One Day At A Time

Chapter 2 - In Conversation

"Distance makes the hearts merciless, I presume? Have you found someone else to keep you so busy? I haven't heard from you for over a week!" Khushi fired the lines over the receiver.

"But I don't want someone else."

She froze. The voice stilled her heartbeat. A moment later, it was back beating with a vengeance, and the noise was deafening. She stood numbly, holding the receiver to her ear, not knowing what to say.

"Khush." The husky voice whispered over the phone into her ears, casting a spell over her.

"Arnav."

"Hey." Arnav continued, the voice sounding silkier to her ears than it had ever before.

Something flipped over in her stomach.

Hey.

How many times had she heard him say that to her? Almost all her life? Now the same word was inducing a weird feeling inside her, making her question if it had anything to do with those exalted beings called butterflies which were meant to reside inside every heroine's stomach in all those romance novels she had devoured all her life.

"H-hey! I-I thought it was Anj-Anjali." Her breathing changed from a soft pant to a trembling stammer.

Arnav laughed, and Khushi swore she saw a rainbow outside the living room window! What was wrong with her? She was baffled by the way she was reacting to him right now. It was as though the person she had known for years had suddenly turned into a stranger. Though their lives had never intersected much until about a couple of years ago, he had always been her good friend. Arnav was her next-door neighbour, her true-penny, sometimes a very close buddy and at times an adversary whenever they sparred or couldn't agree to disagree over trivial issues in life. They had seen the ups and downs of life together having grown up in front of each other's eyes. Yet, what she was feeling for him right now was ....

"I wish I could see you right now." He let out soft chuckle. "Tongue-tied. Trying to rub your index finger over your thumbnail. Eyes blinking at the speed of light. Possibly a frown over your face as I speak, and --- just about now is the time to bite your lower lip while thinking about what you want to say to me." 

Arnav's words drugged her, sending her heartbeat into a tizzy all over again. "No! I...I am jus-just-" Khushi faltered again as she spoke, letting go of her lower lip which she had held tightly under her teeth.

"--finding this whole thing a bit awkward?" He said with affection in his voice. "I think I can understand why. But can we just try and ignore the reason for now? Please?" He pleaded. "Tell me, how are you? How is college?" Arnav's tone changed as he made an attempt at normal conversation they were used to for years.

How was she? How was college? She tried to form sentences in her head, but none made any sense to her at the moment. She tried again, this time, along with speech.

"I'm good. Col--college is great. You know what? Prof J had good things to say about my dis-dissection today, and he was so ha-happy with my journal that--"

"Khush! Stop. You are--"

"No! You stop!" She nearly exploded. "Arnav! This -- you -- I mean when did you -- we haven't -- what -- how do we--" Khushi gave up and went silent suddenly, every small attempt at constructing a coherent sentence having failed miserably.

"I know you have many questions for me, Khush. We need to talk, and the only way to deal with that is by making a few long calls for now. I have just been referred to someone who can arrange for that at a lesser cost. I don't have a job yet, Khush, so I can't call you as often as I would like to." The timbre of his voice softened as he apologised to her without actually uttering the words.