"If love can fade then, so can pain"
Ananya's Pov
Ray was there with another girl.
That girl was Aditi Sharma.
I was frozed on my spot just staring at them and all the feelings were hitting me at the same time, I didn't know what was happening to me but it was really hurting bad to see this.
Two years back when I started college, I was a girl who didn't had any friends to survive and I always wandered alone in the college corridors. There was Ray but he was in second year and I didn't wanted to make him feel like he always had to take care of me, so I didn't bothered him.
Flashback
It was until I got a project to complete and my partner was Aditi Sharma. We decided to meet at a Cafe to talk about our maths project. I arrived the cafe and she was already sitting there, her face buried in a thick book. I entered and slid into the seat in front of her.
"I'm sorry" I said and she looked up "I hope I'm not much late" She passed me soothing smile and shooked her head and saying, "No it's fine, the view here is not that bad" she said chuckling and when I thought which view she was talking about, I followed her gaze and my eyes fell on the barista behind the counter.
I looked back at her and she giggled "Isn't he hot"
"Veryyy hot" I said and we laughed together. Talking to her seemed so easy as she was a very cheerful and down to earth person, and it felt really good to spend time with her. For the next hour we talked about our maths project and I was really bad in maths "I'm really bad at this" I said looking at the thick book in front of me.
She smile and said "No problem when I'm here, I'll help you with it" She was really good in maths she promised to tutor me for it and I agreed and in return I was going to help her with literature as she sucked at it. After that day we were always together.
Canteen, college, cafes, anything, we were together, that day I found myself a best friend and I was really grateful for it.
Back to present
So toady after two years seeing her here in the park with my ex-boyfriend, I felt like someone stabbed me multiple times and everything was finished inside me.
I couldn't do anything but stare at them and as if they knew they were being watched they stopped walking and looked in my direction. The smiles on their faces immediately disappeared.
They looked at me and I immediately looked away, turned and started walking, unaware of the fact that Dev was running to catch over with me.
"Anu" I heard Ray calling for me but I ignored and kept walking "Anu listen"
I was yanked back by my arm. I looked up to see Ray holding my hand. I snapped my hand back and Dev came in between us staring at Ray.
"Get your fucking hands off her" Dev shouted on him.
"Stay out of it Dev" Ray said.
"I think you're the one who's out of the picture right now so do us a favor and get lost" Dev shouted at him not taking a step back staring at him with anger filled in him.
I looked over Dev's shoulder to see Aditi, she had her hands clasped on her mouth in shock and horror. Looking at her made me feel weak and hurt and I just wanted to leave.
I tugged at dev's arm telling him to let's go but he was not ready to back off and when I again held his arm, he gave a last glare to ray and we turned and walked outwards.
"Anu" ray spoke "Please let's talk"
My grip on dev's arm tightened and I turned in anger to look at him and said "I have nothing to say to you."
"But I have" he said softly.
"You should have said when you had a chance" I said and turned and walked out.
I was thankful when Dev held my hand and took me out. It felt soothing and I was on the verge of breaking down. My vision was getting blur because of tears.
As soon as we were out tears started flowing and I couldn't help but break down.
"Hey" Dev said and came in front of me.
I hung my head low but he cupped my face and made me look up "Hey it's okay" he said I cried even more and he then hugged me.
He caressed my hair and patted my back to comfort me and kept telling that it was okay. I held onto him and cried in his shirt and he kept telling me things like It's okay, You're fine, it's okay.
But was I.
He said it so many times and so when I stopped crying I tried believing that it was really okay.
_____
"Here"I looked up at dev and he handed me an ice - cream cone.
"I thought it'll make you feel better" he said handing it to me and took a seat beside me.
"I wasn't sure what flavor you'd like, but I'm pretty sure you'll like this" he said.
I looked at the cone in my hand and then at him asking "What is it?"
"Mint chocolate chip" he said and I nodded. I tasted it and surprisingly it was really good and refreshing.
Earlier when I had stopped crying Dev made me to sit on a bench and told me to wait, not that I would go somewhere.
I felt really awkward to cry in front of him like that, it felt like he saw me at the weakest point, not that he would say anything or judge me but I just felt embarrassed.
I wondered how I became so used to dev always being around me in just a span of two weeks.
Few days ago he was just someone whom I never even looked at and never even passed him a smile, but now he was someone else; something new. It actually felt good to have someone like him when it felt like the whole world has turned its back to you.
He suddenly turned and found me looking at him and before I could react he muttered "I'm sorry"
"WHAT?" I asked confused.
"Agar mai tumhe jabardasti yaha nahi lata toh ye sab hota hi nhi" he said sheepishly running his hand through his hair.
"Agr tum mujhe yha nhi late to mujhe ye sab pata chalta hi nhi, so I should say thanks to you." I said.
"Still" He said softly.
"It's fine, you also said I'm fine" I said and we sat their in silence enjoying our ice-cream.
After minutes of silence, dev again turned and decided to spoke up "Is that why you broke up" he asked a bit hesitated. "Because of that girl?" he asked.
I looked at him and the image of Aditi and ray walking in that park came in front of me and I blurted "Maybe"
"Why did you broke up?" he asked.
"Usne kabhi bataya hi nhi" I said looking down at the cone in my hands.
"Matlab?"
"He just said he couldn't do this anymore, that he was done" I stopped and sighed and continued without looking at him "All he said was 'its complicated."
