Arranged marriage was an age-old story that Khushi, the youngest of the infamous Gupta family, who revolutionized and dominated the trading market for generations, knew well.
For it was the only thing she heard growing up.
But that neither prepared...
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"Good morning Dr. Rai– err, I mean Dr. Gupta. How are you doing today?"
Khushi suppressed a grin, taking pity on a very flustered looking Sona.
It was the day after Arnav's birthday –which, despite all the mishaps, had unfolded better than she could've dreamed of– and she was once again, back in the hospital, reporting for her 8 a.m. shift.
It was a sunny Thursday morning. The traffic was lighter than usual, the hospital more empty than customary and the nurses more polite than necessary. Or perhaps, it was just her exceptionally good mood.
After all, the nurses had dropped their ammunition since the moment they realized she was married to Arnav –thanks to Ved's timely interference– last week. Since then, they had all gone out of their way to be nice to Khushi, striking up a conversation without much cause, scheduling her appointments without any fuss and overall, acting like her very own army of minions.
She wasn't complaining, of course. It felt nice to be treated like a V.I.P. especially after experiencing them ganging up on her. However, at the same time, she also knew that they were acting more out of fear –for they all felt their jobs were in jeopardy– than goodwill. She wished she could reassure them –not that she hadn't tried already– and things could go back to the way they were. The nurses were a fun bunch to hang out with during a coffee break.
"I'm doing good Sona," Khushi answered. "How are you?"
"Good. Did you have a nice, relaxing day-off yesterday?"
"Better than nice, actually. Is Dr. Awasti in yet? I need to discuss a case with her."
"Not yet. Should I page you when she comes?"
"That would be great. Thank you."
"My pleasure."
Khushi nodded awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. Luckily, Ved had arrived just then to pick up his patient charts for the day.
"Err– good morning," she greeted him, uncertainly.
Things with Ved had sort of improved over the past week. He wasn't actively avoiding her, but at the same time, he wasn't actively trying to strike up a conversation either. They had reached an impasse of sorts, where he knew she was genuinely sorry, but somehow still couldn't get himself to forgive her– or so she thought, anyway.
"Good morning," Ved answered politely.
"Busy day?" she asked him.
"Not really... you?"
"Same. Weird, isn't it? Maybe we are finally growing out of being slaves."
Ved smiled. "Do... do you want to grab coffee then?"
Khushi gasped inaudibly, not sure if she heard right. Did he really just offer to have coffee like old times?
"Earth to Khushi," Ved called, snapping his fingers.
