Chapter 47: Love

The content of this story belongs strictly to the author, -Archi-. Any unwarranted use/copy of it is not encouraged and is strictly prohibited.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Love

Khushi took a deep breath, trying to clear her head. She found it hard to believe that the ever so understanding Arnav didn’t see her point today. Where was she wrong? 

Wasn’t he the one who had said their marriage was just for pretense? Wasn’t he the one who had taken her mangalsutraon the first day of her internship? Wasn’t he the one who had told her to be just herself at the hospital, to forget the cage she had been pushed into? So then why was he expecting her to own up to being his wife? 

They had become allies in unfair situations. She valued his company, no doubt, but how could she ever kid herself into thinking that his understanding towards her was something more?  He had proved, over and over again, that his heart belonged to Myra. Sound logic told her to leave it at that, to not dig deeper and discover that there wasn’t much else hidden underneath his collected exterior. 

And in case she missed the hint, hadn’t he told her at NK’s farmhouse underneath a blanket of stars why he didn’t regret marrying her:

Because you are perfect for my family. And I know enough to realize that not everyone is like that. 

Khushi had understood very clearly then itself, that like everyone else in the Raizada family, she had become a member he had learned to trust and care. And in all honesty, she had accepted that, cherished it too. So, what was the need to bring up their marriage now? 

Perhaps she had overreacted about Ved, although it had been long coming. Khushi was seriously getting tired of Ved’s grouchiness for the past three days, which especially peaked during Arnav’s morning and evening checkups. And no matter how much she had racked her brain, she couldn’t find a solution that didn’t cost them their friendship. Confronting him could turn ugly, and nothing, at that point, would keep the awkwardness at bay. Her only hope had been that Ved would get the hint that she wasn’t interested and resolve his feelings on his own. 

All of that changed, of course, when she heard him telling Arnav this morning that he knew her better. And what was worse, was Arnav suggesting Ved to dig deep into her family. Khushi’s irritation knew no bounds upon witnessing that. 

Who were either of them to make decisions for her? How had Arnav missed the simple fact that Ved would lose it if he found out from a third party that she was married?! And wasn’t it her choice what she disclosed about herself in the first place? She absolutely hated being associated with her father, and that was the very thing Arnav advertised? 

And all for what? Because Ved was feeling insecure? It was ridiculous... if he was adult enough to develop a liking for her, then he should also be adult enough to take no for an answer (that’s of course, if he had asked her, because Khushi was sure, eventually, Ved would have realized on his own what she wanted). 

Perhaps she had indeed been expecting too much. Why would either of them understand the significance of choice, when it had been a luxury for them until now? Maybe if she had grown up like Lavanya or any of the other Raizada siblings, she would have been flattered that someone liked her, and she would know how to turn them down if the feelings weren’t mutual. But all Khushi felt with this, was an added layer of obligation. 

“Err where exactly are we going?” came Vihaan’s voice. 

Khushi blinked, realizing that she was not alone. She had been absent-mindedly leading Vihaan –who had showed up without warning a few minutes ago– through the numerous hospital hallways to her office, instead of the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, changing their route. “Was thinking about something.”

“About your fight with Arnav?”

Khushi nervously glanced at her brother. “We weren’t fighting...”

Vihaan snorted. “I can tell from a mile away if you’re pissed or not... and Arnav seemed to have hit a sore spot.”

“What sore spot?”

“Suffocating masculinity.”

Khushi bit her lip. “That... that’s not a sore spot.”

“Please, that’s your favorite bone to pick. I have seen it since childhood... Before it was Papa and now it’s Arnav.”

It was odd to hear her father and Arnav mentioned in the same sentence like that. She knew by now that Arnav was miles apart from Alok, he had no qualms about women or what they did for a living. 

“I was talking about men Vihaan,” she said, feeling the need to clarify. “Not Arnav in particular.”

“Arnav is not a man?”

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm. “I’m not going to apologize for my views.... if I don’t fight for what I believe in, then I have no right to be upset for how I am being treated.”

