ARNAV

I stood outside Khushi's room in shock, I was on my way to check on her but when I opened the door of her room, I found Shrey there and I don't know why, but I dint go inside, instead, I stood outside the room listening to their conversation.

Honestly, there was no one as shocked as me today learning the truth, Shrey knew all along that Khushi had cancer and all he did was for her and here we both ended up misunderstanding him, but that wasn't the problem, misunderstandings could be solved, but what about feelings?

What about all those butterflies I had in my stomach whenever she was around, whenever she smiled or laughed or talked, what about everything that I felt for her?

It's not that I wanted Shrey to turn out to be the cheating husband, I knew he wouldn't do something like that because he had seen me go through something similar, but then when we learnt about him and Aria, there was a ray of hope, that maybe I had a chance to be with Khushi, I wasn't being selfish or anything, neither did I wish for him to be that but there was just a part of me that yearned to be with her.

Today was the first ever time I was admitting it to myself that I was in love with Khushi, I mean wasn't it all strange? I was in love with my best friend's wife and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew I shouldn't have felt that way, I knew it was wrong, but when everything else had been wrong, this was the only right thing that had happened.

I felt so numb, so helpless, I dint know where life was taking me or what I was supposed to do in this situation, of course I was trying to think of ways that could favor me but the truth also remained to be that Khushi and Shrey loved each other, and they were married, I was just the person in between and I had to get out of there, I had to go back to where I was, to the guy who hated marriages and always made fun of it, the one who took Khushi as the irritating wife of his best friend.

I inhaled a few deep breaths trying to calm myself down, it was really hot but I felt cold, my body was trembling and shaking knowing that everything was going to change from today onward, I wasn't going to be around her anymore, I wasn't going to see her daily and knowing that did hurt.

It took me almost ten minutes just to calm myself and stop thinking about everything I was, I then walked inside Khushi's room and both Shrey and Khushi turned to look at me.

"Hey buddy." Shrey said as he walked towards me with a huge smile on his face and greeted me with a hug.

"So you finally came back, now you can handle your wife, she's a difficult one." I giggled as I looked at Khushi who made faces at me.

"Thank you for taking care of her by the way." Shrey said as he looked at Khushi lovingly and then walked towards her as he held her in his arms.

"She's the most precious person for me." He smiled at her as Khushi blushed and I know I shouldn't feel this way but it pricked my heart so badly I couldn't even explain in words how much pain it caused me, but I guess I had to get used to this, the best part was, only I knew about my feelings, gladly I hadn't mentioned anything regarding them to Khushi apart from that one time I said she was special but he being special was different than me being in love with her, so I was glad I hadn't told her anything about my love towards her, otherwise things would have been awkward at the moment.

"Did you talk to the doctor?" I asked Shrey.

"Yeah I did and everything is set, even Aria will be here to help so everything is going to be okay, don't worry Khushi, you'll get well soon okay?" Shrey smiled at her as she nodded.

"I am sorry bro." I said as I looked at Shrey sadly.

"For what?" he asked.

"For doubting on you, I mean I was so sure you would never cheat on Khushi but then she was so scared and so worried so I had to tell someone to follow you and then we saw the pictures and we thought you were cheating on her, it all just got so messed up, so I am sorry for doubting you, you are my best friend, I should have trusted you." I explained.

I had just been paranoid, because maybe I had been through that and somewhere in my mind I thought just because someone cheated on me, Shrey was also going to cheat on Khushi.

"It's okay Arnav, I can understand, if I was at your place or Khushi's place and I had seen what you both saw then I would have felt the same way, maybe it would have been easier if I had told you about Khushi's cancer earlier and even about Aria, but I just wanted to sort it on my own, I dint want to scare Khushi."He looked at me with a smile on his face and I was relieved that he wasn't angry on me, if it was someone else in his place, they would have thought that I was the one to influence Khushi, but he wasn't someone else, he was Shrey, he was my best friend and the most genuine and good person i'd ever come across.

