ARNAV

I settled down beside her as I looked at Shrey and then at her nervously, I wasn't planning on coming back but I had to, when Aria called me and informed me about her health, I couldn't just stop myself from coming back.

After I left, I maintained contact with Aria so she would keep on updating me about Khushi's health and about Shrey too, about anything she knew regarding the both of them.

I know I shouldn't have left, Khushi and Shrey's anger was justified but I was just trying to fix things, I was trying to make them right.

I thought if I left maybe Khushi would overcome what she felt for me and everything between her and Shrey would get back to normal, she couldn't really blame me for trying to fix things I had messed up.

I wasn't a coward, neither did I choose to run away, I know that's what both of them thought but only if they knew that staying was easier than going away from them both, they were the only people I loved so much, it took all in me to walk away from them, especially at such a time when they both needed me the most.

"I'm hungry, I want to eat." She said, before I could say anything, Shrey stood up announcing that he would get some food for her from the cafeteria and walked away, it was awkward being left alone with her, I was seeing her after months.

"Khushi I..." I tried to speak but she placed her hand on mine suddenly and I just stopped, that small touch of her was enough to remind me how strongly I felt for her, that's why I chose to leave, I couldn't really trust my feelings.

"I don't want to do this anymore Arnav, I just want to be normal, if I'm going to die, I want to die in peace, not stuck between choosing either you or Shrey." She whispered, her voice was so low it was getting me worried.

"You aren't going to die Khushi!" I looked at her angrily, I dint want to lose hope, neither did I want her to lose it.

"Yeah, are you God that you're going to stop me from dying? I heard the conversation between Aria and Shrey, I know if not today I'm going to die soon and all I want is to die peacefully, with no worries and no regrets." She tried to smile.

God! She looked so weak, it took everything in me not to hug her and hold her tightly in my arms, I was so scared of losing her, I felt like my heart was just going to stop beating, for a moment I felt like I couldn't even breathe properly because of just seeing her this way.

"I don't want to regret not telling you anything, who knows I might die in the next five minutes." She giggled.

"Stop saying that." I looked at her angrily, how could she joke about this, dint she know how important she was to me?

"Arnav, I tried all I could, when you left, I tried to convince myself that you left because you were a coward and I tried to make myself believe that so I could stop feeling this way about you, I tried all I could to hate you but I couldn't. I tried all I could to stop loving you but I couldn't. so if I die, today, tomorrow or whenever, just know that I love you and I don't know if I had to take the decision I would have chosen you or Shrey, but I want you to know that I loved you and maybe it's going to be enough." She smiled weakly.

"I Love you too Khushi, but we both know it, I wouldn't let you chose me and you wouldn't let yourself chose me either." I said to her, she nodded with a smile.

No matter what we felt for each other, we both knew what was the right thing to do, but then I couldn't deny it felt wrong at the same time too.

Honestly I don't know, it was difficult, if she chose Shrey when she loved me was wrong, but if she chose me when she was married to Shrey was wrong too, so what the hell was the right thing to do?

"I don't want you to make the choice Khushi."

"I know, I don't want to make it either, because I know whatever choice I make, it's just going to make me hate myself because as far as I know, I love the both of you and I don't know if its even possible to love two people at the same time, maybe it's not, and maybe deep down my heart really knows whom it loves but I don't want to question it. Anyway like I said, I dint want any regrets so I said what I had to.

Now like we decided, let's talk about everything else but that. Tell me, did you find a new girl wherever you went? Or are you still considering Aria, given that you had been to a date with her once?" She giggled.

"Well let's see, I guess Aria is hot." I tried to laugh making it sound funny, only if I could tell her, it was difficult, not even difficult, it was impossible to look at any other girl the way I looked at her, I don't think I was ever going to feel for anyone else what I felt for her.

SHREY

I walked back inside the room with a tray full of different kind of foods Aria had advised me to get for Khushi, she was busy talking to Arnav about something and they both were laughing, I was glad to see her laugh.

I think it had been months since I last saw her laughing like this, and it made me feel at peace, I walked closer to her and placed the tray there, she looked at the food and pouted like a baby.

"Why do I have to eat such boring, tasteless food." She asked looking at me innocently, when I look back into the past, I remember this was the Khushi I fell in love with, the innocent, the full of life Khushi.

"Because the doctor advices so." I smiled at her and she continued making faces at me, at times she was so adorable, I swear I just wanted to hold her tight into my arms.

"I'm only eating this because I am hungry and I have no option." She said as I looked away from her and at Arnav who wasn't able to take his eyes off her, admiring her.

She was a beautiful girl, even in this worse state she still looked like the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and I don't know why, I wasn't angry on Arnav anymore for looking at my wife like that.

I mean yes, I had been angry when I found out everything but after he left, I calmed down, I missed him, he was my best friend after all and with each passing day, I started to understand things better.

