The GIRL in the YELLOW summer dress

Part 19 - Date?

ARNAV

"Hey." Aria smiled as she looked at me nervously.

"Hey." I replied as I continued staring at her wondering why she asked me to come out here with her, what did she want to talk to me about? Was it anything about Khushi's health?

"Is it anything about Khushi? I hope you'll be able to treat her cancer right? Nothing can happen to her, she's so young yet, she has a whole life to live, please tell me you'll be able to save her." I looked at Aria hoping she wasn't going to give me any bad news.

"Relax Arnav, it's not about Khushi, I mean yes her condition is serious but there are high chances of her surviving and fighting the cancer so don't worry about that, we'll do our best to treat her okay?" She smiled.

"Oh okay, I'm sorry you brought me out here so suddenly so I thought it might be something about her, I'm just worried."

Honestly I was so worried for Khushi, I wanted to do all I could to save her although I dint have the chance to do much I just wanted to try and help. I wanted for her to be okay, I just wanted to see her be the normal and healthy Khushi I knew since I knew about her and Shrey.

"It's okay, I understand." Aria said.

"So why did you bring me here then if it wasn't to talk about Khushi?" I asked as I looked at her curiously.

"Actually I know this is awkward and this isn't even the right place to talk about this but I was wondering if you would like to get coffee with me sometime, whenever you're free." She asked as she continued looking at me nervously.

As soon as she asked me that, whatever Shrey told me came back in my mind and I realized that he was right, Aria did have some sort of a crush on me, and honestly I dint know what to do, it felt so weird and so awkward.

"Actually I know this is unexpected to you but since I saw you for the first time at the restaurant that day when you came with Shrey, I have been wanting to get to know you more." She smiled nervously.

"Sorry, when did you see me and where?" I asked not even remembering the first time I met her.

"At the Romano's, you came there with Shrey, actually I had parked my car just next to yours that day, I saw you and Shrey in the car, but then he headed inside and you were left behind, so I thought maybe I'd go talk to him and ask him about you.

I know it sounds crazy and all stalker kind of a thing, but I felt really attracted towards you and I dint have enough guts to talk to you so I thought why not talk to Shrey, I just wanted to know a bit about you.

So I followed him inside and just tried to create a conversation casually, I introduced myself to him and told him that I was an oncologist and then he told me about his wife's cancer, we started discussing that and I dint even get the chance to ask him anything about you.

And then you came up and took him away but gladly we had exchanged numbers, so I thought I'll talk to him some time later, but then things really dint work out as planned, he was really worried about his wife so I just tried to help him instead and then we met here at the hospital again after so long...

So I thought, why not just take a step instead of waiting for Shrey to help me, so I thought I'd ask you for a coffee or something, maybe we can get to know each other."

"Umm..." I looked at her wondering what to say, honestly I wasn't interested even a bit in having coffee with her or getting to know her at all because I dint feel that way towards her, but then she looked all excited and nervous and I dint feel like saying no to her.

"Please, just once and if you don't like my company you can refuse to come for coffee next time, I promise I'm not that boring." She looked at me hopefully.

"Okay, we can go today in the evening." I nodded.

"Thank you, thank you so much." She jumped up and down excitedly like a baby and then walked away waving me a goodbye.

I sat down on the chair outside Khushi's room wondering if I had done the right thing agreeing to go for a date with Aria, I don't know why but it dint just feel right, it was like I dint want to go with her but I also dint want to hurt her but if I went with her that could even make her think I was interested when I wasn't and it was still going to hurt her later.

"So, someone has a date huh?" Shrey asked as he walked out of Khushi's room and sat beside me.

"I don't want to talk about it." I shrugged as I stood up and headed inside Khushi's room and there she was, sitting on the bed looking at me and it made me feel guilty, it wasn't that I was doing anything wrong but still it made me feel bad.

"Oh come on Arnav, don't avoid the conversation, we are curious to know the details." Shrey said as he followed me inside.

"We?" I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Me and Khushi, I mean we both dint eavesdrop or anything but you both were so loud, we heard your conversation even when we dint want to." Shrey giggled as he looked at Khushi who just gave him a faint smile.

"So are you really going for a coffee date with Aria?" Khushi looked at me curiously, the expressions on her face being so serious. I couldn't really understand how she felt about this, did it even matter to her if I was going on a date with anyone?

I stared at her trying to look for any sings of jealousy on her face, literally I wasn't even able to understand myself, I knew all this was wrong yet I was hoping to see her jealous, hoping to learn if she felt the same way towards me as I did for her.

'She's your best friend's wife!' My inner voice screamed at me.

I immediately took my eyes off her and looked at Shrey, who had his arms around her shoulders, and I dint like seeing them in that position, it hurt.

"Yeah, I am going on a coffee date with her, I just dint want to say no to her and hurt her, but that doesn't mean I'm interested in her, I never will be." I said turning to look at Khushi again, still with the hope of seeing some sort of jealousy on her face but she was staring at me blankly and I couldn't really make out much from her expressions.

"Well, all the best for your date, we hope you'd gain some interest in her after the date, right Shrey?" Khushi said as she looked at Shrey.

"Right, forget about the past, Aria is an amazing girl, I'm sure you'd like her." Shrey nodded in agreement with Khushi.

"Well I hope I'll like her too."

I just stared at Khushi who stared back at me and it was like we were having some sort of a war with our eyes, and I hated the fact that she thought I could like Aria, that wasn't possible, because I liked her! I knew it was terrible and I knew that she was my best friend's wife and it was totally wrong to feel the way I felt about her but I had no control over my feelings.

"Excuse me." I excused myself as I headed out of the room feeling angry, I punched the wall angrily hurting my fist.

I don't know why but I was just feeling angry about everything, why was my life so messed up? Why did all this happen even?

Shrey had trusted me so much that's why he left me behind with Khushi, to take care of her not to develop any sort of feelings for her.

This was so damn wrong!

"Hey, I forgot to ask for your phone number, I mean how will I contact you in the evening?" Aria asked as she stopped beside me.

"Give me your phone, I'll save it for you."I said trying to act calm in front of her when all I wanted to do was scream, i was just so frustrated.

She nodded excitedly as she quickly handed me her phone, I saved my number in her phone and then bid her goodbye as I walked away.

Maybe going on a date with Aria was a good decision, I had to do all I could to stay away from Khushi and to stop myself from feeling that way about her, and Aria was going to be a good distraction.