Chapter 46: Royalty

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Chapter Forty-Six

Royalty

Arnav was having a busy morning. 

Thanks to his impromptu accident, all his grand plans for his shopping mall project had to be rearranged. Instead of personally meeting with architects, Arnav was found listening in on discussions via telephone and monitoring their progress through video chats. All things considered, however, the new set-up wasn’t too bad. 

Perhaps because he had too much experience with hospitals, for growing up Arnav had more injuries than both his sisters combined. 

Of course, back in those days, each hospital visit earned him a good scolding from a hysterical Satya and a perfect excuse not to attend school. However, as a grown up, neither of those things happened. His mother merely sighed when she came to visit him, wasting no time in recounting all the times he had injured himself to anyone who would listen and instead of chilling in front of a TV at home, he was kept under constant supervision from a truckload of nurses. 

Not that he was complaining, of course. No, there were many perks to staying at Abhaya Hospital. 

As if on the cue, Khushi walked into the room along with a rather grouchy looking Ved for his morning check-up. Having been admitted for three days now, Arnav knew their –or rather her– routine by heart. 

“Morning doctors,” Arnav greeted, all stress of his pending project forgotten. 

Khushi smiled brightly. She did that quite a lot with him, Arnav noted. After her –surprising– frenzy on the first day, Khushi had grown very quickly accustomed to having him in the hospital. He was the first patient she checked on before going on her morning rounds, stopped by for lunch and even an occasional coffee, before finally wrapping up her work and curling up on the sofa in his room at night. 

Arnav had requested her multiple times to go home at least for sleeping –for seeing her on the sofa brought back those horrendous early days of their marriage– but she was adamant. And it didn’t take him long to figure out why. She felt quite guilty for not spending the full day with him like how sisters usually did –mostly to keep him from being bored– but she was being silly. 

He didn’t need Khushi to physically be present in front of his eyes to know that she cared (and if he had any doubts before, her behavior on the day of his admittance spoke volumes). He had spent enough time with Myra to know what concern looked like and Khushi had somehow managed to surpass even his doting mother in that department. 

“Good morning Mr. Raizada,” Ved said grimly, pulling out his stethoscope. “How are you feeling today?”

Arnav suppressed a smile, having no trouble understanding the reason behind Ved’s mood. 

It really didn’t take a genius to figure just much Ved admired Khushi, he may as well have stamped his forehead with it. And although Arnav was caught off guard to witness it on his very first day at the hospital, he couldn’t help but laugh when mere seconds later Khushi made it clear that she didn’t return even a gram of his feelings. The cherry on top, of course, had been her fussing over Arnav like a five-year-old. 

Ved’s dejection, therefore, was expected. 

But what had amused Arnav the most in the whole situation was Khushi being completely unaware of the impact she had on the people around her. 

Just take her at Holi for example. She oh-so-casually brushed her cheek against his and walked away as if it was nothing, not having the slightest clue how disturbed he had been for the remainder of the day.

It had taken every ounce of Arnav’s will to get back to the party after that, where his cousins –their handcuffs broken– went all out in dousing them in colours. And for a few minutes, thoughts of Khushi did manage to vanish, however, when he was back in his apartment, alone in bed with her, nothing kept his questions at bay. 

Why had his heart stuttered? And why didn’t it feel strange even though it was the first time they had shared such proximity? And perhaps, the most pressing of them all, why couldn’t he forget about it and move on? 

It also didn’t help that Khushi looked nothing less than angelic in white colored satin pajamas, peacefully asleep beside him. Arnav didn’t even realize when the night had passed, and when the sun had risen. It was in this sleep-deprived and flustered state that his car had broken down on route to a rather important meeting and he hurriedly tried to cross the street, attempting to catch a taxi. The rest, as they say, was history. 

“Arnav?”

He blinked out of his thoughts to see both the doctors looking at him expectantly. “Huh?”

“How are you feeling today Mr. Raizada?” Ved repeated, now annoyed. 

