Part 18
Khushi approached the ward apprehensively, suddenly worried about what she was going to find. For the first time, she allowed herself to wonder who the other casualty was. Was it his car that collided into Arnav's or did someone fiddle with Arnav's brakes? Curiosity and theories on what may have happened that night occupied her thoughts as she took a seat in the waiting room. She attempted to make a mental list of what she knew, which was very little. Khushi recalled Di telling her that she was to blame for Arnav's condition. Was Arnavji coming to see me?, she wondered.
"You were going to marry me and we were both stood at the mandap about to take the phere, until you bolted the second you found out that the man you really love had been in an accident!"
Khushi recalled Arjun's disgusted expression when he said that, as well as his anger when she ran away from the mandap to go to the hospital, further convincing her that he had some involvement in the events that occurred that night. A hand then shook her shoulder gently, bringing her out of her daydream. She looked up to see a young nurse smiling down at her.
"Miss Gupta, I have some good news for you. The other casualty regained consciousness in the early hours of the morning and is eager to speak with you." Khushi felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and sighed with relief.
"That's great news! When can I see him?"
"I will come and get you as soon as the consultant has completed the ward rounds." Khushi smiled gratefully at the nurse and sat back in her seat to wait.
A while later, the nurse escorted Khushi to a cubicle on the ward. She slid the curtain back, and Khushi smiled at her gratefully. Her smile froze on her face as she acknowledged the figure in front of her.
"Khushiji, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He smirked that disgusting smirk of his, making Khushi feel physically sick. Khushi folded her arms as she looked at him.
"I want answers, Shyamji."
"To what questions?" She took a deep breath to calm herself and spoke through gritted teeth.
"What happened that night?"
"Sorry, can't answer that." He shook his head.
"What?" Khushi looked at him in disbelief.
"Didn't the nurses tell you? I'm suffering from amnesia. I apparently had no recollection of anything this morning... except you." Khushi looked away, disgusted, as he continued. "Yes, I remembered you. Very well." Khushi found herself wondering whether it was a punishable offence to punch a critically ill patient when a nurse walked in to change Shyam's saline drip.
"Thanks for nothing, Shyamji." As the nurse left, Khushi began to follow her out of the cubicle when she heard Shyam speak again.
"All I remember is a blur of lights, Khushiji. I remember a car horn, muffled voices and then waking up here." She turned to face him. "If it was Saale Sahib's car that collided with mine, I sure wasn't the one who lost control. I was driving well within the speed limit when it happened; can't say the same for him though."
"Right." She spoke curtly and turned to leave once again.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, Khushiji. But feel free to come and visit again to see if any of my memory has returned. I'll be waiting." He winked and Khushi bolted out of the cubicle without a backwards glance, leaving Shyam to lean back on his hospital bed and laugh silently.
Khushi's mind was buzzing as she walked out of the ward and into the hospital corridor. As she walked, she found herself wondering if she could trust a word that left Shyam's mouth, and if it had indeed been Arnav's car that had caused the accident. Could Arnav have been driving recklessly? One thing she knew was that she had to investigate this further. She couldn't hurl accusations at Arjun without any proof behind them, and he was the only real suspect on her list right now. Realising she was in no condition to go and see Arnav, she decided to go home.
A week later, and Khushi had still made no progress on discovering what had really happened that day. She had ignored any attempts Arjun made to contact her partly due to the fact that she was incredibly angry at him after their fight, and partly because she didn't want to unintentionally let slip that she was suspecting him. She was sat up on her bed, a plate of fresh jalebis in hand, lost in thought. Daily reports from Payal informed her that Arnav was recovering well in the hospital, and Khushi didn't want to go and see him as she knew he would probably be conscious the next time she met him. It was a lot easier for her to communicate with him and tell him how she felt when she knew there was no chance of him remembering as she did not wish to hurt him any more than she already had.
Arjun paced up and down his apartment, anger seeping through him; anger at Khushi's unresponsiveness but mostly anger at himself for his outburst. A knock on the door brought him out of his reverie, and he went to open it. He was met with the sight of an unfamiliar man who pushed past him and strode into the room.
