ArHi FF: Fragmented Colors [COMPLETED] *Replies posted - Page 6

A/N: Thank you so much for the comments and love. It really keeps me going.

Chapter 4: Haze

Khushi gapes at her glaring phone screen, bewildered at first; then a gradual feeling of fright creeps onto her. Suddenly feeling cold, she takes in a sharp breath and moves her finger to tap the Block button, right when another text shows up.

Hello? Don't worry, that was a joke haha. Seen 12:50 am.

Her eyebrows furrow once again, this time in pure confusion and doubt.

It may possibly be a joke... but who could be behind it? She wonders, deciding not to block the unknown number just yet.

Who is this? Delivered 12:51 am.

It's Arnav. Seen 12:51 am.

Her lips part in surprise at the response. She shakes her head and can't help but break into a small smile. Here she is obsessing over every single word exchanged with him, worrying over the meanings behind the littlest occurrences - while he was busy cooking up a stupid prank, of everything else.

Think of the devil...

Her fingers swiftly move across the screen, typing the first question that pops into her head.

How did you get my number? Delivered 12:53 am.

I have my ways. Seen 12:54 am.

Khushi rolls her eyes at the answer.

Haha. That was not funny, btw. Delivered 12:54 am.

Sorry. I knew my number would show up as unknown so I had some fun of my own. Did I scare you? Seen 12:55 am.

I don't scare easy, Raizada. Delivered 12:55 am.

This time, it was his turn to be surprised.

Wait, how do you know my last name? I never told you. Seen 12:55 am.

Khushi's lips form a smirk barely visible before she types her reply.

I have my ways. Delivered 12:56 am.

The brief but amusing conversation comes to an end due to the late hour, and the obligatory early morning classes they both have the next day.

After interchanges of simple goodnight texts, Khushi saves his number on her phone and for some reason, a certain warmth envelops her as she spells out his name in her contacts.

A-r-n-a-v.

"Arnav..." A murmur of an utterance; a quiet whisper sent out to the stillness all around.

Hushed to the quietude encompassing the frozen moment.

Clear, only to the glimmers of the knowing moonbeam that hung low in the night sky.

His eyes catch a thick, maroon covered book and he carefully pulls it out of the shelf, flipping through the pages to see if it was the one he was looking for. After a quick skim he decides to borrow it, walking towards the counter as his shoes make a soft tapping noise with each step, the sound echoing much more than usual in the muffled silence of the massive room.

"I'd like to check this book out, please,"

"Sure. May I see your library card?" Says an elderly woman sitting behind the counter, lowering her bifocals.

Arnav hands her his card and after it is scanned, he thanks her and starts heading towards the entrance when a hand waves at him from afar. His vacant face immediately livens up and he waves back, walking toward her direction.

"What are you doing here?" He pulls a chair next to her as he rests his book on the wooden table.

"Just studying for a class. What were you doing?" Khushi replies, resting her palm on her left cheek.

"I was looking for a particular book for one of my classes for days and finally found it," He holds up the maroon covered book, the title written in sharp, bold letters.

"Principles of Marketing! Must be boring, no?" Khushi groans sympathetically.

"Not to me. I love learning about these things... but then again, I am quite a boring person," He laughs lightly as he looks down.

"Who says so? You're one of the most interesting-" She retorts, stopping midway when a librarian nearby shushes her in annoyance. She realizes her loud tone of voice and bites her lip, mouthing a nervous 'sorry' back.

Arnav stares at her pouting face, her endearing mannerisms holding him captive. Khushi catches him smiling at her and feels a sudden heat rise to her face as she tries to smile back, ending up shyly looking away instead.

The effect this guy has on me is ridiculous, she muses.

"By the way, where did you go last night?" He whispers, curious to gauge her response.

Her head shoots up and she blinks twice, her lips opening to form a sentence, and closing again in hesitance.

"Actually... It was getting late so... I..." She stutters, unable to look into his questioning gaze.

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, he cuts her off.

"I completely understand. No worries,"

"Oh hello, this is a library, not a place to chat." A boy sitting on the same table across from them hisses, a good five books surrounding him.

Arnav nods apologetically before he leans close to Khushi. The sudden proximity startles her along with the heady, musky scent laced with his body that was so close to hers now.

"Want to go somewhere else?" He says, loud enough for her ears only.

She listens to her instincts and responds quietly.

"I'd love to."

The soft mumbles of conversations mingled with the clinking of mugs and plates, while the pungent aroma of caffeine permeated the air. Khushi scanned the room, taking in the cozy yet spaced out surroundings, the chairs made of fine wicker, the frames of abstract art pinned on the pastel painted walls.

"This place is so nice," She says, facing Arnav as she takes a seat.

"It is. I come here whenever I need a quick cup of coffee, or if I need to finish an assignment... they have free wifi here, that's why," He chuckles, an awkward attempt to lighten the mood.

Her lips naturally curve upwards looking at his smiling face, and she can't help but think of how... cute he is.