Vihaan smiled. “You don’t have to apologize for anything little sis... I just mean that for the people who don’t know you, your anger may not seem justified.”

Khushi mulled that over, wondering if that really was the case. Making a mental note to talk to Arnav about it at night when her shift was over, she stopped at the reception desk in the hospital lobby, which was bustling as usual with activity. 

“Sona,” she called to the receptionist. “Can you ask Mrs. Khanna, who’s supposed to come at 10 o’clock, to wait ten minutes for me?”

The nurse glared at her in response. “This is the front desk Dr. Gupta, and I’m not your personal assistant.”

Khushi gritted her teeth. After criticizing one of the nurses for flirting with Arnav, she had become their number one enemy.  They maintained their distance and tried to be as unhelpful as possible.

“In that case,” Khushi answered coolly. “Go ahead and page me when Mrs. Khanna arrives like how the front desk is supposed to. I will show up ten minutes late.”

And without waiting for a reply, Khushi walked away. 

“What was that about?” Vihaan asked bewildered, matching his steps with hers.

“Nothing important,” she answered. “But I don’t have a lot of time Vihaan. Why are you really here?”

He took a deep breath. “I have something to tell you.”

“I’m listening.”

“I’m going to London.”

Khushi didn’t understand what was so urgent about that. “Okay, for how long?”

“Permanently.”

She stopped in her tracks. What?

“Let’s sit down,” Vihaan suggested, pointing to the cafeteria, now only a few feet away from them.

“Why on earth is Papa shipping you off to London?!” Khushi fired instantly. “He promised to make you the CEO!”

“Shhh! Calm down!”

Khushi glared at him. He couldn’t throw a bombshell on her and expect her not to react! However, Vihaan seemed quite awkward standing in the middle of a hallway where a few passersby even stopped to stare. 

Shaking her head, Khushi stomped into the cafeteria and took a seat at an empty table in the far corner of the room. Vihaan dropped down beside her. 

“Explain from beginning,” she ordered.

Vihaan wasted no time. “I have been thinking about this for a long time Khush... I’m never going to be good enough for Papa. I really should have left the day Maa fell down the stairs, not out of anger, but in understanding. Maybe then, Maa wouldn’t have tried to stop me and things would somewhat still be normal.”

Khushi didn’t answer, waiting for him to finish. 

“Anyway, it’s too late to cry over spilt milk. The fact is, I can’t live with the guilt of ruining your life anymore… there is no point of becoming CEO at the cost of my sister’s happiness. So I have decided to leave, go far from here and start fresh.”

Khushi sighed. “Vihaan, we have been over this, Papa would have gotten me married either way. Your promotion was just an excuse he used–”

“Maybe it was an excuse,” he interrupted. “But what happens if I don’t want the position?”

Khushi stared at him, confused. “You don’t want...?”

“I rejected his stupid inheritance Khush,” he replied proudly. “Just like you wanted to... he can keep his company, his name, his rules. I want nothing to do with it. Ahana and me are more than capable of starting elsewhere, I already even got approved for a loan–”

Khushi didn’t really listen. Her already frayed mind was trying hard to grapple what her brother so casually announced. Vihaan was really serious about moving? It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision sparked by another one of her father’s stupid decisions? 

The reminder of Alok stopped Khushi short. Did he know? And more importantly, what he was going to do to stop it? A shiver ran through her at that thought.  Vihaan paused in his ramblings, looking at her with concern.

“Does Papa know?” she asked quietly. 

Vihaan shrugged. “I told him last night.”

“And?”

“And nothing.”

Khushi couldn’t believe her ears. “What do you mean?”

“He took it well, all things considered... no yelling, no threatening.”

“Are you sure you talked to Papa? Not his photo?”

Vihaan narrowed his eyes. “Hilarious. But I did speak to him... more like I told him, actually. Told him that I’m going to London, and that he is more than welcome to stop me.”

Khushi’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her quiet brother spoke against the Alok Raj Gupta?!

