Retrouvaille: An IPKKND FanFiction

Chapter Eight: Time

Anjali paced around the room; her eyes alternating between to her phone and the door. She had texted Shyam a few times since she last saw him in the morning. He had looked unusually exhausted to her, which normally would have sent her into a frenzy. But if his unceremonious tone and words against Khushi had put her off from her customary rounds of pampering, the accusations thrown at him from the members of her family had caught her unaware of her own intentions in this matter. To add to her confusion, her texts and calls had gone unanswered. Her conversation with Khushi, and then with Arnav, had only helped grow the small seed of doubt in her mind. She was not able to shrug off the possibility that Arnav and Khushi were right. None of Shyam's words, or his attitude in general, had eased her discomfort. She had waited for him all day to come back home and tell her the truth.

Now, it was past midnight. And he was not back home.

Where are you?

She sent a text after another one of her calls went unanswered. Her eyes flickered to the opened door and she heard her sigh. Her hope that Shyam would come back home and clear the confusion dwindled with every passing second.

If you are innocent as you say, then prove it to me. If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear. I will fight for you. But you need to tell me that you did not try to kill my brother. Please, tell me.

She sent another message, this time out of sheer desperation. Where was he?

***

The treadmill beeped in quick succession as it started to slow down. Arnav grabbed his towel from the side rails and dabbed it against his face when the machine quietly whirred to rest. Huffing slightly, he climbed down the treadmill and settled on the bench next to it to catch his breath.

It was still very early in the morning when he had left his room for a workout. He had merely tossed and turned all night in his bed after his conversation with Khushi. He couldn't forget her face when she had looked at him with a strange expression – was it hope? Her actions had hinted towards it. And he would have gladly taken that to feel at ease.

But her words had eluded the intent and that had scared him. He was not able to figure out her words. He still couldn't tell what they meant. And so, he hoped that a run would help his ever-racing mind to calm down for once before it went back to Khushi. For the first time in the past few months, he had stopped thinking about Shyam and his version of the truth. Or his interpretation of it.

He thought back to the last night's conversation with Khushi yet again. She had asked him for some time before she could make a decision about the documents he presented. If he was being honest to himself, he was relieved when she had not thrown the papers back at his face. But again, he wasn't really surprised at her reactions. Or lack thereof. He hadn't expected Khushi to react without thinking it through. He was another story. He definitely would have done that.

He looked at his wristwatch and deduced that Khushi was probably still deep asleep. He decided to add a workout to his routine before heading back. There was some time before he absolutely needed to be back in the room. Maybe he could bring her breakfast with him? He mentally beamed at the idea. Imagine the surprise on her face, he thought and chuckled to himself.

"You seem in a good mood today, Nannav," he unexpectedly heard NK as he entered their private gym within the Raizada Mansion. NK pulled his sweatshirt over his head to reveal an exercise vest underneath and looked at his cousin, "That's highly unusual," he added.

Arnav smiled, "It is a good morning."

"That it is," NK stretched his legs before hopping onto a piece of cardio equipment. "But would a certain Mrs. Raizada have something to do with this particular morning?" he teased.