Chapter 3 - Not Made For Love

Vashma walked into the office when she spotted Uday with his head between his hands on his desk. His shoulders had hunched in desperation and she understood that he had been tensed. What she didn’t know was the reason behind his worry. How would she, when she had effectively managed to ignore him for the past few days? 

Vashma felt guilt seep through her at the thought of abandoning her closest friend for her own woes. Now that she looked back, all of this had been her doing. He had tried to initiate any sort of conversation, even small talk, with her. But Vashma had only shut him out when in reality she was only trying to protect her heart from further damage. Enough had been enough. Vashma would stand up and be the friend he needed from her right now. Hopefully, she’d be able to push her feelings for him away once she found someone new.

And so she kept her satchel on her desk and turned to walk up to him. They still sat across each other, their desks facing in opposite directions. Vashma cleared her throat, drawing his attention, “Hi.”

Nothing could have been more awkward than this. But then again, when had Vashma imagined things with Uday to get awkward.

“Hey.” He answered casually and she noticed a few more signs of worry. The circles under his eyes had deepened and his hair looked messier than normal.

“You okay?”

“You care?!” He snapped. She deserved this, of course she did. Nothing could justify the cold shoulder she gave Uday; especially since he knew nothing about her emotional turmoil.

Vashma softly replied, “Of course I do. You’re my friend.”

He looked at her with an incredulous expression and scoffed, “Didn’t seem like we were friends when you were giving me the silent treatment all this while.”

“I’m sorry I was--”

“Too involved in yourself? Save it, Vashma.”

She grew irked at his meanness, “I said I’m sorry, Uday. I’m trying to fix things but I can’t if you won’t let me!” Vashma’s eyes instantly widened in realization as she understood the irony of her statement. Uday had indirectly put her into place by pushing her in his shoes.

He stood up and coldly said, “When I tried, you pushed me away, Vashma. What made you think I’d open up to you anymore?”

He pushed away his chair and made his way to the cafeteria. Her heart thumped in her chest at the thought of losing him forever. Vashma shuddered. She couldn’t lose Uday. She wouldn’t. And so she followed suit, determined to fix things between them. 

“Uday…” She called out as he turned a deaf ear to her. She grabbed his wrist and swirled him around to meet his eye, “I said I’m sorry!”

When he raised an eyebrow challengingly she gave in, “Okay fine, I was jealous.”

Uday’s expression was a mix of shock and amazement before settling on a mischievous smirk. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and tilted his head to one side, urging her to continue.

“Things had been confusing between us when you left for Delhi and then you came back looking so happy and in love with your new girlfriend. I thought I’d lose you to Trisha.” she meekly mumbled, her gaze shifting elsewhere yet her voice carrying a tone of resentment.

His eyes softened and a silent sigh escaped him. Uday took two steps towards her and lifted her face towards him with a gentle hand on her chin. “And here I thought I had already lost you.”

Her orbs never wavered from him when he felt at a loss for words. Uday took a deep breath and clutched her hands in his own, “You’ll never lose me to anyone, Vashma. What you and I have is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced with anyone.”

Her heart picked up beat. Vashma couldn’t stop herself from wondering whether he was about to confess his feelings for her. Whether he too felt similarly, whether her feelings were finally being reciprocated.

But then he continued with, “You’re my closest friend. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone in the world.” 

She briefly nodded, accepting the reality. She was his best friend. He may have been more to her, but it would be pointless to continue hoping. But she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him either. If friendship is all what he seeked for, friendship is all she’d give to him.

And so she smiled, “You won’t get anyone like me either.” Vashma giggled after that, her heart finally at relief to know that she hadn’t severed her ties with the one person that mattered to her the most.

“I’m not looking for one.” He shook his head with admiration in his eyes. “I don’t know how long my relationship with Trisha will last, but I can’t lose you, Vashma.” She sensed a tinge of fear in his voice which he tried so hard to hide.

She covered his hand with her own, “You won’t, ever. I’ll always be the friend you need me to be, Uday.” Vashma promised to him, and more to herself.

She walked past him to get a cup of coffee of her own, “So what’s up with you and Trisha?”

