After The Rain

Chapter Fourteen - Whispers We Ignore (I)

It was all I wanted for the longest time--to open my eyes and see you there. To stretch out my hand and touch the soft, yielding warmth of your skin. But now I have learned the secret of distance. Now I know being close to you was never about the proximity.

- Lang Leav (Distance)

~

Khushi was in a much better mood when Arnav returned home that afternoon. Having gotten caught up in sorting out a few glitches in his upcoming meeting and thereby having already been in a foul mood, he was not particular pleased to see the reason behind her cheeriness.

Nandkishore, aka NK - Mami's nephew and his cousin.

He had been entertaining Khushi with some joke of his as Arnav walked in, though given his usual behaviour, he might have just tried to speak in Hindi. Arnav had stopped in his tracks, first experiencing a strange but familiar sensation in the pit of his stomach as he heard her laughter, a sensation that quickly morphed into something else, just as familiar, as he saw NK being a little too enthusiastic in his antics for Khushi's benefit. He stood there, glowering at the pair of them as they sat and guffawed in the hall like two best friends. Perhaps if he hadn't been staring at them, he would have been able to reach his room without being noticed but since he was, it took only a few minutes before NK caught a glimpse of him.

"Nannav!" cried his cousin, leaping to his feet and hurrying to engulf him in a hug. Arnav grimaced, momentarily feeling as though the air was knocked out of his lungs. He, nonetheless, patted NK once or twice on the back before stepping away. Behind them, his sister and brother hid their snorts behind fake coughs. He threw them a scathing look, ignoring NKs banter on his various adventures since they last saw each other and how he had missed them all.

"I was going to come here early," NK said, now dragging Arnav closer to the rest of the family. "But Dad was sick. You know how he gets from time to time. If it wasn't for Mom, he would have been in the hospital by now. No regards for proper diet at all. So, I stayed behind for a few more days to help out. Then that storm got my flight cancelled and all but it doesn't matter. I am here now, Nannav, mere Bhai!" And before NK could fling his arm around him again, Arnav stepped away, aiming for the stairs.

"That's great, NK," he said. "Hope you enjoy your visit." With that, he made to leave the hall hurriedly.

Arnav did not dislike his cousin. He was in fact, fonder of him than he would like to admit. The problem was NKs overly excitable nature. Since he was brought up in Sydney with a love for India and its culture, he was usually a little too enthusiastic about the simplest thing in the country. Now that they were planning a wedding, he did not want to around to hear him gush about every single detail of Indian wedding ceremonies. He had enough of those every time Nani tried to inspire him to see the beauty of marriage. And there was also the fact that NK's buoyant nature frequently prevented him from seeing, and thereby fearing, the murderous glares Arnav threw at him. This usually left Arnav with no other option but to resort to tricks in order to get away from him.

As Arnav moved closer to the stairs, he glanced back and saw that NK was now eating Akashs ears off, his one hand still vaguely waving in Arnav's direction. Akash, Arnav was pleased to see, was no longer smug though his sister seemed to be having stomach aches from trying to hold in her laughter. Apart from her, the most gleeful person was Khushi.

Once again, the sight of her froze Arnav in his tracks. He realised that this was the happiest she had been in days. Well, at least since the night of Diwali when he had...

The sensation in his stomach made its way up, burning his chest and his throat. He marched away just as NK returned his attention to Khushi and began chatting animatedly again, a fervour that she matched very well. Just before he got out of earshot, he heard Akash mutter to Di,