ArShi SS: Paper Planes

Chapter 9: At Your Doorstep

I splash my face with cold water again. And again. And again.

No matter how much I try, I can't remember what I said when I left him those five voicemails. I contemplate whether I should call him, but quickly decide against it.

What if he listened to the voicemails but didn't want to reply? What if he's moved on and just deleted them? What if I said something so outrageous in those voicemails in my intoxicated state, that it completely wrecked my chances of reconnecting with my best friend whom I... I...

Just when I'm about to call Nikita to ramble and ask for advice, my phone lights up with the name that makes my heart thud.

Arnav calling...

I slowly reach out and pick up, my voice quivering with anticipation. "H-hello?"

His voice reaches my ears after what feels like years, the familiarity enveloping me. "Khushi. Are you home?"

My lips part in confusion. "Yeah... but wait, why?"

"I'm at your doorstep,"

I don't know how long I was holding my breath for until just then. The call disconnects as I swivel to face the door, suddenly aware of my appearance. My hair is still up in a bedhead ponytail, and I'm still dressed in my pajamas. I soon forget about these insignificant details as I tiptoe barefoot towards the door, scared that the man standing on the other side will disappear if I make any noise. That this is all a dream and I might just wake up any moment now.

The cool, clear morning greets me with a gust of wind when I open the door, staring straight into his longing face illuminated by the early sun. He lets out a small breath and a tender smile, before my vision blurs and I blink away the tears that fall past my beaming grin. Without a word, I fly into his arms, uncaring of the unforgiving February breeze that elicits goosebumps under thin cotton. His arms come around me, cradling me close, and I feel safe for the first time in a long while. My tears mingle with the suede of his beige jacket, my mind unaware of anything but him as my fingers bunch up around his collar. The scent of him, of pine and firewood, the very scent that has haunted me since the last night we were so close, pervades all of my senses.

"It's you. It's really you," I whisper, trembling in his hold.

The void in me diminishes, slowly, then all at once. Every part of me becomes suffused with him, him, him.

Arnav rubs my back, the flimsy cotton barely a barrier between our skin. "You're shivering, Khushi,"

His voice brings me back mid float. I slowly loosen my grip on him and move away, suddenly embarrassed by my fervency. Biting my tongue, I invite him inside, safe from the harsh winds.

When we are standing face to face after I close the door, my mind swirls with a million questions seeing him in front of me. He looks as though he wants to say so much too, but for a while we both stand silently, breathlessly.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

I look away from his penetrating gaze, realizing that I must have told him about Roy in those voicemails. I don't quite know the answer myself, but he deserves an answer, one that I only I can provide.

"I thought you had moved on. The way we- the way I left things between us, I didn't know if you still felt the same way,"

He looks pained as he takes a step towards me. "Khushi... I transferred because I couldn't watch you marrying Roy. Not because I stopped loving you," He takes my hands in his, tentatively caressing my knuckles. His expression hardens, his jaw tightening. "Roy has made the mistake of hurting you once. I won't let him do it again,"

My heart constricts at his words as I revel at my lucky stars. How had I become so fortunate to find love so pure in the form of my best friend? And how was I so foolish that I could not recognize it while it stood with its arms open, calling out to me?

"I love you," The words leave my lips in a culmination of every second I have spent in his presence. I let out a muffled sob, closing the distance between us. He smiles at the suddenness of the confession, his gaze unbelieving. "This is the only thing I am sure of, Arnav, with all that I have," I rest my forehead against his, closing my eyes. "I can't keep running away from how I feel. I love you,"

His smile renews me, a sight I have been aching to see for so long now. He holds my face in his hands, stroking my cheek. "I love you too, Khushi. And that hasn't changed,"

Our lips find each other simultaneously, our second kiss much different from the first. This time it is deliberate and inculpable. The fogginess and the underlying reluctance from the first time is now replaced with nothing but bliss.

We pull apart, our breaths mingling, eyes smiling.

"God, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that again," Arnav whispers, nodding his head, still in disbelief.

"Me too," I rest my palm against his chest, the drumming of his heartbeat soothing me inexplicably.

"We'll take it slow, Khushi. We don't have to rush this," He kisses my forehead as I melt into his touch.

I sink deeper into his embrace. He knows I have just gotten out of a long winded relationship, and still getting over a broken engagement. After everything, his priority is to make sure that I'm comfortable and ready. The feeling of being someone's priority feels foreign, something I had never felt with Roy.

"Thank you," I reply, sighing softly against his jacket. "By the way, your desk at the Scranton office is awfully alone ever since you left, I think it really misses you,"

I look up at him, only to see that charming glint in his eye as he answers. "Hmm, you think so? Well, then I think it's time to join my old desk."

I smile unabashedly, knowing that my best friend, the man that I love, has come back to me.

It wasn't too late. It could never be too late.

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A/N: Aaaand they did it! Hope you're enjoying the tale, dear reader <3

- Rain