STARS AFTER THE STORM

11. AFFIRMATIVE ASSERTIONS.

Khushi had finally found a moment to breathe. It had been a hectic day for her. After Arnavji had left to work after their little interaction , she'd rushed to the market for groceries and then was occupied with cooking and packing for her Lunch service. Later, Di
had taken it upon herself to style her and Jiji for the party the next day. They'd gone out for shopping, which was quite unusual in Shantivan for everything would always be brought to their doorstep. Khushi and her Jiji had had a great time with Di.

Now , Khushi sat in her room , her fingers gently gliding over the satin of the saree that Di had chosen for her. Di was no less than her Jiji to her. She adored her. They were both similar in a lot of aspects. Her heart went out to her. Will Di be able to handle the horrid truth of her husband ? fear rose within Khushi. She knew Di was a strong person , but for any woman a marriage was something that held utmost significance in her life and such a monstrous truth about her marriage would break anyone , however strong they were .

Khushi's thoughts immediately shifted to her very own marriage. Her husband had made it a sham which he was trying hard to rectify. She recalled his words , his actions. He been both a Shaitaan and a Rajkumar to her. He'd been the one to give her wounds and he'd been the one to tend to them too , in both literal and both metaphorical sense. He'd been hurt more than herself , everytime he'd given her pain and she knew this time the guilt was eating him inside out. She put herself in his shoes and a numbing pain seeped through her. A lone tear found its way down her cheek. If she'd known falling in love would be this torturous , she wouldn't have built infinite dreams about it .

The room's door flung open. Speak of the devil and the devil is here she thought as her husband entered. He was on a call on his handsfree. She quickly got up , wiping her cheek pretending to keep the saree in her side of the closet.

" Yup , Keep me posted. " he hung up.

"Khushi" she heard him call.

"Ji" she turned , not meeting his eyes.

Arnav noticed the slight tremble of her tone. Was she crying? he thought.

" Are you alright? " he asked concern dripping in his voice.

" I'm fine. Did you want something? " she spoke shifting her gaze again.

His finger immediately guided her chin up to face him." Khushi ..." his voice was a mere whisper this time. He didn't need her words to tell him that she wasn't fine. An invisible stab pierced through him. His eyes closed and teeth clenched in an attempt to lessen the pain that coursed through him.

His hand slipped down from her chin. He didn't want to ponder further. He knew she was still recovering from all that had happened recently.

Khushi observed the myriad emotions that ran through her Arnavji's face. She took in a deep breath.

" Did you need something ?" she asked , her voice more stable this time.

He was thankful for the change of topic.

"Umm.. The Legal documents for your Lunch service are ready" he said as he handed over the file that he'd brought with him.

She nodded as she took the file from him. She went through its contents and a warmth spread within her. She would be making a career out of something that had always been close to her heart.
Her Babuji would be proud of her.

" Shukriya " she said with a small smile.
She placed the file before her small Devi Maiyya idol.

He smiled back. Arnav felt some relief as he saw her a little content. He reached for the closet and grabbed his casuals.