Work Text:
At the end of her long and tiring shift, Arundhati went to meet Ethan eagerly, anticipating a chance to unwind and relax.
As she entered his office, she heard Ethan ask his assistant to check if any other work was left for the day.
As Arundhati peeked inside, she noticed Ethan's face light up with a smile, filling the room with warm and welcoming energy.
His assistant noticed his smile and looked at the door, already knowing who it was.
They bid goodnight to the staff on their shifts and headed to Donahues to unwind.
They ordered their usual drinks and went to get seats to enjoy their time together.
While getting to her seat, Aru bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I hope you didn't get hurt......, "Aru trailed as she recognized the person she bumped into.
"Mridula......" Aru paused for a while and felt her throat become dry.
"Hi Aru, how are you? I didn't expect to see you here. It's been so long since we last met!"
"Hey, Mridula..." Aru managed to say after a few seconds, which felt like a lifetime to her.
Fortunately, the drinks she had ordered earlier came to her rescue, and she took a few sips to calm down.
At that point, Ethan's phone rang and displayed a call from his dad.
"Excuse me please, ladies, I'll be back in a moment. I have a call to attend," Ethan mentioned.
"Aru, it's from my dad. I'll speak to him and come back as soon as possible," he said as he went outside to attend his call, away from the songs being played loudly.
"Sure, love, no problem," Aru replied before she continued her conversation with Mridula, "I'm good, thanks. Yeah, I know, it's been way too long. By the way, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
"I was in the area to meet a client, and our meeting ended early, so I decided to come here to wind down."
"That's great, how's your business going?"
"It's going great, thanks, Aru. How about you? How's everything? Do you get along with the leader of the Diagnostic Team?"
"Well, I'm doing great. I have been promoted to the leader of the Diagnostic Team."
"Wow, that's great news! When did it happen?"
"About a year ago, the chief retired, and he appointed Dr. Ethan Ramsey as the chief. Dr. Ramsey then appointed me as the leader of the Diagnostic Team."
"That's great! Congratulations, Aru!"
"Thanks a lot. Why don't you sit down?"
"Sure, so how are you finding the leadership of the DT?"
"Oh, it's been nice, a bit stressful, but I enjoy it as it challenges me and helps me improve."
"That's really cool. I wish you all the success in life."
"Thanks a lot, Mridula, that's extremely kind of you."
"Can I ask a question floating in my mind?"
"Yeah," Aru replied as she sipped her drink.
At that exact moment, Ethan entered inside, searching for Aru, reflecting on his chat with his dad. He heard a question as he made his way through the bar back to Aru.
"Are you dating Dr Ramsey?"
"Yeah, we have been dating for a few months now."
"That's so cute! I remember when you were dying to meet him."
"Yeah, I remember that was a long time ago."
"You had poured over all of his books so many times! You had learned every word of his books. I'm completely sure that you still remember all of it. Does he know this about you?"
"Do I know what about her, miss?" Ethan asked Mridula as he approached the table.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce you to each other. Mridula, this is Dr. Ethan Ramsey, chief of Edenbrook. Ethan, this is Mridula, a wedding planner and a good friend."
"Nice to meet you, Mridula," Ethan replied as he shook her hand.
"Aru, come on, girl. I have to get going."
"No, no, please sit down for a bit more. I want to catch up with you. Please, Mridula", Aru said while holding her elbow to stop her from leaving.
"Fine, if you say so."
"Aru, you can chat with your friend. I'll get going."
"No, Ethan, please, stay here for some while," Aru said while pouting at him, which she knew he couldn't refuse.
Aru continued her conversation with Mridula while Ethan sat down.
"Mri, what happened to the couple that only got married because their parents found out about them?"
"They stayed married only for about three years. You won't believe it, but they quarrelled so much that their parents had to beg them to get divorced", she giggled while slurping her drink.
"So, Mridula, how do you know Aru?"
"Ethan, I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?" Aru said as she thought of escaping from the problem for a while. Aru started hyperventilating because she dreaded what would happen once Ethan knew about her.
"I should go to the restroom and leave from the back door," Aru thought as she got up.