"I know, but anyway all is well that ends well, I'm sure Khushi would recover soon and everythig will get back to normal." I smiled back at him, hoping that Khushi was going to recover soon.

"Yes she will." Shrey nodded as I looked at Khushi who was looking back at me.

She was continually staring at me, her eyes were moist, it was like they were saying a lot of things to me which I couldn't understand.

A knock at the door disturbed our eye lock, Shrey and I turned around as the girl in the yellow dress walked inside the room.

Seriously, she wore too much yellow, for the times I had seen her, I always saw her in yellow, I mean what was is really about her and yellow? It was a kind of a mystery on its own.

"Sorry, I hope I dint disturb you guys." Aria said in a sweet voice as she looked at Shrey and then a me, no matter how much yellow she wore, there was do denying she looked pretty in it.

"Not really, I was just telling Khushi about you, and werent you supposed to come tomorrow?" Shrey asked as he looked at her in surprise.

"Yes I was, but then I thought what would I do there all alone, plus everything was figured anyway so I took the next flight after yours and came here directly to check on Khushi." She smiled as she turned to look at Khushi.

"Hi Khushi, you'll be under my observation from today onward and don't worry about anything, we'll assure you get well soon okay?" She smiled, and I could say from her smile that it was genuine and she really did want to help her.

"Hopefully." Khushi smiled back.

"Hey Arnav, how are you." She suddenly turned to look at me and all I could do was stare at her silently, until Shrey had to pinch me, honestly I dint even know why I was staring at her in the first place, maybe just trying to figure out her expressions.

"Hi Aria, I am good and you?" I pretended to smile back at her.

"I'm good too." She smiled widely as she kept on staring at me and that made me feel a bit uncomfortable, why was she staring at me like that so suddenly?

"Okay so I have to talk to Khushi a bit, so can you both give us some space please?" She asked in a very sweet and polite voice.

Shrey and I nodded positively as we headed outside leaving her behind with Khushi.

*****

"So have you ever thought about getting married once again, or if not that, having a girlfriend at least?" Shrey asked as we both settled down on the bench outside Khushi's room.

I stared at Shrey it confusion, well it wasn't awkward, we were best friends and we always talked about so many random shit, but it was just strange that he asked me such a question so suddenly.

Plus he knew about my entire life and he knew I never wished of getting married ever again, so it was strange that he thought about it out of nowhere.

"Why do you ask that?" I asked curiously.

"Because I have this strong feeling that Aria likes you or she's interested in you, did you see the way she was looking at you?" He giggled.

"What? Shut up!" I laughed as I slapped on his arm playfully, it was ridiculous, just because she was staring at me for reason didn't me she liked me.

"I'm serious, I noticed that today, I mean the way she was looking at you, even once before I remember noticing how she was looking at you, she even tried to talk to you today but you were just ignoring her." Shrey said.

"I don't think so, you're just making up stories."

I mean yes, I remember I also noticed something like this when we met before, and also today the way she was looking at me, it said something, it had to mean something, but as a matter of fact, I dint think it was because she was interested in me.

What difference was it going to make anyway even if she was interested, it wouldn't change my feelings, I was already interested in someone else, someone I couldn't have.

"Maybe she was just staring at me because I look pretty hot." I smirked at him.

"Get over yourself Arnav, you don't believe me right?" Shrey asked as he continued laughing.

"I don't." I nodded, I mean it was weird, how could a girl just like me randomly without even getting to know me?

"Fine, I'll prove it to you, just wait and watch, I am a hundred percent sure she's interested." Shrey said confidently.

"And how are you going to prove that?" I asked curiously, wanting to know what he was plotting.

"I'll ask her directly, I mean we've known each other for quite some time now, I'm sure if I ask her she would tell me the truth."

"Well whether she's interested in me or not, it doesn't matter to me Shrey because honestly I don't care." I said as I stood up while Shrey kept on staring at me like he wanted to beat the shit out of me.

There was no doubt that Aria was hot, and any guy could be happy to know that a girl like Aria was interested in him, but I wasn't that guy, I was never going to be interested in her so I dint even wish to know if she was interested in me or not.