Dare Trilogy | Book 3 Editing | ✓

1.16.5| A Hundred Times

"It's true."

I shook my head, "No, the truth is that you've been afraid ever since that day when you picked up that blade. You keep everything to yourself as if you're afraid I wouldn't want to be your friend if you told me what was really going on in your head, Khushi... but is that really all you know about me? That I'd get scared away that easily?"

"Well, no, but..."

I don't pause to let her finish that thought for this is one thing I have kept to myself for so many months, wanting to give her the space to come to me herself but now I realize that the more space I give her, the longer she will continue to keep away from me.

"Or is it that for some twisted reason, you find peace in this? This pain that you invite for yourself. The burden is not on you to go through this yourself, Khushi. So much has happened to you and you know you always have my support but it hurts that you pushed me away."

I did pause for a second now as a tear dropped from my moist eyes recalling those moments from months ago. Armaan telling me about that day.

I sniffled before speaking again, "Maybe... maybe you feel like you don't want to say the same things you feel to me over and over again, maybe you don't want to crib about it, but you are my best friend, Khushi. If you needed it, I would listen to the same thing a hundred times. As many times as you needed to say it to make you feel better. But please, don't shut away from me... you're my one friend I can't imagine my life without."

She shifted over to drape her arms around me, almost sitting on my lap as she hugged me tightly, "I'm so sorry I made you feel that way, Ridzzi." She murmured, pulling back and moving her hand to wipe my cheeks dry, "I'm so sorry I hurt you. I didn't know... I never thought how it'd affect you. I didn't mean to push you away."

I hugged her back knowing my best friend. She never hurt someone intentionally. However drastic her actions have been lately have all been stemming from one reality that was taking over every aspect of her life. "I'm not blaming you, Khushi," I said as she moved off my lap to sit next to me, "but I'd really like my best friend back."

She chuckled, wiping her own tears and nodded. "Yeah, okay. I hear you. I promise I won't keep hiding things from you."

I added, knowing she wasn't entirely at fault. If she had been pulling away, I had let her instead of pulling her back and holding on to her so she wouldn't have felt as if she had to go through this all on her own. I'd let myself be affected too much by my fight with Armaan that when she'd needed me, I'd ran off myself to visit my grandmother just so I wouldn't have to face Armaan.

"I know I've been away for a few days but since when do we not tell each other everything, right? We used to sit for hours telling each other things about our days when we'd have spent it apart."

She nodded, sniffing. "I do miss those days."

"Me too," I admitted in a whisper. Those were the best days. "Starting with, tell me everything that happened with Arnav."

She shook her head, countering. "No. First, starting with you telling me why you and Armaan are no longer friends."

I opened my mouth to protest but she squinted at me, pointing her index finger to silently convey I shouldn't even try. Alas, even I knew. Confessing to her was long overdue. I gave her the cleanest version of the story so she wouldn't hate her own brother, "We had an argument about that day."

She raised her brows, challenging in disbelief. "That's it? That's the only detail I get after waiting for ages for you to tell me? Come on, Ridzzi. You can do better!"