Rekindled | ✓

Chapter 16. I Love You

After a beat, Inaaya chuckles and shakes her head. "What's going on now?" She asks with contempt, unfolding her arms and letting them drop on her sides. "Didn't you've enough of playing games with me and my feelings? What's this? A part two?"

"Inaaya," he breathes out, evidently hurt by her retort. "You're getting it all wrong."

"Ayansh, I'm done." Her voice wavers and she clicks her tongue to the palate of her mouth, to not let a sob wrack through her. "Stop pretending. Stop acting as if you care and all. What do you want from me?" The question comes out as a helpless complain. "What's this whole bullshit of 'I wanted to apologise' that you're trying to feed me? And then what?"

Ayansh looks at her, shell shocked. "I'm sorry for what I did. I- I daily regret what happened between us. And- and I'm not pretending," his voice cracks and a lone tear escapes his eye, trailing down his cheek, "I do care for you." He whispers, brokenly.

"You lied," she reminded him, doing her best to not get affected seeing him so vulnerable. "Misused my trust, didn't respect my- ," she stops when emotion clogs her throat, her vision turning hazy and she bites her lower lip as they quiver, "didn't respect my love and now you say, you care?"

He was stunned, unable to find the right words to express himself for how sorry he truly felt, how remorseful he actually was and how sincere his feelings for her actually were.

Inaaya raked a hand through her hair, fisting them lightly and then, gathering them over her right shoulder. "I've nothing left." Her voice comes out as a whisper. "I can't- I can't do this anymore. Spare me if you're here with the intentions of again using me as per your convenience, as a pawn or take a revenge- "

"I wouldn't do that, Inaaya!" He interrupts, his voice pitching higher in incredulity. "I'm not faking anything. What even makes you think like that?"

"I don't know Ayansh!" She shrieks in frustration. "Wasn't that what you did last time? Acted as if you're this nice, caring human being, looking out for me, making me feel special and I fell right for it." Disgusts drips from every word of hers. "Maybe your brother wants to hurt me more or maybe it's you who aren't satisfied with what happened last time. Maybe there's some revenge- "

"I love you." He says like it was the only thing he knew and she freezes as the wind carries those three words spoken with utmost tenderness and fragility. "I love you," he mouths again as she stares at him with an undecipherable emotion and he prays that for once, she could trust him again.

Inaaya was taken aback by the sudden confession. Her blood revolted in her veins and her heart trashed in her chest at his audacity.

"I wish I could slap you right now." She glares at him with loathe.

"Inaaya," he takes a step ahead and tries to hold her and she instinctively takes a step back, holding her hands in front as if she's repulsed from him. His chest constricts in pain at her reaction.

"Don't touch me." She tells him firmly and he feels the pain intensifying, so much that it makes him stagger back.

Ayansh nods, looking away and shoves his left hand in his jeans pocket. He didn't know if her words were more hurtful or her actions but it burnt him. It was like a physical pain but worse.

"Don't say things that you don't even mean it." She mutters with clenched teeth, crossing her arms and tucking her hands beneath her elbows. "Don't... just don't go on throwing words for the sake of it and insult something as beautiful as love."

"I'm not lying," he tries to convince her helplessly, still looking away because it was unbearable to witness her looking at him with disgust and hate. "My feelings for you were always true."