Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha

Chapter 32

"Arjun, do you have anything to add." Jai asked looking to Arjun. It took Arjun a moment to realize he was being spoken to. Too lost in thoughts of Arohi he hadn't realized Jai had finished with the presentation. Clearing his throat he looked at Jai and the rest of the group sitting in the board room. "No, I think you pretty much covered it." Arjun replied. Jai raised a brow in question and Arjun ignored it. "Any questions?" Arjun asked the group forcing himself to be part of the meeting. The next 30 minutes Arjun kept a tight rein on his thoughts which had been constantly drifting to Arohi and their baby. He answered questions and made comments as necessary. As the group dispersed Arjun stopped Jai from leaving the room by asking "Is she okay?" Jai turned and looked at him. "She's fine." he replied. Arjun nodded and then asked again "Where is she?" It had been 3 days since she'd left, not bothering to tell him where she was going or when she was coming back. His first thought was she'd gone to Chandigarh...but after speaking to his mom who asked how Arohi was doing he knew that was not the case. Jai looked as his friend, he'd never seen Arjun like this. Looking almost lost. "I can't tell you." Jai replied remorsefully. He knew Arjun was at fault but he also knew that Arjun loved Arohi a lot and that he was suffering. Arjun nodded and with a sigh turned back to his computer. "I'll see you tomorrow then." he said, without looking back at Jai again. Jai stared at him for a moment and said "You should get some rest, you don't look like you've slept in days." Arjun nodded. "I'll get right on it." he replied, still not bothering to even glance at Jai. A few moments later Arjun heard the boardroom door click shut. Closing his eyes he leaned back in his chair. Sleep...easier said then done. He knew Arohi was safe, Jai and Lara would make sure of that, but for his own piece of mind, for his own sanity he wished he could see her, hear her voice, hold her in his arms, not that she'd probably let him, but he could hope. Hearing his phone ring he opened his eyes and took a deep breath, picking up the phone he frowned at the unfamiliar number that flashed across the screen. "Hello," not getting a response he repeated his greeting louder. And then he stopped breathing. Still no greeting but without a doubt he knew who it was. Arohi closed her eyes on the onslaught of tears as she heard Arjun's deep voice on the other end. She missed him so much. "Arohi." he said softly. Arohi paused and then slowly cleared her throat. "Hi." she managed. Arjun was up and out of his chair. "Where are you?" he asked. "Are you okay?" he added in the next breath. "I've been going crazy without you!" he said a little more roughly then he intended. Arohi frowned at all the questions and then said "I'm fine..how, how are you?" "How the hell do you think I am?" he snapped. "My pregnant wife has decided to vanish and she's fine with everyone else knowing where she is but me, me her bloody husband she could care less what I'm going through!" Arjun snapped, running a frustrated hand through his hair. "I knew I shouldn't have called!" Arohi snapped back about to hang up. "No, no, listen Arohi." Arjun said quickly. What the hell was he doing?! He had gone from relief to anger in moments. "I didn't mean it that way, I've...I've just been worried." he said helplessly. Arohi didn't say anything but she didn't hang up either. "How are you feeling?" "Any pregnancy issues?" he asked lamely suddenly not knowing how to have this conversation with her. "I've just been tired but no more nausea." Arohi replied softly. There was a long pause and then Arjun said "Arohi, baby please come home." "I need you home...let me take care of you and our baby." he added. Arohi felt the all too familiar lump form in her throat. She wanted to believe him so badly but he hadn't done anything yet to prove that there would be a change and now that she was pregnant she couldn't risk bringing her child into a situation like this. "I can't right now." she answered softly. Arjun gritted his teeth and sat back down on his chair. "The reason that I am calling... was that I wanted to get Sweetoo from you." she quickly said. Arjun's mouth fell open as her words sunk in. "You called for the damn mutt?" he asked in disbelief. "Yes, and ofcourse to let you know that I'm perfectly fine and safe." she answered. "But just so that we're clear your real reason for calling is because you want your mutt back but you don't want your husband back?!" he asked, a bitter edge to his voice. "That's not what I said." she replied. "But that's what you meant?" he said clenching his fist. He wanted to punch something he was so livid. He hadn't heard from Arohi in days, and now that she calls it's actually for her damn dog. "It's just that he probably misses me." she said quietly. "He's not the only one that misses you but I guess you gotta be a mangy dog to be missed around here!" Arjun replied. He knew he sounded surly but damnit this was beyond ludicrous. "Arjun, I didn't call to argue with you." "I just thought you probably didn't need to have the added responsibility of Sweetoo, so he would stay with me." she said. "You're hell bent on taking everything of yours out of our home, anything else you want me to drop off when I drop off the dog." Arjun snapped in a clipped tone. "Um, no nothing else and I can just meet you somewhere and get Sweetoo or maybe you can send Maria with him..." she said, only to be interrupted by his cold harsh voice. "I will drop off your bloody mutt to you at your place of current residence!" "Don't even try me on that one!" he added as if he sensed Arohi was going to try to argue. Arohi promptly shut her mouth and sighed with resignation. She knew he was going to find her eventually. And knowing how tenacious he was it would probably be sooner then later.