Silent Whispers

Chapter 26: Colpo di Fulmine

Arnav wasn't a romantic.

He was compassionate, loyal and perhaps a tad bit emotional too, but of all the shades he owned, the role of a lover wasn't one of them. All of his girlfriends at Harvard University realized that sooner or later; all except one.

She was a quirky girl, with strange thoughts and crazy ideas. He didn't know what made him date her; perhaps it was her gentle heart or her undeniable beauty. However, neither of those were enough to sustain their relationship for longer than three months.

They parted ways in a mutual understanding, and –thankfully– with no bitter feelings. But what she said to him on their last day together, was something Arnav couldn't forget till date:

"Colpo di fulmine," she told him in Italian, her native language. "Love is like lightning. You never know when it hits, but when it does, it's just as fast and just as unexpected."

Of course, he had brushed her off that day, thinking it was one of the many random things she often used to say. Only, he wasn't so sure if it was just random anymore. There seemed to be some deep truth hidden inside it, waiting patiently to be unveiled.

Incidentally, what made Arnav think about his Italian girlfriend and her parting words on a late Monday morning was not a trip down memory lane; it was the odd absence of his two-month old intern, Khushi Kumari Gupta. The same girl he spent his entire morning thinking about, the same girl who his brother was madly in love with, the same girl he unthinkingly kissed less than a week ago.

Arnav let out a sigh. Despite all his efforts to dismiss their slip of control, a passionate kiss that felt too good to be true, the memory kept finding a way back into his thoughts. And the fact that Khushi wasn't here only made it worse.

Of course, to any sensible person the reason behind her absence would be hard to miss. If Arnav didn't know better, he too would have easily guessed what made Khushi stay home, without even calling in to ask for a day off. After all, he did spent most of his weekend avoiding the media asking nonsense questions about his relationship status.

But he did know better.

If there was anything he learned in the past two months, it was that rain or shine, Khushi always came to work. And the fact that no one could reach her meant bad news. Very bad news.

"Sir?"

Arnav turned away from his wall-sized window to look at his visitor, an employee from the purchasing department. "Well, where is the order for jacquard silk?"

"Um... actually, that file is with Khushi, Sir. And she didn't come to work today."

"She didn't?" he asked, feigning ignorance. "Is she sick?"

The employee shook her head. "I don't know Sir. She hasn't been picking up any of my calls."

Arnav nodded in disappointment. "Alright then. You can leave."

He knew she wouldn't pick up anyone's calls – after all, she had been royally ignoring his – but at the same time he couldn't stop himself from hoping that she would talk to someone.

There was only one option left now.

Pocketing his car keys, Aranv departed his office, ignoring the prying looks his employees passed along the way. It was fine if she didn't want to talk to him, but there was nothing stopping him from talking to her. 

Only, by the time Arnav was ascending the porch to the Gupta house, he felt as if he ran a hundred miles. Why was he so nervous? It's not like she could kick him out of the house.