“Oh, just the usual,” Arnav answered, looking down at the laptop in his hands. “Can’t escape work even when I am bed ridden it seems.”

Khushi, expectedly, frowned. “Who is making you work–”

Ved had a different opinion. “Well you share that quality with Khushi… not that you would know of course, you haven’t known her for as long as me.”

Arnav’s eyes flashed, having no trouble understanding what Ved was attempting to do. And Khushi seemed to notice too, for she gave him a very perplexed look. 

It didn’t matter, however. Arnav was more than capable of handling him.

“I did know that,” he replied smoothly. “Long before I got admitted here actually… Her reputation precedes her.”

Ved pressed his lips, not at all happy. “How do you know her so well?”

Arnav saw Khushi shake her head infinitesimally from the corner of his eyes, forbidding him from telling the truth. And even though he knew why, he didn’t know whether it was a good idea anymore. 

“Our families know each other,” Arnav finally admitted. 

“Oh, you have been friends since you were kids?” Although Ved’s voice was casual, the curiosity was obvious. He was trying to get all the details about their unusual friendship. 

“No, not for that long,” Arnav said, sudden inspiration overtaking him. “You must have heard about Gupta and Sons? Alok Raj Gupta, the owner, controls half of the stock market.”

Ved shook his head. “No, unfortunately I am not a fan of the business channel.”

“Understandable. But the next time you have a few minutes to spare, you should Google him.”

“Err… okay?” Ved said, not really understanding his point. 

“Because then you’ll have met Khushi’s father.”

 Shock jolted across Ved’s face. “What?”

Arnav nodded, satisfied. “Yes, Khushi is royalty where I come from.”

Perhaps that Google search could also led him to Alok’s son-in-law, Arnav thought to himself.  And this unnecessary tussle would end altogether. It was one thing for Ved to like Khushi –quite understandable, perfect as she was– but completely another, for him to undermine Arnav’s presence in her life. That was going a bit too far. 

Khushi decided to intervene. “Stop exaggerating–”

“How would you know?” Arnav retorted. “Last I remember, you also weren’t a fan of business.”

“Is it true?” Ved asked, turning to her, his mouth agape. 

She shuffled her feet, anxious. “My father is not royalty, he is just…”

“Filthy rich,” Arnav finished. 

Khushi glared at him, but this one time, Arnav didn’t mind. It was time she lived up to her name. 

“So you are an heiress,” Ved finally concluded, quite disheartened. 

Khushi rolled her eyes. “It’s just a technicality.”

He snorted. “So why exactly are you working here again?”

“That’s what I asked too,” Arnav added, cheekily. 

Khushi, however, averted her eyes. Fortunately for her, Ved’s pager went off just then, forcing him to sign off on the morning check-up report and depart the room in top speed. 

“Why did you do that?” Khushi fired as soon as they were alone. 

“Do what?” Arnav asked, feigning innocence. 

She narrowed her eyes. “Why the hell would you give him the idea to Google my father?!”

“Why not?”

“Because he would know within seconds about us!”

He shrugged. “Well, someone needs to put a stop to his fantasies.”

Khushi groaned. “For the last time, he doesn’t like me. He has a girlfriend.”

Arnav raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! Her name is Keerthi and I met her!”

“When was the last time he talked about her?”

“A few weeks ago maybe… Why?”

“Because,” Arnav replied pointedly. “No girl would ever stay him after seeing his puppy dog eyes for you. I’m sure she left him.”

Khushi stared at him blankly, perhaps finally seeing the truth in his words. She was really naïve, if even after seeing Ved’s insecurity a few moments ago, she didn’t believe him. 

“You can frown all you want,” Arnav muttered. “But you seriously can’t deny it Khushi. A) Ved likes you and B) he is way out of his league here.”

She sighed and slumped down on the foot of his bed, seemingly exhausted. “I’m not royalty.”

Was she kidding? 

“Oh, come on–”

She didn’t let him finish. “My father may be rich, but that does not make him royalty.”

“Then what does?” 

“Values.”

