Everything but her

Your cold heart beats this cold

'Virat, where are you? It's been two hours', Aarushi had finally managed to reach his phone.

'I am just coming', Virat said and cut off the call.

Aarushi was surprised at his behaviour. She had bared it all. Told him everything that she was feeling or thinking. And what had he done? Said he is okay in front of her and then gone away not even telling her where he was going. She was really furious with his behaviour. If he was disappointed, she wanted him to say it on her face.

Virat came back after around half an hour and had to first deal with his mom who asked him a billion questions pertaining to his whereabouts. He made some excuse of work to her but he knew he had hardly sounded convincing. He then made way to his room. He said nothing, just grabbed his towel and dashed towards the washroom.

After 10 minutes when he came out, he was surprised to not find Aarushi in the room. And then he saw her arrive with a cup of coffee in her hand. She just kept it at his side table and said coldly:

'Would you like to have it now or later?'

'Just keep it. Thank you', he said.

Aarushi kept the cup and got busy on her tablet. Virat, too sat down sipping his coffee listening to music on his earphones.

Time flew by and at around 8 Aarushi went in to help Chetna, Vikas' wife, with the dinner. After that she went and talked to her for a while. She went in to call Virat at 9:30 for dinner.

'The dinner is ready', she told him.

'I am not hungry. I think I would skip the dinner today', Virat said.

Aarushi left the room without saying anything. After about five minutes, she came back and closed the door of their bedroom.

'Virat, what do you want?', she asked him directly.

'Nothing, I just said that I am not hungry and why have you closed the door?', he asked her.

'Seriously, Virat you think I don't get it? What is it? I told you everything and you can't tell me what's going on in your head?', she stayed at a distance from him and spoke.

'Yes, you told me everything after you had made every decision yourself', Virat spoke sternly.

'What is that supposed to mean?', she asked confused.

'The pill. Why did you take it? Why didn't you tell me about it?', he asked her.

'Virat, you were excited about having a kid and we had not gotten any time to talk. How could I have made you understand without even talking to you', Aarushi explained it to him.

'It hurts Aarushi that you didn't consider me worthy enough to tell me all that. I was not the one who initiated what happened that day. It was you. Why did you do it?', Virat asked her with the least of emotions.

'Virat, I was missing you and we had not got a chance to be together in an intimate way in months. It all came naturally to me. I can't believe that you are thinking of all that in this way', she said sounding really angry.

'Aarushi, keep yourself in my place and you will see what I am seeing. I would have got protection had you told me before hand. But you took everything in your own hands', Virat said angrily.

'So what? Virat why are you making such a huge deal out of this', she said.

'First, you don't tell me that you don't want to have kids. Then you have sex with me like everything is normal. Then you tell me that you are on a pill. And finally you ask me so what?', Virat said his volume reaching the higher notes.

'Virat, lower your volume. Aarav is in the house too. Let's go and talk somewhere else', Aarushi said.

Virat and Aarushi excused themselves from the house for an hour and told everyone that they were going for a long drive. Virat took his car and Aarushi silently sat next to him. They went to a flat which Virat used when he organised parties. It was all empty. There were just a few chairs and a bed. They both took a chair.

'You want water?', Virat asked her.

'No', she answered to the point.

'Aarushi, what I am saying is...'

'Virat, what you are saying is that I should stay away from you if I don't want to have a child', Aarushi cut him short and said, tears brimming her eyes.

'No, I am not saying that. I am saying that all that happened that day now seems as though you were trying to remove your guilt of not confirming to my choices and going against them. That just seems wrong. You have nothing to be guilty about. At least not about your choices. I don't want 'guilty make out session with you'', Virat explained it to her.

'Virat, I...I didn't know what to do. I just couldn't tell you because I thought you would feel bad but trust me my love for you was never out of any guilt. I promise', Aarushi said now crying her heart out.

Virat instantly wanted to go and hug her but his ego stopped him from doing so. She had shut him out from her life. Even if for a moment. He couldn't see her cry but today he didn't have it in him to wipe those tears. He was disappointed and he wanted her to know that.

'Aarushi, please stop crying', he said pushing that bottle of water towards her once again. He never came close to her.

Aarushi didn't even give a glance towards the bottle but she was surprised at Virat's cold behaviour. She knew she didn't deserve this and the only reason she was sitting there was because she loved the man who was causing all this pain to her and she knew that somewhere his heart was also getting broken seeing the two of them like this.

'I am sorry but Virat, I did what I thought was the best at that point. I can apologise you for hurting you but I'll never apologise for my choices. So, if you can take it from there, then I think we can move on from here and be normal', Aarushi said finally wiping her tears. She had found a resolve within her. She wanted to make things normal but she was not ready to give up her dignity.

'Aarushi, I am not disappointed by the choices you took, I am hurt that you didn't include me in them. You forgot me', Virat said.

'Well, seeing the way you are reacting right now, I think my decision was not that bad.'

'I wouldn't have reacted the same way had you told me before'

'You wouldn't give up or would you? It is going to pinch your manhood, right. I accepted my fault but you cannot accept a fact', Aarushi said getting up.

'Where are you going?', he asked her.

'Don't worry I am not as selfish as you are that I will go out without a care in the world about my family. But this room has a stench of hypocrisy. I need some fresh air', Aarushi said and went to the balcony.

'It is cold outside', Virat said stating the obvious. It was a cold December night in Delhi.

'Well, nothing seems as cold as your heart today', Aarushi replied never turning back.