“Eh.” He merely shrugged. “We’ve only been going out for a few weeks but she seems serious now.”

“Oh God don’t tell me you’re still scared of commitments.” Vashma rolled her eyes as she stirred sugar into her coffee.

He walked around the counter and rested his elbows on the countertop, “Oye at least I’ve always been honest about it. When we met, I told Trisha I was looking for fun. Something casual. She said she was too. And now all of a sudden, she wants to move ahead in our relationship. I don’t get you girls.” He huffed in annoyance.

“Oye, not all girls are like that.” She defended immediately.

He raised a brow, “Oh really? Do you not expect the guy to understand what you’re feeling without saying it yourself?”

Vashma’s breath hitched in her throat at indirect attack. Hadn’t she expected the same thing from him?

She shook herself from these thoughts and reasoned, “Only when we trust the guy enough. Unsaid words have a special meaning in our hearts.” She passed a distant smile. “But then we realize that everything needs to be spelled out to you guys.” She rolled her eyes and chuckled at his grumpy face.

“It’s better to avoid misunderstandings than to start unnecessary fights.” He argued. 

“So that’s what it is. You both got into a fight.” She concluded with a smirk of victory on her face.

“What happened?” Vashma probed.

He finally relented, “She says I love my work too much. That I talk about it for so long that it bores her to death. According to her, I should have a life beyond it.”

“I thought you were a romantic guy who knew his way around girls.” She mocked him with a raised brow.

He straightened and pushed the collar of his sky blue shirt upwards, the top two buttons open as usual as he boasted, “Oh, I still know how to keep girls satisfied. It’s the ‘talk’ and sweet conversations they want afterwards that I can’t be bothered about.”

Her cheeks flushed bright red as she understood the crude meaning behind his words. Of course he was discussing the physical aspect of their relationship. She shut her eyes in an attempt to brush off his insinuations playing visuals in her head. She wanted to get over him, not imagine what he would be like between the sheets. 

Vashma cleared her throat, stirring with her coffee still, “Maybe you’re too self-absorbed to notice that girls don’t just want...that. Trisha might not be as interested in your work life as you are.”

“What else am I supposed to talk about?” He shrieked incredulously, drawing up a goofy expression as to how absurd the concept of a cheesy romantic conversation was to him.

Before she could put forth a few obvious suggestions, she heard his best friend’s voice peek out from the distance, “How would you know if you willingly choose to be here on a half day?”

Randheer wrapped an arm around his best friend’s shoulder as Amrit followed suit, mimicking his pose with Vashma.

Uday was quick to catch notice, “How long have you both been sneaking in on our conversation?”

Amrit chirped in before chiding, “Long enough to realize you know nothing about what to say to girls. Seriously, Uday?!” She gave a pointed look.

Uday merely shrugged, “Oye, it’s Vashma. And it’s not like she’s oblivious to any of this.”

Amrit was about to retaliate when her best friend intervened, “You know what, he’s right, Amrit. It’s not like I’m a virgin. And talking to him makes me certain on what I’m NOT looking for in a potential boyfriend.” 

His face fell and her smirk widened to a sly grin. Vashma loved teasing Uday and today she felt as if she had hit a sixer. She felt more like her old self, the version she had lost two months ago.

Randheer hooted in her favor and Uday continued to frown but Vashma could see through his grumpy face to the smile his lips were trying so hard to hide. She felt the beginnings of red tinge her cheek but ignored it for the need for normalcy. 

Walking around the cafeteria counter up to him, she gently patted his cheek, the stubble on his face tickling her palm, “Aw, how bad was that burn?”

A smirk made its way onto his face and the lightest feelings of dread began in the pit of her stomach. His hand wrapped around hers as he detached it from his cheek, “Oh, not as bad as the burn you’ll be feeling when you come up to me complaining about how none of the boys on Tinder meet your fairytale description.”

Both his hands coffined around one of hers, the proximity between them creating havoc in her heart. She tilted her head back to meet his eye, delving into the deeper, darker recesses of his black orbs, completely enchanted. 

