Imp/N - There was some confusion after last chapter's last para, so clarifying it. Khushi was not emotionally detached from Arnav, she was just hesitant to term her emotions as 'love', due to her past with Nishant. It was shown through background scenes in the first 5 chapters, but sorry if it didn't come out as clear.
Below chapter was the first chapter I wrote when I thought of this story and the song above kind of inspired ❤
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Arnav sighed as he watched Khushi leave for her work that afternoon. It had been 2 weeks since she started working in the same hospital as Nishant's and as any medical professional, she too had shift duties. It was her evening shift today, which meant she would be home well past-dinner time.
He knew this was necessary, at least until he found a job again. Thanks to her work, they could now not worry for bills and payments for another few months, in fact they could also re-appoint their housekeep Hariprakash kaka aka HP.
But sometimes, he couldn't help feeling restless. After his outburst that night many weeks ago, and his promise to Khushi that he trusted her regarding her past, he had been really trying. Trying to look past her past, trying to not think of any negative thoughts. But then, glimpses of his own dark past would crawl in his mind and leave him unfocussed. The images when a 13-year him found his mother hug another man, the image of his father in arms of another woman and finally them telling him they were over each other and apparently over him too...
He was fighting those demons for so long but after his marriage with Khushi, he had had no reason to face them again. Until recently. Recent events managed to evoke those sleeping beasts somehow. So, right now, there were two voices in his head, one was of sanity which told him to trust their togetherness and other of insanity which made him doubt her commitment to him.
He took the cup of warm coffee that HP brought and sat on a loveseat sofa, watching the rain. It seemed it was going to be a heavy downpour tonight.
--*--
In the 2 weeks that Khushi was working in the hospital same as Nishant's they never had any interactions. Their lines of duty were different and their timings too, so they hardly got to meet or talk. Worked better for Khushi who was glad to have a decent earning until Arnav recovered without any other complications but Nishant wanted to speak with her once. To get a closure, to apologize to her which he never did.
When Nishant left for his 2-year post grad and deliberately didn't keep any contact with Khushi, he wanted to fully focus on making a career and then maybe think of a marriage. He knew he was wrong, but he was not ready to accept it then. That was when he got a shock hearing about Khushi's marriage. It was as if she said yes to the first guy that asked her!
He had been angry, but mostly regretful. Of not making any commitment to her, of not having courage to meet her family and assure them that he will come back for her. He had chosen to be distanced from her and now she was actually distanced from his forever.
.
.
"Khushi? Hi. Ready to leave?" Nishant caught Khushi in the hospital lobby as she was about done with her shift and opening her umbrella before stepping out. It was one of those stormy nights in Mumbai and she worried if that meant disruption in transport.
"Hi Dr. Nishant. Yeah, just leaving." She said, opening the Uber app to see if she can get a cab.
"Khushi I- urmm- I actually wanted to apologize." He hurriedly said. He decided this was as good time as ever when he could get to talk to her and finally do something he owed her long ago.
