“R-Rey! Y-you’re here!” I stammer, scrambling to my feet as nervous tension grips my chest.
“Why do you lock yourself away like this, Ames? Why can’t you just move on, whether it’s from work or your feelings?” His deep, captivating voice sends shivers down my spine. Hearing him after a month is oddly comforting. I know he’s emphasizing the last word intentionally, yet I hold my tongue, forcing my face to remain expressionless.
“I’m sorry for ignoring your request to be left alone, but I just couldn’t wait any longer, Ames. Especially after finding your scrapbook in your room when I visited the Bajaj Mansion yesterday. I also noticed how you’ve kept the flowers I gave you.”
That’s it. I’m doomed.
My body turns rigid, as if struck by heavy blows to the mind. A cold wave of goosebumps rushes through me, my eyes widen until they sting with unshed tears, and my jaw slackens in shock, lips trembling uncontrollably.
Does this mean…
He knows I’ve loved him all along?
Oh God, this embarrassment is unbearable. I want the ground to swallow me whole. He keeps staring at me, as though he has uncovered a crime I hid for years, and humiliation burns through my veins.
“You love me, Ames. You buried it deep in your heart all these years. And what do you think I felt when I found out?” I sniff hard, fighting the tears, and look at him, silently urging him to continue.
“Regret.” The word stuns me.
Regret? Why regret?
“Because I was blind enough to miss your love and waste our early chances of being together. Believe me, I never even considered that possibility. I was completely clueless until I started dating, only to realize that all I ever needed was your presence before anyone else. If I hadn’t been so stupid, we would’ve already been together, maybe even married by now.” My eyes widen as if I’ve just witnessed someone mourn a lost fortune. The way he speaks, it feels like he lost something priceless and only realized its value too late.
“I regret everything, Ames. But what hurts the most is how deeply I hurt you without even realizing it. I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you to control your emotions and still guide Aditi on her chosen path. I understand now why you pushed me away back then. It was your way of protecting yourself from more pain. And I feel ashamed for making you lose faith in love, and then walking back into your life to confess my love. I messed up badly. But everyone deserves a second chance, Ames.”
He pauses, desperation flickering in his eyes as if he’s holding on to hope with trembling hands. My throat tightens as I wait for his next words.
“Stop blaming yourself for everything, Ames. Blame me instead, the only villain in the entire episode.” That’s all it takes. My tears spill freely, sliding down my cheeks as muffled sobs escape into the silence. The next moment, Reyansh steps forward and pulls me into his arms, holding me tightly. I squeeze my eyes shut, surrendering to the warmth of his embrace. Without thinking, I lift my arms around his neck and press my face against his chest, crying without restraint, letting years of suppressed emotions dissolve.
“It was never your fault, Ames. Not when I was too clueless to recognise my feelings. Not when I chose to date Aditi. Not when Aditi and I failed to fall in love. Not when I acknowledged my feelings and ended things with her—”
“Aditi never loved you?” I interrupt, my voice hoarse and strained, that single sentence catching my attention. Especially when I had believed the opposite all along.
“No. She might’ve been comfortable with me, and I treated her with respect, but there was no passion, no love, even after eight months. That’s why she agreed to the break-up too. She realised there was no point in forcing something that wasn’t there.”
The revelation hits me hard. All this time, I believed Aditi loved Reyansh and that he shattered her heart by loving me instead. So it wasn’t how I imagined it at all. The pain still exists, of course; eight months aren’t insignificant, but it isn’t the devastating heartbreak I assumed.
God… I’ve been living by my own assumptions.
“Also, Ames…”
Reyansh gently cups my face and lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him while my arms remain loosely around his neck. His eyes shimmer like constellations, bright, steady, overflowing with love. My heartbeat quickens, disbelief and longing crashing together as the moment unfolds like a dream I never dared to imagine.
“Neither Aditi nor I ever considered you the reason for our break-up.”
“Aditi…” I whisper, barely audible.
“Yes, Ames, you heard me correctly. Aditi thinks I messed everything up, but she also recognizes that some things are beyond our control. Surprisingly, it was Aditi who confirmed my suspicion about your secret love for me after I found your scrapbook. She encouraged me not to wait endlessly for you to return.
I hesitated to meet you because of your words, though I missed you terribly. Life felt dull without you. I wanted to see you, but held back to avoid disturbing you. That's why I visited your room, hoping to feel close to you. I saw the flowers I gave you, preserved as keepsakes, and your scrapbook filled with confessions for me. Aditi urged me to stop waiting for the ‘right time’ and come after you, which gave me the courage to be here now.”
My heart breaks into a frantic sprint as he draws my face closer. The air between us thins, making me suddenly breathless. His gaze stays fixed, flickering briefly between my eyes and lips. A swarm of imaginary butterflies erupts in my stomach as my eyes flutter shut, just in time to feel a soft kiss land on my forehead. His lips linger there, warm and tender, and my heartbeat quickens wildly. When he pulls back slightly, his hands slide down my neck. I struggle to breathe, opening my eyes to find him already watching me, intently.
“Our future rests in your hands now, Ames. I know you care for your sister enough to suppress your feelings for me. But haven’t we walked this journey together since childhood? Don’t you care for me enough to understand what I’m feeling right now?”
He leans in again, pressing a kiss to my cheek, lingering just long enough to steal my composure. My head tilts back instinctively, eyes closed, fingers curling into his shirt as warmth pools low in my body, my breath turning uneven. He pulls away slightly,his voice brushing my ear while my thoughts scatter, my body reacting far more than my mind.
“Suppressing your love won’t change the past, Ames. Life is too short to cling to emotions that drain us. Sometimes, we need to be selfish to focus on ourselves and what we can still build. If you need reassurance about Aditi, talk to her yourself. But don’t push me away when I’m longing desperately to be near you.” His lips trail along my jaw, unhurried, almost torturous. My toes curl as he leaves feather-light kisses behind, my grip tightening on his shirt while my chest rises and falls rapidly.