She wanted to agree with him. That no man would ever compare to him. That no man would ever hold the power to care for her, to love her, to hurt her as much as Uday. Vashma wanted to confess her feelings to him, just once, without caring about the consequences. She probably would’ve if she’d been certain that he felt even an ounce of what she felt for him. But he didn’t. He had made it perfectly clear that night at the bonfire. Vashma needed someone to look at her the way a man would look at a woman. And so she had finally taken matters in her hand and made plans with Amrit. 

“Which is why we’re going shopping. To avoid a situation like this.” Amrit revealed, leaning ahead of the counter.

“How is that going to help?” Randheer queried cluelessly.

“We’ll give Vashma a classy makeover. The good guys won’t be able to resist her.” Amrit explained excitedly.

“Neither will the horny ones.” Uday muttered under his breath, but it was loud enough for Vashma to hear. 

She narrowed her eyes and defended, “I won’t be dressing promiscuously, Uday. Maybe a fashion change could do me some good.” She shrugged, diverting her attention to Amrit as she went on about all the brands they could visit at a nearby mall.

Uday couldn’t brush off the nagging feeling churning in the pit of his stomach. He didn’t like the fact that Vashma was changing so much, as if she was drifting further away from him. He never adjusted well to change, and she had been his rock all along. But now it felt as if she didn’t want to be his rock anymore. Despite their patchup, things felt different between them. He felt queasy inside. But he’d fix things. She’d finally broken the silence between them and offered the friendship he’d been longing for. Now he’d give her a friendship she’ll never be able to forget.

----------

He hated shopping.

It killed his brain cells. It was a waste of time. It was a never ending process. And yet here he was, carrying multiple shopping bags in both his hands as he walked alongside his best friend. When he found his friend groaning in a similar state, he didn’t waste a second to retort, “This is all your fault!”

Randheer stopped in his steps and looked in his direction, “Yeah, right.”

“You just had to be the perfect boyfriend material for Amrit.” Uday scoffed.

Randheer retaliated with equal force, “At least I care about her. You’re not even being a right friend for Vashma.”

Uday faltered in his step, visibly taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“Let it be. You’re too involved in your own life to realize what others are going through.” Randheer brushed off with disinterest.

The rest of the world, he probably didn’t care about. But there was one person he cared more than he wanted to.

“Has she told you anything?” Uday turned attentive.

His best friend scornfully questioned, “Oh, so you do take notice?”

“You think I don’t?! I’ve been noticing it since that night at the bonfire two months ago, Randheer! You don’t think I’d be hurt knowing she’s hiding something from me that’s causing her so much pain?!” Uday lashed out, absolutely distraught, the vein in his neck on the verge of popping. 

Randheer dropped his share of shopping bags to the floor and placed both his hands on his best friend’s shoulders. He could understand how anxious Uday was, living in oblivion. But there were certain things Randheer couldn’t say to him. It wasn’t his place. He couldn’t enlighten his best friend with the reality Vashma had been trying so desperately to hide. But he could guide Uday in fixing their friendship.

“Look, I don’t know what’s troubling Vashma. But I know that you’re the only one who can fix this.”

Uday’s forehead crinkled into a frown, “What do you mean?”

Randheer sighed before confessing, “Amrit wasn’t the one who suggested this makeover. This was Vashma’s idea.”

Uday’s eyes widened in surprise. Vashma had never been fond of fashion makeovers as she had always felt comfortable in her own skin. She never seeked societal validation.

“The girl who was always so confident of herself is in self-doubt right now. She’s nervous about the whole dating plan, no matter how hard she tries to hide. She’s slipping away from herself, Uday.”

All air drew out from his lungs as he felt at a loss of words. Something had happened that had crumbled so much that she no longer trusted herself. All this while he had noticed something amiss, but him being his stupid self failed to realize how she was slowly slipping into a shell what she was. She hadn’t been interacting as usual for the past few days, always lost in thought. Her silences had begun to irritate him so much that he forgot to consider that he might be the one lacking.

“Amrit has been trying to talk to her, but she refuses to open up.” Uday drew out a long breath at Randheer’s words. Of course Vashma didn’t. She didn’t like being vulnerable, he knew.

