Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Ma, I will be fine," Khushi mumbled for the umpteenth time as her mother fluffed up the bed covers in her dorm room.

"I know you will be," her mother sniffed, "I'm only arranging the bed because I know you don't get sleep if you aren't comfortable."

Khushi felt a lump in her throat.

She was really going to miss her parents. As an only child, she was the apple of their eye and had been spoilt rotten growing up. Thankfully, it hadn't resulted in her becoming an entitled brat but it had made her very dependant on her parents.

She watched her mother fluttering around the room, keeping her favourite chocolates on her study desk, folding her clothes and setting them up in her cupboard and making sure everything she could possibly need (and more) was within arms reach. She was really going to miss her parents.

Who would comfort her when she had a fight with one of her friends or didn't score well in a test? Or  give her the kind of warm hugs that only her mother could give?

"Arnav is there," her mother said out of the blue. It was almost as though she had read her daughter's mind even though her back was facing Khushi as she organised her study table.

"You have a friend here so you won't miss home as much."

Khushi simply nodded because she was worried she would burst out crying if she tried to say something.

"Hey, all done here?"

Arnav casually strolled into the room and sat on her bed.

"I was just telling Khushi not to worry about anything because you are here to take care of her, haina?"

"Ofcourse," Arnav said, without missing a beat, "Are you worried?" He peered curiously at Khushi.

Khushi shook her head but still refused to say anything.

"She hasn't ever stayed away from us," he mother smiled as she went up to Khushi and wrapped her in her arms.

"I am not worried," Khushi mumbled even as she felt a tear roll down her cheek.

"C'mon, Khush." she heard Arnav say, "We're in college. It's going to be so much fun!"

"Not too much fun, I hope." her mother said sternly as she glanced back at Arnav. "You'll both need to focus on your studies as well."

"Ofcourse, studies come first," Arnav winked mischievously.

Her mother shook her head in resignation and placed a soft kiss on Khushi's head.

"Don't worry, baby. Mamma and papa are only a drive away." her mother whispered so that only Khushi could hear her. "Anytime you feel like coming home, you can just call us."

Khushi sniffed as more tears came rolling down.

"I'm pretty sure that within a week you'll forget all about mamma and papa." her mother laughed, "Once your classes start, you'll be so busy that you won't have time to miss us."

Khushi started sobbing in earnest then.

"Hey, hey, Khush,"

She heard footsteps followed by Arnav patting her back gently.

"C'mon, don't be like that. How will aunty and uncle feel if they see you crying like this."

Khushi only wrapped her hands tighter around her mother in response.

"I know it's hard." Arnav said gently. "We're new here and it feels a bit lonely right now but classes start from tomorrow. You'll make friends in no time and..we still we have each other right?"

Khushi looked up at him from her mother's embrace and saw him smiling at her, encouragingly.

She nodded.

Arnav was right. She was being silly. Yes, this would be the first time that she was staying away from her family but she wasn't the only one. So many students lived on campus, away from their families. 

With a sigh, she loosened the tight embrace she had around her mother and took a step back.

She wiped her tears as her mother gave Arnav a grateful smile.

"There's the girl I know," Arnav said, bumping his shoulder with her.

She smiled feebly as her mother cupped her face and gave her another kiss on her forehead.

"Only a phone call away." she whispered to Khushi.

Taking a deep breath, Khushi nodded.

"Is that the time?" Arnav suddenly exclaimed. He was looking at his watch in mock horror.

"It's 2pm already! No wonder my stomach has been rumbling for the last 15 minutes. C'mon cry baby, we gotta go get lunch."

"Shutup," Khushi scowled but the distraction worked. She moved away from her mother to join Arnav as he started browsing for local eateries on his phone.

"Look, Khush, they have an Italian place just down the road." Arnav said, showing her his phone. "Your favourite."

"It's only 10 minutes away." Khushi smiled; her first genuine smile in the last hour.

"Want to try it?"

"Sure, why not?" Khushi said and then looked questioningly at her mother.

"Maybe we can join you for lunch and then head back home from there." her mother suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!" Arnav said quickly, ushering Khushi and her mother outside the dorm room before there were any more emotional breakdowns.