“I also told him,” Vihaan continued. “That if he does manage to detain me in Delhi and name me as his successor, then I will refuse to take up the CEO position. And in such a case, if I recall correctly, a general election will take place according to the company’s policy and a CEO will be appointed by voting, which is the last thing Papa wants.”

“But why do you not want the company?” she asked, not understanding why her brother wanted to forego years’ worth of hard work and start elsewhere. “It’s only a matter of weeks now, you will be appointed CEO and you don’t need to think about Papa ever again.”

Vihaan laughed. “What happened to you? Since when have you become so naive? Papa will always be present in our lives.”

“I know that more than anyone,” she muttered. “Which is why I don’t think he will let you leave... don’t you think you are just making things difficult at this point, Vihaan?”

His face fell. “Aren’t you happy with the news? I thought you of all people would be proud–”

“Look at me Vihaan,” she cut in. “Why do you think I landed up here? Not following Papa’s plan is the last thing either of us should do! Haven’t you learned anything?!”

“Khushi calm down–”

“Did you even consider what could happen?! You are acting like such a kid, telling Papa you are leaving and thinking you have him left with no choice!”

“Okay,” Vihaan said calmly, changing his stance. “What’s worst case scenario?”

Khushi broke off, thinking.  

“It’s that he will force me to stay here and become CEO, right?”

She understood his point. 

“So be it then. At least, I’ll know I tried Khushi, I know that I did my best. I don’t want to turn fifty and look back to only find regret. That would be so much worse. Besides, all these years, Papa had threatened me about not living up to his legacy, but if I don’t want to be his legacy, what is he going to do? Think about it.” 

True, what could her father do if his most precious heir refused his inheritance?

“Are you sure Vihaan?” she asked. “Life is tough, and you are going all the way to London.”

“It’s time I toughened up, don’t you think?”

She smiled meekly. “So… so Papa really didn’t say anything when you broke the news? Are you sure he is not… planning something behind our backs?”

“I couldn’t care less, Khush. Let him plan all he wants… but you know what, he has been acting quite weird for the past few weeks.”

“Weird how?”

Vihaan fiddled with his thumbs. “Well according to Ramesh, Papa found some old letters of Maa and apparently he has been obsessed with them.”

Ramesh was the head butler of the Gupta manor. There wasn’t anything that missed his hawk eyes and having been employed for the family for many years now, he had grown to become Alok’s favorite.

“What letters are you talking about?” Khushi asked, curious. 

Vihaan gave her a puzzled look. “Don’t you remember? Massi brought over some of the letters Maa had written to her a few days after the accident… she thought it would help us heal or something.”

That rang a bell somewhere deep in Khushi’s memory. “Oh that...so what about them?”

“Well, Papa discovered those letters only recently it seems and is for some reason extremely fascinated.”

“What’s so earth shattering in those letters that he doesn’t care about his company?” Khushi wondered. 

“No clue... I remember reading one or two of them, but there wasn’t anything new. Just the usual hi hello, ‘how are the kids’ type of stuff.”

Khushi found that very odd. Her father was pouring over her mother’s old letters? Or maybe he was using that as an excuse to cover his next ploy? What was he thinking?

“But Khush,” Vihaan said, seriously. “Don’t you realize what this means?”

She shook her head in negative, wondering what silver lining she was being expected to find. The situation to her only seemed like the calm before a very deadly storm.  

“You can leave Arnav,” her brother said, as though she was being extremely dimwitted today. “If I’m not going to be CEO, then you are not obligated to stay married.”

Pin drop silence followed that statement. Even Khushi’s heart, so full of worry until then, seemed to become still as she realized what Vihaan had actually come here to tell her.

“Think about it Khush,” he continued. “You can finally be free. No need to follow anyone’s decisions anymore.”

She didn’t dare believe that. “But… Papa won’t let me go. He will surely find something else to blackmail me with.”

“Then come to London,” Vihaan countered. “What can he possibly do in a foreign country? There are plenty of hospitals there, you can easily get a job and live like how you want to.” 

