One Day At A Time

Chapter Thirty One - Heart to Heart

Leaning against the balcony balustrade, Arnav allowed himself a smile as he brought his teacup to his lips. His favourite old song was playing on the modest music system in his living room on a low volume filtered into the cold night air, the song's lively tempo elevating his spirit and the mood of the song relaxing him at the same time. He was exhausted and hoped sleep would claim him very soon. He had been thinking about retiring for the night when his eyes sharpened and focused on the person who had just walked in through the gate of the building.

He watched Khushi wave at someone in Akash's car as it turned and zoomed off, leaving her coughing in a cloud of dust. His eyes followed her as she adjusted her dupatta over her shoulder and started walking towards the staircase, carrying quite a few a carry bags in both hands. It seemed like she was struggling to balance the load in her hands, and as expected, a few steps later, a couple of bags slipped from her hold. She groaned, adjusting her dupatta again and bent forward to pick them up while muttering something in irritation. A soft smile bloomed on Arnav's lips, and without a thought, he rushed downstairs instinctively.

Caught completely off guard, Khushi eyelashes flickered watching him standing in front of her eyes out of the blues. His eyes scanned her face and her thick silky mass of hair which rippled about her right shoulder. Suddenly her dupatta slid off her left shoulder, and his gaze dipped lower to the bare skin for a moment and shifted away immediately.

She dropped the rest of the bags in a hurry to adjust her turquoise gossamer silk dupatta once again over her midnight blue sleeveless kameez. He slid his eyes back to her's, capturing a deep look of anxiety in them and mentally cursed himself for getting caught in such a moment with her in a public place.

"Leave the bags with me. You go ahead." Arnav suggested in a hoarse voice.

She lifted her perplexed brown eyes to his impassive ones. "I want to show Aai what I have sho—shopped tonight, and I need those—"

Something in Arnav's expression altered subtly. "I am—" He pressed his lips tightly together as if trying to suppress a smile. "I am not keeping your bags at my place. I am following you upstairs right now and handing them over to you."

"Oh." A wave of pink rushed into her cheeks. "Sorry, I don't know what I was — I think I am too tired. Exhausted. Or knackered, as you English would say it." Her eyes widened suddenly. "Not– not that you are – I mean I didn't mean you have become an Englishman now. I wouldn't —" She stopped talking and shook her head as if giving up on herself and her ability to hold herself together in the presence of this man.

Arnav watched her switch imperceptibly into the inveterate chatterbox that he had always known her to be. Without saying another word to her, he picked up all the bags she had pooled around her feet and strode off towards the staircase. She followed him on shaky legs muttering something angrily to herself and almost rammed into him when they reached their respective doorsteps. He stepped away from her, handed the bags over to her and closed the door of his apartment after offering her slight nod when she thanked him.

A smile touched his mouth as he entered his living room, albeit a very reluctant one, but the one he was planning to wear until he surrendered himself to the slumber which was suddenly luring him to bed after a long time. He switched the lights off in the living room and had turned towards his bedroom when the shrill ringing of the phone sliced through the still night, startling him and making him groan after he glanced at his watch.

"I hope I haven't woken you up, firangi." Anjali's muffled voice came alive on the line.

Arnav smiled, walking towards his bedroom and switched the lights on. "No. I was busy enjoying a cup of tea with some good music. You were meant to be here in the afternoon. Where are you, sweetheart?"