"I love you!" she said, and slowly moved her eyelids up to meet his eyes. Slowly because she didn't know if she should be. And simply to just look at him was now difficult. The look of understanding she could see in his eyes, hope in her heart grew, but slowly she saw a laugh on his face, that she actually expected above all the hopes.
He was trying to laugh as he was told a joke, but he couldn't more than just a nervous, momentary laugh, "you are kidding me, right?"
"You could ask me to do anything now," she said, and suddenly his maneuverd laugh vanished from his face. He could feel the sickness taking over him.
Fleetly, finding himself out of words, especially when he should have to answer her back, but what exactly he would have said? His silence was debilitating her. His mind wasn't able to process the overwheming emotions, and he was afraid his own tongue will betray him if he chose to speak. He looked outside the car to calm his violent furious mind. Khushi misunderstood his silence.
"It's okay, Arnav, we never said what the person among us will do! You don't have to accept me, you can tell me to do anything. The only reason I came to Shimla was I couldn't control my feelings towards you!"
Arnav heard her due to already shocked by her confession he chose to stay tight lipped. Did he feel the same for Khushi, he didn't know.
Khushi's heart fluttered in fear, she knew he would hate her much more now, she shouldn't have confessed her love, but they had promised that they will be true to each other. She too looked away from him when he didn't say anything. In her head she already knew it was the end of their relationship.
Emergency vehicles siren wailed, and Arnav went out of the car. Khushi cried as her heart cried and covered her face. She knew she was rejected once again first by her parents and now by her husband. But he wasn't at the fault either, just because she was in love with him didn't mean he had to accept her, she thought.
"Mam, please come out," paramedic said, Khushi saw a man standing in front of her, as the gush of cold air seeped down to her bones, when the window of the car opened.
She looked at him melancholy.
"Sir, you can go by the taxi to the hospital, we take the patient to the hospital!" one of the paramedic told Arnav, and the other wrapped warm blanket around her.
"Mam, can you walk?" Nurse asked, as she held both her hands. Khushi was only looking at Arnav.
"Do you feel anxious?"
She shook her head, and nurse helped her walk.
"Sir, she is responding, that's good. Nothing to worry about I guess. She will soon be fine!" Nurse said to Arnav, but he hardly heard him.
"I am fine, I don't need to go to the hospital!" she said.
"Mam, its important for you to get to the warm place at least."
She wanted to protest and run away, but she was tired of running. But in her mind she had already thought of it, however, next moment she found standing still walking towards the ambulance. The thought dithered her.
Arnav saw the door of an ambulance close and with that a glance at Khushi.
He took his belongings from the car, and Khushi's phone. Out of the havoc created by his own mind, he could hear every single beat of his heart beat, it was rapid.
He recalled the moments they had spent together, starting from their fights at the college itself, and then at the mall, then engagement day. It made him smile, then the chain of emotions and memories followed. Clear and vivid. The way she had taken care of him, plus she was so worried at the hospital, he did have joke about it but now it seems to be precious.
Their selfies, the first kitchen, the time she was hurt when he called her "Tom boy."
He hadn't seen her this side of her ever, the way she said she didn't want to leave her in laws. Then the realisation, more than getting mad she was hurt.
He now cognized why? He now capiched what bothered her was that nobody actually paid attention to her.
Even though unintentionally, he did care for her, no matter how he or they both said, regardless of how their relationship started, they did take care of each other when they were in need.
He was surprised he understood her so well, that the things she never said, he apprehended.
He smiled to himself and sat in the taxi.
What he would have asked her to do? He had never thought about it. How stupid enough they had been to even make bets that should have known that it doesn't work especially when they were already bonded together. How confidently they had made the bets when they didn't know how it would have turned anyway, in reality.
"Driver take the taxi to the hospital!" he said.
***
"May I know in which ward my wife, Khushi is?" Arnav asked the receptionist.
"She is in the ward 50, sir!" nurse told him.
He nodded and went to the room 50 by the given directions. For the first time he was little unframed and anxious to meet Khushi, because more often they both were ready to cut each others head off. He did not notice how restless and shaky he was.
"What I would say to her when I will meet her?" he jittered.
"You have come?" she asked, he looked immediately hearing her voice without realising he was in Khushi's ward already.
"First I was thinking of leaving to back to Mumbai. Then I thought what I would really say to the family."
"I wouldn't have mind!" she said.
"Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes, do not forget, we just needed a lift so we got it."
"I go and talk to the doctor," he said, unconvinced by her detail.
"I am allowed to go to home!" she said.