Could she really? 

Khushi had always dreamt of a life without her father’s interference since childhood, a life of choice and freedom. It seemed too good to be true that the very same thing was being handed to her on a silver platter.  

But something didn’t seem right. Something was off. 

Arnav’s face grudgingly flickered into view. What would he say? Would he be happy to see her leave? Now that there were no longer obligated to remain together, would he be relieved?

Perhaps. They had merely ‘adapted’ –as he called it– to their relationship; so once the shackles were broken and the cages opened, what would stop him from walking out? But even as that thought crossed her mind, she knew it couldn’t be true. 

Then out of nowhere, a deep longing suddenly clutched her heart and for the life of her, Khushi couldn’t figure out why.

“Think about it,” Vihaan murmured in finality. “It’s time we are happy.”

Khushi’s pager went off in answer. It was Sona informing her Mrs. Khanna had arrived. 

“I’m sorry Vihaan,” she said, standing up, thankful for the distraction. “I have to take this.”

Vihaan sighed, but stood up as well. “Aren’t you happy one bit?”

She was, but not for the silver lining he had offered. 

“I think I’m more proud than happy,” she answered gently. “I wish you had recorded Papa’s face when you broke the news though... that would be something worth watching on repeat.”

He grinned. “One of my finest hours, agreed. But I really want this to mean something for you too.”

“Let’s talk later,” she said for she didn’t have the answers he was seeking. And giving him a quick hug, she left to attend Mrs. Khanna.

Fortunately, the rest of the day passed by in a flurry of patients. By evening time, all thoughts of Vihaan and her father were reduced to a nagging feeling at the back of her head, that –though annoying– wasn’t too hard ignore. 

Khushi instead was looking forward to retiring peacefully to Arnav’s room for the night, her mind in desperate need of sleep. And perhaps, that would have happened if she hadn’t unexpectedly bumped into Ved in the elevators. 

“Hey,” Khushi murmured, being reminded his disastrous conversation with Arnav from that morning. 

Ved smiled stiffly. “Hey.”

“How was your day?” she asked, polite. 

“The usual... you?”

“Same.”

Ved’s eyes suspiciously darted to her face. “Are you going home now?” 

Khushi bit her lip. “No... why?”

“Oh, so you are going to check-up on him.”

It wasn’t a question; it was an accusation. And that was the last straw for Khushi. 

“What do you want to know Ved?” she asked taking a deep breath, all hopes of a peaceful evening driven out of her mind. She was done keeping quiet. 

“About what?”

“You tell me. You have been so moody since Arnav got admitted here, you keep interrogating me and him either about how we know each other, or how often I’m checking up on him, and this morning you were even trying to show off that you knew me better... is there something you want to talk about?”

Ved was surprised to hear her direct tone. No doubt, he wasn’t expecting her to confront him. As he collected his thoughts, the elevator doors opened with a resounding beep. 

“I heard some of the nurses talking the other day,” he admitted as they stepped out and began making their way towards their offices, only a few rooms apart.

Khushi rolled her eyes, knowing full well the nurses wouldn’t do her any good. “And since when do you believe the nurses?”

“Well, they usually have a point.”

“Really? And what point do they have now?”

“For starters, you seem to know Mr. Raizada extremely well,” Ved answered with a sigh. “You know what he likes and doesn’t like, what he eats, when he sleeps… and I know you have been trying to get permission to give him outside food as well.”

“The man is a trustee for crying out loud,” Khushi muttered. “He can eat whatever food he likes.”

“I’m sure. But you started sleeping in the same room as him.”

Khushi froze. “Who told you that?”

“So it’s true?” Ved asked, this time in disbelief. “You spend every night with him?”

Khushi didn’t know what to say. While it was true that she had been spending all of her nights sleeping on the sofa in Arnav’s room, unable to leave him alone in the hospital, she didn’t think anyone noticed. Access to the VIP floors were restricted and only a few important people could walk about it at night. 

“The whole night?” Ved pressed. 

