The Accidental Husband

CH 28 || Heart's Refuge

Aavya

******

I suddenly found myself unusually composed, as if the amount of alcohol I had consumed that night was a regular occurrence for me. Despite not feeling inclined to offer Isha even a smile, the situation demanded otherwise. I was in a setting that required me to exhibit my best behaviour, and the man accompanying me preferred to see me smiling rather than upset or stressed. He liked me smiling more, and I had always caught his lips curve up right after mine, swelling my heart.

How could I just let him be distressed because of me?

I continued to contemplate everything in a state of shock when, out of the blue, Isha pulled me into a hug. Her arms enveloped me entirely as if we were long-lost best friends. If I had already been in shock before, her unexpected gesture heightened my emotional state. Even though her hug was gentle, I felt a slight sense of suffocation.

"I've missed you so much," she said, pulling back with a grin. It almost appeared genuine, or perhaps it was. Still reeling from the unfolding events and under the influence of alcohol, I managed to offer her a small smile.

"We recently had a reunion. Why didn't you come?"

Her demeanour shifted sour, as though my absence held significance, as if we were long-lost best friends. However, the reality was far from that; we had never been best friends, as she never regarded me as such. In her eyes, I was always the side chick she played with for four years.

The mention of an unofficial reunion for my college batch brought back memories. I had received an invitation from a college mate just before my wedding, but I had chosen to ignore it. The prospect of attending didn't appeal to me.

As I grappled with my thoughts, an unfamiliar voice shattered my trance of perplexion and shock. I shifted my attention to the man from a foreign land standing beside Isha, holding her waist. It didn't take me long to figure out who he was; the ring on her finger made it abundantly clear he was her husband.

Isha turned to him with a smile and said, "We were best friends."

"Were?" he asked, puzzled.

"Life happened. I pursued my dream job and moved out of India while she chose to stay. She never wanted to leave the country." It was a lie she presented to her husband on a silver platter, and he nodded in understanding. Her deceit might have been appreciated by me if I didn't know the kind of person she truly was. The whole situation left me bewildered, and a throbbing headache began to take hold.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you guys. Aavya, this is my husband, Logan Drew." I greeted Isha's husband with a smile, shaking his hand. Turning to Arvik, I noticed his unfriendly gaze fixed on my ex-best friend—cold as a glacier. At that moment, I longed for the warmth and coziness of my husband. I felt disturbed by the way Arvik's expression changed because of me. I was to be blamed because it was me who told him about the Isha fiasco. But then at that time, I had never thought I would ever introduce them.

"And this is my husband, Arvik Raichand," I introduced Arvik to the Drew couple.

"Your name... it seems familiar," Isha remarked as she shook hands with Arvik. A surge of intensified emotion ignited inside me, hoping that this meeting with my husband would be her first and last encounter.

Arvik offered her a fake smile, his fingers cascading softly on my waist, causing my heart and lashes to flutter. "I'm sure you've seen me on TV," he said.

"Of course, who does not know you?" Logan interjected as he greeted my husband with excitement. My heart danced with joy when Arvik gave my hair a peck. Soon, we were joined by Martin Linti, who knew Isha and Logan, which, of course, was not very positive news for me. Learning that Isha and I were college mates thrilled Martin.