“I love you, Amyra.”
My voice is barely above a whisper, but loud enough for her to hear. Instead of surprise, disappointment washes over her face, edged with exhaustion.
“Haven’t we moved past this back in our university days?”
A tired sarcasm slips from her lips, and my heart clenches at her distant voice.
“We did,” I say, steady despite the ache. “But I could never erase you from my mind or my heart. Even after I dropped out of University, you stayed with me. When I saw you again at the convocation, everything I felt only grew stronger. And when my father suggested an internship at another company, I chose B&T without hesitation, hoping I’d get another chance with you. Thelast seven months working beside you have been the best days of my life. I want this—for a lifetime. Please, Amyra. Give me a chance. Let us be something more than just friends.”
I rarely feel this desperate to want something so badly, like it feels urgent and necessary.
Beyond my internship deadline, there’s another reason that pushed me to speak today. Not an influence, but feeling threatened by someone.
Reyansh Thakur.
The thought of losing Amyra because of him unsettles me deeply. Especially that party night when he risked his life to shield her from the falling glass, and the way she cried over his injury. Watching them felt like witnessing a couple caring for each other, and it left me raw and vulnerable.
Over the past month, his behaviour toward her has shifted, every smile, every touch, every word of praise feeding a slow-burning fear in my chest. It urges me to act before he takes her away from me.
I don’t understand his attention when he’s already in a relationship, but I can’t stay silent just because he’s supposedly off-limits. What if he breaks up with Aditi? What if I lose Amyra without ever trying? Despite the anxiety clawing at me, I chose to listen to those intrusive thoughts.
That’s why this international conference felt like the right moment, the right place to open my heart. And here I am, finally doing it.
“But Karan,” she says softly, “didn’t I tell you months ago that I wasn’t interested in a relationship? I don’t know when I ledyou to believe I’d reciprocate your feelings, especially when I’m already in love with another man.”
My eyes squeeze shut at her words, exhaustion flooding me. I’m tired of hearing her speak of loving Reyansh, especially when he already belongs to someone else.
“It’s been almost nine months since he went out of your reach, dating your sister. So why are you still living in the past and stopping yourself from moving on with new hope?”
“Then what about you, Karan?”
Her gaze sharpens, anger flashing in her eyes, and the question catches me off guard.
“What about me?”
“In my case, Reyansh was never in love with me, and I chose to move on silently. But with you, I turned down your confession long ago and made it clear I wasn’t interested because I was still struggling with my unrequited love. So what made you continue developing feelings for me? Why didn’t you move on from me the way you expect me to move on from Reyansh?”
Our steps come to a halt as we face each other. The harsh truth in her voice sends a chill through me, settling heavy in my chest, making it hard to breathe. I already feel like getting rejected again, and the weight of it crushes me.
“Because I loved you too much to forget you, Amyra.”
A lone tear slips down before I can stop it. I wipe it away instantly. Her expression softens, regret flickering across her face, but she closes her eyes briefly, steadying herself before speaking again.
“This may sound cruel, but I’m sorry for hurting you a second time, Karan. Love is complicated, it doesn’t fade easily, and we’re both proof of that. I don’t think I’ll move on from Reyansh anytime soon because I never got closure. But with you, we both know this won’t work. So please focus on your career and stop holding on to me.” The strain in her voice reveals how uncomfortable she feels, and yet I can’t bring myself to walk away after being rejected twice.
“I’m begging you, just give me one chance, Amyra. I am sure I can change the dynamics between us.” My voice drops into a plea, and I hate how helpless I sound.
“Let me tell you what will happen if we date while I still carry unresolved feelings for someone, Karan.” She pauses, drawing a deep breath, then leans against the cold metal railing. Turning away, she faces the sleeping city, the sky above scattered with distant lights.
“If we start dating, you’ll spend your time trying to make me comfortable, while I’ll feel overwhelmed. I might try to give you a chance, but I’ll fail because my heart and mind will keep drifting back to Reyansh. That will ruin everything you try to build. Your genuine efforts will make me feel guilty for pretending to be happy while I’m still stuck in the past, slowly losing myself. Eventually, I’ll be forced to break up with you, or you may even feel frustrated and forced to give up on me. There’s no future for us together, Karan, so there’s no point in starting something that’s bound to be doomed. I hope you understand.” The sincerity in her eyes leaves me with no room to argue. I hate how effortlessly she dismantles my dreams.
“Do you even know what it feels like to be rejected a second time?” I ask, my voice trembling, a storm of emotion threatening to burst forth. “It’s like a bullet to the heart, sharp andsudden, leaving a searing pain that blurs everything around me, extinguishing any flicker of hope for the future.” I swallow hard, the weight of my words heavy on my chest, but she stands before me, utterly unmoved.
“Please don’t make this harder for both of us, Karan. Try to understand—”
“I can’t fathom why you cling so desperately to a man who doesn’t see you as anything more than a fleeting shadow,” I interject, anger lacing my voice. “And it baffles me that you’re pining for someone who’s already taken. How can you be so pitiful, so shameless?” The words tumble out before I can rein them back, each one sharper than the last. The instant they escape, a wave of regret crashes over me, drowning out my thoughts as I realize the absurdity of my outburst.
When I look at Amyra, fresh tears glisten in her eyes, and a burning fire of shame ignites within me.
