Achilles' Heels: An IPKKND FanFiction

Chapter Three: Answers

Khushi stared at the man who stood in front of her.

No, he didn't look lost or defeated, but strangely, his shoulders appeared slightly slouched - something that was very uncharacteristic of the Arnav Singh Raizada everyone knew. If she wasn't wrong, she thought that his usual confident demeanor looked lost somewhere. But maybe not completely. She thought she saw a glimpse of his old charm in the way he strode towards her, in the way he sounded amused when he had asked her if he was dreaming.

And no, there was no change in the way he dressed either. He still wore his signature pair of cream trousers with a deep violet jumper tucked at his waist quite carelessly. His hair was set in the immaculate pulled back hairstyle he was known for. Everything seemed the same way she remembered him as.

But then she still couldn't shrug off a nagging intuition about a probable change in the man she loved - something about him was drastically different. Maybe it's just me, she tried to reason with herself, maybe I have trained my mind to find a contrast in everything. It had been a long time. If she had changed to the extent she had, Arnav couldn't be the same.

"One and a half year", she whispered, looking directly at him, "Do you even know how long that is, Arnav?"

He jeered at her words. Maybe his head shook a little. Maybe it was a weak laugh. A few months ago, the sound of his laughter would have felt music to her ears. Today, it sounded quite harsh to her. Unfamiliar. Even in its frailty. It did not sound raw. Or labored. She thought she heard the pain in it. Earlier, if he did laugh, it was mostly a scoff or a sarcastic remark. However they were, she could tell what he meant. She suddenly found herself cursing under her breath for not being able to recognize the meaning this time.

"Arnav?", he repeated, "I knew you'd changed - but it's good to know you finally consider me an equal, Khushi. It feels good, I must say.".

Khushi watched as he picked up the remote controller lying on the coffee table beside him and turned off his sound system. The sweet chime of the Santoor and a steady rhythm of the tabla disappeared abruptly, plunging them into an uncomfortable silence. He bent down to the table and gently slid the remote controller back on the shiny glass top. She gaped at him in disbelief when he crossed his arms in front of his chest after he circled the coffee-table casually - as if nothing had happened.

But when she saw his lips curving upwards yet again, something snapped inside her. "What exactly do you think is funny here, Mr. Raizada? May I know?", she gibed in irritation.

She heard his smile fade into misery. The musical sound of his amused laughter was replaced by an unmitigated reserve, but the muzzle was short-lived. She heard a muffled rustle of the wind from behind. Her eyes flickered instinctively to her side as she felt a gust of wind blow past her and she shivered. She pulled her coat firmly over her and crossed her hands, gently rubbing her palms over her arms. Her lips quivered indistinctly as the cold current of air played with the ends of her coat; tickling her exposed legs. Arnav's eyes followed hers in a quick movement only to finally rest back on her face. He felt his lips curve into a smile again as he walked past her. He pulled the window shut, putting an end to that faint humming of nature in the background.

Arnav stood at the window and looked outside. He tried to concentrate on the wild dance of the tender vines hung outside the window with the wind, but the slightly blurred reflection of the girl stood a few feet behind him didn't let him focus too much.

He took a deep breath as he saw Khushi's eyes boring at his back.

"Khushi", he muttered rather raucously. He saw her eyes shot up to meet her image on the window, "I know. I know how long one and a half year is. Probably better than you know yourself", his voice trailed down to almost a whisper.