" It's complicated?" he asked with a disgusting look. I nooded.
"And who was that girl with him, are you sure she was not his cousin or something" he asked and I looked at him if he was joking or something but he wasn't. "She was my best friend."
"OH" he sighed and then suddenly turned to me "Then" he said and I looked up at him "What?"
"Question game, Arora" He said and without giving me a chance to speak up he continued "Why do you still talk about him like.... like he's the best thing that's ever happened to you" he asked me.
"I don't...." I was speaking when he cut me off, "Yes you do and you know that" he said sternly.
"You won't understand.." he again cut me off "Then make me understand, that's what I'm trying to do since day one" he said a bit irritated.
I looked at him and and his irritation was fading away and his voice had desperation in it, I tried to know his expression and there was something more to it, there was concern.
"I met him when my dad left" I said and he was fully concentrated on what I was saying "That time everything was shitty and then he came and everything changed and suddenly everything was all right" I said.
That was the reason why I was so much attached to ray because he made everything right when everything was going wrong and I was so happy to have him.
"I guess that's why I rely on him" I murmured.
"We should get back at him" Dev suddenly spoke up.
I looked at him with a weird look and said "Toh hum wahi to kar rhe hai, like doing all this"
"Arey mera mtlb hai kuch jaise uske gahr pe ande phekte hai, ya phir uske sare kapde kharab kr dete hai" he said and at first I thought that he was saying all this to lighten my mood but he was serious and he just ignored the weird look I was giving him.
"Are you serious" I asked him.
"Yes let's do something that'll make him crazy, Come on Anu, just tell me what you want to do and I'm in, whatever it is" he said.
I shooked my head and said "I just want to go home and watch tv all day"
"No way" he stood up "I'm not letting you moping all day in my house" he said.
"Dev" I pleaded.
"Noo" he said and smirked a bit "I'm not letting that jerk ruin our date" he said grinning.
I choked on my ice-cream "Date?"
"Yess, isn't this a date" he asked smirking.
"No this isn't" I said.
"Should I define the word date for you?" he asked grinning.
"Shut up" I said and a smile made its way to my face. He also smiled and made me stand taking my hand.
"Come on, we're going to walk around" he said enthusisatically.
"Tum ye picnic basket haath me pakad ke roads pe aise hi ghumoge" I asked him with a horrified expression and he nodded.
"Yes, it's style" he said showing me the basket cheerfully.
I looked at him and we both laughed and we started walking just like that.
____
We were walking on the streets sometime talking, sometimes silent and it was actually helping to cheer me up.
We also shared headphones and Dev played a list of songs which were really cheerful and upbeat "This is my to-do list when I have a bad day" he told me.
It was Sunday and the weather was perfect for the day out, the streets were filled with people and by the night time we also had dinner and when we again started walking after coming out of the restaurant dev spoke up.
"I was thinking, ki hume ek dusre ko janna chaiye" he said and I chuckled saying "Really!"
"Yess, let's introduce ourselves" he said stepping in front of me."
Are you serious" I asked in disbelief.
"Yess I am, so Hey I'm Dev Joshi, I belong to a gujarati family" he was speaking when I cut him off.
"Hold on" I said and looked at me smiling "So you're a Gujarati right" I asked him.
"Ha mujhe to aisa hi bataya gya hai, kyu" he asked grinning.
"Ni I mean, Gujarati's are really nice" I said and he kept his hand on his heart and said "Hey, I'm nice too"
"Ye unn ladkiyo se pucho jinka tumne dil toda hai" I said and the next second I felt a bit guilty if I said too much.
I wasn't expecting him to clarify something or tell me why he does that but what he said next made me froze on my tracks.
"Is that who you hate me?" he asked me and I was confused as I didn't know why he asked this.
"WHAT" I asked slowly and he looked up "Come on, I know tum mujhe pehle din se hi pasand nhi karti" he said and for a moment I was silent.
"You can't blame, you can't expect me to like someone who don't take girls seriously" I said and started walking and when I felt that he was not coming I looked back and found him still, looking down at the ground.
"I don't really have an excuse" he said and sighed continuing, "Aur mujhe nhi pta mai ye kyu keh rha hu prr mai kehna chahta hu, I'm sorry."
I felt something tug at my heart.
I wasn't sure what he was feeling like and I looked at him with an apologetic expression when he spoke up without even looking at me.
"It just seemed easier"
"Easier?" I asked.
"Like not to let anyone get close" he said softly still looking down.
With that, all the anger which I always had for him drained away like it never existed. I felt like that when ray left me, not to get close to anyone so that they can hurt you.
I stared at him like a piece of puzzle which was Dev Joshi just fitted in, it was so obvious, so damn obvious, I don't know why I wasn't able to see it in the first place.
"Question game?"His eyes lifted to mine.
"Who was it?" I asked.
He stared at me with an apologetic look and then looked down again anticipating himself for an answer because I knew that he knew what I was talking about.
I waited patiently for his answer and for a while both us didn't say a word.
I was hoping for him to tell what it was, to open up to me just like I did and I was disappointed when he looked up expressionless and said "PASS"
I realized, then, that I was right, Dev Joshi had fallen in love before.
And whoever was the one who held his heart must have broken it too.
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Hello readers!! 🤗🤗
Double update for today on the request of my dear @Devhita7631 ❤️❤️
Votes and comments are necessary.
Target for next chapter - 20+ votes and 15+ comments