"It's alright, you can take some rest, I can postpone the flights...we can go tomorrow instead."
"It's not needed!" she told him. "I am feeling okay," she said getting tizzy.
"Are you sure, you don't want to take rest?" he asked.
She nodded her head. "I just want to go home!"
He helped her to stand up. "Thank you, I am fine." She didn't take his help, he looked at his hand that was not taken, he moved it away and tugged in his pocket.
"Khushi, we can go tomorrow!" he tried once again to convince her.
She shook her head. "Arnav, I am really tired, please, I want to go home!"
"I book the tickets then!"
"I have already," she said. "Our flight is in an another half an hour. I don't want to miss this flight, airport is not that far, only ten minute away. I have called in the taxi too."
He nodded.
***
"Hi, doctor."
"Hi!"
"I am Arnav Singh Raizada, Mrs. Khushi Raizada's husband," he introduced himself.
"Oh!" doctor said. "Hi, how are you?"
"I am good. How are you?"
"I am very well. Please tell me, how can I help you?"
"I was here to ask how Khushi is doing?"
"She is absolutely fine. Nothing much to worry about. Often because of cold body temperature goes down."
"She can travel right."
"Yes, absolutely. She is fine to go."
Arnav moved forward for a handshake. "Thank you, doctor."
"You are welcome and have a great new year."
"Thank you, you as well."
***
"Khushi, you want coffee?" he asked when air hostess came to offer coffee, but she was too lost to answer.
"Yes, she will have it," he said, on her behalf. Air hostess passed on to the coffee tray to him
"Thank you!" he said.
"You are welcome, sir. Hope you have a comfortable journey!"
Arnav placed his hand on her shoulder to grab her attention but she continued to stare out the window.
"Khushi, have a coffee!" Arnav said. She still didn't answer.
***
At RM!
Arnav and Khushi both sat in the family room the next day.
"What happened to all you?" Arnav asked.
"Chote, we have realised that we did a mistake by getting both of you married!" Mrs. Raizada said.
Khushi's heart beat stopped for a while as she already knew what was coming next.
"Anjali has told us everything, so we have decided that we will rectify our mistake. We and your in-laws are sorry to both of you for making decisions for you. So you guys can both decide what you both want. We will be happy with your decision. Even if it means you don't want to live together with each other."
A shock prevailed on his face.
"Let's go everyone!" Mr. Raizada said abruptly, and one by one everyone left.
"Congratulations, Arnav!" she said, and moved her hand forward for a handshake. "We are finally getting what we wanted!"
She laughed looking at his confused face. "Arnav, you are such a fool. You were right, I was joking. Oh god, I didn't know that it was so easy to make you fool," she laughed.
Arnav got up the sofa and she too stood up as well "You were kidding?" he asked.
She stopped laughing. "Why, Arnav? What you think only you can make fun of me? Leave my arm!"
"You are such a great actress!"
"That's so I am!" she said. "Don't tell me you actually took that to the heart!" She whispered, looking deep into his eyes, hiding all her pain. "Me going to Shimla instead of home was all planned. I didn't know my plan will go all this good. Phew! Yes, Arnav, it's finally the end of our unwanted relationship. Remember this because of you my parents forced me to marry you. A person like you cannot be my love interest. You will always be my enemy!"
"Arnav, let go of my arm!" she said coldly as he hadn't reoeased her arms yet.
Arnav released it.
"You played quite well, Khushi. Thank you for this, even now I can't wait to get free from you.!"
"That was your big mistake, Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada. You have really hurt me, you always fooled me, now look at yourself."
"Yes, it was my mistake, but seriously did not expect this from you!"
"You are saying this as you are hurt."
"Not really, but surprised!"
"Everything is fair in love and war, Mr. Arnav. Never consider your enemy to be a weak person!"
He laughed.
"If that's so you haven't seen me playing dirty, Khushi. Wait and watch now what I do!" he challenged her.
"Let's see what you do!" she said, and left.
Arnav shook his head as he sighed. "Lord, I have seen many woman but not like her, always riding high on her hormones. Crazy woman."
***
"Mom, dad, you think we have taken a good decision?" Anjali asked worried.
"Anjali, bitiya, don't worry they won't separate. It's just a drama. Before they become one they need to know each other really well. We have seen their caring side for each other, now you see their loving side."
"Ma, what we will do?"
"We won't do anything, it's them who have to do everything," she said.
I noticed that I misnumbered the chapters, or messed up with the numbering, so according to that now this chapter is 7C not 8C...I have edited it out...
Writers Corner: Books, Stories & Poems
Anupamaa
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