Humdard | ✔

Chapter seven - Persistence

His hands worked fast as he hurriedly buttoned up his shirt and threw his coat over his shoulder. However, his movements slowed down as he slid his hands down the sleeves as his mind wheeled back to that thought.

He's going to meet her today. 

 He looked at his reflection in the mirror and exhaled deeply, letting everything he has to do sink in.

She is getting discharged from the hospital today, after two months. And once she reaches home, he might start planning on when to confess his actual feelings to her.

As silly as it might sound, he barely had a conversation with her during her hospitalization. Partly because of the hovering family but mostly because of Khushi's changed behavior.

She stopped being shy in his presence, treated him like another family member and even stopped responding to his teasings. In short, every little thing that made him believe she was in love with him too, had disappeared into the thin air.

Even when his whole family was crying and narrating her whatever happened with Shyam and how they discovered the truth, she didn't bare him a glance and listened carefully before smiling and accepting their apologies. Di had purposely brought the fact that he knew everything all along and made him apologize for not taking any severe actions on the spot. Everyone that day had flashed him a look of dismay but Khushi, she sat with the same expression, smiling off his mistakes too.

And that hurt him. So much. But he couldn't blame her, because he knew what she was going through. 

So he gave her the time she needed and used that time period to proof his care and love for her through his actions. 

But now, he will express them through words.

He breathed out, straightening his coat.

Yes, and he will talk this time. He had enough practice to know what he should say and how he should apologize. 

He should be fine.

A brief giggle broke his internal self talk and he turned around, sighing as Anjali stood by the door, her palms pressed to her mouth tightly.

"Di, seriously?" He gave her a literal seriously look.

This was probably the hundredth time he found her laughing at his preparations to confess to Khushi and it was embarrassing in the start, but now he's just confused.

Why does she still find him comical even though she has been hearing and seeing this same thing since two months?

Anjali cleared her throat, swallowing the rest of her laughter. 

"I don't think I have to ask you, you already look ever ready." She exclaimed, trying to contain her overwhelming grin and walked away, not before shouting over her shoulder, "Come down now! Everyone is waiting for you!"

Arnav shook his head as he heard her breaking into laughter short after and strolled out of the room.

It was about thirty minutes later that the family reached the hospital and when they entered the ward, Payal was all ready with Khushi's bags.

"All set, huh." Akash exclaimed whilst moving towards Khushi and side - hugged her. 

"Ready to go home, Saali-Saheba?" 

Khushi nodded, giving him a quick smile before her eyes darted towards the crowd, at him. She averted them almost immediately when she found him staring right at her.