for sure.

She instead said, "Not all of us are privileged to have a family sir"

Raina squeezed her arm saying, "Khushi…its ok…we will take turns and …" "NOOOOOOO! No please! I hate to be a bother! I can take care of myself. Just put me into a taxi." Khushi wailed embarrassed at the attention she was getting.

"What's your problem lady when she so sweetly is offering help? Just shut up and go home." The prince hissed at her and walked out to a car that stood waiting and after throwing some keys at SurPal drove away making everyone breathe out in relief, at once.

"Aap theek rahogi?"

(Will you be alright?) SurPal was asking her.

Khushi was staring at him as he took her home - she had to give him her address as her leg completely gave way and she could not risk calling for private help. He settled her on the bed. Made her comfortable. Got medicines as prescribed and when he found out that water needed to be carried from the owner's building, he went out and bought a can of bottled water for 25 liters and kept it handy on a small table near her cot. He made tea and they both sipped on it.

For the second time, she felt threatened by tears over his genuine concern.

"Aur kutch chaahiye?"

(Do you need anything?) He was asking, and sounded so much like Suraj - her brother! She shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek and stuttered, "Nai bhaiyya! Hum theek hain!"

(No brother, I am alright.)

SurPal looked at her sharply and she said "Muaff keejiye! I shouldn't have! I...er…remembered my brother." (Forgive me!)

"Koi nai. Hum…er…humay accha laga."

(No worries, actually felt good you did), he said smiling at her easily, and she liked him and said, "Shukriya."

(Thank you)

"Khana? Khana kaun banayega?"

(Who will cook for you) SurPal was asking…

"Kya aap kay Kunwar yeh sab bhi poochengay?"

(Will your prince grill you on this too?) She tried to dodge him by making fun of the Prince.

"Kunwar kutch bhi pooch sakthein hain kyun ki…he doesn't do things to please others. He does them coz they should be done."

(He can ask anything coz...) He said so seriously that Khushi understood the Prince was off limits.

She shrugged and said, "Please thank him on my behalf."

"Theek hain…" SurPal said and left. (Alright)