"Lectures in the Heart: A Love Unforeseen" (Khushi Arnav)

20.A Night to Remember...

Tomorrow was Maddy's birthday, and she was bubbling with excitement as she headed over to Khushi's house to invite her to the party at her farmhouse that evening. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm glow across the neighborhood.

As Maddy entered Khushi’s living room, she found Khushi and Karishma sitting with their parents, laughter filling the air.

“Maddy! Namaste!” greeted

“Namaste!” parents replied cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Tomorrow is my birthday, and Khushi, I’m throwing a party at my farmhouse tonight! You have to come, and I’ll drop you back in the morning.”

Khushi’s face fell. “No, Maddy. I don’t want to go,” she said, her voice tinged with regret.

Maddy’s heart sank as she saw the disappointment wash over her face. “Why not?” she asked, hoping to coax her friend into changing her mind.

“I didn’t feel well, that’s all,” Khushi said.

Karishma chimed in, “ye kya bat hui khushi?  Look how sweetly Maddy is inviting you. You should go!”

“Yeah, Di,” Maddy added quickly, “You can also come if you want.”

While saying this, Maddy wondered  Karishma say no .

“No, no, it’s okay. You’ll have all your classmates there. I would just make things awkward for everyone,” Karishma insisted.

Khushi exchanged glances with her father, who nodded in silent agreement.

“Thank you, Uncle!” Maddy said, her spirits lifting a little.

Later that evening, they drove to the farmhouse, or so Maddy thought. Just as the car stopped, they found themselves outside Arnav’s house.

“Why did we stop here?” Khushi asked, puzzled.

“Maddy, we’ve reached our location!” Maddy exclaimed.

“But this is Arnav sir’s house!” Khushi protested.

“Yeah, we were supposed to come here. C’mon, let’s go!”

As Khushi was about to refuse again, Akash appeared. “What’s wrong, Khushi? I  wants to celebrate her birthday, that’s why the party is here!”

“Then why didn’t she tell me?” Khushi questioned, feeling betrayed.

“Because if you’d known, you wouldn’t have agreed to come,” Akash explained, still friendly.

“Even now, I’m not agreeing!” she replied defiantly.

“Because of your stubbornness, you might spoil your best friend’s birthday. How selfish can you be, Miss Ahuja?” Arnav's voice rang out, laced with authority.

Khushi turned toward him, ready to defend herself, but Maddy, with a pleading look in her eyes, took her hand and led her inside.

“Maddy, this isn’t right and what about Mr. And Mrs. Raizada Aren’t theirs mom and dad home?” Khushi asked, concerned.

“Not at the moment! They’re in Delhi for a couple of days,” Akash chimed in, waving her worries away.

Inside, Aman, Akash, Maddy, Khushi, and Arnav enjoyed the celebration, laughter filling the air. But Khushi and Arnav barely exchanged a word the entire night.