Hate Me Like You Don't

Don't you know how to apologize?

As Khushi went to Shantivan an hour later, she was thinking of ways to fix this.

The atmosphere at Shantivan was morose. Everyone was either sad or mad. Except Nani. She looked like she had won some lottery. Ignoring Nani's happiness, Khushi went to Arnav's room.

When ASR let her in, Khushi was surprised.

"What are you doing here? Your job is gone."

"Are you happy about that?" Khushi enquired.

"Obviously."

"Does it even matter to you what Lavanya is going through?"

"She's a big girl. She can take care of herself." ASR moved to the poolside.

"She's heartbroken Arnavji." Khushi followed him.

Arnav picked up a watering can. "Leave."

"As you wish." Khushi was completely shaken with his non-reaction.

Once back home, she asked herself, What would Khushi Kumari Gupta do? And the answer came to her.

***

Arnav was leaving the poolside when he saw a lone payal by the glass doors. He recognized it instantly and kept it aside, with a mind to tell Di about it later, and promptly forgot.

***

Khushi crumpled up another piece of paper and threw it in the bin. Why was this so hard? A simple love letter, that's all she needed.

Ugh. What does matter to Arnav? Khushi thought again of other ways and another idea struck her.

***

Two hours later, Arnav walked into his office to see it full of potted plants. Making his way to the desk, he looked around and found a note alongside a pot on his desk.

I know you won't apologize, even when you know you are in the wrong. So, I'm done. I'm leaving, forever. It's the price of loving someone as much as I did. This world is too cruel for love as pure as mine. I don't fit here. I'm going to take away my life, but please know this. I love you, much much more than you love your plants.

Arnav looked around again and the implication of the words struck him hard.

***

Khushi was at Lavanya's flat, trying to make her stay.

"Just leave it Chamkili. Agar ASR ko meri yaad aati toh he should have been here. If I mattered, he would have been here. You already told him I was leaving, and what did he do?" (Translation: If I were being missed...)

"Lavanyaji, please. Think this through. Leaving like this won't solve your problems."

Lavanya put more clothes into her bag. "Staying here won't solve it either."

"But it will give you some time-"

The bell rang. Khushi went to the door and was surprised to see the visitor.

"Am I too late?" Arnav asked her.

"What?"

"La? Are you here?"

Lavanya came out of her room and looked shocked to see Arnav there.

Arnav went to her. "Have you gone mad, La? What is this nonsense?"

"I thought... you wanted me gone."

"And leaving, like this, is the right thing to do?" Arnav yelled at her.