Chapter 7 - The Unraveling

Anushkaa

@nushhkiee

Chapter 7 - The Unraveling

The days leading up to the wedding were a whirlwind of chaos, both inside and outside Khushi’s mind. Despite the constant teasing and banter with Arnav, the weight of their impending marriage was always in the back of her thoughts, like a shadow she couldn’t escape. There were moments when the sharp tension between them almost felt like a thin wire, pulled taut to the point of snapping. And then, there were other moments, like now, when she couldn’t help but wonder if - despite everything - they were slowly learning to balance the weight of their shared burdens.

It had been a long day. Khushi had spent hours with Anjali, coordinating the final details of the wedding - flowers, guest lists, decorations - every little thing. At the end of it all, her feet were sore, her head was spinning, and yet, she couldn't shake the unease sitting heavily in her stomach. She had been pretending - pretending that everything was fine, pretending that this wedding, this marriage, was something she could just accept.

The worst part? She was starting to doubt herself.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was standing in front of Arnav's office room until his voice broke through the silence.

Arnav: "What are you doing here, Khushi?"

Khushi jumped, startled, before turning to face him. Arnav was standing in the doorway, his suit jacket slung over one shoulder, his dark eyes studying her with an unreadable expression. It was the kind of look he had perfected over the years, one that said, "I’m not interested in your problems, but I’m also paying attention."

Khushi (flustered): "I... I was just passing by." She crossed her arms defensively. "I didn’t expect you to be here so late. The wedding’s coming up, right? Don’t you have... more important things to do?"

Her words hung awkwardly in the air between them.

Arnav raised an eyebrow, and Khushi couldn’t help but notice how his gaze softened - just slightly - as he glanced at her. "It’s not exactly a vacation for me either, you know. And I’m sure you’ve got your own fair share of important things to do." He let out a sigh, his voice turning serious. "But you’re here now. What’s really going on, Khushi?"

Khushi hesitated, unwilling to share what was bothering her. But there was something about the way Arnav looked at her - his eyes searching, like he could see through her defenses - that made her drop her guard, just a little.

Khushi (quietly): "I just... I can’t stop thinking about what this wedding means. What it really means for us."

Arnav’s expression didn’t change, but he stepped aside, motioning for her to come in. He didn’t need to say it aloud - he knew she had more to say. He also knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Khushi (shaking her head): "You don’t get it, do you? This wedding... it's not just about you and me. It’s about everything else - the lies, the secrets, the expectations. I don’t even know why we’re doing this anymore. I’m not... I’m not the woman you wanted in your life. And yet here I am, being pulled deeper into this mess. What does it even mean?"

She threw her hands up in frustration, her voice trembling with emotion. Arnav watched her for a long moment, his jaw tightening before he finally spoke, his voice surprisingly calm.

Arnav (softly): "I never asked for this, Khushi. Trust me, I never wanted any of this. I didn’t want to drag you into this chaos, but my family..." He trailed off, his words thick with something she hadn’t expected -regret, maybe, or just sheer exhaustion. "They won’t let me go. And you, you’re caught in the middle of it, just like I am."

Khushi stood still, her hands slowly dropping to her sides. This was different. For the first time in weeks, Arnav wasn’t speaking with that cold, detached arrogance. He was speaking from a place of vulnerability, his voice quiet, almost regretful.

Khushi (tentatively): "So, what now? Are we supposed to just keep playing our parts?"

Arnav didn’t answer right away. He stood by the window, staring out into the darkening sky, his face reflecting the weight of his thoughts. The silence stretched between them - heavy, dense. But it was no longer uncomfortable. It was... shared. Like they both understood the weight of their situation, even if neither of them was ready to admit it.

Arnav (finally speaking): "What if I told you I didn’t want to just play my part anymore? What if I said I didn’t want to just go through the motions for the sake of my family’s pride?"

Khushi’s heart skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her throat as she turned to face him, her gaze searching his expression for any hint that he was serious. But Arnav’s face remained impassive, his features etched in stone.

Khushi (softly): "Then what do you want, Arnav?"

The question hung in the air between them. The answer wasn’t easy to find, but in that moment, neither of them could deny that they were finally starting to ask the hard questions. Arnav's eyes flickered to hers, and for the first time, the distance between them seemed smaller, like the walls between them were finally beginning to crack.

Arnav (after a long pause): "I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for that. But I know I don’t want to face this alone anymore. And if that means... we figure this out together, then maybe that’s what we should do."

The words hung there, suspended in the air, fragile and uncertain, but undeniably real.

Khushi looked at him, her chest tightening. It was a confession, not of love, but of something that felt almost as powerful - acknowledgment. For the first time, it felt like they were on the same side, even if they didn’t know how to navigate the path ahead.

Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door. Anjali’s voice rang out from the other side.

Anjali (cheerful): "Arnav, Khushi! The decorators are here. We need to make a decision on the stage layout, and the floral arrangements aren’t going to arrange themselves!"

Khushi shot Arnav a wry look, feeling the tension lift slightly, as if the universe was trying to steer them back to reality. Arnav’s lips quirked into a faint smile.

Arnav (muttering): "Guess we’ve got to face the music, huh?"

Khushi let out a soft laugh, the first real one in days. "I think it's more like we’re about to be hit with a full orchestra of family drama."

Arnav’s chuckle was brief, but it was genuine - a rare sound from him.

Arnav (mock serious): "You better be ready for it, Khushi. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right."

As they moved toward the door, Khushi’s thoughts remained a tangled mess, but something in her chest was lighter now. Maybe it was the start of a new understanding between them, maybe it was the knowledge that, no matter how twisted their relationship seemed, they were in this together, whether they liked it or not.

And as they stepped out of the room and into the flurry of wedding preparations, there was a new weight between them - something fragile, but honest.

