Anatomy of Love (Complete)

Chapter 24

"Khushi!"
Khushi stared at him and came inside the room.
"What is going on here? What is she doing here?" She asked.
Rishab looked at Sakshi, "She is leaving."
Khushi came and stood before her, "That she is but I need to know what she is doing here. Kya kar rahi ho tum yahan?"

Sakshi replied, "I came to see him. To ask how he is."
Khushi smirked, "As far as I know, you aren't his doctor or his friend, phir itne kareeb se tumhe kya dekhna tha?"
She looked at Rishab and then at her. Rishab stood behind her quietly, with a still face.
"Oh yes bhabi ho tum. He is your.. what do you call it.. of course Jethji. But I have not seen anyone getting so close to their brother-in-law." She said sarcastically.

Sakshi said, "I know him from before. We were.. a couple. We loved each other."
Khushi shrugged, "So? That doesn't give you the right to come close to him. You were his past, today you are his step brother's wife. Did you forget that?"

Sakshi was annoyed, "Khushi.."
Khushi didn't let her talk, "Sakshi, Rishab Mera boyfriend hai. Mujhe pasand nahi koi iss ke kareeb aaye, especially tum. So, keep your hands off me and stay away from him. Now leave."

Sakshi gazed at her and then left. Khushi took a deep breath and turned towards Rishab.
Rishab asked, "What are you doing here? Don't you have an OT?"
"Nahi aati toh Acha hota, hai na?" She picked up the file from the table. She then left the room.

Rishab avoided Khushi for the next two days. On the third night, when he came home, Khushi was sitting on the dining table. Rishab after changing, came out. He went to the refrigerator and took out the dinner, put it in the microwave to warm up. He pulled out two plates, placed them on the table. Once the food was warm, he put them on the table as well. He took some of it out on his plate and started eating in silence.

Khushi broke the silence by asking, "Don't you think you should say something?"
"Eat your dinner."

"Rishab, for two nights, I have been waiting for an explanation from you. But you didn't even come home."
Rishab looked at her, "I was busy. And I don't think I owe you any explanation."
"Yes you do. You didn't tell me who your ex was. She was right there in the same hospital, day after day but you didn't tell me anything."

Rishab was silent.
"Mujhe pata bhi nahi chalta tumhare ex ke bare main agar main wapas nahi jati. Kab tak chupate isse?"
"Khushi, enough. I haven't hidden anything from you. I really don't feel our pasts should matter to us. I never asked you about yours and I didn't feel mine needed to be discussed."
"It hadn't if it remained the past. She is here right among us. I needed to know."

Rishab in a strict tone said, "You know now. She was my girlfriend. Was. That's all."
Khushi was upset, "She was important to you, I saw that. Mujhe sab jana hai."
Rishab pushed the plate away, "Why can't you be satisfied with the fact that you are the only one who is important? I had many girls in my life. Should I sit and tell you everything now? I can't."

"You never share anything with me and you expect me to be satisfied. You say I am important then tell me everything."
Rishab got up from the table and Khushi said, "Phir se bhag rahe ho? That's all you can do. Jao.. chale jao."
Rishab gazed at her and went into the room. Khushi covered her face to cry.

Rishab came out a few minutes later and slammed a box on the table. Khushi lifted her head and looked at it.
"Open it! This is what I have of her."
She opened the box and inside was just ashes.

I met Sakshi when I started working as a General Surgeon here at the hospital. She was doing her residency in Bombay Medical College and Hospital.

I met her at a club one night through mutual friends. We exchanged our numbers and started texting each other. I was never in a serious relationship before. Mainly because I was engrossed in studies and girls in my class were always older than me. With her things were different.