"Who's Tara?" Her question caught him off guard, he was sure she knew about his past experiences from Shahana, those two hid nothing, and Shahana couldn't keep secrets, there was no way she hadn't told Prachi, her dearest friend something so important before she got married to him
"You don't know?" He asked only to find her shaking her head, despite his dry throat, he nodded, about to dive into an explanation
"Well you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I mean I completely understand" Prachi added looking at how anxious his eyes looked, Ranbir was a calm person who managed his emotions really well, but somehow today she could see through him easily, how his jaw was slightly at the edge and how his teeth clack together behind his tightly pursed lips, he was clearly very nervous
"No, I have to, Tara... she was the love of my life" Something shifted inside of her and she was sure he hadn't noticed, his gaze softened slightly and he seemed to be lost in thought of something. Or rather someone.
"She was the most amazing, breathtakingly beautiful, kindest person I had ever met, I really liked her, a lot, I had even confessed, I loved her" he slowly started speaking as her eyes lingered on him observing his expressions morphing from adoration to a tinch of sadness. As if he had been broken a little too much to repair easily, but not beyond repair, no one was beyond repair if they were alive.
And her heart clenched, her chest tightened and a heavy load filled inside of her. She didn't know that feeling, it was unfamiliar but beautiful, and perhaps that was when she realised, she didn't want to admit it, She questioned herself for a moment but couldn't help but accept it. She liked Ranbir, just maybe, she had started Liking Ranbir.
She liked someone who loved someone else. It was as if she was hyperventilating and controlling her reaction was the hardest thing to do as she watched him whisper loving words in the name of the woman she didn't know. She tried her best to steady her breath at the horrific realisation and after probably find minutes of not even listening to what Ranbir said, she mustered up the courage to speak
"She sounds beautiful" Prachi said smiling sadly with a heavy heart as his eyes lit up and he smiled back at her, she was glad her voice didn't crack, it almost did.
"She was, but she never loved me back" Prachi didn't know whether this was good or bad, whether he got separated from someone he dearly loved and was meant to end up with or whether she was just a phase of his life. A chapter that she could close forever, the last empty pages of that chapter that she could fill with a new change, write in its pages with her blood, but maybe she had lost her chance already
Looking at the positive side was what Prachi did the best. And so she smiled, genuinely.
"Where'd you meet her?" She asked, now taking a deep breath as she walked away from him to grab herself a glass of water to calm herself from the shocking realisation that had struck her
"She's in my office, working under the creative sector" Prachi paused and glanced at Ranbir for a while, and her eyes caught his as a sudden jolt passed through her and she couldn't stop herself from coughing
Ranbir immediately stepped forward, passing her another glass of water as she gulped it down slowly before keeping the barely empty glass on the table
"That's really nice" Prachi muttered, "did you talk to her?" Ranbir seemed to have not noticed the unusually heavy voice of hers, something she was utterly glad for
"Yeah, I mean, actually, we were about to" Ranbir paused now finally looking at her, out of his daze of love as she bitterly smiled
"I guess I get it, I mean, you loved her, and she came back, I mean it's just two more months isn't it?" Ranbir was taken aback by how venomously Prachi said that as if her insides were churning to form those words and forcing them out of her mouth
He glanced at the window, following her gaze as the sudden rush of wind rustled the leaves of the trees nearby, the silence that lingered seemed too much to handle and so, Prachi left the living room as he heard the door slamming making him flinch slightly
*****
"I know this is probably a very wrong time but I had to say this, promise me it won't affect our friendship" Gaurav's voice rang through the room as Prachi uncertainly nodded, hesitantly looking at him to comprehend what he was about to do, looking as clueless as possible to the obvious confession before her
"I didn't know how, I never thought this would happen, you were always that person I never really noticed well in college, I wish I would have, you're ethereal for God's sake! Every time I look at you my heart skips a beat" Prachi's heart skipped a beat as tears gathered in her eyes which she immediately blinked back gulping slightly
"When I hear your voice I fall into a delusional world, with just you and me, I know that this is wrong of me, I would've never said it... but I couldn't contain it anymore, I really like you Prachi, oh bloody hell! I love you!" His breathless voice was almost tempting due to how his eyes had darkened, how his hair shone in the moonlight and how he expectantly looked up at her as if she was the only person he knew, the only life in the cruel world around them
The urge to give in to the breathtakingly handsome man before her was too much to ignore, but she didn't understand how, or why, but she stilled and shook her head slightly, unconsciously
"I'm sorry" She bit her lips from speaking further as his face sunk into the light making her heart clench, she didn't understand why she was rejecting the man that could make her laugh within a second, someone who cherished her more than Ranbir had ever did
She closed her eyes thinking of the day that she had gotten married, she was married to someone, someone that she was supposed to be loyal to.
