Incandescent

Chapter 3

And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

– Kahlil Gibran

Khushi closed the book and sighed closing her eyes. These poems never ceased to calm her. The book had a way of talking to her, whatever stage of life she was in. It was pure magic how it kept her company whenever she felt lonely. Or when she questioned her purpose in her own life. Sometimes she didn't understand where she stood in Arnav's life. She didn't understand him. She was hopelessly in love with him and he knew it but he neither encouraged it nor discouraged it. She knew he never said the words and she knew he had told her not to expect anything more than this but she also knew that he cared in his own way. But when he was upset, she was the one to bear the brunt.

Accepted, she had entered into this fully aware of what he can and cannot offer. She just hadn't expected it to hurt so much. It had been a long time since she had stopped trying to discern what she was actually doing. What did the future hold? She pushed the thought away. Just as the poem went, she would let her love for this man direct the course of their lives. One of these days, she believed the love would get them home. She liked to think she loved him enough for both of them.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't know when she drifted off into a deep slumber. The sound of a key turning in the lock woke her up with astart. Since the time she started living alone, she had bid good bye to undisturbed sleep. She turned to the bedside clock.

2.40 a.m.

But today, she had been sleeping for three hours and she didn't even feel like it. She was that tired physically and emotionally.

Again, the sound of the door closing fully awakened her. There was only person who could come to her house at this time. She looked up and no doubt saw him walking inside her bedroom door and as always, the impact of his presence in her small bedroom slammed into her full force.

He didn't say a word nor did he smile... nor nothing.

Their eyes met just a moment before she turned her face away but that didn't daunt him as she found him leaning in to place a swift kiss on her mouth. Khushi acted unaffected as he straightened and walked straight to the bathroom.

Again without a word spoken.

He had changed into a full sleeved sweater in midnight blue paired with cream slacks. And he looked gorgeous, every bit the chairman of one of the country's leading fashion houses. No surprises there as the man would look as gorgeous wearing a potato sack.

She turned to the bedside table and reached for the waterjug. Finding it not filled with water, she helped herself to a glass of water from the kitchen and was walking back towards the room when she heard him arrogantly remark, "It's a good thing you're already up. Or you would have had more reason to be annoyed with me if I would have woken you up."

He was standing near the foot of the bed with his arms enfolded, his demeanor intimidating.

"At least I get annoyed with reason and with the right person," She mumbled loud enough for him to hear and aloud she said,"I was woken up by the sound of the key turning in the lock. I stay alone. I have to be vigilant. Now that I know what the sound was I'm going right back to sleep."

"At least you're vigilant. One less thing for me to worry about you."

"Really, Raizada. You don't have to worry about me at all. You can go on and behave like I don't exist. Oh wait! You already know how to do it and I can take care of myself well enough," she humphed going around him to get into bed.

She had changed into her nightly wear, a soft cotton printed kurta and patiala in mint green, her face completely devoid w and her hair pulled up in a messy knot. She wore a cream colored cardigan over her top owing to the cold weather and looked absolutely as fetching as she had the previous evening.