"Khushi!!!!!" Arnav yelled as he ran to her...
She was laying unconscious on the floor...
Falling to her side, he gently lifted her upper body into his arms, "Khushi...Khushi!?" he whispered hoarsely...
He cursed himself for not paying attention to her...
His hand came up to wipe her hair away from her face...
"Khushi...Khushi...open your eyes...please...open your eyes..."
Khushi's' eyes flickered at the sound of his voice...
Her back arching as she dragged much needed air into her lungs...
She lifted her hand to her head...cringing at the pounding in her ears...
She tried to focus her eyes, but she still felt extremely lightheaded...
"Khushi? Khushi are you okay? Talk to me..."
For several seconds she was too stunned to say anything but lay in Arnav's steady arms...
She tried to focus...
Her eyes ascended to look into Arnav's deep eyes...
His expression was anxious and filled with worry...
Khushi looked at down and saw how their bodies we entwined as they lay on the floor...
Feeling nervous and embarrassed, she tried to break free...
Arnav's grip tightened around her...
He rose to his knees and he scooped her up in his arms then got to his feet...
Arnav became conscious of the fact that she had lost weight...
She had been so busy working that she hadn't taken care of herself...
He heart filled with angst...even HE hadn't taken care of her...
Standing still for a moment, he cradled her against him and looked into her eyes...
Khushi tried to speak..."I-I'm s-sorry," she managed to say before the dam broke and she burst into tears...
Arnav's throat constricted at the look of utter misery on her face. . .
Quickly and carefully placing her on the bed, he sat down next to her...
Khushi cried against his chest...
A tenderness like nothing he'd ever known before welled up inside him, melting away all the anger and pain and bitterness that had consumed him only moments before...
All he wanted to do now was take care of her and protect her from ever being hurt again...
Hearing her cries made him determined to atone for all the times he had hurt her...
As her tears subsided, she went still and silent...
Arnav would have thought she'd fallen asleep if it hadn't been for the delicate hands clinging so tightly to his shirt...
Pressing his cheek to hers, he stroked her hair, inhaling her intoxicating scent ...
Questions began filling mind...
How had he survived before without her?
How had he gotten through the long, lonely nights when he'd tossed and turned, his stomach churning because he knew that in a few short hours he would begin another automatic day ?
How come he no longer wanted to be without her?
His heart knew the answer...
Even though his mind tortured him with thoughts and images of her betrayal, his heart refused to believe it. ..
Arnav gently lifted her to sit back ... "Khushi...look at me..."
Khushi slowly lifted her teary eyes to his...
"No..." Arnav thought..."She isn't to blame for anything...what i saw was NOT what it appeared to be...I will find out the truth..."
Khushi's voice interrupted his racing thoughts..."I...I'm fine...I'm sorry..."
"Shhh...are you hurting? The truth Khushi..."
Khushi's worry filled eyes glanced back and forth..."I...I'm really fine..."
Holding her face in his hands his eyes penetrated hers..."don't...i asked for the Truth..."
She blinked a few times and finally spoke...
"My...My hand...and...and my...my ankle... " she admitted shakily. ...
Arnav lifted her hand...the one she said was injured...
She nervously tried to pull away only to hiss in pain and let her hand fall limply onto his...
Arnav's eyes shot up and gave her a warning not to try to pull away again...
His fingers ran along her hand, along her fingers...across her palm...
His touch was gentle...soothing...
"I will take care of you..."
Khushi's eyes darted up to meet his..."what? No no...i know you were doing business work...even i have a business now...and i need to sleep now so i can be up early to..."
"Khushi stop talking!"
Khushi's lips remained parted but she instantly stopped speaking...
"You aren't going anywhere. You're hurt. Now sit still..."
Khushi's gaze never left his face as he examined her injuries ...
The furrow between his brows grew more pronounced as he carefully assessed her ...
Foolishly, her heart leapt at the thought that he genuinely cared for her, that the gentle way he held her swollen ankle was an indication that his concern was borne out of real feelings for her.
But that illusion was quickly shattered when he suddenly shot to his feet and towered over her with his lips pressed into a grim line and his dark eyes flashing with anger.
"What the hell were you thinking!!! Starting such a time consuming business that makes you faint in exhaustion?" Raking his fingers through his hair, Arnav turned away from her and took a few halting steps before whirling around again.
"Now, because of this, you have literally hurt yourself!" he rebuked sternly.
"What if you had hit your head when you fell!? You could have suffered a concussion!"
Khushi's lips trembled. She knew Arnav was ruthless, he had to be to keep his business operating smoothly.
But his hot and cold attitude was now slicing through her already fragile heart, bringing fresh tears to her eyes.
"I'm perfectly fine," she lied, grinding her teeth against the painful task of sitting up and inching her legs over the side of the bed.
He moved towards her stopping her from getting up...
"You are not fine," he snapped... "Your ankle has already swollen twice its normal size...and your hand is bruising...there will be no more talk of this stupid tiffin service!!! Understand!?"
Khushi inhaled sharply... "If I'm so much trouble, maybe you should go find yourself a wife who you don't hate so much so you don't have take time out of your busy schedule to tend to her!"
Khushi's words struck his heart...He remembered telling her that he hated her...his eyes clasped tightly as he spoke...
"I don't hate you" he said softly, his anger finally spent. ..
Shall I end it here!??? depends on how many comments i get 😃
Anupamaa
Pocket Mein Aasman
Cricket
32