“Maybe she might open up to you?” Randheer suggested.

Uday barely murmured back, “She didn’t share her insecurities with her best friend. What makes you think she’ll open up to me?”

“Why do you think she can never lie to you?” 

Uday didn’t want a question in return for a question; it confused him even more. But his friend simply patted him on the back, took hold of the shopping bags and walked ahead, calling out to Amrit. Randheer’s words rang in his ears and once again he couldn’t help feeling he was the reason behind Vashma’s miseries.

----------

“Amrit, could you come here for a second?” Vashma called out from one of the changing rooms, only to receive silence from the other end. 

She called out to her friend once again, only to get the same response. Holding the front of her dress in place, she peeked out from the maroon changing room curtains not to find Amrit but Uday instead.

“Um...Randheer wanted to show something to Amrit on the other side of the store so…” 

He left the end of the sentence dangling midway and she nodded. Draping the curtains again, she leaned against the adjacent wall. She shut her eyes and reconsidered her options. There was a chance Amrit could take a while to return. And Vashma had been trying so many different dresses for the past forty-five minutes that she was fed up. She wanted to get this over with, but call it her inexperience for taking this long but she absolutely had no clue on what would look good on her. She had always dressed in formal shirts and pants, maybe skirts on days she was exceptionally happy. But never in party dresses. Perhaps this was why she couldn’t attract attention from the opposite gender.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her frazzled nerves. She could ask Uday for help. She didn’t have to be such a prude about this, it wasn’t like she was living in 1947. She could keep her emotions in check. And Vashma didn’t have to worry about Uday, knowing he would never feel anything more for her.

“Um, Uday?” She finally asked, peeking out the curtains again.

“Yeah?” He looked up from his phone.

“Could you help me out with this?” Vashma asked, pointing to her navy blue dress. 

He nodded, standing up from the bench and slipping his phone in his back pocket. She drew away from the curtain, turning towards the mirror. He pushed the drapes to one side and entered the confined space within four walls. Uday finally looked up to meet her eye in the mirror and his heart skipped a beat. She had donned a bodycon dress that ended just above her knees. He couldn’t find the words to compliment her beauty.

Navy blue. His favorite color. 

“Could you hook this?” She lifted two crossover straps attached to the neck of the dress with buttons at the end. 

He barely nodded, taking the straps from her hands without making any contact. And yet their matching kadas clinked against one another, drawing their attention to the close proximity. She gulped nervously, deviating her attention elsewhere as she blinked rapidly to calm her racing heart. It wasn’t until Uday brushed her waist long hair to one side that his mouth went dry. The dress had a low back. The way the dress perfectly hugged her curves ignited a heat that settled low within him.

Vashma could feel his warm breath on her bare shoulder and she gulped a breath. The knuckles of his hands slowly brushed past the nape of her neck as he buttoned the straps, his touch leaving behind tingling sensations on her skin. She couldn’t dare face him through the mirror, afraid she’d get too caught up with what she’d see. Instead, she fisted her hands and shut her eyes, clinging onto the moment she’d only had the right to dream of now.

Uday couldn’t breathe, no matter how hard to act indifferent to the proximity. Vashma’s aura had always enchanted him, but today it captivated his soul. Her uneven breathing echoed in his ears, the strands of her hair tickling his knuckles. He had finished buttoning her dress, but couldn’t step away from her. So his hand lingered on her back, sliding down the newly revealed expanse of skin. It felt so soft that he couldn’t help himself. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been intimate with women before. But just a single touch with Vashma Baig set his heart alight.

His touch left a trail of fire in its wake that completely consumed her. Her knees began to wobble, her breathing grew shallow and Vashma inevitably leaned into his touch. Her sigh mingled with his as she allowed herself to feel. Feel his fingers stir goosebumps on her back. Feel the scent of his cologne rub off on her skin. Feel his breath fan her earlobe, feel her heart beginning to drum in her chest.

He soon whispered, “Done.” 

How could a simple word ignite such foreign emotions within her?

