Heir Of Darkness

The Response

"Khushi?"

The confusion and trepidation in his voice makes my senses go haywire. I try following his trail of thoughts but I knew that the way was clouded by my own fears and bias. It was the best to not assume anything and wait for the confirmation from the man himself.

"I will readily accept it if you don't want to be anything more than my friend, Arnav. But please do not snatch the warmth of your friendship from me. I might lose myself in the vortex of darkness if you do so," I confess.

His love had lit my world. It had redefined life for me and I would never let that go away from me. Platonic or romantic, it would be his choice completely but without the solace it gave me, the fire of pain would burn me completely.

He takes a deep breath as he allows his arms to rise and gently cup my shoulders. Ever the calm and loving Arnav, he knew how to place others' emotions above his and not lose his calm.

"My words would fail to express how much your love means to me, Khushi. But as of now, I do not find myself looking at you in a romantic way. You are one of the closest friends I have. I will seriously consider your proposition. I will try, Khushi. I am extremely sorry for not accepting your proclamation of love but I hope that there would be a day when I would not just accept it but also reciprocate it," he says.

It would a plain lie to say that his words did not hurt me. At least he was honest about it, a part of me said. I knew that he respected me and never had his gaze lingered in an unnerving way. I had expected the answer and had prepared myself. Reacting furiously would only make me lose the gem of a friend I had and I knew that very well.

I clutched his hands in mine and looked straight into his eyes to see sincerity and concern for me in those amber pools.

"I would wait for that day with bated breath. But even if that day doesn't come, I would never regret confessing my love or loving you."

He pulls me into a warm embrace as he caresses my hair in the most affectionate way I have known. Just then, I feel my baby kicking. That minute I knew that my baby approves of my choice and decision.

"Just know that I would always love you, Khushi," he whispers with apology lining his tone as I hold his shoulders, conveying to him that I knew of his affections.

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