ArHi FF : Cross My Heart | Thread 2 | COMPLETE - Page 22

"She was dying!"

Lavanya's words knocked the breath out of him. If someone had punched him in the gut a thousand times over, he was sure that it would have felt less painful.

It's happening all over again..."Sorry, beta. Your mom is dead."

He felt the walls closing in on him, and his vision blurring. Struggling to take a breath, the only thought he had was the needed to get out of there, away from the situation, away from her.

Without speaking a word, he turned around and walked out of the hospital, and almost in a vehicle that was fast approaching the parking lot.

"Dekh ke chalna, saala!" screamed the driver.

Other than a distracted sorry, he ignored the screams and continued walking.

He pulled out his car keys, and unlocked the car. Climbing in, he drove out of the hospital at top speed, uncaring of where he was going or how he was going to drive in his condition.

He ended up at the farmhouse he and his family had frequented when he was a kid, when they were still a family. It was pure muscle memory that had brought him here, the one place where he had always felt the presence of his mom.

Sitting down under the banyan tree in front of the house, he let his head fall into his hands. His eyes stung remembering everything that had happened three years ago, everything he hadn't let himself remember until then.

"Khushi, please, this can't be you. Tell me what I saw was a mistake!"

"You know what you saw, Arnavji," she said, in an emotionless tone, staring at the ground. "I love Shyamji. That's the truth."

"You're lying. I don't know why, but you are!" Arnav screamed. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to himself, forcefully. "Look me in the eye and tell me that you don't love me Khushi. Look at me!"

She hesitated briefly before lifting her eyes up to his. He couldn't find a trace of the Khushi he thought he had known.

"I don't love you, Arnavji."

Screaming at himself for believing her, he started pacing the length of the garden. When that didn't help, he hit his hand hard against the tree trunk, hoping that the physical pain would provide some relief for his mental anguish.

A thought occurred to him that stopped him in his tracks.

Running back to his car, he grabbed the cellphone he had carelessly tossed onto the passenger seat earlier. Scrolling through it, he found Anjali's number and dialed, hoping that she was still in the hospital.

"Chotey!" Anjali yelled, relief evident in his voice. "Where are you? So much has been..."

"Is she there?" he asked, cutting her off.

"Chotey, listen..."

"Is she there!?" he screamed, startling Anjali.

"Yes," she whispered and he heard the disturbance on the other end as she handed the phone off to Khushi.

"Hello?" Khushi answered hesitantly. "Arnavji, I'm..."

"Are you alright?" he asked, curbing down the anger that threatened to overtake him.

"Arnavji, I..."

"Are you okay!?" he repeated, yelling at her.

There was a pause on the other end before she answered.

"Yes...for now."

He closed his eyes, partly in pain and partly in relief, and hung up.

*****

"What is the meaning of this, Khusi?" Garima asked, forgetting her promise to treat her as a stranger the minute she thought Khushi was in danger.

"Hain re Nandkishore!" Buaji said, catching her head in her hand. "What is Lavnaya saying, Sanka Devi!?"

"I thought I made it pretty clear," Lavanya mumbled so only Khushi could hear.

Lavanya hated when people behaved like that. Once she had blurted out the truth, which she was sure Khushi would have a word or two with her for, everyone had started hovering over Khushi, their earlier behavior conveniently forgotten.

Except Arnav, Lavanya thought, looking around. Where did he go?

"Khushiji," Anjali said, approaching hesitantly, her phone extended towards Khushi. "Chotey wants to talk to you."

Khushi looked surprised at that, but took the phone from Anjali nonetheless.

"Hello?" Khushi asked, her face scrunching up in anguish. "Arnavji, I'm..."

She paused at something he asked, her face turning to one of confusion, "Arnavji, I..."

Lavanya didn't miss the way Khushi had reverted back to calling him Arnavji.

Khushi paused, her face clearing up, and replied, "Yes...for now."

He must have hung up after that because Khushi moved the phone away from her ear, and looked at it for a second, longingly, before handing it back to Anjali.

Turning to Lavanya, she smiled a sad smile, and said, "Told you he would hate me more."

*****

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