Titaliya

Chapter 39

"What do you mean my sister isn't here?" Arnav asked. "She isn't feeling well, and you people just let her leave? What kind of a place is this?"

The manager cowered in front of him. "Sir, Ms. Raizada told us not to disturb your work. And sir, this is a resort. Not a jail. We can't keep anyone here against their will."

Ms. Raizada. Not Mrs. Jha.

"Ms. Raizada?" Arnav asked.

The manager nodded. "That is the name she gave us, sir. She said to call her once you came back."

Arnav took out his cellphone and pressed the speed dial. His sister picked up on the second ring.

"Hello, Chote," she said. "I'm going back to Delhi."

"Di, we could've gone back to Bangalore together. Why did you leave alone?"

"Because I've been interfering in every part of your life, Chote. I've become an obstacle to your happiness. I don't know what happened between you and Khushiji, but I know I'm the reason you two aren't together. Maybe if I stay away for a while, you can fix things. I'll stay if you need me, Chote. But I should get back to Shantivan. I have to tell Nani and Mami and Mamaji the truth about Shyam. I have to file for divorce. If I stay here, you'll insist on doing all those things for me. I don't want that."

"Di..."

"If you need me, I'm just a phone call away," Anjali said. She cut the call and leaned back against the plush leather seats of the sedan. The forest blurred past her as she went to Bangalore. She couldn't imagine the reaction of her family. But it wasn't something she could avoid. She placed a gentle hand over her stomach. Some things couldn't be avoided.

Arnav kept the phone to his ear a few seconds after the call was over. His sister was alright. She was heartbroken, but she wasn't broken. It would be good for her to be in Delhi, away from Shyam and in the comfort of Shantivan with their family.

"Sir?" the manager asked. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, thank you. Sorry for yelling at you earlier. My sister, as you know, was not feeling well yesterday."

"Yes sir. Our concierge made sure to send her with one our most trusted drivers. We'll make sure she boards her flight safely."

Arnav nodded and gave the man a small smile. As he walked away, he realized he had apologized. Without difficulty, he had said a simple sorry. And that too, to an employee. Arnav smiled again. It felt better than the alternative he had often wrestled with, regret over not saying sorry and guilt over someone's feelings.

He whistled as he made his way outside. Veda and her friends were packing up their car, and he walked over.

"You guys are leaving already?" he asked.

"I have to pack to go to Richmond Town," Veda answered. "I'll call you."

"Can I come with you?" Arnav asked. "We can talk on the ride home."

He said home as if it was a singular thing, one place they'd both end up together. It was a habit Veda had to break. The image that bloomed in her mind at the thought was a tempting one, a dangerous one. She deliberated for a second.

"Your car?"

Sanjay leaned in. "Asha and I can come in this car, you and Arnav can come by his."

Veda glared at Sanjay. She knew his ulterior motive, but Asha didn't seem bothered by the suggestion. She nodded her agreement and got into Arnav's SUV. She would have to shift back to her own car a few minutes before they reached Richmond Town. The last thing her grandmother would appreciate seeing was Arnav.

She leaned back against the passenger seat and prepared to fall asleep. Khushi liked watching the road during travel, but Veda wasn't a halwai's daughter. She had college the next day, and keeping her eyes open meant catching glances of Arnav.

"Wake me up when we're ten minutes away from home," she said.

"I wanted to talk to you," Arnav said.

They were out of the resort premises, and she rolled down her window.

"What else is there to talk about, Mr. Raizada?"

"Give me a chance," Arnav said. "We can do everything right this time."

She scoffed and gave him a sardonic smile. "People should learn from their past, Mr. Raizada. I've learned from mine."

"There were a lot of things in our way, Veda. I know the truth now."

"After you confirmed it with a detective. After I gave you no option to search for it. I've told you all of this before. You could've asked me that night. You could've done a thousand other things, and you did the one thing that would hurt me the most."

"I thought you were going to ruin my sister's life," Arnav said.

"You act like you had no other options. You were never the one left without options, Arnav! I was! I was the one left without a choice in anything. I'm finally in a place where I have choices, and this is me making one of them. You're not my choice, Arnav."

She faced the windshield and stared ahead. This was the way things had to be. She and Arnav were better separate. At least, she was better.

"What will it take for you to give me a chance?"

She scoffed. She had given Arnav so many chances, and he'd thrown all of them back into her face without respect or regard for her feelings.

"Undo everything from the moment we met, and I might consider."

Writer's Note

Hey guys! New update, and more Khushi/Veda bad-assery. The next few chapters are gonna be our final stretch. I think this story's gonna end at around 60 chapters, a bit more if I delve into the side characters' stories and maybe epilogues and all. 

Again, my Twitter is @MsArushi. Feel free to tweet at me or whatever. 

Also, take the virus seriously. Stay home as much as possible, follow social distancing protocols, and be safe everybody.

♥♥♥

Aru.