To Love or Not To Love

Chapter 41

Sunlight trickled into the rooms from between the curtains, spreading a deep orangish hue throughout the stately room. And it was this very strange sensation of sunlight on his face that woke Arnav. With awakening came the realization that his head was hurting, very very badly. Cursing the effects of a hangover, Arnav opened his eyes to stare right into the ceiling of his room. He stopped, observing the intricate floral patterns that graced the inside roof of this palatial structure. There were tulips, chrysanthemums, roses, sunflowers beautifully carved right in the center followed by pictures of elephants, horses, more flowers, dancing girls, all spiraling outwards in concentric circles. Funny, how he had never noticed it before. Rubbing his head to sooth the throb, he tried to prop himself upon his bed, to ring for his favourite black coffee, but his body refused to cooperate. He felt tired and weary, exhausted and defeated. Collapsing on his soft mattress, he tried once again, to sit up, and this time managed to prop himself up against the headboard, albeit with more will power than the energy reserves his body would allow. Once that had been achieved, he felt spent with no strength left to even pick up the phone and dial a number. Hell, he had no energy left to speak. When he tried to call out, he could barely whisper.

He looked around his room. Oddly enough, he didn't remember coming here last night. His last memory was of him in his office, pouring a scotch. Then his eyes darted towards the petite figure sleeping on his recliner. Khushi Kumari Gupta. Why was she here? What was she doing here? Why was she sleeping on the recliner? Myriad questions hurled through his brain. But before he could voice them, Khushi opened her eyes and saw Arnav staring back at her.

"Arnavji, you're up", she said enthusiastically, as if it was an everyday occurrence for her to see him wake up. And before he could attempt his next bodily maneuver, she added, with urgency: "Don't get up. Let me know what you need and I will get it for you."

"Why?", he rasped. Thankfully, it didn't come out as a whisper.

"Why?" Khushi looked at him as if he had sprouted horns. Surely this man was impossible. Last night he almost gave everyone a panic attack. Didn't he realize that he was sleeping in his three-piece suit? That he was weak and tired? Surely, he was smarter than he was letting on at the moment by asking why.

Why? Because I found you ice-cold last night. Because I thought you were dead. Because I was worried and concerned and fearful, she thought. But Khushi didn't say any of that. Instead, she put on another bright smile and helped him cover himself better with his comforter. She didn't want him getting cold, again. "Because you fainted in your office last night," she said. "And because the doctor said that was due to low blood sugar levels."

"How did you know?", he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"I was the one who found you in that state."

She sported a bright smile and pretended to be brave, but one look into her eyes and Arnav could see care and concern. But why was Khushi concerned about him? What had he done to deserve anything from her except hatred?

Before Arnav could begin making sense of all that she was saying, Khushi continued: "None of this matters. What matters is that you're safe. However, for the next 48 hours, you're listening to everything I tell you to do, at least until Anjaliji gets here. Then she can deal with you."

Aman had called Anjali early in the morning to inform her about Arnav's health. And Anjali had promised she would get there as soon as she could. Arnav could barely grasp the implications of all that had happened since last evening. Seeing him speechless, Khushi continued: "So Ravan Singh Raizada, I mean... Arnav Singh Raizada, what would you like for breakfast? Actually let me correct that. Today's menu doesn't include toast, orange juice, and black coffee. You can order anything you like apart from those three things and I will bring it for you," clearly emphasizing he was to not get up. "Breakfast will be followed by medication and an hour later we will check your sugar levels."