One Day At A Time

Chapter Twenty Two - That's My Girl

"It was a week before Arnav left for London."

Akash continued to stare at Payal as she pushed her glasses up her nose and tried to get rid of the quiver in her voice by clearing her throat once again. She waited for an extreme reaction from him, but none came.

For a moment, his mind was utterly blank, and his face remained impassive. He could not believe what she had done. She had indirectly and unknowingly put a blossoming relationship in jeopardy by keeping everything that had transpired between Kabir and Khushi a tightly guarded secret. But he was not surprised. His girl was all heart, adhered to strict rules in relationships, and Khushi was her dearest friend. She would take it up against the world for her, and he knew no one else stood a chance if she set her mind on it. But Arnav was his closest friend too. He was much more than a friend. This seemingly manageable situation had the potential to blow up everything Arnav and Khushi shared between them, and it wasn't something he could dismiss with a wave of his hand.

"And you didn't tell me about this because..?"

She looked at him while her heart hammered nervously in her chest. She was about to say something when he almost interrupted.

"I don't need a grand explanation, Payal. I just want to know if you had thought this over or even considered the consequences of not letting me or Arnav know about this?"

Her forehead wrinkled. "Me and Khush know what we are doing and why. And there were meant to be no consequences because it wasn't even supposed to come to this—"

"Payal," Akash shook his head and looked at her. "Arnav was in love with her long before he realised it and we both knew it all along. So, his brother confessing to having feelings for her is actually a huge deal, hope you understand that much. You should have at least mentioned something."

She decided to explain, but in her heart, she knew it was pointless. No one had a clue what Khushi went through when both the brothers confessed to having feelings for her within a week. They would never know, but she did. She was with her every moment when it happened. "I should have, yes. But it was a tricky situation, Akash." She looked at him with the hope that he would understand her situation. "And I know you are upset about your friend. You want his happiness, you don't want him to get hurt. But so do I. We didn't know Arnav would be here in December, Akash. This was supposed to be sorted out before he came back next year."

She saw a flash of anger cross his face. He drew in a deep breath and his nostrils flared. "Sorted out? How? You can't just wish Kabir's feelings away!" He raised his voice with a frown on his face. "So, to answer your question, yes. I am very upset, Payal. This is not a small thing. It also raises a question about our relationship. Do we really share everything with each—"

Her heart plummeted at his words, but her face betrayed nothing of her thoughts or her feelings. She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. "You knew Arnav proposed to her on the day he flew to London. Did you tell me about it? No, it was me who shared it with you because Khush told me about it."

His face darkened as her dart found its mark, and he had the decency to look away.

Payal got off the chair and picked up her handbag. "I didn't expect you to behave like a prig Akash. You have disappointed me too." She said flatly, her inner turmoil concealed by her eyes with finesse as usual. She walked towards the door and stopped to turn around. "I've grown up with her, Akash. She is the closest person I have in my life, and I love her to bits. If she asks me to guard her secret, it will go to the grave with me without anyone ever knowing about it, and this is how it will be in future as well. If you can't live with this, there is no need to waste each other's time anymore."