Making Her Mine- An IPKKND story.

Chapter 45 - Unfurled

Akash looked gloomy the next morning. Arnav had invited his brother to join him for an early morning run, ostensibly to discuss work when he was away, but really to talk about Shyam.

Akash's drawn face distracted him, however.

"You spoke to Payal?" Arnav asked.

Akash nodded mutely.

"What happened."

"We had a fight."

Arnav couldn't imagine what a fight between those two would look like. Then he remembered the one time he had seen Payal angry. It had been when he had taken Khushi back to her Buaji's house, unconscious, from a broken down guest house he had sent her to, where she had accidentally been trapped all day. Payal didn't fly into a rage like Khushi. Khushi's anger usually fanned his own, but when Payal lashed out, it made him feel like the smallest man on earth. She had the knack of hitting exactly where it hurt – cool logic that you couldn't argue against.

"Sorry, Akash," he said sympathetically. "Do you think you'll work things out?"

"I don't know," Akash said. "But she's agreed to the plan. She's angry at you, by the way. I had to tell her everything. About –about your wedding and everything. She wanted to take Khushiji and go to Buaji's house immediately. I managed to stop her, but she's angry."

Arnav winced, secretly glad that he and Khushi were going away.

"She thinks I should have stood up more for Khushiji. And that I shouldn't defend you."

"Akash! Well, you shouldn't defend me," Arnav said guiltily, although he was grateful.

"I'm angry at her too," Akash said, still looking morose. "I thought she trusted me, but she didn't. She kept such a big secret. And no matter what she tells me, the circumstances, her helplessness, I just can't – I can't find it in myself to come to terms with it. She broke my trust. I wish I didn't feel this way, but..."

He spoke with such desolation that Arnav had no words to offer. He wasn't one to offer empty words anyway, and he couldn't bring himself to reassure Akash that everything would be okay. With time, maybe.

"But you still love her," he said, finally. "You still want to be with her, right?"

"I don't know if that is enough, Bhai..."

Well fuck. Arnav was hoping that love would be enough, because otherwise, whatever happened between Khushi and him, from the moment they had met, had been nothing if not a series of disasters.

They had driven to a park, with the private security men following them in their car close behind. Arnav saw them spread around the area, and followed Akash to the track. Akash wasn't a runner— his nerdy cousin had, to his great surprise, gotten into body building after college. Arnav preferred running, although watching Akash stretch and flex his unexpectedly giant muscles made him wonder in passing if he should give it a try too.

He looked around, and seeing no one within earshot, began telling Akash the latest.

"Shyam bought a plane ticket for Dehradun for tomorrow."

Akash stopped stretching, his face livid.

"He used Di's credit card," Arnav added. "I've been keeping tabs on her purchases, I know he uses it. He didn't think I'd notice, seems to think I'll keep paying bills blindly like before."

"That was his urgent work last night," Akash said angrily. "The stupid piece of shit!"

"Dubey doesn't think he's going to follow us or have us followed today, but wants us to go all the way to the airport, to shake anyone off just in case. Then once we miss the flight, he's going to have someone drop us off at Buaji's from there."