“It doesn’t work like that. Legacies are born–”

“Legacies are made,” she corrected. “And my father has only been losing the one he had. As far as I am concerned, between the two of us, you are royalty. Not me.”

Arnav stared at her, amazed.  

“And it’s not because you are the only heir to a significant company,” she continued. “But because you can see how much everyone is worth outside of that.”

Arnav’s heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t that she complimented him or found him to be above the achievements of her father, no, what had taken Arnav’s breath away was that she valued him for the same thing everyone had told him to forego. Whether it was his father telling him to not choose a profession that was beneath his views or his ex, asking him to take up to his inheritance… the significant people in his life had always told him to act as per the norm, as per his status. But here she was, applauding him for doing the exact opposite. 

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was a nurse, faithfully carrying a tray laden with breakfast. Arnav couldn’t help but frown when he spotted the contents – whole wheat bread, strawberry jam, scrambled eggs and a bowl of frozen fruit. 

“It’s healthy,” Khushi murmured, who had been clearly watching his face. 

Arnav pouted. “You know, I will get sick from this food rather than this stupid cast.”

She took pity on him. “I know… but I need to know what you are eating so that I can monitor your cholesterol–”

“For the last time, I am not even thirty yet–”

“Yes, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful, does it?”

Arnav rolled his eyes. “I’m a veteran in this Dr. Gupta, I practically spent my childhood in the hospital.”

She pulled the tray towards herself, liberally coating the bread with jam. “Yes, yes, I heard it all yesterday… poor Maa.” 

“Oh please,” he answered, indignant. “She gave me plenty of punishments in return!”

Khushi held the toast to his mouth, saying, “I don’t believe you; she is much too nice.”

Arnav took a bite, marveling internally how even the stale bread tasted so good from her hands. “You can ask Lavu,” he answered, in between chewing.

“Even a blind person can see how loyal Lavu is to you.”

He couldn’t help but grin at that. Lavanya and for that matter, even his eldest sister Anjali, supported him without much cause or reason. He had been very lucky in that sense. 

Having finished with the toast, Khushi subtly switched to feeding him the eggs. “Besides, haven’t I experienced first-hand how vicious your pranks are?”

“What pranks?” he mumbled, his mouth full. 

“How about Holi? You literally had me suspecting everything and everyone, and finally, what got me was a bucket of water… like how did you even have time to message me from Maa’s phone, sneakily hang a bucket to those doors and still chase me through half the house with a pichkari?”

Arnav smirked. “Skill Dr. Gupta… and years of practice.”

“That is precisely my point,” she muttered. “I’m on Maa’s side about this. You must’ve caused such ruckus as a kid.”

He held her hand –ready to slip another spoonful of eggs down his mouth– and said, “You eat too… I’m sure you didn’t have breakfast yet.”

Khushi shrugged. “I’ll eat later, it’s time for your medications anyway.”

Arnav glanced at the bowl of half eaten eggs, suddenly remembering that she was a vegetarian and chiding himself for being a little insensitive. “Sorry, I forgot you don’t eat eggs.”

“I ate your famous omelette,” she reminded him. 

True. 

Then why didn’t she eat meat? 

“For how long have you been a vegetarian exactly?” Arnav asked curiously, feeling silly that he never inquired about it before. “Do they really not cook meat at your house? Because I swear I saw Vihaan eat–”

She shook her head. “I’m the only one… I gave it up when I was fourteen.”

“Why?”

Khushi looked at her lap, perhaps thinking about the best way to explain. 

“Is it personal?” Arnav asked. 

For some reason, he had always asked her questions assuming he had every right to know. And she too, never hesitated to answer… but after three days at the hospital, he couldn’t deny that there was so much more to Khushi than what he saw at home. 

“It’s not personal,” she finally said. “It’s just… I found it unfair. It’s not fun to be caged, to have your right to speak or protest taken away from you. So why do we subject that to animals? If someone did that to us, would we like it?”

