Tangled || ArShi FF

Chapter 18 - After Everything.

(Monday, July 24)

With trembling fingers, Khushi rang the doorbell to Arnav's apartment. The watchman of the building had already intercommed him about her arrival yet Arnav was taking time to open the door. This would be the first time they would interact alone, face-to-face after the day he broke up with her.

She clutched the agreement copy tightly and took a deep breath. Over the drive from the office to his flat, Khushi was still trying to make up her mind whether she wanted to face him or not.

Sheetal had told her everything about their plan- Arnav becoming the company MD, him signing the agreement that he'd vote in Sheetal's favor. It was a clever plan. Khushi knew Sheetal wouldn't have divulged anything if she wasn't certain of winning.

Khushi only had 6 days to work out a solution- to stop the vote or win it (which seemed even tougher with each passing moment). Sheetal and Arnav had checkmated her. They, especially Arnav, had played her all these months and now when she was backed in a corner, Sheetal let her in on the reality.

She was grateful that Sunil Sir had put the 1-week clause in the directive wherein either party will have to give a week's notice before the vote else the shock of betrayal would've been so much worse.

So, in the 20 minutes it took Khushi to commute from the office to Arnav's residence, many a times, she thought of making a U-turn and not facing him. But a part of her reasoned that whatever the outcome, she had to talk to him. Though she didn't know what she expected him to say or do.

The turning of the doorknob brought Khushi's attention to the present. Arnav stood in the doorway, still in his office clothes, looking disheveled.

"Khushi-," he began to speak when she walked past him, into his living room.

He closed the door behind them as she turned to face him. Khushi extended the paper in her hand to him. He eyed it wearily before taking it from her grasp. He didn't even need to read more than the 1st couple of lines.

His face turned pale. "Sheetal gave you this?" he asked, gesturing to the agreement copy.

"She told me about the vote because of the 1 week notice rule," Khushi replied trying to keep her tone calm. "The agreement... that she flung at my face to humiliate me."

Arnav kept the paper on a nearby table before treading close to her. He stopped when he was a couple of feet away from her.

"Why are you here?"

"Really?" Khushi scoffed, "That's your question? Why I am here?" Her voice had started to shake, "I just find out that you two have been plotting behind my back since months and that's what you ask?"

Arnav didn't answer which riled her up more, "At least Sheetal had the guts to tell me everything to my face." She gave him a look of contempt; "She wears her heart on her sleeve. She hates me and shows it. But you..." Khushi paused as her voice began to break, "You tried to be my friend, you tried to bond with me, to build a relationship..."

A tear descended from her eye to her cheek, "You told me you liked me... That you're falling for me... All the while hiding this huge secret from me! How could you!" She yelled in a hoarse voice.

"Please," he spoke very softly, "Please calm down."

"Calm down!" she shouted, "How the f*ck do I calm down? When in 6 days you'll snatch the thing closest to me?"

Her question silenced him. He couldn't hold her gaze and looked down at the floor.

"Look at me!" she prodded him, wiping fresh tears off her eyes, "I want to understand how... how you could betray me like this! You're confessing your feelings and plotting against me at the same time. How...?"