"Come back soon, my love," Ethan replied.
"We dated for four years when Aru was in medical school and broke up a few weeks after she got into Edenbrook," Mridula continued.
"Oh. It's good to see that you are such good friends even now."
"Yeah, you could say that...," replied Mridula.
"You know, Aru was so obsessed with reading your books that I started feeling jealous of you," Mridula said, trying to change the topic.
Meanwhile, Aru was in the toilet pacing nervously, worried about how Ethan would react. She knew Mridula very well and knew that she would tell Ethan about their relationship. She hadn't come out to him yet and was afraid of his reaction and thoughts about her and their relationship.
However, no matter how she felt about the situation, she knew she couldn't break Ethan's trust by leaving him alone and vanishing.
So, she returned to join them despite the anxiety and discomfort she felt with each step she took toward Ethan.
Meanwhile, Ethan and Mridula were chatting pleasantly, and Aru felt a sense of relief when she saw Ethan as she made her way to him. Seeing him made her feel calm and reduced her anxiety, and she knew that he would support her no matter what.
"Aru, it was fun catching up with you after a long time, but I have to get going now. I have a meeting with a client early tomorrow."
"See you soon, Mridula. I hope we get to meet again soon enough," Aru said, trying her best not to burst into tears.
"Yeah, it was good to meet you," Ethan replied.
Aru tried her best to control her emotions, worried about their relationship and what Ethan would think about her.
When they reached their place, Aru ignored Ethan and went straight to the bathroom to clean up. Despite her best efforts, she started sobbing quite loudly, which caught Ethan's attention.
"Love, what happened, why are you crying?" he asked, to which he got no response.
Concerned about her silence, he asked again, "Aru, can I come inside, please?"
To Ethan's relief, she opened the door, letting him in. His heart sank when he saw her, teary-eyed and trembling.
"Aru, is everything alri-?"
Before Ethan could finish what he was saying, Aru left the bathroom, trying to distance herself from Ethan as much as possible.
"Aru, please, don't do this! Please talk to me. Did I do something wrong, Aru? Are you upset with me? Please, love, I can't see you like this", he begged, not understanding the sudden shift in her behaviour.
At that moment, she realised what a grave mistake she was making. She then let Ethan in, prepared for anything that Ethan had to say.
Ethan rushed to comfort her, unable to understand why her behaviour changed so drastically in such a short amount of time.
"Cry all you want, Aru, but please don't estrange me from you. You know how much it hurts me."
Arundhati, unable to speak, just nodded and hugged Ethan tighter.
After a few minutes of comforting Aru, Ethan decided to make a cup of coffee for her, hoping it would help her relax.
"Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened?"
"E.... Ethan..please promise me you won't leave me."
"Why do you think I would do that?"
"Did Mridula tell you we were dating?"
"Yes, she did...... wait a minute...Aru, did you think I would leave you because of your sexuality?"
"Y.....yes. I didn't know how you would react, Ethan."
"So, you assumed that I would break up with you? You know me well, don't you?"
"Yes...I do. I'm sorry for assuming so, Ethan. Is this going to cause a problem between us?" she whispered, afraid of what was to come.
"Not at all, love. I intend to marry you, you know. Nothing you say would deter me."
"Not even that I'm already married?" she smiled weakly.
"Not even that", he joked back. "In all seriousness, Aru, I love you just the way you are, for who you are and what you do. So, no, your sexuality won't cause a problem between us. You don't have to come out until you feel comfortable," he said before kissing her forehead gently.
Arundhati breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so glad. Thanks, Ethan. But I do want to come out to you."
Arundhati took a deep breath to calm her nerves and proclaimed, "I, Arundhati Kulkarni, am bisexual."
She burst into happy tears, realising she could finally stop worrying about not revealing her true self to Ethan.
"I'm glad you feel much better now. Come on, let's get some sleep. You have an early shift tomorrow."
"I'll just clean up and be back."
While cleaning up, Aru could only think about how better the world would be for queer people if everyone was as understanding as Ethan.
As she sunk into her bed, hugged Ethan, and closed her eyes, she silently thanked the universe for Ethan being such a supportive partner.