Arnav thought that over. “But what makes you think the animals are being tortured? They’re given a painless death–”

“So just because they are slaughtered painlessly, it’s okay?”

“No, I mean, it’s the natural order of things Khushi,” he replied. Then with a cheeky grin, he added, “Big things eat little things.”

“It’s not natural,” she answered, not at all amused. “Animals should be running out in the wild. Being held captive is one thing but raising them for the sole purpose of becoming someone’s meal, as if they have nothing better to do, as if that’s all they are worth… that’s not okay.”

“Sole purpose? Animals don’t have a purpose–”

“How would you know? Have you ever been in their shoes?”

“Have you?”

Khushi stared at him, stricken. Turning away, she murmured, “You of all people should know that it’s not fun to be caged. Every life, big or small, deserves to be lived.”

Arnav was quiet. True, he had felt trapped with the events leading to their marriage, but it was nothing compared to the pain sparkling in her eyes. It felt as though she was speaking from a far greater experience than his. He had always thought that it were her choices that have been robbed –for his stay at Gupta manor during Vihaan’s wedding had made that explicit– but here, she was talking about freedom. 

“You think I’m crazy,” Khushi murmured. 

He blinked, focusing on her once again. “No, I’m just surprised… you have a very interesting take on vegetarianism.”

“Vihaan thinks it’s silly,” she said with a sigh. “But then again, he assumed I did it out of teenage rebellion.”

Arnav chuckled. “Of course, you rebelled… but how come you eat eggs? Shouldn’t they have a right to live too?”

“I used to not in the beginning,” she answered. “But I lost a lot of weight and my mom panicked. So, I started eating it for protein.... besides, most of eggs we get now are unfertilized.”

“Unfertilized?”

“They don’t develop into chicks. So, it seemed less of a crime.”

Arnav smiled. “For someone so small, you sure have a lot of compassion hidden inside of you.”

She –predictably– became awkward at once, not knowing what to do with the compliment. There was so much innocence in her, no wonder she couldn’t make head or tails of Ved’s affections.

The reminder of Ved caused Arnav to sober up immediately. 

“You know,” he said slowly. “Maybe it’s time you told your little admirer that you don’t like him back.”

Khushi’s face hardened. 

“He is pinning a lot of hopes on you,” he added.

“And that’s my fault?” she –unexpectedly– snapped. “This is a hospital, I come here to work, how can Ved even think I want to have a relationship with him?”

Well at least she is acknowledging his feelings, Arnav thought to himself. That’s progress. Out loud, however, he said:

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. I’m just saying that Ved should maybe know the full picture.”

She stubbornly crossed her arms. “Which is what exactly?”

“That we are married for starters–”

“Really, and when he asks me why I didn’t tell him that all these months? Then what happens?”

Arnav didn’t know. It was a murky situation, no doubt. But he didn’t see how avoiding it was the solution. Either way, Ved was going to have to get his heart broken. The sooner, the better. 

“See?” Khushi said, triumphantly. “Even you don’t have an answer!”

“Look,” he said seriously. “I’m sure Ved didn’t plan to have feelings for you. But it happened, so, as a friend shouldn’t you be nice enough to make sure the feelings don’t deepen, and you end it once and for all?”

“I can tell him that if he bothers to own up to his feelings and ask me straight up! What’s with all these stupid games? First asking me if I have a special someone, then giving me that stupid necklace, and now trying to show off that he knows me best! Like if you have this much time, then why not come talk to me like a matured adult?!” 

He sighed. So Ved had wasted no time in dropping hints, and perhaps, if Arnav hadn’t been admitted into the hospital, it would have continued on smoothly. Arnav didn’t know what to make of that. 

“Let me guess,” he said. “You never had a boyfriend.”

Khushi paused, unwilling to accept it. 

“Feelings don’t work like that Khushi,” he explained gently. “It takes a lot of courage to confess to the girl you like that you like her… right now, Ved is probably struggling with that. And it doesn’t help that he sees me as competition.”

She stared him shrewdly. “You’re not competition.”

