“Did Aditi leave for college today?”
“Lend this dress to your cousin, it’ll look better on her.”
“Is Aditi okay? She looks worried.”
“You need to be there for your sister, Ames. She’s lost so much already.”
“Aditi is brilliant. No wonder she scores so well.”
My body trembles as realization sets in. Reyansh always had a soft corner for Aditi. Always. And I, such a fool that I am, mistook his questions as mere courtesy. He was showing me his heart the whole damn time, and I refused to see it. How could I not see it?
Fresh tears spill, just as sudden raindrops scatter across my skin. Within moments, a sudden downpour soaks me through, wrapping me in coldness and a sinking melancholy. I stand drenched, trembling, not just in rain but in grief. It feels like nature itself is mourning with me, trying to disguise my tears in its storm.
The forgotten promise.No, the silly blabbering!
Reyansh was right. How naive of me to cling to that childish vow he made as a teenager. How desperate I must have been to shape my entire future around it, to fall hopelessly for my best friend and imagine him as my life partner.
But even without that promise, wouldn’t I have still fallen for him? Of course. I love him for who he is, for the way he carries himself, for how he made me feel like the most important person in his life.
And yet, I could only be a wallflower for him, present but unseen, sidelined in his heart without even knowing it.
Pathetic.
Images of his proposal slice through me; his eager eyes, his unshaken gaze from her, his gentle patience as he gave her space to respond. All of it shredded me, reminding me that I was never his choice. His certainty that I felt nothing more than friendship hit me like a bullet. He never understood my heart.
And even when his father and my mother gave me the chance to confess, to fight for myself, I stayed frozen, too broken to act. Because I cannot chase a man whose heart belongs to another.
Especially when that other is my sister.I could never steal her happiness. Not now. Not ever.
That's not what I am.
Suddenly, the rain keeps hammering down as I collapse again into sobs, the world around me blurred and hopeless. Can I ever find light again? Then, I hear rustling behind me. I turn just as a figure breaks through the heavy rainfall.
Reyansh. The last person I wanted to see at that moment!
“I know you like to jog at night, but not in a storm, Ames. For God’s sake, you’re shivering.” He rushes forward, umbrella in hand, pressing close to shelter me under it. He’s drenched too, as though he’s been running through the night just to find me.
My throat tightens, and my tears sting, but I blink them back.
“I know you’re angry that I kept my feelings for Aditi from you,” he says, regret flashing in his eyes. “It wasn’t intentional. I was still figuring it out, and later…I didn’t want to distract us from our studies. But I should have told you. You’re the one person I never keep secrets from. You’re the most precious person in my life.” His words twist painfully inside me, sweet and brutal all at once.
“I’m sorry, Ames.” His cold hand brushes my cheek, and I tremble against its warmth. “I should have trusted you with this part of me. I hope you can forgive me, like you always do, and support me in this new phase.” His gaze carries a rare vulnerability, revealing everything weighing on him and how much he needs my support.
I swallow back a sob, my lips curving into a fragile smile as I nod. His face lights up, his eyes crinkling into those familiar half-moons that only appear when he’s truly happy.
“Thank you, Ames.I love you.” He pulls me into a quick hug, and the words pierce deeper than any rejection could.
He loves me, but only as a friend. What’s the term for that? Platonic love? And the thought, even in my nightmares, is unbearable. Tears pour freely now, but the raindrops hide them well, bringing me some comfort.
“Come on,” he urges, pulling back and slipping his arm around me. “You need a hot shower.” He guides me down the muddy street, steady and warm, while my eyes cling to him in silent torment.
I remember how the day began with positivity, filled with new hopes for our future together, only to twist into the worst nightmare of my life. I never showed it, but deep down I was certain his announcement was meant for me. How foolishly, painfully wrong I was.
But…
It isn’t just unrequited love that terrifies me; it’s the thought of needing to learn to unlove a man who chose chasing after me over being with the woman he confessed to today.
How do I move on from someone who has already conquered both my heart and my life?