“Okay fine, I have been giving him company, so what? The poor man is bored out of his mind staying here – anyone would be.”

Ved didn’t appear convinced. 

“Do you have any other valid points?” she pressed, wanting to know what else was being said in gossip. 

“You call him by his name,” Ved said unexpectedly. 

“Yes, so?”

“You never call any patients by their first name.”

“That’s stupid. Everyone calls patients they are friends with by their first name including you.”

“But not you. Even your closest patients, you address by their surname. Mr. Raizada seems to be an exception.”

Khushi was deep in thought, her resolve now becoming more solidified by each passing second. 

“It’s okay,” Ved said matter-of-factly, when she didn’t give him an answer by the time they reached her office. “You don’t have to explain to me… I’m just saying the nurses have a point.”

Maybe they did. 

But it was time he understood hers. Unlocking her office, she beckoned him inside. 

“Sit,” she murmured, gesturing to the chairs across her table. 

Ved was puzzled but obliged all the same. 

“I really hope you don’t take this the wrong way,” Khushi began steadily, sitting down next to him. “But you mustunderstand.... there can never be anything between us.”

Ved was staggered, his eyes flickering with embarrassment, nervousness and disappointment all at the same time. Khushi waited patiently for him to absorb the news, feeling pity course through her.

“W-what makes you think,” he finally croaked after several minutes. “That I want–”

“Just a hunch,” she replied promptly, not wanting to mention Arnav. “If you don’t have feelings for me, then great, ignore everything I’m saying now. But if you do... then I’m sorry Ved, I don’t feel that way about you.”

Another long silence. Khushi wished she knew what he was thinking about, for this time, his face was absolutely blank. She couldn’t help but recollect Arnav’s words from that morning:

It takes a lot of courage to confess to the girl you like that you like her... 

Perhaps he was struggling to come to terms with his feelings.

“Is there someone else?” Ved finally asked. 

Khushi groaned inaudibly. Maybe she really was naive to hope that he wouldn’t ask her that. “Not in the way you think.”

“I don’t get it,” Ved muttered. “We spend so much time together, you are so happy with me... so why can’t you and I happen?”

“Because I enjoy our time together as a friend Ved. I told you already, I’m not looking for a relationship.”

“Now, sure... but maybe sometime in the future, when you are ready, it can happen. Why is it a definite no?”

“Because love doesn’t happen like that Ved.”

He looked at her, dubious. “So you expect love at first sight? That a knight in shining armor is going to come sweep you off your feet?”

“I thought you knew me better than that,” she snapped, for a quick second, losing her calm. “I don’t believe in clichés.”

“Then what is it?”

Khushi gazed at him, her mind completely blank. She knew he was speaking from a place of hurt. He was trying to find hope in an otherwise bleak situation. But how could she explain in a way he would understand? Where should she even begin? 

She finally settled for saying: “You and I come from very different worlds. We have fun together, yes, but there is no rule that we’ll click right?”

“What’s the harm in trying–”

“Trying?” she interrupted sharply. “What does that even mean?”

“Like dating. I’m not asking you to marry me Khushi, I’m saying give me a chance. Maybe after going out with me, you’ll see that we do click.”

Wow. Dating. 

Khushi hadn’t factored that in at all. 

“Even you know I’m making sense,” he said, sincere. 

“Ved, I’m not going to date you in the hope that my feelings will change. I’m not confused about what I want... I don’t see a future for us, not now, not tomorrow, not ever. And I had hoped, that as a good friend, you would respect that.”

He lowered his eyes. “I do respect it Khushi... I just thought... you know...”

“What happened to Keerthi?” she asked, suddenly remembering his mysteriously absent girlfriend.

“We broke up,” he answered promptly. “That’s how… that’s how I knew I liked… you.” 

“What?”

“I didn’t realize it at first, but I talk a lot about you when I’m not with you... Keerthi –understandably– was getting quite insecure, and when she saw me buying that necklace for you, that was the end for her.”

“Didn’t you buy me that necklace for Holi?”

