Arnav's POV
I was returning to my office after completing a meeting in Aadhya's office when my phone rang.
"What's the matter?" I asked as I picked up the call.
"You forgot, today is your birthday," Ajay asked from the other side.
Yes, I remembered when I wrote the date after signing the contract at Aadhya's office.
"And you remembered it now, at noon," I mocked him.
"It's not that there is a par---"
"No, I don't want to attend any parties," I interrupted him.
"Ok, wait, someone wants to talk to you," he said.
"Who?" I asked.
"Arnav beta, how are you?" I heard from the opposite.
It's my grandmother.
"I am fine, grandma. How are you? And when did you come back?" I asked her.
"We are fine, beta. We just got back this morning," she replied.
"You should've told me before," I remarked.
"It's a surprise," she chuckled.
"By the way, your grandpa arranged—"
"No, grandma. I don't want any celebrations right now," I cut her off.
"It's not a party, beta. He brought a gift for you," she stated.
"A gift?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Ok, I will come in the evening," I commented.
"No, you have to come now. We are waiting for you at your penthouse," she remarked.
"My penthouse? Who told you the passcode?" I asked.
"Ajay?"
"Yes, he is also here. Come soon," she said.
"But, grandma---" before I could say anything, the line went off.
Ajay... that fucker. I already told him; I am not interested. Then why is he doing this to me?
I called him again, and he picked up after four rings.
"Ajay, I am busy. I still have meetings to attend, so please tell them that I am not coming and leave the gift or whatever in my penthouse and you all go back," I said in a single breath.
"Dude, I already know that your schedule is free from now. And you don't have any meetings until noon tomorrow," Ajay commented.
"How do you know?" I asked, and he disconnected the call without telling me anything.
I glanced at Peter. I know it's him.
"Sorry, sir," he mumbled.
"Drive to my penthouse," I sighed and closed my eyes.
Now, what is this drama? Can't they just leave me alone?
When I want people around me, there is no one and when I want to be alone, everyone is testing my patience.
Even Though I have these many people, I still feel alone.
How funny, just the presence of one person can make a big difference.
After 20 minutes, the car stopped in the parking lot and I got down.
I took the elevator to go up. I don't know why, but my heart is suddenly racing like it will explode anytime soon.
What happened to me suddenly?
I walked out of the elevator and opened the door to my penthouse. It was so noisy.
Everyone is there. My grandparents, my mom, Ajay, Avi, Pooja and Payal.
What is going on here? And why are all of them standing, not sitting on the couch?
"I brought the best gift for you my dear grandson," my grandpa said, patting my shoulder and everyone was smiling.
In these 18 months, I have never seen this genuine smile on Avi's face or any of our friends' faces.
"What gift, grandpa?" I asked lightly, but my heart was beating double the speed.
"The one which you love the most," he replied and grandma smiled. I looked at my mom. She was also smiling brightly.
"Where is it?" I questioned.
"Here only," he mumbled, and I looked around, but I didn't see anything.
"In your room," grandma said as she came to me.
"Go, take a look," mom urged me to go.
I looked at my friends, and they also nodded, giving me an encouraging smile.
I started walking to my bedroom while they all followed me behind my back. Why are they tailing me?
I opened the door as I reached my bedroom.
Everything stopped around me, even my breath.
My feet stuck to my place; I was looking at her without blinking.
It's Naina, standing in a white dress. She lost weight, not looking like before. Even though she covered her dark circles with makeup, I still can see them.
"Arnav," she mumbled with a smile, but I could see tears in her eyes.
I didn't make any move to reach her or even react to her. I was looking at her in a daze, thinking it was also my dream. Tears rolled in my eyes, making her blur, and I blinked the tears to see her clearly.
"Arnav, it's me," she was saying like I forgot her. How can I even forget her?
I put my hand on her nape and pulled her until her head collided with my chest. Without uttering a word, I hugged her to my chest where my heart was thumping.
She wrapped her hands around my waist, hugging me tightly and I can sense wetness on my chest because of her tears.
I hugged her so tightly that the air could die from lack of oxygen and kissed the side of her head.
No one can imagine how much I missed this hug and how many times I dreamed of seeing her.
We didn't talk anything, just stood there hugging and crying in each other's embrace.
Words don't come out when we have so much to talk.
I don't know how much time we stood there like that, but when I unwrapped my hands, there were only two of us in our room.
"I missed you so much" I kissed her forehead and more tears slipped down from her eyes.
"I missed you a lot," she muttered and her voice came out as a mere whisper.
I kissed her forehead again and then cheeks. I pampered her face with kisses until I was satisfied.
"I am sorry," she cried as she cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead.
"I am sorry, Arnav," chanting this continuously, she kissed all over my face.
She tripped when I left her waist so I held her again. Her eyes are falling down like she is feeling dizzy.
I made her sit on the bed and gave her water. She gulped down half of the water and gave it back to me.
I sat beside her and wrapped my hand around her waist, and she leaned on my chest.
After five minutes, she composed herself and looked at me with a small smile.
"Don't smile, I am still mad at you," I remarked madly and her smile faded away.
"How can you leave me like that, Naina? Do you know how hard it was for me?" I yelled, frustrated, and stood up from the bed.
"I am sorry, Arnav," she muttered.
"You don't know how much I searched for you like a madman."
"These pillows saw how many tears I shed for you...
This bed knows how many sleepless nights I have spent thinking about you...
These walls know from how many days I have been waiting for you...
Only this room knows how much I missed you..."
"You don't know anything."
"Trust me, I do, and I am sorry. I chose my family and friend's happiness over yours," she said, and tears started to flow from her eyes as she stood up.
"I know I made it hard for you. I know I took all your happiness with me, but I don't know what to do... I don't have any other option to choose," she cried.
Even though I was crying, my heart ached looking at her tears. It was more painful to see tears in her eyes.
"Butterfly, don't cry, please. See, I am not mad at you. I was just upset," I remarked, holding her shoulders as she was crying hard.
"He said he will destroy my family and friends and their families, too. I don't care if we both suffer because it's our life, our love but why did they have to suffer for our love?" she hiccupped.
"I thought of telling you, but I was afraid. What if he does something that we both regret?" she said in between her cries.
"Butterfly, please don't cry. I can't see tears in our eyes" my own eyes shed tears for her.
After 10 minutes, she somewhat calmed down.
"But I didn't leave like a weak woman, Arnav. I left with a plan," she stated.
"And my plan worked out. That's why I am here."
***
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