"Who are you & what do you want?" He asked. The man turned towards him with a smirk.
"I believe you can help me. I want the downfall of Arnav Singh Raizada."
Arnav approached the Gupta household slowly, unsure of what reception he would be met with. He knocked on the door and heard Buaji's "Hai re Nandkishore" before she opened the door. The surprise on seeing him at her door, healthy, overtook all other emotions Buaji was experiencing on seeing him.
"Arnav bitwa! Thank God you're okay!" She beamed up at him and Arnav smiled.
"Yes Buaji, I'm absolutely fine." He paused before he continued, a sheepish look on his face. "I was wondering if I could see Khushi actually." Buaji frowned.
"Do you really think that's wise?"
"Buaji, please. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. 5 minutes, that's all I ask for." Buaji reluctantly nodded at Arnav, and moved aside to let him in.
"She's in her room." Arnav hurried towards Khushi's bedroom and knocked on the door.
Even with a wooden door between them, Khushi could sense his presence. Her heart suddenly started beating at rocket speed when she heard the door open. Moments later, she heard the door gently click shut and the scratch of the bolt, locking the two of them in her room. Together. She gulped as she felt his hand on her shoulder, and he slowly turned her around to face him. On seeing his face, seeing him looking so healthy, Khushi momentarily forgot about the last few weeks, forgot about the silent promise she had made to herself to not allow him to affect her only moments prior. She hugged him tight as she allowed relief to wash over her.
"Arnavji! I'm so glad you're okay. You had no idea..." She trailed off as Arnav pulled back from the hug slightly to cup her face. Realising her position Khushi pulled away, mentally scolding herself for her actions, and turned so her back faced him once again. Arnav grabbed her wrist and gently turned her around to face him. She averted her gaze yet he was adamant; he lifted her chin so she faced him squarely.
"You were worried about me?" His husky voice and bold steps towards her played havoc with her senses. She wanted to be close to him, but willed herself to move away from him. He brought his lips down to her ear. "Did you miss me?"
"I-I was just wondering if you were okay. Why would I miss you? I was just being polite, asking after your health."
"But you haven't asked me anything." Khushi flushed as she realised he was right. "And you're right; you have no reason to miss me. After all, you were sat by my hospital bed just a few days ago." Khushi's eyes widened as he said this. He remembered? She desperately tried to recall whether she had said anything to him in the moment, but was distracted by his strides towards her.
His advances continued as she retreated. She stumbled as she continued stepping backwards, landing on her bed, where she quickly sat up. Holding her eyes with his own the entire time, Arnav leaned forward and gently pushed her back down on her bed by the shoulders. She lay there with no objections, too stunned to act or think logically.
"Arnavji..." The sentence died on her lips; he slowly made his way on top of her, towering over her, her breath hitching in her throat as he did so. He moved her hair out of the way of her face so as to get a better look at the beauty before him, and Khushi closed her eyes, revelling in the pleasure of his touch; a touch she had been deprived of for far too long. Bringing his face closer to hers, he began planting soft kisses on her cheek. Hearing no protest from Khushi, his lips began making their way to hers. Arnav then engulfed Khushi's lips with his own in a deep, tantalising kiss. Khushi was with Arnav and she felt safe; being with him made her feel invincible. His lips on hers felt right, which is why she forgot her initial reluctance and slowly began to respond to his kiss. This kiss was nothing like the last one; where last time there was urgency, it was now replaced with care and feeling. Arnav felt nothing but his love for Khushi as he kissed her and pulled her closer. Khushi entwined her fingers with Arnav's hair, bringing his face closer to her own. Both of them pulled away, their foreheads touching as they attempted to catch their breath.
"I love you, Khushi." Those words released Khushi from her trance as he made to kiss her again. She pulled his face away from hers and looked deep in his eyes, seeing nothing but honesty and love, unguarded feeling, reflecting back at her.
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