He shook his head. “Actually no... I had it for several weeks, was just waiting for the right time to give it to you.”

Khushi couldn’t help but feel very foolish for accepting that gift. It was still sitting in her handbag, completely forgotten and unopened. She would find a way to return it to him tomorrow when hopefully this conversation would be long past them.  

“I’m sorry that you and Keerthi broke up,” Khushi said. “She was very nice...”

“It’s not your fault,” he answered. “I should’ve paid more attention to my feelings. I should have ended it when I noticed we were growing apart. I shouldn’t have waited until she realized it... I apologized a million times, but she has every right to be mad at me.”

Khushi was quiet, having no clue what to say. 

It was a while before either of them spoke again. Ved was too far gone in his thoughts to notice Khushi’s growing anxiety. She knew it was ‘now or never’ to tell him the complete truth, for there was no way she could stand any more interrogations about the nature of her relationship with Arnav. 

Besides, like Arnav said, he deserved to know the truth. She finally saw that now, when despite weeks of harboring feelings for her, Ved accepted her refusal without much of a spectacle. She respected him for that. 

When the clock chimed 8 o’clock, Khushi cleared her throat, unable to take the silence anymore.

“There’s something else I have to tell you,” she said hesitantly. “Can you please keep an open mind?”

A line appeared on his forehead. “Okay?”

Where could she begin? Confessing to him about her marriage seemed so much easier in her head. 

“Khushi?” Ved called. “What do you want to tell me?”

“I told you once that my father didn’t want me to be a doctor,” she said slowly. “Do you remember?”

He nodded. 

“Well,” Khushi continued, her heart drumming in fear. “There’s more to that. It’s not medicine my father has a problem with, it’s me. He believes girls, especially girls of his family, shouldn’t work. It was a point that caused many arguments while growing up, but with my obstinacy and a little help from my mother, I somehow managed to finish studying medicine. But by the time I started by first internship, my father had enough… and he got me married.”

Nothing, there was absolutely nothing, that could explain the shock that took over Ved’s face. 

Khushi pressed on, wanting him to know everything before he jumped to conclusions.

“The marriage, in reality, was a merger. My husband’s family business was failing, and my father offered to help only if he married me.... it was a contract. Both of us were forced into it, and we had no choice but to adjust, to keep up a farce for the sake of our families.”

Well… sort of.

But Ved –who was staring at her, horrified– didn’t need to know the specifics. 

“Luckily, my husband has no problem with me working... in fact he was the one who got me a job here, encouraged me to restart my internship and make a career for myself.”

“B-but,” Ved said, trying to digest the news. “Mr. Raizada got you the job–”

The truth finally sunk in. 

If the situation wasn’t so dire, Khushi would have laughed at the incredulity now plastered on Ved’s face. But it was dire, and she could only hope he understood her reasons instead of seeing it as an out-and-out betrayal.

“Yes,” she finished lamely. “I’m married to Arnav.”

It was hard not to notice the subtle change in Ved’s expression. Instead of disbelief, he was now gazing at her tautly, his lips pressed thinly together. His silence too agonizing, Khushi murmured:

“I’m so sorry for lying Ved... When I joined here, I didn’t want to be known as the trustee’s wife or as an heiress like you called me this morning. I wanted to be independent, I wanted to be myself... I was so tired of expectations and rules and customs, that I was desperate for freedom. That’s why I hid my marriage. I didn’t expect, even in the slightest, that I would find real friends here or that you would… even now, I wanted you to hear the truth from me, instead of some stupid Google search.”

Ved didn’t answer.

“I’ll understand if you don’t ever want to be friends with me again,” she continued. “But believe me, I wasn’t trying to hurt you or something… I acted how I saw fit in those situations, I never anticipated that it will all end up like this.”

Ved –unexpectedly– buried his face in his hands. Khushi’s heart, already so flustered, dropped even lower. 

“Please say something,” she pleaded softly. 