“Yes, but he needs to know that. He needs to know that we are married.”

“You’re not competition,” she clarified. “Because this marriage is not real Arnav.”

It was not meant to hurt, Arnav knew that perfectly well while gazing at her serious face, but it nonetheless did.  

“We pretend in front of our families out of obligation, yes, but that doesn’t change the truth,” Khushi continued grimly. “So, tell me, why do I have to keep up this façade even here? Life at this hospital is simple for me. No one expects me to act like your wife, people recognize me for who I am, and I can forget –even if it is for a few hours– the circumstances that led to our marriage. Am I really being unreasonable?”

Arnav was mum. 

“I have never given Ved any inclination whatsoever that I want a relationship with him. He assumed that just because I don’t have a boyfriend or a husband, I am available. He assumed that I want a companion and that he somehow fits the bill. And now, because he is getting all worked up, I have to give up whatever little solace I found. How is that fair?!”

Arnav struggled to find a fitting reply. “You have your reasons Khushi, I respect that… but if you told Ved that you are married, then he would know not to get his hopes up high–”

“Right, because if I wasn’t married, it’s completely okay to get his hopes up high and he wouldn’t be nearly as heartbroken upon finding out that I didn’t like him back!” she retorted, sarcastic.

“That’s not–”

“It baffles me,” she continued in the same tone. “The audacity men have to think a girl can’t say no unless she is already taken. Why can’t a girl choose to be single? Why must she always be tied to someone? I don’t like Ved. Is that not a good enough reason for him to back off?!”

Arnav took a deep breath. The conversation was taking a completely different turn than what he had anticipated. “All I’m saying is, as your friend he deserves to know. That’s all.”

“And I’ll tell him,” Khushi answered hotly. “I’ll tell him that he is just a friend for me, I’ll tell him sorry for giving him the wrong impression, and I will also ask what is it exactly that I did to make him fall so irrevocably in love in me, so you know, in the future, some other man doesn’t get a wrong hint! Because in the end, it’s always the girls who have to be careful right, men are allowed to roam free and own whoever they please!”

Before Arnav could answer, a new voice spoke: “Khushi?”

They looked up to see Vihaan standing at the door, uncertain about whether to come in or not. 

Khushi stood up at once. “Vihaan? I didn’t know you were coming! Is everything okay?”

He nodded, stepping inside. “I didn't mean to interrupt, just wanted to drop by and apologize for missing Holi… How are you doing now Arnav? Sorry I couldn’t come and visit you sooner, was caught up with some issues.”

Arnav waved off his concern. “Don’t worry about it, how is Ahana? She didn’t come with you?”

“Err no… she sends her wishes though,” Vihaan answered, his eyes darting to Khushi. 

Arnav needed no further explanation. “You two go ahead and catch up, I have some emails to attend to.”

Khushi hesitated; she clearly wanted to finish the conversation about Ved. Arnav, however, simply smiled at her. They could continue this conversation another time. 

“Coffee?” Khushi asked her brother.  

Vihaan grinned and together they walked out, leaving Arnav behind with an inexplicable ache, deep in his heart. 

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A/N: Firstly, sorry for being a day late! But thank you for being patient and all of the the wonderful comments! Loved reading them all ❤️❤️❤️

So Arnav's POV is finally out, and I hope that cleared the many doubts on the way he reacted to Ved. I already told some of the readers this, but here it is again:

Arnav in much more mature emotionally than Khushi... his jealousy or insecurity won't be expressed in a obvious way like Khushi's are. He loves and cares very deeply and (unknowingly) that's what Khushi admires about him. If she liked the small gifts and compliments, she would have fallen for Ved easily... but her mind is only on Arnav.

Arnav didn't mind Ved liking Khushi, because he knew that nothing could happen between them. He was very confident that Ved didn't stand a chance in front of Khushi. But from the minute Khushi says flat out that their own marriage is not real, the equation is no longer the same... now everything matters 😉

Please like & comment! Next chapter will be up on Monday 😊

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