Hues of Love

Part 15

"I cannot stay here because my parents don't know about this. I will have to leave the city," remarked Khushi, making the wave of guilt more turbulent in Arnav's mind and Rachna huff in annoyance at her decision.

"Do you have any plan on your mind?" asked Arnav, thinking of various guesthouses he owned some privately and some through his company.

"Actually yes. I was thinking about Shillong. It is such a beautiful place with serenity all around. Also, the hospital I work for, Shishu Swastha Healthcare, has recently opened a branch in Shillong and they have offered me the position of Chief Medical Officer in their Shillong branch. I would not have to go job-hunting too and they would also provide an accommodation," she answered, smiling slightly at Rachna's concern for her.

"You would not need to reside in their accommodation, Khoosi. I have a guesthouse with a fulltime help in Shillong. You can stay there," he offered immediately.

"Shillong? That's a bit odd choice for investing in properties," mused Rachna, knowing that he did not have a branch of his company in Shillong.

"Actually, I love hills and wanted it to be our holiday home but.." Arnav could not bring himself to continue as memories of Rati refusing to stay in a place with low connectivity causing his plan to make it their holiday home break apart.

"Things did not work out," he added finally with a sigh.

"If it would not be a trouble, then I will stay there," said Khushi, her self-respect stopping her from accepting help if it meant trouble to someone.

"Don't be ridiculous, Khoosi! There is no trouble in this, in fact, it will reduce my trouble. I would not feel worried about your wellbeing if you stay there and I can visit you easily since it is well-connected by all means of transport. And transportation to your hospital would also be taken care of," he said with a finality in his tone.

Rachna's irritation and annoyance seemed to reduce everytime Arnav expressed his concern for her best friend. She only wanted the best for them, so what if the means were 'wrong'?

"You would visit me?" asked Khushi with a smile on her lips.

"Obviously. I will try to visit you as many times as I can. And don't ever hesitate to ask me anything you need," said Arnav, sincerity and concern lining his husky voice.

Khushi smiled, letting his concern for her overwhelm her and make butterflies flutter in her stomach as if she was transported to the times where they were still in their secondary high school.

--FLASHBACK---

The eleventh grade Khushi stared at the books in front of her with annoyance etched into her features when she was supposed to be solving a problem given by the Chemistry faculty.

She was going to lose the the unsaid competition between her and the boy seated beside her- Arnav Singh Raizada. They always raced to shout the answer first to the faculty whenever a question on physical chemistry was asked and the accompanying adrenaline rush had paved way for fluttering of heart to Khushi.

The reason for her defeat was not her inability to answer the question but the fact that her benchmate Sunita, who despite possessing a scientific calculator, had taken her one because it was a better model, leaving her to calculate the answer manually while the entire class enjoyed the privilege to use a calculator. She felt like snatching her calculator from Sunita's hands when she was pressing the buttons with a snail's pace but the manners instilled in her prevented her from doing so.

She turned her head to look at her competitor to see how he was going with his calculations when he turned to face her due to her strong gaze. His eyes traveled to her bare hands which always used to operate at breck-neck speed whenever a question was given.

He looked at her face which had slight frustration on it and the way she still flashed a slight smile at him and moved his sight to his calculator as he forwarded it to her.

"But you? What will you do?" questioned Khushi, looking at him with pleasant surprise replacing her initial frustration.

"I will watch. I did half the sum, you complete it. Quick! We need to have our track record of giving answers first clean!" he exclaimed as she nodded with a smile and punched the required buttons.

She pushed the calculator towards him to show the answer as he nodded at her with a smirk and they turned to the faculty to announce the answer.

"56.45%, Sir!" they said in unison.

"That's correct," said the faculty, impressed with them.

Khushi turned to Arnav as she forwarded his calculator towards him.

"Thank you, Arnav," she thanked with a smile playing on her lips and warmth seeping through every cell of her body.

"It had to be a fair game and you are a friend so don't ever hesitate to ask me anything you need," he said with a smile and sincerity that made her attraction towards him deepen to lead into a love which wouldn't fade through years.

--FLASHBACK ENDS--

"So when are you going to leave? I will accompany you for the first time to help you settle down there," he offered, breaking Khushi's reverie.

"My joining date is on 28th of May so I was thinking to reach there by 26th to settle down and look around a bit," answered a bit flustered Khushi, with a tinge pink adorning her cheeks.

"Let's get packing then. After all, there isn't a lot of time left," noted Rachna, standing up knowing that Khushi was facing a rush of memories and it might get awkward for both of them.

Arnav and Khushi nodded and Khushi guided them through her room only to stopped by Arnav's sharp gasp. Looking towards the source of surprise, Khushi found herself looking at Arnav and her photo on the wall opposite to her bed.

"This?" said Arnav involuntarily, realizing it to be a very old photo.

"They say it has a positive effect to see the face of the person whom you love first thing in the morning hence this," answered Khushi, smiling at the photo and the memories associated with it.

Myriads of emotions rushed through him as her unconditional love for him managed to make his heart surge and an overwhelming urge to take her in his arms took over him but his guilt caused a splitting headache to develop faster than he could blink.

Source of guilt for one and happiness for another, where will their pregnancy lead them to?

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So I was wondering, how many of you would like to see the teenage story of Arnav and Khushi of this story?