To Love or Not To Love

Chapter 59

This is the last and final call for passengers flying Alitalia Airways AZ 770. Please proceed to the boarding gate.

Khushi rushed towards the boarding gate dragging her hand luggage along. The flight coming in from Milan had been delayed by an hour, allowing her to barely make it to her connecting flight to New Delhi.

The announcement boomed again. Alitalia Flight AZ 770 for New Delhi is now boarding. Passengers kindly make their way to the terminal.

She picked up the pace and ran faster. She didn't care about the weird looks she received as she constantly bumped into other passengers in her rush to get to her flight. She couldn't afford to miss the flight. Her family needed her. They had been there for her when she needed them the most. It was her turn to repay the debt.

*****

It was two hours since the flight had taken off. Khushi had already refused the first round of food that had been served. She could barely eat or sleep. Her thoughts kept oscillating between the situation at home and what she had left behind in Milan.

It was midnight past midnight and Arnav was still not back. How did Khushi know? Because she had knocked on his door every fifteen minutes since the clock had struck 9. Her mind continuously replayed his confession, her heart unable to decide whether it should be angry at his audacity, indignant at the way he chose to express his feelings or happy that her emotions were reciprocated. At midnight, all those feelings were replaced by fear. Arnav was not responding to phone calls and text messages and no one knew where he was. What if something had happened to him? She cursed herself. If only she had talked to him. She went back to her room, intending to check back in another 15 minutes.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, absently scrolling through the apps on her phone, Khushi heard a thud. She raced to her door to peek outside, just in time to see the door to Arnav's room swing shut. Arnav was back. He had behaved in an irresponsible manner, and Khushi was angry.

Marching up to his room, she forcefully knocked. When the door didn't open, she continued banging on the door. "Open the door Arnav or I'll keep banging till you do!" On her third rap, the door opened and a disheveled Arnav greeted her.

"What's wrong?" she asked anger giving way to worry, as she gently pushed him into the room and seated him on the edge of his bed. She checked his forehead and was relieved that he was not running a temperature.

"Did you eat something?" she asked pouring him a glass of water and picking up the phone to dial room service.

"Khushi, why are you here?"

His question startled her. She put the receiver down.

"What do you mean?"

He looked sad and defeated. "Leave me alone Khushi. I can't take more of this."

"More of what?"

"This. Your kindness. I don't deserve it. You don't deserve it." 

"Deserve what Arnav?" Khushi seemed baffled and Arnav didn't have the energy to explain things to her. How could he, when he barely understood the emotions that had decided to freely flow through his being? 

Clutching his head in his hands, he looked desperate and vulnerable. Khushi walked up to him and gently took his hands into hers. He freed his hands from her and went and stood near the kitchenette to pour himself a generous splash of whiskey.  Khushi walked up to him and snatched the drink away. 

"The last time you did this, you almost killed yourself. If I hadn't come back for my phone..." She couldn't even fathom the outcome. 

"Stop," he ordered, snatching the glass from her hands. He gulped all of his whiskey in one go and proceeded to pour himself another generous portion.