- Chapter 5 -
He gazed at her sleeping form. The large, brown eyes that he had seen earlier were now closed. Locks of her black hair caressed her pink cheeks lovingly as she slept. The rise and fall of her chest, and the small smile playing on her lips were enough to melt him. And oblivious to the flurry of emotions arousing him, she slept. She was truly an angel.
And because of his sheer ignorance, he had managed to hurt her. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
But he knew that words were not going to reverse the damage that he had already done.
It was 2:30 in the morning.
He sat near her bed, waiting for her to awaken. The doctors had given him permission at last to stay beside her. And since the moment he had entered the room, his eyes had not left her face. He didn't close his eyes for more than a second at a time, afraid that she might just dissappear into thin air if he did so. But she slept peacefully. Undisturbed and uncaring of his presence.
He didn't know how long he had been staring at her. Simply running his eyes over every part of her face... her pink cheeks... the mole near her mouth... the curve of her lips... But when he finally looked away, at the window in the corner of the room, he noticed the first rays of light make their way inside.
The girl winced, sensing the sudden brightness in the room. It was the first movement he had seen in her for hours. His heart fluttered. I'm just nervous. That's all. He told himself, trying to find a solution for the way his body was reacting. But nervous of what? He had yet to find out.
Arnav stood, stiffly, walking towards the window. He reached for the thin thread of the curtain, pulling the blinds further down. Darkness filled the room once more. He turned to her. The brows which had been furrowed only moments ago were as peaceful as the water on a still lake. Arnav exhaled, feeling relaxed. His head felt heavy from the lack of sleep and the over-indulgence of alcohol. But he didn't want to fall asleep. Not yet.
He walked back towards his place on the stool, resting his head on the girl's pillow. I won't fall asleep. He thought. I won't fall asleep. I won't fa-
***
It was about mid afternoon when the girl awoke. She looked around her, confused. Where was she? And then it hit her. The hospital... The man. Her eyes slowly fell on the side of her bed. And there HE lay. His head on her pillow, sleeping soundly. She was shocked. Who was he? At first he had told her that he didn't know her. And then he had said that he saved her from the accident. And now? Here he was, lying on her pillow. She shifted, trying to maintain distance. Slowly, hesitantly, she touched his shoulder, trying to awaken him.
His head shot up. "What?! What happened?!" He looked at her, stunned. And she looked right back at him. His heart raced. Her heart raced. Arnav cleared his throat. "Ahem. Uh... Sorry about that." He mumbled, referring to his light nap on her bed. She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "H-How are you feeling?" He stammered. She was silent. He looked away, feeling slightly embarrased. How could he have fallen asleep like that?! He hadn't meant to. He had made the situation all the more awkward. "I...I still don't remember anything." She whispered.
He felt his heart sink. So what did you expect? He asked himself. To be perfectly honest, he himself didn't know what he expected. He just wished that she would remember. That she would remember something of her past. Make some progress. So that the massive guilt holding him each minute might lessen. It's hardly been a day. He reminded himself. He would have to go easy on her. Not have too many expectations.
"Don't worry. It's normal. It happens." He declared comfortingly. Tears began to line her eyes. "Really? This..." She whispered, waving her hands, "is normal? This is what happens after an accident?" She raised her knees up to her chest and wound her arms around them. "I feel like I've lost everything. Or maybe, I've never had anything to begin with. I feel... so alone... Like I don't have anything to live for... like my life doesn't have any meaning left..." She buried her head in her knees and began to cry. It was small sobs at first, ending with loud, full-fledged crying.
Arnav didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort her. But what could he do? And then he did it. He said something which he himself did not expect to say.
"I'm there for you." Her muffled cries stopped at once. "Wh-what?" She asked. She was as stunned as he was. What had he just said. "I...I mean, don't worry. You can come to my house. I'll...uh... i'll take care of you." Khushi's eyes widened in shock and hardened soon afterwards. "Who the hell do you think you are, sir?!" She screamed. Her chest heaved. "All men are the same. Taking advantage of women just so that they can fulfill their own pleasures. Disgusting." She looked away, ashamed. "Get out." Arnav was bewildered. "Wha-at?! No! I mean- You're getting me all wrong! Please!"
Her eyes roamed over him in distaste. "Didn't you hear me? Get. the. hell. out. of. here." For some reason, Arnav felt a zing of pain jolt through him. "Please, just hear me out once..." He pleaded. But the girl was unrelenting. She looked away in sheer disgust.
Feeling his heart sinking, walked towards the door, turning one last time to look at her. Trying to motion with his eyes of her misconception. But her expression was as hard as it had been moments ago.
Slowly... hesitantly, he took the few remaining steps and headed out the door. He sighed, shoving his hands in his pocket to retrieve his sunglasses. He was Arnav Singh Raizada. THE Arnav Singh Raizada. The one who didn't beg for the mercy of anyone. Especially not a girl. Especially not after what had happened last night with Kiran. He winced, feeling the pain resurface.
Forget it Arnav. She's not worth it. He thought to himself, fiercely as he masked the expressions in his eyes with the glasses.
"Mr. Arnav Singh Raizada?!" The voice came from behind him. A male's voice. He stopped. The man walked forward with a smile on his face. He wore a white coat and had round wire-rimmed glasses. "Hi. I'm Doctor Anand." Arnav didn't smile back, nor did he raise his hands to meet the doctor's outstretched ones. A cold uncomfortable silence followed.
"Erm... I..uh... I presume you're a relative of the patient in room 306?" He asked, motioning towards the room Arnav had just come from. Arnav stiffened. "Consider it something like that. What about it?"
He smiled. "Well, my fellow doctors and I were expecting another episode of yesterday..."
Arnav remembered the panic attack that she had faced upon losing her memory the day before. He forced back a shudder. "Look, Doc. I'm a busy man. And I don't like having to repeat myself. But for your sake, I'll ask again. What about it?"
The doctor's smile faded. He coughed, clearing his throat. "Erm... I... just wanted to tell you that you handled the situation pretty well. She seems much calmer than she was yesterday." Arnav shrugged. "It's got nothing to do with me. Anyways, I've got to go. If you need anything - "
He was about to say, If you need anything, you can inform me. But remembering the events that occurred that morning and the insult that he faced he finished with "If you need anything, don't bother to call me."
"But Mr. Raizada!" Called the doctor. "She is being released from the hospital tomorrow! Where will she go?" Arnav shrugged. "Not my business. Not my problem."
And saying so, he walked away without a second thought.
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