"Gaurav, I'm married to someone, I can't do this, I'm so sorry" Prachi said as relief washed over her when she realised she had finally said those words
"I don't need that, I need to know whether you like me back or not, whether you ever had feelings for me in any kind of way" he asked and she sighed
"I'm sorry, I never felt romantic for you, in any way, I'm sorry, I really am, but I'm committed to someone and this wouldn't even be my last choice" Prachi could feel her voice cracking but she had managed to deliver the finality in her voice since Gaurav stopped and sighed, wiping away the lone tear leaking from his eye
Prachi woke up on the bed sweating she glanced at the empty ceiling, the AC had turned off and the female groaned internally as she searched for the remote in the dark, only to find her phone and turn on the torch as she flinched when she saw Ranbir looking at her
"What're you doing here?" Ranbir was shocked at her changed demeanour, she would have just cursed him and pushed him out of her room already had it been any other day
"I- I forgot to tell you that your parents will be coming tomorrow" he said and she sucked in a deep breath, filled with relief
"You mean today?" She looked at the clock showing the time
"It's 3 in the morning, you're not asleep?" Prachi could still feel her heart beating at a fast pace due to the sudden shock of seeing somebody in her room in the middle of the night
"I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep and heard you murmuring" he added and she nodded, now feeling her heart coming back to the normal pace
"I just had a dream..." Prachi got up and decided to wake up early that day
"I'll go get ready, you should sleep" she said and smiled at Ranbir
"You messed your schedule I see" he chuckled softly
"Yea, but you don't have to do that as well so sleep, I'll move your stuff to my room" she said and he nodded
"You know what? Let's just stay in a room, I mean we have already stayed in a single room together for days, and how long are we going to keep on shifting things?" Prachi sighed and nodded, perhaps they were making progress, a small smile took over her face
Ranbir would never feel something so strange but seeing that soft smile on her face against the moonlight felt like the most beautiful scene he had ever seen, and he gulped back the rest o his thoughts, roaming back to his former love, Tara.
*****
"Prachi! You have forgotten me! I see that Ranbir keeps you busy" Pragya had a slight smirk to which Prachi chuckled whereas Ranbir immediately gulped down water after choking on his food
"You know I've been busy with work! And I called you, you didn't receive it so I thought you were busy, it doesn't matter, now you're here, you can stay with me! We could go on a date, and have all the street food dishes and visit all the restaurants you want to, our outing!" Prachi said making the elder chuckle
"I don't need to!" Pragya picked up her phone and received her call, going to the balcony and leaving the couple alone
"I have to go to the office early today, there's been a few serious customer complaints about the latest product so I'll have to go check on it," Ranbir said surprising Prachi, this was the first time he had ever shared something related to his business with her
"I hope your mum won't mind, I mean I can stay if its necessary" he added and she shook her head
"Oh no there's no need, you should concentrate on work, I'll probably spend some more time with Mom" Prachi smiled at him making him chuckle
"You're so cute" he muttered and pulled her cheeks, as soon as he realised what he was doing, his hands retract like a reflex and he started coughing to which Prachi felt her cheeks reddening
"Water" She passed him a glass of water which he hesitantly drank
"I'll go" Prachi was saddened at the awkwardness between them, but she didn't mind
"Prachi, let's go!" Pragya came back in making the female smile at her as they both made their way out
*****