Making Her Mine- An IPKKND story.

Chapter 3 - Unspooling

Khushi was not in bed when he woke up in the morning. She must have gotten up early. Good, Arnav thought to himself, pretending that he didn't like looking at her as she slept whenever he woke up first. Good that I don't have to see her.

Her innocent face was a ruse. The way her eyelids twitched as she dreamed, or when she sighed softly, blowing the errant lock of hair that always hung in front of her face. The way she muttered in her sleep—he had caught her mumbling his name once or twice. He had wondered if she was dreaming about him.

When he returned from his run, he saw Di at the table, reaching for a piece of papaya from a heaped plate that Hari Prakash was handing her.

"Di!" he bellowed, making his sister jump. "What are you doing?" He strode to the dining table and snatched the plate away. "Don't you know that you can't eat papayas in this condition?"

"Says your WhatsApp university," his sister retorted, and then seeing the look on his face, added, "One little piece won't do anything, Chotay."

"I don't care, Di. They say it's not good. Why even take a risk?" He turned to Hari Prakash. "I don't want to see any papayas in this house."

He sat down at the table beside Di. "I just want you to take care of yourself, Di," he said in a much gentler voice, trying to make up for his earlier snapping. His sister smiled.

"Have you taken your medicines?" He rummaged through her medicine box, which was on the table, and froze.

"What's this?" He held up a box of pills that he hadn't seen before, which wasn't any of the supplements she was taking.

"Nothing, Chote. I was getting some dizzy spells, and that one helps..." his sister began.

"What? You were getting dizzy? Why didn't you tell me?" Arnav was up again, bellowing as he clutched the box.

"This is exactly why I didn't tell you!" his sister replied. "I'm fine, Chotey. I've told the doctor; it's normal, happens sometimes. Last night I was feeling a little dizzy, and I asked Khushiji and Shyam-ji to go buy me the medicine that the doctor had asked me to take for dizziness. They got it, and I was fine. That's it."

"Khushi and Jija-ji went to get you medicines? But why didn't Khushi tell me that?" Arnav mumbled.

"Oh, sorry, Chote. I told them not to tell you. You panic and react so badly; I didn't want you to worry."

Arnav frowned at his sister. Well, maybe he did overreact a bit. But they could have told him, and that would have been that. It's not like they couldn't explain things to him. "I'll see you later, Di," he said, and glanced up at the stairs. Khushi. He had known she was there, of course, because of that feeling he got whenever she was around. Now that she was around all the time, he didn't notice it as powerfully, but it was still there. He didn't have to see her to know whenever she was close.

He went upstairs and called after her in the corridor. "Khushi," he said, knowing that he sounded completely different from the man who had threatened to drop his wife down the stairs last night.

She started and turned around. "So you went to get medicine for Di. Why didn't you just tell me that?"

She didn't return his gentle, conciliatory tone. Her voice was harsh and brittle as she looked him in the eye. "I don't have to tell you anything." She spun around and walked away.

A flash of anger. How dare she!

Well, even if she had gone to get medicine for Di, she could have refused to go with Shyam. She chose to go with him... Arnav remembered the way Khushi had looked at Shyam last night. Shyam had grabbed her hand, and she had been trying to pull it free. And that look of disgust, almost hatred. She had said she hated Arnav. But even then, she had never given him that look of utter revulsion that she directed at Shyam last night.

She was quiet the whole morning, not even looking at him while he dressed.

"Good thing you're not speaking to me," he said when he couldn't take it anymore. "It's easier to tolerate you. Too bad I can't do anything about your presence in this room. Until the six months are over, I have no choice but to tolerate you in this room."

She was facing away, crouched on the ground patting Lakshmi, who had wandered in. But he could tell from the way her shoulders drooped that what he said affected her. He felt a pang. Did it really hurt her, then, when he said things like that to her? No one could be such a good actress.

"Khushi," he said, suddenly making up his mind. He needed to know. She turned around to look at him, surprise written on her face. He knew she could sense his moods as well as he could hers. And his once again conciliatory tone surprised her.

"Tell me." He looked closely at her, trying to read her eyes. Surprise, confusion, fear... Hope?

"Last night..." he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Last night, what was going on with you and Shyam?"

The look of utter shock on Khushi's face confused him. Why? Didn't she know that he knew about them? Hadn't Shyam told her already? If he hadn't, why not?

"Sh-Shyam-ji?" she stammered. Arnav clenched his jaw, hating the sound of that name on her lips. He realized he had never heard her utter Shyam's name in front of him, at least since the wedding. How could that be? Not even once, at mealtimes or whenever the whole family was together?

He had never heard her speak to Shyam. As if she was trying to not arouse suspicion, but that would mean she knew that he knew. And here she was, utterly shocked by his questioning. Was she really that good at pretending?

Just then, Hari Prakash came in. "Arnav-bhaiya, Anjali didi sent me to fetch you and Khushi bhabi for breakfast."

Arnav was going to tell Hari Prakash to go tell Di that neither of them were having breakfast today, but Khushi followed Hari Prakash wordlessly, and he had no choice but to follow her.

There was that important conference call with the London office today, which he couldn't skip, and besides, Khushi would be there in the evening. And actually, she'd show up at lunchtime with her dabbas.

He would get her to talk to him, no matter what, before this day was done.