Ved didn’t move. He may as well have become a statue for how still he sat. Khushi was just beginning to accept the end of their friendship when he finally emerged from the depths of his palms, and asked, most surprisingly, in a very calm voice:

“Do you love him?” 

Khushi was not expecting that in the slightest. “Do I love Arnav?”

He simply waited for an answer. 

“No,” she replied hesitantly.

“Then leave him.”

Was it so simple? First it was her brother and now, Ved… both were talking as though it was a child’s play to walk away without a backward glance.

“I-I can’t leave him,” Khushi said. 

“Why not?”

Because… 

And even though she felt like there were a million reasons not to, not even a single one came to mind. 

Ved rephrased his question. “Do you want to stay with him?”

Her answer was instantaneous. “I have to.”

“No Khushi, you don’t have to,” he retorted, irked. “You want to... say it like it is.”

“You don’t get it Ved,” she answered. “My father–”

“Blackmailed you. I got that, loud and clear. But I don’t see your father here, so why did you panic when Mr. Raizada got admitted for a mere fracture, why did you yell at the nurses for hovering around him, why did you insist on handling this case even when Awasti assigned it to me, and since then, why have you been fussing over his every meal, every medication and every test? Why do you sleep in his room and more than that, why are you hiding it from everyone?!”

Khushi struggled to find an answer. 

“On one hand you say you are not married,” Ved continued fervently. “But on the other, you act exactly like how a wife would. On one hand you say there is no one special in your life, but on the other, you worry about him like there is no one else important in your life. On one hand, you don’t want to even give me a chance, but on the other, you are absolutely okay, wasting away your life, keeping up a farce with him! Do you even hear yourself?!”

Khushi had no trouble understanding what he was insinuating. 

“My concern for Arnav is not love Ved,” she answered, standing up. “I live with him, of course, I will start caring for him, won’t I?”

He snorted. “You say you don’t believe in clichés, and yet, here you are, waiting for some sign from the heavens.”

Khushi glared at him. “You don’t know anything–”

“And you do?! What does love even mean to you?!” 

“You seem to be quite an expert, why don’t you go ahead and educate me?!” she retorted, her voice heavy with sarcasm. 

Ved narrowed his eyes. “This is exactly your problem Khushi! You refuse to see what is staring in your face and then you rationalize it with something else entirely! You knew I liked you, and instead of telling me you love Arnav, you are giving me excuses about choice and freedom?”

“For the last time I don’t love Arnav–”

“Love,” Ved cut-in angrily. “Is when you start liking the actions of a person without any reason or justification; when you look forward to talking them, when you find reasons to stay with them, when all of a sudden, their annoying habits become bearable; when you don’t find fault in adjusting to their needs, when you start behaving like how they would, when one look at them feels enough… that’s love!”

It was as though all the air in the room had been sucked out, and all that remained behind was the truth of Ved’s words, seeping slowly into her muddled brain, illuminating every miniscule thing she had ignored until now. 

“I don’t know what you have with Arnav, and maybe it’s not my place to know either,” he finished. “But it’s unfair of you to say you are married, and then in the very same sentence, say that he’s not your husband. You can’t pretend to be married one second, and then single in another. Pick a side and stick to it Khushi! As far I’m concerned, everyone has a choice, and you choosing to stay with him, says everything I need to know.” 

And with that, he left her completely alone. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Phew! That was 16 pages on word!

Ved's feelings finally come to an end (I hope I put a rest to everyone's fears over him!). I also hope Khushi's reasoning for the way she spoke in the last chapter is also answered with this. 

I felt Khushi needed to hear the obvious from Ved, who has more reason than anyone in the story so far to wish for her not to be with Arnav... otherwise, our heroine has been blindly rationalizing her feelings to not mean much. I hope you liked it, and will be looking forward to your thoughts!

Also, I don't say this enough, but a huge thank you for all the love and wonderful comments so far ❤️❤️❤️ Even though I don't consistently reply to all them, I do cherish each one of them! 

Please like & comment!

Will update again on Friday (evening, Eastern time zone) 🙂

Love,

Archi