Walking through the house Arnav silently made his way to his room.
The once vibrant home had turned into a grave space enclosed by four walls, giving away no inkling that people still resided here. The ice had started to crack over the last few weeks, even melting between certain individuals but was nonetheless still there. Arnav's threat to leave the house with Khushi had not gone well with family, who mutely tolerated their new relationship but refused to consciously accept it. Khushi tried to live her life amiably, adjusting to the hostility sent her way by the people she held dearest, living on as a spirit without the capacity to feel. Her smile, along with everyone else's, disappeared into oblivion, not even surfacing to haunt her features.
Arnav had observed the involuntary changes taking place within Khushi's character. From sobbing and blubbering about her ill fate and questioning him over his decision in the first month, to forcibly reverting herself back to the always smiling, always jovial Khushi to a stark opposite of everything she used to represent. She no longer smiled as she passed someone in the corridor, no longer rushed to help anyone, no longer tried to cheer up herself and the others around her. The transformation had been slow yet, having received no response, verbal or otherwise, to her contributions within the household, it was inevitable. Within her time at the Raizada household she hadn't stepped out into the world, it was as if her time was at a standstill, waiting for something to jerk her out of her stupor. Yet nothing of the sort happened.
Walking into his room, he placed the laptop bag onto his bed and loosened his tie. Reaching for the jug on the bed side table he poured himself a glass of water. Placing the empty glass back down he turned around to the wardrobe. Sliding the right door open he reached for his trackies and a shirt and turned to close the door once again before the sight in front of him caused him to halt. The left side of the wardrobe was empty, her side no longer contained anything. Hurling his clothes onto his bed he moved to slide open the left door. Staring into the wardrobe he was greeted with bare shelves and empty hangers. His heart beat quickened as he took in the empty wardrobe and turned his head to look bewilderedly around the room. Turning towards the door leading out onto the pool he walked out, expecting to see her sitting on one of the steps of the stairs leading up behind the pool, a position he had observed her in more often than not. Unable to see her slight figure crumpled up on the bottom step he hurried around the pool to get a better view of all the steps. Coming to a halt at the first step he once again looked around bewildered.
Where could she have gone, she's here every evening? He thought, before turning back around and walking back into the room. Walking past the pista green chaise, something popped into the edge of his vision. Stopping in his tracks he turned to look at the white paper lying on the couch. It had been neatly folded into three, like a letter ready to be posted off somewhere. Picking it up he unfolded it to reveal the five words in her slanted handwriting, the black looking starker on the white than usual.
Jiwan
Just a reference to my other work if anyone is interested:
FF: https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/fan-fictions/1715974/arhi-ff-judayaian-updated-pg-18
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