Maybe, just maybe, there was hope.

----

Khushi stepped out of Arnav’s office, the weight of the conversation still lingering in the air between them. The banter had returned, the walls had been momentarily lowered, but the tension was far from gone. It was just... quieter now, like a storm gathering on the horizon.

As she walked down the corridor, her mind replayed the conversation. Arnav had admitted -albeit in his usual, barely perceptible way - that he didn’t want to do this alone. There was no love, no fairytale, he had said. But there was something else in his voice—something deeper - that hinted at the fact that he was beginning to rely on her. Maybe it was the shared weight of their families' expectations. Maybe it was because, despite everything, they were both stuck in this mess.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Anjali’s voice calling out to her from the other end of the hall.

"Khushi! We’re going to need your help with the seating arrangements. The planners are getting on my nerves!"

Khushi smiled faintly, feeling the usual rush of being part of something bigger than herself. Anjali always had that effect on people - her larger-than-life presence pulling everyone into her orbit. She walked toward her, hoping the familiar tasks of wedding planning would help ground her, if only for a moment.

But as she entered the living room, her gaze inevitably flickered to Arnav, who stood near the large windows, a frown settling on his face as he spoke to one of the wedding planners. Even from a distance, she could feel the tension radiating off of him. He was always so controlled, so distant. And yet, she knew now that beneath that exterior, there were cracks - small, but real.

Khushi shook her head, not wanting to think about it. The truth was, no matter how many moments of unexpected softness she saw in him, their situation hadn’t changed. They were still getting married for all the wrong reasons. She was still caught in the middle of a family drama she never asked to be part of, and he - despite his quiet admissions - still saw her as just a means to an end.

"Khushi, are you with me?" Anjali’s voice brought her back to the present, and Khushi realized she’d been standing there, lost in her own thoughts.

"Sorry, Anjali. I was just... thinking," Khushi said, forcing a smile.

Anjali raised an eyebrow, clearly reading her expression. "Don’t tell me you’re still thinking about him?" she said with a wink.

Khushi’s face flushed involuntarily. "What? No! I was just thinking about... the wedding stuff. You know, like, the flowers and the seating plan."

Anjali laughed, a knowing look on her face. "Sure, sure. But I’ll be honest - when Arnav is in the same room, even the flowers start looking like they have a secret to hide."

Khushi couldn’t help but laugh at that, despite herself. "Anjali, you’re impossible."

Anjali winked at her again before turning to one of the wedding planners, but Khushi’s smile faded as she glanced at Arnav once more. He was still standing by the window, arms folded across his chest, his back rigid, the same distant look on his face that she had seen a thousand times. She wanted to be angry, to scream at him for making her feel like she was stuck in some kind of performance, but the truth was, she didn’t know what she was angry at anymore. Was it him? Or was it everything?

Arnav caught her eye just then, and for a brief second, there was something unspoken in the way he looked at her - something almost apologetic, before he quickly averted his gaze. The moment was gone as quickly as it had appeared, but Khushi felt something stir inside her.

She didn’t know what it meant. She didn’t know what any of this meant. But the thought of just... walking away from it all seemed impossible. The pressure of their families, the wedding, the unspoken words - they all tangled together, pulling her deeper into something she didn’t understand.

“Khushi, I need your help over here!” Anjali’s voice cut through her thoughts again, and this time, Khushi forced herself to shake off her confusion.

As she moved toward Anjali, she tried not to think about Arnav. She really did. But the truth was, he was always there, somewhere in her mind, whether she wanted him there or not. His anger, his coldness, his bitterness - it all felt like it was pulling her in, deeper and deeper, and she couldn’t help but wonder if they were both caught in the same trap.

The night of the pre-wedding party arrived faster than she expected. The house was filled with family, laughter, music, and the clinking of glasses, but Khushi felt... disconnected from it all. She was walking through the motions, smiling when necessary, participating in conversations, but her thoughts were elsewhere. She hadn’t spoken to Arnav much that day - he had been wrapped up in endless conversations with business partners, his mind clearly elsewhere, but there was something about the way he held himself that made her uneasy. The closer they got to the wedding day, the more distant he seemed. It was as though the closer they got to this commitment, the more he closed off.

“Khushi!” Anjali’s voice broke through her thoughts again, and this time, Khushi couldn’t help but smile as she turned to face her. Anjali was wearing her usual bright smile, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Are you ready to dance?” Anjali asked, clearly ready to take on the world.

Khushi laughed. "Dance? I’m not sure my feet are ready, but sure, why not?"

As the music played, the family gathered in the living room, and Khushi found herself swept up in the excitement. She caught a glimpse of Arnav across the room, standing with a group of relatives, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he quickly looked away. Khushi’s heart skipped a beat. It was just a glance. A fleeting one. But it made her wonder if he saw her the way she was beginning to see him - someone who was no longer just a stranger in her life.

She shook her head, unable to fully understand why her heart was racing at the thought of him, but she couldn’t ignore it anymore. There was something - some small, fragile connection between them that neither of them could deny.

When the music changed, a slower, softer melody filling the air, Khushi found herself pulled to the center of the room by Anjali. The sound of a gentle laugh broke through the noise, and she turned to see Arnav moving toward her, his expression unreadable as he offered her his hand.

Khushi blinked, momentarily frozen. What was he doing?

Arnav’s gaze softened, just slightly, as he nodded toward her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked, his voice low, as if the question was more of a formality than anything else. But the slight tilt of his head, the way his eyes lingered on hers, made her hesitate.

Khushi looked at him, her breath catching in her throat. For a brief moment, there was no anger, no frustration, no pretense -just... something raw, something unspoken. She couldn’t explain it, but the pull between them was undeniable.

She took his hand.