Vashma opened her eyes and barely croaked in response, “Thanks.” She finally grabbed hold of herself and took one step ahead. Her body and heart expressed resentment at the sudden distance, but her mind knew it was the right thing to do.

“So…” She cleared her throat, hoping the tension between them would dissipate, “How do I look?”

“Stunning.” He whispered in a daze. Vashma turned to him and raised an eyebrow and Uday came out of his trance. Scratching the top of his brows, he sheepishly repeated, “You look stunning.”

Walking up to her, he continued, “But you don’t look you.”

Her brows crinkled in confusion as she bombarded him with questions, “Is it the dress? Of course not, it has to be me. Is it my hair? Or this nose ring that just stands out? I think I should start following a few makeup tutorials on YouTube or--”

“Shh.” He hushed her, taking her face in his hands. She looked so innocent, her eyes lined with kohl and her bottom lip in between her teeth. 

“You’re perfect when you’re you. You don’t need to change for anyone.”

For a moment Vashma allowed herself to delve deeper into his irises, but refused to lean into his touch. She couldn’t fall vulnerable again, she couldn’t let herself hope through his deceptions again. His words only insinuated friendship, nothing more.

And so she scoffed, lowering her lids, “Only you’d say that.”

He frowned, fearing she was misunderstanding him, “Huh?”

She met his eye again, “Only someone who looks at his friend as a sister would say that.”

His hands slumped back to his sides and Uday grew mum at her words as his mind played the events at the bonfire again. Was this what she was upset about? Was this why she was doubting herself? He’d only told everyone that to protect their friendship. He didn’t want to cross the line, but here it felt as if keeping away from it was worse.

Vashma noticed the ongoing confusion on his face and decided to rectify the meaning behind her words. She hadn’t meant for him to know that she hadn’t gotten over the bonfire incident, she hadn’t wanted to accuse him like this. But with him around, nothing went as per her plans. 

“What I mean is, I chose this makeover because I wanted to look desirable.” 

He immediately defended, “You already do.”

“That’s not true.” She shook her head.

“How are you so sure?”

“I couldn’t look attractive enough to you.”

----------

She hadn’t given him a chance to respond when she asked him to leave so that she could get dressed. Those four minutes had been nothing short of hell for him. Uday didn’t know how to react to that. But he knew silence wasn’t the answer. And neither was leaving their conversation unended, something he knew she’d most probably do.

Vashma exited the cubicle with her navy blue dress over her arm and stole one glance at Uday’s determined expression. Gulping nervously, she walked away, eager for some distance right now. She grimaced slightly as she felt him follow behind her. He wasn’t going to relent until he got answers, she knew.

“Vashma, we need to clear a few things out.” He came up to her, blocking her way.

“There’s nothing to clarify, Uday.” She refused to meet his eye but couldn’t help feeling the wrath of his scornful gaze.

“You might not want to, but I do. I need to.” He pressed, clutching her by her arms. 

She looked away as he continued, “Whatever I said that night was to respect our friendship, Vashma.”

“I know.”

“You don’t need to seek validation from anyone. Not me. Not any other guy. You’re beautiful because you don’t care what others think. You’re beautiful because you don’t let judgments get to you.” He asserted with force, his words so sincere and genuine.

“And you’re by far the most attractive woman I’ve ever come across.” 

His words made her breath hitch as her eyes widened to meet his. Her heart leaped into her hand, the words still echoing in her head.

“You’re ly--”

“I’ve never been able to lie to you.” His words soothed her like a gentle caress as realization dawned upon her. 

“If what you say is true…” She looked at her shivering fingers again as she braced the question with quivering lips, “...then how come you’re with someone like Trisha?”

Vashma didn’t know whether she wanted to hear the answer the second she put forth this question. He wasn’t one to sugarcoat things, and she wasn’t sure her heart was prepared for the brutal truth.

So she kept her eyes fixated on her fingers as she waited for him to break the silence. 

“Because someone like you deserves to fall in love. And I’m not made for love.”

“Correction. You don’t want to fall in love.”