Maybe if I could have been at his place, then I would have also fallen for Khushi, she was just the kind of a girl anyone could fall in love with, I mean look at her, she was Khushi, she wasn't the perfect girl, she had her own flaws but there was a way of her not caring about her flaws which made you love her more, so it wasn't really his fault, I would fall in love with this girl over and over again and so did he.

What hurt me more though was that she felt the same way towards him, I was angry and hurt but with time I just accepted it, they both were right at a point, at least they told me about it, what if they hadn't, I wouldn't have known at all.

I never knew that Arnav would take me seriously when I told him to leave and actually leave, I was just angry and I said things I dint mean, but he wasn't wrong either, he thought he could fix things, only if he knew they were too messed up to be fixed.

"Are you both going to stare at each other like this forever or are you ever going to patch up. Come on guys stop acting like kids." Khushi said as she looked at me and at Arnav, honestly I dint know if things between Arnav and me were going to be normal like before but I knew that I dint want to lose my best friend, not even when my wife was in love with him, maybe I was just a little bit selfish, I wanted them both.

"I'm sorry Shrey, I really am. Can we just make things okay?" Arnav looked at me hopefully.

"I am sorry too buddy." I smiled at him as we both stood up and hugged each other, I couldn't even explain it, everything just seemed to fall in place, I had my best friend back, I dint need anything anymore.

"Shrey, you dint bring me any juice? I can't swallow this tasteless food without something to drink." Khushi pouted at me, oh God, she looked like a baby.

"I'll get it." Arnav said, we both nodded and he headed outside, it was funny as if Arnav and I were taking turns to do things for her or staying back to talk to her privately.

I sat down beside her and held her hand in mine, she held back as tightly as she could as she looked at me with a smile.

"I'm glad you made up with him." She smiled at me.

"I am glad too, just trying to make things right and like they were before." I smiled at her.

"Now that you have forgiven Arnav, can you forgive me also? I am sorry Shrey." She pouted, I placed my finger on her lips shutting her up, I dint want her to say anything further, I knew and I understood her. I mean what could I blame her for? It wasn't that she did it purposely, and anyway I loved her too much to find anything she ever did to be wrong no matter how wrong the rest of the world found it, for me, she was always my perfect Khushi.

"I know, it wasn't your fault. I always knew you were the kind of a girl anyone could fall in love with me, but then Arnav too was someone a girl like you could fall for, he's just so lovable I guess." I tried to giggle trying to make it look funny but it really wasn't.

"It's not your fault really, and I can't change what happened so I can just accept it and try to live with it." I said. Maybe it was actually no one's fault but destiny and with time, I was starting to understand that.

"Shrey I... I..."

"Shh, don't say it, I don't want you to say anything." I placed my finger on her lips once again.

"How did you know what I was going to say?" She asked.

"I just knew it, I know you better than anyone else does, and so I know that what you once felt for me, you feel it for him too, and I guess it's okay." I said sadly.

I dint like the idea of it at all, after all I was just a human and all I wanted was for her to love m and only me, and if it was in my hands, I would have changed everything but I couldn't so I had to accept it, for her sake, for the sake of her happiness because I loved this girl so much, I would turn the world upside down just to see her happy.

Arnav walked back with a cup of juice and handed it to Khushi, she took it from him and gulped it down all at once, she really must have been thirsty. Arnav and I both stared at her like we were seeing her for the first time.

"Can the both of you stop staring at me like that? It's creepy." She giggled as she looked at us after she was done drinking the juice.

"How about you take a rest and we'll see you later?" I suggested to which she nodded, she looked so tired.

"Yeah, I feel sleepy anyway." She said as she lied down on the bed, Arnav and I stood up as we made space for her, he placed the blanket over her and stood there looking at her, I know he dint want to leave her alone, he was scared like I was, after a few moments he looked at me, I grabbed the tray and headed out as he followed me.

As I walked out of the room, everything flashed back in my mind, to the first time I was here when Arnav called to tell me about Khushi.

When I explained to her everything about Aria, I dint expect her to believe me, I mean it all sounded so unrealistic and fake, anyone would have thought I made that up and although Aria was a beautiful girl, I never felt anything of such sort for her and I was glad that she trusted me.

Now that I looked back to that day, all it reminds me of the way they both were looking at each other, their eyes spoke everything but I was unable to read it.

As I turned to look at Arnav who was following me out of the room, I felt angry, even though I understood him and that maybe somewhere it wasn't anyone's fault, I still felt angry and maybe it was going to stay forever with me, one part of me understood it, but the other part wanted Khushi all to myself, like I said, I was just selfish.

But despite it all, Arnav and I grew up together, I couldn't imagine my life without him just as much as I couldn't without Khushi, and if I could forgive Khushi for what she did, then I knew I had to forgive Arnav too.

Maybe the forgiveness would earn me some peace, and I didn't want to live my life holding on to things so I chose to let them go because honestly, my anger or anything wasn't going to rewind my life and change things.