Love. Sex. Aur Dhoka? (COMPLETE)

Chapter Forty One

Arnav looked at Khushi. There was no expression on his face, whatsoever. He just looked at her, simply looked at her. Khushi on the other hand had her eyes wide and couldn't blink. 

This can't be happening, she said in her head. 

Khushi wanted to stand up, but she couldn't. She was frozen by everyone's stares, Khushi feeling herself burning from embarrassment. She couldn't move until the crowd started to clap and she looked away. Everyone was clapping, but the Raizada brothers and Gupta sisters. They were just frozen from what had happened. 

Khushi stood up straight and looked at Arnav. He was still expressionless and looked back at her. Khushi began to feel uncomfortable and it was noticeable. But Arnav? He just looked right at her. He had no hesitation whatsoever and just simply looked at her. 

Khushi released herself and went over to her sisters. Payal and Seema placed their hands on her shoulders. 

"You okay," Payal asked. 

Khushi was expressionless and she looked lost. 

"I'm fine," Khushi said, straight expression, focusing in one spot. 

She couldn't get Arnav's face out of her mind - how he was looking at her, how he had no hesitation and no expression. 

It even haunted her when she got home as she was getting ready for bed. She was removing her jewelry and kept seeing how he was looking at her. Even in her sleep she kept seeing the way he was looking at her. 

In her dream, she was once again at the party, in her pjs. 

"What's going on," she asked aloud. 

"Watch."

Khushi didn't even bother. It was other-her again. 

Khushi did as she said and watched. She saw herself, dressed the way she was for the party, spinning. 

"Oh no," Khushi said. 

The dressed-up-Khushi spun and got caught. 

"I can't believe that happened," Khushi whined. 

"Oh hush up," other-Khushi yelled. "It was a good thing-"

"How is it a good thing?!"

"Because look at the way he's looking at you!"

Khushi looked at Arnav and saw how he was looking straight at her with no hesitation. 

"So," Khushi exclaimed. 

"So, it's good!"

"Is not!"

"Ugh! Pause this thing!"

Everything froze and Khushi flinched. "You can do that?"

"Uh, yeah! Anyways, come with me," and she took Khushi's hand and guided her over to dressed-up-Khushi. 

"What?"

"Just look."

Khushi looked down at herself and then at Arnav. 

"What am I looking at," Khushi asked. 

"Seriously Kush, you're an idiot."

"Shut up! You're me and I'm you so if you call me an idiot then so are you!"

"I'm your conscience so I'm actually smarter."

Khushi rolled her eyes and looked away. 

"But will you at least look at the situation," other-Khushi exclaimed.

"What's there to look at?!"

"Just look at how perfect this is!"

"It is not!"

"It so is! I mean look at it this way-"

"No! I don't want to look at it another way! There's already enough going through my head and so much has already happened."

"But Khushi-"

"Don't, like seriously, just don't. Wake me up."

In a snap, Khushi woke up and she rested back in her bed, leaning on her pillow. Khushi drank some water and sighed and thought back to the party. 

Khushi sighed. "Why'd you have to catch me?"

Khushi got up and went over to her window. 

"I don't get what's going on anymore," Khushi said to herself. "I mean, it's been five years. Almost five years have passed and all of a sudden they're all back? Where… how… I don't get it! What is going on?"

Khushi glanced around and noticed her college yearbook on her desk. She picked it up and opened it up. There were many pictures of her old classmates and fellow students. Not many pictures were there of Khushi and her sisters, only some where Khushi was in the math club, Payal in the lab, and Seema on the track team.

One thing for sure, the book was filled with pictures of the boys. There were pictures of them playing basketball, soccer, and football. There were several pictures of them holding trophies with the rest of the team. Other pictures were of them around the campus, chilling. 

Khushi sighed and remembered back to those old days - how she hated Arnav and thought of him as a good-for-nothing snob. How she ended up tutoring him and actually started to hang out with him and went his place. 

"To think how all of those things happened in one year."

Khushi turned a page and found a picture of her and Arnav. 

"When was-"

But then Khushi remembered. One day when they were studying by the fountain, learning about sine, cosine, and tangents, one of the photographers from the yearbook committee came and asked to take a picture. 

"Uh, I don't really do pictures," Khushi said. 

"Oh come on! It's just a picture."

"Yeah, but-"

"Cummon Khushi, don't be such a spoil sport."

"Alright, fine."

Khushi and Arnav leaned in close to each other and the guy took several pictures, taking back-ups, just in case. 

"Thanks you guys," and the guy left. 

"What's with you and pictures," Arnav asked. 

"I don't like the camera so much."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, just a thing? I don't know, anyways, let's get back to work," and the two continued their session. 

Khushi sighed from the thought of it. She put the yearbook away and went to the year after. In their college, everyone got a yearbook every year they were there. She went through the book and there wasn't a single photo of the Raizada boys. 

"It's kinda funny how much of a difference you and your brothers can cause."

And it was very true. Unlike the year's before, this yearbook was thinner than the old one and it was noticeable. There were much less pages than the previous one. 

Khushi went to the year after, which was a bit thicker than it, but not as much as the first one. There was a whole section with the graduates, just like the others and Khushi looked at her's, Payal's, and Seema's picture. 

"Do we look good or what," she laughed. 

She flipped through it and her smile disappeared. The last section was a tribute for the boys. There were nonstop pages of old pictures of the boys. It went on and on and didn't stop at all. Khushi couldn't take it and she shut the book. Apparently, Khushi still, to this day, never made it to the end of this book. She just couldn't stand looking at all of the pictures of Arnav. It just brought back bad memories.

~
The goal will be 30 stars again