KHUSHI

We were seated in these beautiful place Arnav had brought me to, I really didn't know where it was or what it was, but it was beautiful and I didn't want to ruin the moment by asking so many questions about it.

We were just seated on the ground beside each other while we looked at the stars shining in the sky above us, it was a beautiful view.

"It was nice running into you after all these years, it's good to see you like this, I mean not still living in the past, I am happy for you Arnav." I smiled at him.

"Everything happens for a reason right? Maybe whatever happened it helped me deal with my past, I'll be forever grateful of that, but then I also hurt you a lot and I just..."

"Let the past be the past, there's no point in discussing it now, what matters is that we're both happy now, and maybe like you said, we could try being friends once again, but just friends." I laughed.

"Of course just friends, I can clearly see you like that Ved guy anyway." He laughed making me frown so I punched him on the arm.

"Ouch, that hurt. The truth always hurts." He said.

"I don't like him Arnav, he's just a friend."

"Okay, fine with me then, and even if you like him, it's still fine with me. I just thought that maybe by now... you would have found someone to make you happy." He shrugged.

"Why? So you could act like how you acted when I was going out with Arman." I laughed remembering the old times, we had come so far.

"I was a different person then, I am a different person now, I was jealous then and did everything to break you two apart, but right now I am not that person anymore, I'm different and that's why even though you said you were dating that Ved guy, I wasn't jealous. I am not the same person anymore Shona." He smiled.

I just stared at him silently, him addressing me as Shona brought back so many memories, I grew up being addressed as Shona by him, to him I was never Khushi, just Shona and even though all this while he had been trying to avoid addressing me with that name, he ended up calling me that and it seemed like he hadn't even realized it.

"Do you think after everything that happened we can be able to go back to Arnie and Shona?" I looked at him, he looked at me in confusion for a moment and then realized what he had said a moment ago which made him smile.

"I don't know, but our friendship was bigger than everything wasn't it? I was stupid not to see it that time."

"It was... and I'd really like for us to go back there, to be friend again Arnav but then it also scares me."

"I get it, hey no pressure here okay. It was just a suggestion. Anyway it's getting late, I should take you back to your hotel, I also need to get some sleep otherwise I'll sleep at work." He laughed.

We stood up and walked back towards the car, got inside as he drove me back to the hotel, the both of us were silent the entire time, I was just thinking about us and if it was possible that we could be friends again.

I really wished there was a way we could go back to being friends if not best friends at least but then a part of me was scared that he might end up interfering in my life like he had done before and I dint want to risk it.

"Here we are." He smiled as he parked the car outside, he rushed to open the door for me like a gentleman as I walked out and smiled at him.

"So when are you going back?" He asked.

"Just a couple more days, why?"

"Then I think this might be the last time we meet, I have a few busy days ahead so I won't be able to tag along with you guys, so maybe this is it." He looked at me with moist eyes.

"You really can't meet before I go back?"

"I don't know, give me a call day before you leave? I'll try to come see you one last time but I can't promise." He pouted.

"Okay, I'll see you then." I smiled as I moved closer to him so I could hug him a goodbye at least, he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly and it was after so long that I felt this... this sort of comfort in someone's arms.

There was this comfort that I only got from him and no one else, no matter how much he had hurt me in the past, some things never really changed.

After a couple minutes, he broke the hug and cupped my face as he looked at me with a smile.

"You know you are so special, and I know you believe you don't need a man in your life to be happy which is true but at some point in life, we all need love Khushi, we all need someone to be there for us, someone we can talk to everyday, so stop denying yourself that chance because of me, I promise not everyone out there is like me." He laughed making me laugh a little too.

"Here's a little secret, that Ved guy? He likes you secretly, you know I can tell, I can always tell when guys like you and if you feel maybe you can like him a little too, you should give it a chance, like you said, we don't live in the past anymore, so stop living there."

"Hey, I didn't welcome back you in my life to play cupid." I said

"I am not, I am just telling you what I saw because who knows if we'll ever meet after this or not." He smiled faintly as he walked back towards the other side, he opened the door to get inside when I called out his name.

"Arnav."

"Yeah?" He looked at me.

"Let this not be the last time we see each other, maybe after all this time we can try just being friends, I think I'll be okay with that, so don't be a stranger and keep in touch?"

"I will." He smiled as he got in the car and drove off while I headed to my room.

When we were driving to the hotel, I couldn't really make the decision whether I should be friends with him or not, it was still scary, but when he told me I should take a chance with Ved, that made me believe that he had actually changed and maybe he won't interfere in my life like before, I knew it must have taken him courage to even give me that sort of advice, but he did it anyway, for me.

Of course I knew Ved liked me, he had told me that when we met, even his first intention with me was to date me but then I had told him I wasn't interested and then we just remained friends and I wasn't really sure if I wanted to look at him any other way for now, but whatever Arnav said just meant a lot, and I was happy that he had grown into such a beautiful man and I would definitely want to be friends with him, but that was all it was always going to be, just friends.

*****

"So... how was last night with Arnav? Did something romantic happen?" Ved smirked while we took a walk around the garden in the hotel, everyone else was asleep yet and somehow we both were awake and dint know what else to do until the others woke up so we decided to take a walk.

"I told you there was nothing like that going to happen Ved!" I frowned.

"Hey, a person can only hope." He laughed and I just stared at him, remembering Arnav's words. Ved had told me he liked me when we met that was like four years ago, did he still like me? I don't think so.

"Why are you staring at me like you want to murder me?" He joked.

"Do you like me Ved?"

"Why would I be friends with you if I don't like you? What a stupid question to ask Khushi."

"I didn't mean like that... I mean like what you had told me when we met in the beginning."

"Where is this coming from? Did I do something?" He looked at me worriedly.

"No silly, it's just a question."

"But why are you asking it so suddenly, I feel attacked." He joked.

"Just... I felt like I needed to know... do you still like me?"

"Okay fine, yes I still like you... happy? Is your ego satisfied?" He frowned.

"Good to know, I'm very likeable and my ego is satisfied too." I laughed.

"Khushi! You wait and watch." He said as he tried to get hold of me but I escaped him and ran away while he chased me. I didn't know if I wanted to even pursue this, but I was glad that he liked me, it felt like a reassurance that I needed.