ArHi SS(Second Chances):Back To You * Note on pg 67 - Page 11

Chapter2

"Hi" He spoke finally, breaking the uneasy silence as she settled in her chair.

"Hi, Arnav" She whispered as if her mouth were too stiff to utter anything but a single word in response like a stranger. Tension rippled in the air, and Khushi tried to push away the same familiar effect of his presence near to her but she couldn't. He was looking with the same intense eyes ,he used to look at her during the most memorable days of their togetherness or it might be her illusion. Heat curled low in the pit of her stomach, jolting her with another stroke of raw grief. Her whitish cheek turned into pale colour and she swallowed the rising bile in her throat.

"Khushi" He whispered softly, mustering his all courage.

"Why did you call me?"Her voice was icy, cold, and her features yanked taunt and he barely stifle the cry of anger.

"Is it what you thought to tell me over the long three years?" he taunted back bitterly and her eyes narrowed at his sarcastic tone.

"And what did you think, I would welcome you with open arms?" her nostrils flared, she retorted, his dark eyes, intense, captivating scanned her face with the red flush on his cheek, and she knew she had hit the right place. His temper flared and he breathed inwardly, reminding himself, he didn't' come here to get into an argument with her.

"Certainly not as I know how much you despise me," he bitted out his words and she felt like he had struck her a hard blow on her face. A tide of colour washed over her cheek and she stifle an angry burst.

"You still think I'm the reason of our separation excluding yourself from the blame game. What about your priorities that were always coming first than me?" She retorted, a naked anger flushed in her cheeks.

"You knew me well, Khushi and the ways of my life before marriage" Arnav spat angrily, A frown deepened at his brow as he met with her blank stare.

"I was so young and madly in love with you and didn't know I was in illusion" Khushi swallowed hard, rapidly blinking the moisture from her eyes and a shaft of remorse shot through Arnav, it was so intense and deep that it momentarily took his breath. He wanted to shout aloud that he had loved her, but words stuck in his throat and he could barely gasp.

"I didn't want, the way our life had taken the turn" His voice was flat and hard, but she heard the guilt in his tone and averted her gaze away from his face before she could spill the lone tear from her heavy lashes.

"Neither, I was but now, I've gotten over you"

Silence banged thunderously in the air for a long moment and they just stared into each other eyes, the truth hit him like a ball of ice, reminding him. A bale of pain rose on the wall of his throat and his heart swelled. Khushi bit her lower lip until she tasted blood on the tip of her tongue. Though, she said she had gotten over him, but somewhere in her heart she knew it was a lie"she had still loved him.

"I know" his lips curled into a thin line as he whispered, breaking the long, painful silence, his gaze met with hers and a wave of guilt swept through her body she gasped turning her eyes away.

"Why did you abandon me, Arnav?"

A strong line of grief touched her face; her voice came out like a weak whisper. Lifting up her eyes, her eyes collided with his and she felt her heart stop to see the pain flashed in the depth of his black glistening eyes. He looked tired, weak. Tears flooded her eyes and she blinked them, didn't want him to see how much he had hurt her.

"I didn't abandon you; it was you who left me" He replied, this time softly.

"And you had let me go" her lips curled with the bitter smile.

"You didn't want to live with me anymore. You wanted to get rid of me," He retorted, taking her tone as offensive. The bitterness in his words crushed her heart and she swallowed the lump.

"I wanted to get rid of the life you were offering me, I had been tired of playing along with in front of others that we were happily married and which weren't, I couldn't pretend that I was happy the way you used to treat your special friend"

The heat of anger swept through her body as she spoke bitterly, tearing, biting every word under her tongue.

"Don't drag, Siya in it. It was between us" His features hardened and he spat angrily. "No, it was she, who always came between us" An angry frown deepened at her brow and she sucked in as words escaped her lips. "And what about Karan, you knew I didn't like that man, but you choosed him over me" He spat icily.

"I didn't" She had bit her lower lip, tasting the blood as it trickled on to her tongue leaving nothing but the slight wave of ache and Arnav breathed out aloud, bracing his hands on the edge of the table, all the energy seemed to drain from his body. Realizing, he wasn't here to get into a fight with her or a hot argument he sucked in a breath and then looked up at her. For a whole minute, he silently stared at her. How much he had loved this woman, but they were apart from each other. He wanted to raise his hand and grab her closer to him, pull her in his arms and dip his face in the warmth of her skin but he knew they had been coming too far.

Khushi felt the vulnerable look touched his face and something stirred beneath her heart for this man who hadn't called back her.

After a long uneasy silence, he spoke moistening his lips with his tongue.

"I'm not here to fight with you. I'm here to ask you a favour"

She kept her gaze on his face for a while, comprehending his words her favour'. He needed her favour,but why? Had he finally decided to take a divorce and that is why he came to talk about it, as he didn't want to create an issue out of it. After all, he was a respectable business person and couldn't afford scandals. OR was he going to marry her"his so-called friend?

Something broke in her heart as the thought came into her mind and she sucked in dismay, tears burned behind her lashes and she blinked them back before they spill on her cheeks.

"Which favour?" she had heard her own whisper as she swayed back her gaze at him.

"Mom is ill "He replied in broken voice and her eyes widened with the shock.

"Ill.." she gasped and stared back at him, he seemed to gather his voice and when he could, he looked back at her, nodding his head slightly.

"She had suffered a serious stroke last week and the doctors said if she gets another she may not survive" He spoke weakly.

"Oh!"Khushi could barely stifle her cry of shock. "I'm sorry, " she stared back at him and noticed the first time since they met again, he was looking very thin, the dark circle under his eyes indicating he hadn't slept many nights. She knew how much he loved his mother, after his father's death, she was the one who gave him the love of bother father and mother. Her heart swelled with the grief for him and she wished to pull him in her lap and soothe his pain but she knew she couldn't. They have moved on in their life. She had been promised to, Karan to give him a chance. He always was beside her whenever she needed someone and when it came, his turn, she couldn't turn away her face. She wasn't a selfish b***.

"What do you want of me?"

Gathering her voice after a long pause, she spoke and Arnav looked hesitant before parting his lips to speak.

"Mom wanted us to back together; it's her last wish to see us under the same roof as husband and wife and give her a grandchild before her dying"

"What?"She jumped on her chair.