Silent Whispers

Chapter 47: Forgiveness

Khushi watched the cheering crowd in numbing silence, feeling the minutes slide past her without notice. Despite the young hour, the sangeet ceremony of her brother was quickly approaching its end, and Khushi, standing in a secluded corner, couldn't wait to get home and bury herself in the comfort of her bed. 

So much had happened in so few minutes.

You don't need time Khushi, you need an excuse... to defend your belief that you really are flawed and undeserving of a happy ending.

He had said it so confidently, without even the slight hesitance in his voice. Was she really so paranoid that she was becoming like her parents? Or was she simply dodging his proposal to avoid crushing her career even before it took off?

The answer easily came to her lips, but she didn't know what use it was. The damage was done, as Arnav said it himself:

I am just about done trying to pass your tests. Because up until now, I thought you just needed time and that if I was patient enough for both of us, you will be convinced one day or another that we are nothing like your parents. But I was wrong.

As his biting words relentlessly echoed through her mind, she couldn't help but recollect her conversation with Lavanya not too long ago.

How long are you going to make him wait until you find yourself good enough to get married? I know he is patient, but that doesn't mean you can be unfair with him.

It was strange that her best friend had seen this coming and even warned her about it. If only Khushi paid a bit more attention, if only she realized the gravity of Lavanya's words, if only she didn't blindly trust Arnav's patience and understanding.

Maybe she really did take him for granted.

"Ahem," whispered a familiar voice on her left.

Khushi turned to see a grinning Lavanya stand next to her. Talk about telepathy.

"So?" Lavanya asked. "Made up with Arnav? Is there going to be a steamy make-out session in the car tonight?"

"Even if we did make up, there wouldn't be anything steamy happening in the car – Arnav hates that whole concept."

"What's wrong with cars?! And more importantly, we didn't you make up?"

"Because," Khushi muttered, turning her eyes back to the stage where the host –the Raizadas' NRI cousin, Nand-Kishore– announced the last performance of the evening. "Arnav likes the fact that he can kiss me in public. And he does have a point – why use the car when we have the whole of Shantivaan at our disposal?"

Lavanya groaned in exasperation. "How about you answer the question I really want to know about?"

She tried to maintain an unfeeling face. "You know why... I didn't watch for the warning signs even after you told me to."

"Am I supposed to understand that?"

Khushi sighed. "He is angry because he thinks the reason I didn't accept this whole marriage thing gracefully is because I am looking for an excuse to break up with him; that I actually don't want to be with him."

Lavanya kept an even expression. "Okay... so why didn't you clear up the misunderstanding? You do want to get married to him right?"

"I tried to, but in the process I said so much crap that he couldn't even look at me anymore."

"So then apologize."

"I did. Over and over again. But I don't think he is ready to forgive me yet."