Transgressions (Arshi Shorts)

The Maker's Son - 4

🎶 Sheher - Praagya (Listen with 🎧, audio linked above)

The good citizens of Pittsburgh woke to another rare sunny morning, blissfully unaware of the charged atmosphere lingering within a third-floor apartment tucked away along the narrow streets.

Inside, a man and a woman spent the night, strangers to one another, occupying the same space, their lives divided by nothing more than a thin sheet of drywall, a companionship borne out of shared curiosity.

...

"What are you?"

Arnav stared at her, his expression unreadable. He took a tentative step forward but stopped when she trudged back.

"You will know soon enough, I promise."

His response sent a shiver down her spine, his evasiveness had confirmed her suspicions, solidified those irrational fears that he was somehow...abnormal.

"When," she whispered.

"When we find my home, I will take you to my maker."

...

She should've been scared, should've demanded the truth, should've seized the chance to turn him out.

But she hadn't.

The initial shock of his elusiveness dulled as days turned into weeks. She convinced herself it was some form of pity that kept her bound to this... arrangement they had fallen into.

They had slowly slipped into the rhythms of domestic bliss. Breakfast was waiting when she woke, her laptop's browsing history filled with bookmarked recipes. At noon, a hot lunch awaited her-dishes so perfect even Bua-ji's efforts would pale in comparison.

Every evening, Arnav would stand waiting at the city square, just as her workday ended. Together, they would cross off streets from the map they explored the previous day and embark on new ones.

Dinners were a blend of take-out and simple meals, sometimes cooked together, sometimes frozen, but always shared.

Their nights were spent on the couch, a predictable routine of popcorn at 9 p.m., the smell wafting to curious neighbors. They laughed and cried over an endless lineup of rom-coms and holiday classics that chose her fancy-Love Actually, Sleepless in Seattle, Die Hard, Home Alone.

The ridiculous notions of Hollywood made them guffaw together, sometimes through smiles, sometimes through unshed tears.

One evening, as they crossed off the last street on the map, Khushi's pen had hesitated mid-air. She looked up at Arnav, her thoughts a whirlwind.

Was he lying to her? Or, worse yet, was she fabricating excuses to keep going, convincing herself there was still more to uncover?

- A few days ago -

"Khushi...I came across a place I'd like to take you to."

"Where?" she asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes.

"You'll see," he replied confidently, though his gaze darted away. "Meet me at City Square at the usual time-I'll take it from there."

The mystery lingered in her mind throughout the day, her thoughts constantly wandering to what he might have planned. When work ended, she deboarded the bus with an unusual sense of anticipation.

"Hi," he greeted brightly, his energy practically infectious. She noticed the slight edge of nervousness in his otherwise enthusiastic demeanor.

"Hello," she replied with a grin, matching his mood.