The Girl & The Ghost || Arshi FF

Chapter 13 - Payback

Arnav was flipping through a novel he had found tucked beneath Khushi's office bag. It was a manuscript for a yet to be published novel. He figured it was from her office and decided to read it tonight. It had been a long day for him with the outing, the rain, Khushi's outpour and their conversation. There was nothing interesting on the TV. This book seemed like a good time-pass.

He looked at the wall clock. It was close to 3 am. Khushi had retired to her room somewhere at 1 am. She had put on an additional sweater underneath the shawl. It was a funny sight - her covered in woolen in the mid of Delhi's summer. He was a bit worried at first but she had assured him in her own chirpy voice that she was fine.

An hour into the book, which was about a murder mystery, as the masked killer was about to murder his next victim; Arnav heard a moan from the bedroom. He shut the book and directed his sensitive hearing towards her room. Khushi moaned again in her sleep.

In a few quick strides he reached the doorway. She didn't close her door nowadays. He peered inside the dark room and saw her silhouette stir in the partial moonlight, entering through an open window.

He called out in a low voice more so to check if she was awake, "Khushi?"

She didn't respond, instead she turned to her side. He tapped his foot at the entrance before deciding to enter. She had tucked herself in a blanket.

He stood near her, next to bed and observed her. There were frown lines on her forehead and she made a small whimper again. He called out her name again, in a soft whisper. Her response was a similar whimper. There was a disturbance in her aura.

He raised his hand and gently placed his palm on her forehead. She was burning underneath his touch. He was almost about to conclude that she was down with fever when he remembered that her skin would always burn to him. Yet, there was something different about her body temperature today.

He went with his instinct and gently shook her shoulder. She half-opened her eyes in response and muttered in a low voice, "Arnav? I don't feel well."

She did have a fever, he reckoned. To be sure, he took a thermometer from the cabinet drawer where she kept medicines.

He sat on the edge of the bed near her pillow and spoke in a gentle voice, "Khushi? Lets check your temperature."

She was half in sleep and half conscious. Without resisting, she opened her mouth as he placed the cold silver end of the device beneath her tongue. A minute later, he checked the reading. Her temperature was up by a couple of degrees. She definitely had a fever. Arnav fidgeted in the med box and found some over the counter meds for fever.

"You have to take it," he told her and held a glass of water in one hand and a small white pill in another. Khushi stirred again and opened her eyes slowly. She gave him a weak smile before gulping the pill with a mouthful of water.

Arnav stood near her bed as she went back to sleep again, clutching the blanket tightly. He looked at the small alarm clock kept on a side table. It showed 4:40am. Her alarm would ring in 3 hours. Taking a quick decision, he turned off her alarm. She needed rest after over-exhaustion and fever. If she got angry with him in the morning, he would deal with it. Tonight she needed to sleep.

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The sunlight was harsh today. And the birds... they did chirp but there were other noises as well - of people and vehicles...

Khushi slowly opened her eyelids and flinched as direct sunlight hit her eyes. She turned her head to the small clock. It was 11 am.

"What!" she yelped as she tried to sit up. A sharp pain immediately hit her head at the sudden reaction. She rubbed her temples, wondering why her alarm didn't ring. She was late for office. Someone had turned the alarm to 'off' position. And she knew which 'someone' had done that.