Infinite

Chapter 10

"Ignoring I don't exist is not going to help," Arnav said, three days later, the silence between them having become most disconcerting. Khushi had avoided him all this time except when around others, clearly upset about the way things had turned out on Diwali.

Khushi's hands stilled momentarily from where she rearranged her closet to make space for Muskaan's things. But then she continued as if she hadn't heard him, her movements wooden.

Arnav felt a pang of remorse at the way he reacted and lashed out the other day. He really had been surprised to find them in Delhi and that, very pleasantly. But he was also really upset that she wouldn't let him take care of her like he wanted. He wanted her to realize that she was his, Arnav Singh Raizada's wife. Why wouldn't she understand that he worried?

"Don't you think you're stretching it too far?" He asked, his tone reflecting his annoyance.

Khushi turned away hiding her tears. If this was his idea of making up, she didn't want it. How she wished he would just hug her and say it was alright.

But a moment later, she was startled by the loud bang of the door to the bathroom, bringing a fresh bout of tears to her eyes.

Khushi sat cross-legged on their bed as she scrolled through her phone, her hands pausing now and then to read a particular text. Beside her, Muskaan slept, her six weeks old body curled into her thigh.

He was a man of few words, her Arnav ji and he preferred talking over the phone to sending texts. But there have been times when he had sent her messages - some flirtatious, some concerned and even sensual - messages that had warmed her heart, put a smile on her face and ones that caused tears in her eyes right now because he hadn't replied to the last message she sent him.

She missed him. She was tired. She survived on four hours of sleep a day. Only solution everyone seemed to point to was sleeping when the baby slept. And yet, tired as she was, she couldn't bring herself to sleep, now that Muskaan was sleeping.

She had fallen in love with a difficult man but she had become too comfortable with the loving, caring man that he had come to be with her. When they argued, she had a bitter reminder that deep down he was still the ASR people feared.

But it was all his fault. Couldn't he be a little more considerate?

After their altercation that morning, he had quickly left to office without so much as a word to her until she had called him later that evening.

"Arnav ji, how long do you think you will be? I have put your dinner in the oven in case I'm asleep when you arrive. Please don't switch on the light—"

"Khushi," he called making her pause in between. "I know I read your message. I'll take care. But I think I'll be late. I'll eat something here."

Accusation lay heavy in her voice as Khushi replied. "I thought I will call you because I did not know if you saw my message. Couldn't you have sent a reply?"

"I meant to but I forgot. We are really busy at the moment." He replied with an apologetic grimace. "Do you have anything else?"

"But how was I to know that. How would I know —

"Khushi, replying to you is not all I do. I do have to run a business in between..." he snapped. "Can we do this some other time?"

There had been a beat of silence before the line went dead and Arnav sighed, running a frustrated hand over his face. He really had meant to reply to her. He was neck deep into the wedding project and adding to that was an already upset Khushi who he had upset some more. The only silver lining in all this was that she and his daughter were here with him. He leaned back on his chair, closing his eyes trying to get a moment of peace.