A Hundred Flukes

Challenges

Chapter 13

The heart has reasons that reason does not understand. The one who craves for reason, it's the heart he doesn't understand. He calls his heart a bully and shuts it inside, her face flashes in his mind again - so timid yet so stubborn, but his heart refuses to beat this time. It's happy shut inside, it doesn't bother him, all it does is to confuse him. Confuse him because he can't understand why Arnav should still be thinking about Khushi. He is ASR and she is Khushi and this fact alone makes all the difference.

The fur upholstery of his reclining armchair did little to comfort him. The recliner was big enough for two people to sleep in, but he couldn't sleep despite his tiredness. He realized he was still in his suit, he got up to take a quick shower and changed into a blue t-shirt and casual black trousers. Ignoring the inviting bed, he walked to the pool side - his world of blue and green. He glanced for a moment up at the starless, cloudy night sky. Every now and then there was lightening, his gaze returned to his plants. He pulled out a sack of alluvial imported from Britain to sustain plants that found it difficult to thrive in Indian soil. He wouldn't want his plants to strive and adapt to Indian conditions, he'd instead create pseudo atmospheres that imitated their natural habitats - a principle he had acknowledged in his life. Arnav Singh Raizada never bothered with the means, he only saw ends.

Taking a trowel in one hand, he began digging in the soil, to and fro from the potted plants. His mind began to ease as he picked up pace in his tenderness with his greens, his fingers moved in the soil with the charm of a pianist as his brain tried to sort the present crisis in his life, or so it seemed. He was not perturbed about the contract. Not one bit, for he knew the girl was no match for him but he failed to fathom what it was in Khushi that made him react to her in the most impulsive ways. He, who had made himself indifferent to anything and everything was being repulsed by the mere words of a girl of no significance. He was repulsed when they bumped into each other at the dargaha and she had dared to say that he was incapable of harming her, that there was a god who'd save her. He felt repulsed when she dared to say that she didn't need his job, he felt repulsed when she said that she was strong enough to face her fears.

He felt a hand on his shoulder - gentle and warm, relief rushed in his entire system at the contact, it made him almost smile. Almost.

"Are you really angry or you have just made it your habit to frown?" Anjali said teasingly.

"Born this way." he said giving her a fleeting glance before resuming his gardening.

"Of course, the only thing you do with the same passion as gardening is sulking." she chuckled, "by the way, Arnav I went to the temple with nani today." she said holding out a bowl for him. Arnav stared at her.

"It's sugar free, Chote, I made it." she said reassuringly.

"Don't call me Chote" he said gently shoving the bowl away, "and I won't have this anyway. You know Di, I don't like all this."

"What's it that you have against God?" she asked softly.

"I have nothing against a non-existent entity." he said looking straight into her eyes and turned to face away, "If there was an all powerful god, there wouldn't be so much pain and suffering in this world." he said, his voice sounding huskier than usual.

Anjali had no answer to that. She sat in a nearby chair, watching her brother in silence. The silence began to grow louder, she knew her brother would not attempt to break it. He liked the silence, he spoke less and spent whatever free time he had with his plants, to whom nature hadn't granted speech. Forever deep in his thoughts, forever reticent, he was just like his name, Arnav - the Ocean of depths unknown; calm and placid on the surface, perilous within. Like the lost glories of sunken ships, he sheltered his feelings in the abyss of his heart. Like the uproarious surge of a storm were his emotions, violent whenever they manifested.