Chapter 3

Cynthia Abruzzo DeSiena

@cinthiann1758

Dear Khushi,

It's been a week since they took me from the airport. They told me they were Airport Security and you were in some trouble outside the airport so that's why I went with them. I had already decided to come back to you. Khushi, you were always on my mind and no matter how I tried, no matter what I did, you never left my thoughts. I tried to hate you, I really did and succeeded most of the time but the moments that hate subsided love overcame me. I am sorry Khushi, I really am. I wasted so much time.

Do you remember Nainital? I thought I would kill you but the moment I lost you for those few minutes a huge fear gripped my chest. I despised caring for you in the least way, but in Nainital when you fell ill after I made you stay in the dark on that couch, (you must have been cold and frightened but I left you there all alone, you made me so angry) I felt compelled to take care of you. Even after you humiliated me in front of those village people I still felt compelled to help you. You looked so adorable in that wedding attire and the way you danced with that silly grin on your face...I don't know I felt my heart softening...just for a moment.

When the goons hurt you Khushi something snapped inside of me. How dare he touch or hurt you? The animal inside of me roared and to your defense I went. The fury I felt when someone hurt you really perplexed me.

Then we came to find out your Babuji had had a heart attack and apoplexy. I had to come to the hospital. I was compelled again, I needed to know you were all right. When I got there, there you were looking so sad and downtrodden, I knew I needed to help in some way. Little did I know that you would run to me and cry on my chest? I tried to support you by placing my arms around you, but I couldn't Khushi, I just couldn't. My hands clenched into fists, why didn't I surrender to you then?

I still pushed my attraction for you aside after all I was going to marry Lavanya. I didn't want to see your face. Why was my family crazy over you? I know now that Anjali and Nani had a hand in things; they kept you around. I tried Khushi, really I did, to get you out of my mind, out of my life but your Goddess and my family had other plans.

You know I really didn't know what love was. I didn't love Lavanya she just was an excuse for me not to feel. We were... never mind about that, it meant nothing. There was a girl once I ran into at a hotel, she had on some walking clothes, she was very excited to meet me the "great ASR- Arnav Singh Raizada" and asked to take a picture with me. She was so nervous that I had to take the selfie with her myself. I think her name was Ritu. She was pretty cute but it wasn't love at first sight. Khushi when I first saw you beyond the anger and frustration I felt, I thought, "who sent this beauty?". I don't know if it was love at first sight or was it hate that made me feel love for you?

There were many opportunities for my heart to soften. And at every opportunity we would bang into each other and your earring or dupatta got stuck somewhere on my suit or vest or whatever. Or you would get tangled in fairy lights and I had to untangle you, or one of us would fall on the other, remember when we landed on the rangoli after I fell off the stool?Everytime I tried to stay away from you, you would appear.

I have to go they are coming...

Khushi, I love you.

Arnav