One Day At A Time

Chapter 12 - The Hearts Grow Fonder

She staggered backwards, her mind spinning and her breaths shallow until her back hit the wall just outside the front door to Arnav's apartment. Thoughts swirled inside her head, all attached to the dread she felt inside the pit of her stomach. Khushi walked towards her house in a daze, her senses benumbed by the gnawing cold panic inside her. She ignored her mother's call for lunch as she walked past the kitchen towards her bedroom and sat down on the edge of her bed, looking at her feet, rocking herself back and forth.

"When was he admitted to the hospital?" Shaila's voice quivered over the phone as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She held the receiver away from her and shouted at the top of her voice, "Shekhar? Shekhar!!! Can you come here quickly? Arnav is in the hospital! I don't understand this girl's accent--Shekhar??" She panicked as she held the receiver close to her ears again, "Hello? Sorry, I am with you now. How is my son--"

The conversation she had overheard a few minutes ago ran in her head in a loop. The more she told herself to relax, the more she panicked. Failing miserably to calm herself down, she realised that she had to do something. She got off the bed, got ready within the next few minutes and dashed out of her parent's bedroom after informing her mother that she was running late for her afternoon lectures.

As she stepped out, she stood outside Arnav's door hesitantly. She needed to know what had happened but didn't have the courage to hear it. She kept telling herself that he was alright, absolutely fine, else she would have heard something about it by now. Deciding to ignore her instinct of wanting to ring the doorbell, she climbed down the steps slowly, her legs growing heavier with each step. For a moment she stood completely disoriented near the parking lot and then walked towards Jhumri. Her right hand trembled as she held the keys.

Relax, Khushi. Arnav is okay. Breathe.

She stood there for a while and realised that she couldn't move. She had to know for sure that he was alright. She had been a fool to run away from the situation and regretted it instantly. The need to know the details of what exactly had happened overpowered the dread in her spine. She drew in a long breath and ordered her wobbly legs to climb the two floors up to Shaila Kaki's house.

Shaila opened the door the moment she rang the doorbell, and before Khushi could ask her anything, she broke down into tears.

Khushi's heart lurched in her chest. "Wha—what happened Kaki?" She asked as she enveloped her in a hug, the fear in her heart taking over once again.

"Khushu—Arnav—"

Khushi felt faint. Had something else happened in the last half hour? "What happened, Kaki?" She asked her with a quiver in her voice, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

"He's been hospitalised and—"

"And he is okay, right?" Khushi asked as her voice trembled. She was now finding it hard to breathe normally. Beads of sweat popped on her forehead, and her hands turned clammy.

"Shekhar just spoke to his roommate, Khushu," Kaki's voice was frail as she wiped away her tears with the pallu of her sari. "He is trying to get hold of the doctor to speak to us. I am hoping everything is fine, or else Shekhar will apply for an emergency—"

"—So the roommate said he is okay, right Kaki?" She cut through her words again, impatiently.

"Yes, but beta, I am not sure. And—"

Khushi closed her eyes, blocking the rest of her words and drew in a long breath. Something was not making sense. If everything was fine, why had the university office called Kaki? Her heart was racing, and she felt like something heavy inside her was about to burst into a million pieces. She couldn't stand there anymore. She had to know what was going on, and there was only one way to find out.