He knew how sensitive Khushi could be and the best way to distract her was by pointing her in the direction of her greatest love - food.

***

"That place was quite nice, right?" Arnav asked as they walked back to their dorm rooms after lunch. The Italian place had turned out to be a small and cozy restaurant that was walking distance from their campus. It mainly catered to the student crowd which meant the food and drinks on it were cheap. The food, though, was absolutely delicious and for a moment, Khushi had forgotten about her worries as she dug into her pizza while chatting away with her parents and Arnav.

"Very. I'm probably going to be one of their regulars." Khushi agreed.

"I noticed they were hiring waitstaff. I saw the ad near their entrance. Do you want to give it a try?"

"Maybe." Khushi said. "I noticed the sign as well. I was thinking of maybe going there tomorrow to talk to the owner."

"Good idea," Arnav agreed.

"What about you? Are you going to apply as well?" 

"I'm not sure. Maybe." Arnav mused. "My course is going to be pretty full on from what I understand. I'll probably give it a few weeks before I decide on work."

"True. Have you spoken to aunty and uncle?" Khushi asked gently, referring to his parents.

"What about?" Arnav's voice immediately took on a harder note.

"I don't know. Just to let them know that you reached campus safely and have settled in."

"If they cared, they would call me." Arnav waved his hand, dismissively.

His parents had always been a sore topic for Arnav and usually, Khushi was very careful when she bought up their topic. Having seperated when Arnav was only 4 years old, his mother has subsequently moved countries and now ran a successful fashion boutique in France. It had taken him years to understand that some women just weren't cut out for motherhood and that every mother didn't love their child unconditionally. Sometimes, their love was conditional and sometimes, having a child was considered more of a burden than a blessing. 

His relationship with his mother was courteous at best and their conversations were usually limited to 15 minute chats on a monthly basis. Arnav would have been surprised if his mother even remembered that today was the day he was moving to campus, forget checking on him.

In fact, for Arnav, Khushi's mother, Padma, had been more of a maternal figure than his own mother ever had. She had seen the lost look in his eyes as a child and immediately stepped in to fill the void. She had never asked him any questions about his parents but had silently provided him the comfort he had desperately needed at the time.

His relationship with his father was another different story. While he was present physically, he couldn't have been more absent emotionally. He was too busy with work, too busy 'providing for Arnav' as he constantly reminded him and wasn't available most of the time. When Arnav was born, the lines of parental duty had been marked quite distinctly. Arnav's mother would look after the child while his father would provide for the family financially. 

When Arnav's mother decided she didn't want any part of it and left, his father wasn't sure what to do. So, he continued to fulfil what he considered his part of the duty while he left Arnav to fulfil his emotional needs elsewhere. In some ways, he was grateful to Khushi's family for stepping in when they did. It made him feel less guilty as a parent and also gave him an excuse to continue with his routine.

While he was aware Arnav would be moving to campus today, it had clashed with an overseas business trip and so he had simply left a text saying 'good luck with University' and left Arnav to figure this out for himself, just like always.

To hell with them, Arnav thought viciously. If they didn't care enough to ask him about today, he was definitely not going to be the one to call and bore them with the details.

"Arnav?" Khushi said softly.

"What?"

"I'm sorry for bringing them up. I didn't mean to spoil your mood."

Arnav sighed. He knew she was only trying to mend the rift between his parents and him. She had been trying to do that all his life, albeit unsuccessfully. He didn't have the heart to tell her than some relationships just couldn't be mended. The damage, sometimes, was irreparable. 

"It's not your fault." Arnav assured her as they reached her dorm entrance.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Khushi asked, once again.

The topic of his parents was always an instant downer for him and Khushi was kicking herself for bringing them up. She should have known better.

"I am, Khush," Arnav smiled at her. "I think I'm going to go unpack and then have an early night. Big day tomorrow."

They were starting orientation tomorrow. She had almost forgotten.

"Yeah, me too."

"Bye Khush. See you tomorrow."

With smile and wave, Arnav walked back to him dorm.