Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

2.7.5 | Baby Steps + Well Planned Tactics

My jaw dropped a little in surprise, "You played that card."

She smirked back, "Yes, I did. Now, dance." She moved one of my hand to her back while held the other.

With a sigh, I followed. For about a minute, we continue moving to the slow dance in silence. But, perhaps having noticed my gaze kept stopping on Khushi every few seconds, she broke that silence with a question, "Why do you do this to yourself?"

The same topic again. "La," I said her name in an indication to not start this now. Not here.

She whisper-scolded, "No, Arnav. You can't 'La' me all the time. Eventually, you are going to have to talk about it."

"There is nothing to talk about," I denied.

She raised a challenging brow, "Isn't there? She needs to know what it does to you."

"She hasn't done anything wrong, Lavanya. So, please. I am requesting. Drop this."

She still shook her head in defiance, "No. Maybe you can let it be this easily because you may be used to accepting the blames that aren't yours to take but I am not. She was wrong not giving you a chance. In not trusting you enough and as your best friend, I am damn well entitled to be mad at her for it."

I wanted to make her understand why she shouldn't be mad at Khushi. I did, but how? In the initial days, I was mad myself but more than that, I was hurt that she didn't care as much as I thought she might to even give me a chance to explain myself. That anger eventually faded but all that remained was grief from having lost her.

I tried another method to get Lavanya to not be hostile because in her way, I knew she had a right to be mad. There were very few people she cared for and she didn't tolerate it easily when someone hurt them. I fell in that category and as such, I knew she'd need a push to forgive Khushi. "I told you, La. Clean slate. Can't you give her that too? For my sake?"

Her mouth opened, ready to protest but I kept looking at her with hope in my eyes that she would change her mind. She groaned in frustration eventually when I refused to blink away from that plea. "God, you are so unfair. Fine! I'll cut her some slack, but I swear; if she hurts you again..."

Before she would finish that threat, I cut in with a smile. "Thank you."

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, at me no doubt for asking her to do this. "Whatever." But, I knew. These are the kinds of things she'll do for people she cares for. She gives abundantly and with a pure heart.

I added carefully, "And you'll apologize for that stunt you pulled today."

She defended herself, "It was a harmless step!"

I sized her down while answering, "Correction: on her burnt foot."

Her eyes widened at the news with a gasp, "What?!"

This is what I mean: pure heart. She would never intentionally hurt someone.

I nodded to confirm what she must be thinking. Filled with regret, she let out another groan and dropped her head to my shoulder. "I didn't know that."

I rubbed her back to comfort her as I informed. "Kitchen accident."

She let out a scoff before looking up and advising, "That girl is a disaster waiting to happen. Seriously, she should be banned from entering kitchens. Safety hazard."

I laughed along in amusement - smiling this way after long months. The reason Lavanya knows this is because she is the one person I can talk to about Khushi. I must have told her everything. A couple of times, actually. There have been moments between us where she'll have to stop me in the middle of a recall to remind me that I had already told her this particular story.