Silent Whispers

Chapter 22: Being Impulsive

Khushi was a practical person.

She learned very early on in her childhood that thinking with your heart was never the best way to go. After all, when did the heart ever understand things like thirst and hunger? It only knew about likes and dislikes, whims and fancies. It was selfish in that way – thinking about itself and no one else.

Perhaps that was why Khushi never let her heart into her relationships, particularly the one with her boyfriend. She knew he was nice, she knew he cared of her – so really, what was the problem in investing in him? It was sure to yield profits, unlike her poor mother, who was doomed from the start.

"... and then he looks at me, as if I'm crazy or something and then the next minute he is laughing his head off!"

Khushi was quiet. The reason she was lost in thoughts on what was otherwise a busy Thursday evening in AR Designswas a call from Akash, who had so many stories to share from his painting workshop that she couldn't quite keep up.

"Khushi? Are you listening?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm here."

An awkward silence spread between the two. They were never the quiet couple, both always having something or the other to say. But today, it was different; very different.

"So, how is your internship going?" he finally said.

"It's good."

Khushi knew she should offer more, especially after Akash had broken the ice; but she couldn't. She couldn't tell him all the changes that happened since he left, not because she feared his reaction, but because she knew he wouldn't understand.

"Am I missing something?" Akash asked.

Khushi was surprised. She had almost forgotten how well he knew her, though she wasn't sure if she liked that anymore. "No," she told him quietly. "I'm just... tired."

"A lot of late nights?"

"Yeah... a lot of late nights."

Akash paused. "Is Bhai okay? Do you both get along now?"

"Yeah, kind of," she said, the lie stabbing her with guilt. "Listen, I have to go now – I have a meeting. I will talk to you later, okay?"

She hung up even before he finished replying.

The truth was she and Arnav got along well. So well that she couldn't quite remember how they were before – all of it looked like one big hazy bubble of the past that was better left alone. Khushi knew a big part of that was due to her mother, who somehow taught her to let go, something she couldn't do all these years.

However, she also knew a bigger part of it was Arnav himself. Somewhere and somehow, he made his place in her life. Whether it was holding up the mirror or consoling her when all seemed lost – he was there for her. And last week, he had come even closer.

Khushi closed her eyes, remembering how tenderly he caressed her face, as if she was an unblemished doll, as if he was tending to a rose in his precious garden. It was purely magical. And that was the only reason she didn't tell Akash. What she shared with Arnav was so personal that she couldn't tell anyone, not even her best friend.

Heaving a sigh, Khushi picked up the file she was working on and made her way out of her cabin. She was nearing the stairs to the second floor, when she heard a voice float across to her:

"Still here? I thought someone would have whisked you away by now."

Khushi turned around to see Jai, a trusted Manager of AR Designs and her good friend, grinning back at her.