"For sure, free wifi is every student's dream,"

Just then a server comes up to them, clad in a t-shirt and jeans, asking for their order.

"I'll have a coffee, no milk, no sugar," Arnav says, turning to Khushi.

"I'll have the same, except with milk and two spoons of sugar,"

Arnav smiles internally, before insisting she take something else with that.

"We'll take a slice of chocolate cake as well then," She says, surveying the little card of a menu.

The server writes the order down and places her pencil behind her ear as she smiles and walks away.

Khushi immediately turns to Arnav, her eyes big and round.

"How can you drink coffee without any sugar?" Her nose crinkles in disbelief.

"How can you drink coffee with that much sugar?" He counters, earning a subtle eye roll from her, followed by a suppressed smile.

"To tell the truth though, I'm diabetic," He continues.

Khushi gasps aloud, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, and Arnav is taken aback by her dramatic response.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have ordered the cake..."

"It's okay. As long as you enjoy it," His eyes soften.

She looks down, pushing a stray strand of hair away from her face.

"So that means... you can't eat cake, ice cream, chocolate, or anything?"

He nods his head from side to side as she looks on sympathetically.

"Oh, don't feel sorry. I don't really like sweet foods anyway," He says, shrugging.

"What?! You're crazy!" She can't help laughing at his statement, wondering how on earth someone could dislike sweets.

The next few minutes are spent immersed in an argument over sweet foods, the two of them engaged in heated discussion. Their cups of coffee and a plate of sliced cake soon arrive, and Khushi takes a sip to make sure she has the right one. Her eyes squint at the unexpected bitterness, and she hands the cup across to Arnav.

"I'm guessing this is mine?" He smiles, taking the cup from her. Their fingers momentarily touch, causing him to feel the same current of warmth that has become oddly familiar to his senses. He can almost see color grace her cheeks, wondering if she feels the things he does.

"How's the cake?" He asks, cutting through the slight tension.

"Amazing!" A soft moan of relish hums through her lips, and the smile drops from Arnav's face as an entirely different emotion takes over.

He looks on at the pink of her lips smudged with frosting, gulping at the sudden loss of air in his lungs. He lifts his right hand up and points to his lips, then to hers, trying to let her know of the chocolate staining her mouth, partly because he couldn't handle the tantalizing sight.

Her hands reach up to rub it off, when she sees his eyes faintly darken.

While she tries to wipe it off, all he can think about is how badly he wants to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless.

"So, are you from here?"

Her voice breaks him from his reverie.

"Well, my family moved here from Delhi when I was seven years old. Dad was in business, looking for a breakthrough, when he decided to come here and start a company of his own. Ever since then we've been living here,"

"That takes courage, to come to an unknown country with dreams and aspirations... but to make them come true, that takes dedication and hard work. The fact that your Dad took that decision is inspiring,"

Arnav's heart warmed at the awe in her voice.

"Thanks. I think so too, I really look up to him. He inspires me in more ways than one," He replies, looking into the distance.

"What's wrong?" She asks, noticing his change in expression.

"He... he actually passed away a few years ago. It's just me and my mom now,"

Her mouth falls open as a sudden weight sinks into her body. Inexplicable grief fills her as she sees him across from her, pained and in woe. For the first time since she met him, Khushi is introduced to this side of him and familiarizes herself to this man who is also hurt and vulnerable, amongst other things. Her hand reaches out to rest on top of his.

"I'm so sorry,"

Arnav places his hand on top of hers, nodding his head.

"It's alright. Since then my uncle has been handling the business, and I hope to join him soon,"

A soft 'Oh' leaves her lips as Khushi looks down in thought, now realizing the importance of the book he had checked out from the library.

"How about you? Tell me about your family,"

"I'm actually from Delhi as well. I've lived there my whole life with my parents and my older sister, who is married now," She replies, remembering how much she misses her family.

"So you came here to study?"

"Yeah, luckily I got the chance at such a prestigious place. Stanford is no joke!" She laughs and Arnav joins her in agreement.

"And what about after that?" He asks, the curiosity unhidden in his voice.

"After that? I go back home and get a job there. I take care of Mamma and Papa, provide for my family. That's all,"

"I see,"

A gradual silence settles in as the two contemplate the meaning behind this conversation, and a distinct revelation dawns on them.

"It's getting late... I should get going. Thanks for coffee, Arnav,"

He gazes at her, the sound of his name rolling from her lips for the first time as if music to his ears. He hadn't realized her saying his name could affect him this much.

"Anytime,"

They stand up together and gather their belongings, one waiting for the other to say something.

She stares at his face for a while, before placing the handle of her purse on her shoulder.

"See you later." A slight smile and with a last look, she is gone.

Arnav gazes at her walking away, letting out a sigh.

"Bye, Khushi."

A/N: AHHH. The story is finally developing into the vision I had for it, slowly but steadily.

I am SO curious to know your thoughts!

Btw, almost all the chapter titles starting with the letter 'H' is completely coincidental, there is no intentional pattern there 😆

- Rain.