Alika

11.

Do you love me, Aliasha? Kabir questioned Aliasha, making her speechless.

"Answer me, do you love me?" He scrutinized when he received no reply from her.

"Of... of course, I do" she squeaked.

"I mean, you are my best friend, how can I not," she said trying to avoid telling him the truth.

"That's platonic love, Aliasha. Do you love me romantically?" He probed.

"Wh...what..ha" she stuttered

"Yes or no" He demanded impatiently to get the answers.

"Kabir"

"Yes." Knowing she has no way out, She whispered finally.

"Lia..How?" He mumbled.

" I don't know. Bachpan mai kabhi samajh nhi aaya why I was so possessive about you? Kyu jab tum mujhse roothte the aisa lagta tha puri duniya mujhse roothi hui hai."

"Jabse pyaar ko jaana hai samjha hai tabse it has always been you?." She choked too close to crying.

"To kya london mai?" He carefully questioned to scared to know the answer.

"I am an independent modern woman but I am still an old school from heart Kabir. Agar tumse pyaar nhi hota to tumhe kabhi khud ko vaise chune nahi deti. I..I have always loved you Kabir bachpan se." She sniffled trying hard to not cry.

"When I saw you replacing me with Natasha every time, it used to break me, Kabir. Dosti thi Kabir par pyaar bhi tha. Jab tumhe khoya tab maine apne dost ke saath saath apna pyaar bhi kho diya tha."

"Shit Lia...How...Why would you marry me? I told you I don't think I am capable of loving someone but still, you married me." He asked too confused and shocked by the new revelations.

"It is killing me, knowing how much I have hurt you all these years. I am not a good person Lia. How can you still love me, after I have done so many wrong things to you."

" Mera pyaar kabhi tumhare pyaar ka mohtaaj nhi raha Kabir. Aisa nahi hai maine tumhe bhoolne ki koshish nahi ki. Bahot koshish ki but every goddamn time I failed." She whimpered.

"And you are not a bad person Kabir. Hum kisi insaan ko humse pyaar karne ke liye majboor to nhi kar sakte na." She said trying to reduce his self-hate.

"Lia I am sorry, I know how hard one-sided love is. How it kills when the person you love doesn't love you. I am sorry for hurting you all this time. I don't deserve you, your love. You deserve someone who loves you with all their heart, you deserve someone who knows how precious you and your love are.. I can't even think how much it would have hurt you when I was crying for someone else, begging her to come back to me but still you were there hearing me rant, wailing, no matter how much it hurt you. I am really lucky to have you, Lia."

"It doesn't matter what I deserve. All I know is that I love you. I love you so much aur ab tum mere paas ho aur maine tumhe kahi nhi jane dena hai. Kabhi khudse door nhi karna hai." She proclaimed possessively.

"I....I am sorry Lia. I don't think mai kabhi tumhari feelings kabhi reciprocate kar paunga." He said feeling guilty for not being able to give her the same love.

"It doesn't matter. Mera pyaar kaafi hai hum dono ke liye." She jested stubbornly.

"Cliche" he scrunched his nose cheekily, trying to lighten the mood.

"I promise you, Lia. I'll always be yours. I am not in a good position right now. I am a lost cause. Broken, vulnerable. I .... I have so many flaws but I promise I will not hurt you anymore. You'll have all of me Lia. If you accept me with all the good and bad."