Until We Meet Again || Chapter One

Stepping out of his pristine white SUV, Arnav held the distinct aura of an extremely apprehensive man as he slowly removed his Ray Ban sunglasses to regard the imposing mansion which lay before his soft chocolate eyes.

Exhaling the long breath he didn’t truly realise he was holding; Arnav attempted to compose his tension laced nerves as he stole a moment to admire his colourful surroundings.

Autumn; his favourite season, the cool breeze and contrasting sharp sun were always a welcome sensation after a torturous long and humid New York summer. Inhaling the intoxicatingly crisp afternoon air; Arnav rolled his broad shoulders in an  earnest attempt to dissipate some of the weariness and pent up anxiety.

His inquisitive chocolate eyes languidly perused the vast green grounds of the mansion, and a cautious smile began forming upon his lips as he remembered just why he loved this season; it was because it epitomised her; his Khushi.

Arnav firmly believed that Autumn was nature’s very own glorious salute to colour before the grey of winter bled into the bone chilling air. The trees in their multi-coloured hues painted a mesmerising picture within the frame of the clear blue sky and the sight was forever successful in bringing a small smile onto Arnav’s lips as his heart revelled in a welcome sense of contentment, whilst his loving soul forever associated this exquisite sight with his dear friend…

Khushi, she truly was the very embodiment of vibrancy in this dull world, unconsciously closing his suddenly heavy eyes Arnav borrowed this gifted second to remember his once best friend. An involuntary chuckle arose from his heart as he recalled how growing up together the pair could be best described as inseparable; together in every act of innocent mischief, every festival, every school competition, sharing every thought, every fear, and every secret, it could be said that the two knew each other better than they knew themselves.

Opening his eyes and squinting to adjust to the harsh sunlight once again, Arnav sighed as he considered the cruelty of the bestowed entity of time. His business mind had always understood and often appreciated the knowledge that change is a constant in life, yet emotively he realised that it truly was an unwelcome guest.

Afterall, change was perilously successful in transforming everything before our eyes, from the mundane to some of the most spellbinding facets of our lives. With his thoughts playfully shifting and changing; a sudden dark cloud descended upon Arnav’s thoughts as he considered all that had changed after the marriage of his Khushi…

***

Abhinav Singhania was Payal’s young brother in law, and he had been innocently smitten with Khushi at the time of his older Brother Akash and Payal’s wedding, to narrate you a fairytale; a whirlwind courtship between the two, [frankly worthy of a romantic Yash Chopra film] ensured that Khushi was hopelessly swept away within the charisma and beauty of young love.

The grand wedding which followed the idyllic courtship was one filled with the exact pomp and galore one would expect from the affluent Father of a much adored bride. Of course being her best friend; Arnav was with Khushi as a pillar of strength throughout the celebrations; he fulfilled his friendship with honesty and integrity, acting as Khushi’s soundboard, guide, and trusted confidant throughout the celebrations, let there be no illusion of distopia; Arnav was with his best friend within every moment of her joy, her happiness very much becoming his own.

The two loving friends continued to live, laugh and love in the moment, brilliantly thriving within the innocence of their friendship whilst never once realising that something dearly precious was slowly but surely slipping away from their hold in the summer heat of that glorious wedding.

Following the culmination of the wedding; the two once inseparable friends merged into their respective lives and with it, it’s many responsibilities, the decisions of life ensuring that they slowly yet surely somehow parted ways. Moving away from her home city of New York to reside in San Francisco, Khushi joyously merged into the colours of married life whilst Arnav continued to manage his Father’s business.

***

Stumbling out of his thoughts back into the present, Arnav realised that it wasn’t just the distance which served to whither away their friendship, society and its rules which dictated it unsuitable for a man and woman to hold such a bond also severed something which Arnav never realised he held so dear until he sadly lost it.

Such is the burdened gift of hindsight.

The sudden sound of a door bolting open encouraged Arnav to look towards the entrance of the mansion to meet the eyes of the girl he once knew.

Three years was a long time he realised, so much had changed; the life in her once luminous hazel eyes had noticeably dimmed, the happiness she once radiated was now visibly lost, and the vibrancy which was once so synonymous with his Khushi had sadly disappeared.

Arnav’s heart wept with each deafening heartbeat as he rapidly began to discover that in the place of his best friend, his Khushi, stood a  woman frankly fatigued from the perilous demands of their cruel grey world. Shroud in a white sari and devoid of any ornaments of a married woman; a heartbroken Arnav met Khushi’s hollow and sunken hazel eyes as he began almost wistfully wondering if he would ever meet his Khushi again…