Arnav's POV.

Kripa often told me how loud Khushi was but I never believed her for Khushi never spoke when we were around. Now, I might as well believe her. She was right when she said Khushi was normal and herself whenever it was just the girls. With others, she wasn’t as open. Especially when guys were around. she would completely shut herself off then.

Her behavior, keeping to herself, the kind of clothes she dressed herself in, never indulging in a conversation despite out group being friends for this long.

Everything made sense.

Khushi… I tried all these months to stay away. Never let it be known that I know… that I have always known. Tonight, more than ever, my decision I made about half a year ago haunts me. Tonight, seeing the extent of her traumatic state, it pulls at my heart for not caring enough earlier when out of everyone, I should have.

My own sister had gone through a similar trauma not too long ago. No, not Kripa. She’s my cousin. My sister, Anjali. Though, I cannot compare the two. I couldn’t imagine what Anjali went through even though I was there at each step and saw everything she went through. I would never be able to imagine Khushi’s trauma either, but hers… hers just looked ten times worse. Anjali never lost sense of reality the way I had just witnessed Khushi lose herself.

I felt myself getting angry.

How could anyone ever do this?

Why is it me who ends up knowing people as such?

Why is it the kindest souls that have the worst delivered to them in return?

I might not know Khushi that well but it was obvious how she was before. Take everything she is now and turn it the complete opposite.

Earlier, I was on my way to Kripa’s room so I could use her laptop when I had seen the washroom door was left open. I had heard the shower running for roughly fifteen minutes. I’d gone closer with the simple intention of closing the door when I had heard her sobs. With a knock on the door, I had called her name but she hadn’t responded. She did keep mumbling things I couldn’t hear over the sound of water running.

Wanting to make sure she was okay, I had cautiously opened the door unsure if she was dressed.

And there she had been… rocking back and forth on the floor, water drenching her completely. One look and it dawned on me… how my careless attempt to pull her out of harm way at the cross section had affected her.

All hell broke loose for her, because of me.

I’d walked in at once, relieved she was dressed but even if she hadn’t been, I’d still have walked in to get her out of that state. Anyone would have. I remembered her warning clearly to never touch her but at that moment, I could have given a damn about it.

Turning off the shower faucet, I didn’t pause to think for a second before pulling her out of the freezing water and wrapping my arms around her.

I didn’t know why I did that… why I hugged her.

It just felt like the thing to do… I just had to do something.

She did fight as I’d expected. I simply wasn’t going to leave her in that state. I normally left people be, let them mind their own business and I preferred to stay out of people’s business. But this wasn’t nothing. I had stayed out of her business for this long but I couldn’t anymore.

I picked up my phone when it rang - the caller ID flashing the name of one person I never thought would call me. We had only ever called each other once and that was the night I had worked very hard to forget about.

We used to be rivals at first… being captains of our respective high school basketball team until I left that school, left that wretched town that had made Anjali’s life hell and we’d shifted to Australia. That night, I only went back to sign the papers to have our house there sold. If the lawyer hadn’t insisted it needed to be in person and I couldn’t just sign and fax the papers…

“Arnav, hi. It’s me,” he spoke when I answered the call.

“Hey?” I wasn’t sure why he was calling me.

“Uh… look, I won’t beat around the bush. I know you don’t owe me anything and actually, it’s the other way around but I don’t know, I couldn’t think of anyone else whom I could trust with this.”

His tone sounded worried and so I asked, “Is everything okay?”

“No, not really.” He admitted and I walked out of the living room and into the privacy of my room. “I need a favor. I want to send her there so she can get away from here and you’re the only person I know there.”

“What are you asking from me?”

“I don’t know what I’m asking. I just… I need to trust she’ll be okay there. That she’ll have someone there who’ll look out for her, for…”

I stopped him there itself, “There was a reason I didn’t stay there.”

He agreed, “I know, I know, and believe me, I’ll always be grateful to you. You saved her and because of you she’s alive else if she’d been left there… she wouldn’t have survived, but Arnav, she might as well be dead right now. I… please.”

I placed a heavy stone over my heart when I replied, “Sorry but I can’t. If you need me to help get her an admission here, I’ll do that but that’s all I can do.”

“Yeah, okay,” He said a bit angry that I wasn’t being sympathetic, “Sorry for calling and wasting your time. You’re not who I thought you were.”

Days after, that phone call had haunted me - making me second guess if I had made the right call to stay away.

I wasn’t paying attention to the movie playing on screen. I was starting it in hopes of stopping myself from turning my head in her direction and staring. I can’t do that and make her feel conscious or uncomfortable.

I wanted to pretend what had happened, hadn’t happened.

I wanted her to know she could be comfortable around me… but I reckon that wouldn’t be happening.

Maybe, eventually. Hopefully.

For now, I just knew it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

Close to the end of the movie, I did turn towards her. She was fast asleep. I realize she must be exhausted. It couldn’t be easy… fighting demons every waking second. And especially tonight… having to relieve the moment this way, making every attempt to not think about it.