Loving You

Chapter 24 - Abhimanyu - Confession Time

"Umm, hello. I can ask you the same question. How could you even think of asking me to go out on a date with your friend?!"

"I thought you liked her! I was just trying to be a good friend!" She exclaimed.

"What in the world gave you that idea?" I asked, appalled.

"Oh really?! How about the world where you were sticking to her like a fly?" She accused, exasperated.

"When?" I questioned, clearly confused about what in God's holy name was going on.

"Bowling!"

"Bowling!?! What?!" And then it dawned on me. The time when Reet was leaning in on me trying to make Armaan jealous. Was she talking about that?!

"Oh, don't play dumb! I saw the way you two were flirting with each other. One would have to be blind to not see it!"

Wait. Had she...was she..., "Akshara, were you jealous?!"

"Jealous? Me?! Ha! Never! But how could you come to bowling —a place where I invited you —and you in return spend more time ogling my friend than me!" Slip of tongue is it or the truth? "I mean, spend time with me!" She corrected.

"Akshara, I did come there for you! And you only!" I confessed.

"You did?" The agitation and annoyance in Akshara's eyes softened and instead was replaced by tenderness.

"Of course! Who else would I come there for?! Do you know how long I sat in my car that day, convincing myself to follow through with those plans because I didn't want to disappoint you?!"

I could feel her melting as a small smile of understanding and adoration began to form on the corners of her lips. "But Reet..."

"She loves Armaan. She was using me to make Armaan jealous. She told me as much during the start of our dinner, before she left to follow her heart and right before you got there...following yours."

I could feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment. "What? Armaan and Reet?" She asked, trying to avoid talking about us.

"Yeah. Reet loves Armaan and she thinks Armaan does too but he won't act on his feelings so she thought she'll try to make him jealous hoping that it'd make him act on his feelings." I gave her the rundown of exactly what had occurred.

"But those text messages she sent me about you?"

"She did it in case Armaan 'accidentally' happened to read her messages. I mean it wasn't a full proof plan but at least she tried."

"Armaan and Reet? My two friends? How could I not know?" She mumbled to herself, trying to grasp the entire situation.

"And yet you managed to assume in just a few seconds that Reet and I were attracted to each other?" I pointed out.

The doorbell rang, interrupting our conversation.

"I'll get it." She offered.

I nodded before going into the kitchen to grab two plates and a two wine glasses along with a bottle of wine. I set them down on the living room table just as Akshara finished setting down the box of pizza.

She served the pizza whilst I poured both of us two glasses of wine.

"Thanks." We both say as we exchanged the glass of wine with the plate of pizza.

As we sat down to eat, I quietly sipped my wine as Akshara gulped down hers and bit a huge chunk out of her slice of pizza. Nervous. She was nervous.

I let her thaw in her nervousness for a bit longer before I decided to broach the subject again.