Vashma interrupted, taking in another spoonful of the double chocolate truffle pastry he had balanced on his hand. Uday looked away with a grumpy face, irked at being caught before digging into the box himself. After a long tiring day at work, followed by their respective tutoring sessions, Vashma and Uday sat atop his car under the night breeze, munching on the delightful treat she had brought for them.

“Same difference.” He muttered under his breath, audible enough to Vashma. 

She narrowed her eyes at him at his cynical attitude. She knew the reason behind it. He had never experienced unconditional love. His mother had abandoned him the day he was born. His father never recovered from his wife’s loss to shower his own son with any love. Despite living in a joint family, Uday earned love the hard way. Amidst the busy schedules of all his elders, love came with a price. Good grades, a decent college degree, a well paying job. The standard of expectations went higher with each passing year. When Uday had callously confessed all of this to Vashma one night, she had felt remorse for her friend. No matter how hard he pretended to remain indifferent to his past, she could see how cruel life had been to him. How he hadn’t known what love was; the kind that only gave and wanted nothing in return.

“You haven’t experienced genuine love before.” She noted.

“And you have?” He questioned immediately.

Vashma shook her head, “I haven’t, but I want to. One day I’m sure I will.”

Uday frowned as he asked, “Wait, but haven’t you already?”

“Already what?”

“Fallen in love?”

“How can you say that?” She shifted in her seat to face him. 

“Well…” He began, clearing his throat, “...you’ve been with quite a few guys, right?”

“In that case, you must’ve fallen in love a thousand times.” She smirked at him and amusedly watched him redden a little. 

Vashma chortled lightly, because watching Uday Sahani the flirt become so shy in a second was a rare sight.

“I may have acted upon lust, but I’ve never fallen in love.” She admitted, serious again. 

The loose strands of her hair brushed across her face from the light breeze that had cut through the humidity, much to her relief.

He watched her push those strands behind her ears, the tops of her earlobes turning pink. It was a peculiar characteristic, but amusing nonetheless. Her ears reddened whenever she was anxious about something. Uday wondered what had caused her anxiety today, for it was only them talking. 

“How are you so sure?” He asked, his voice just above a whisper. 

Uday genuinely wanted to know. Despite all that he’d been through, he couldn’t stop the prying curiosity at times from wondering what it felt like to be loved. What it felt like to fall in love, and not just in lust.

“Because their absence never made my heart ache.” She hymned absentmindedly, her vision fixated at the oblivious horizon ahead of them. 

Uday pondered upon her words, his eyebrows furrowing in response. He had certainly never fallen in love, for he barely remembered the name of the last girl he was with, forget remembering the kind of feelings she evoked in him. It wasn’t like he was being unfair to all the women he had been with. The desires had been mutual, and so had the decision of keeping no strings attached between them. It was purely physical, nothing more. He’d never miss any of his ex-girlfriends.

But he’d certainly miss Vashma.

Uday shuddered at the thought. He didn’t realize how the term ‘girlfriend’ instantly formed an image of his closest friend in his head. In the few weeks he had known her, he had begun to admire her. Their similarities were too many to ignore. He couldn’t imagine spending a single day without annoying her. He couldn’t comprehend a single day at work without her daily dosage of stupid memes. Uday looked forward to their conversations close to the middle of the night, as together they drove past the city to their respective homes. He couldn’t imagine going through a day without speaking to her.

Is that what she was talking about? Is that what she hoped to find through love?

Uday instantly freed himself of these thoughts with a quick shake of head. He didn’t want to think of the one emotion he barely believed in.

“Is that what love does to people?” He cynically proposed, but Vashma caught onto the slight tinge of hope in his voice.

“It’s what all those romance novels say, so it might be true.” She shrugged.

Uday scoffed at that, “Who’d waste time believing in fiction?”

“Those who potentially hate reality.” She offered, her voice edged with a taunt. 

He stiffened at her remark and she let out a sigh. Vashma hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but facing the problem head-on was sometimes the only solution. Uday had been avoiding this topic ever since he first confessed to it and it hurt her to see him in pain. It was as if his mind and heart were in constant battle; trying to decide whether to give in or resist. She didn’t want him to resist. She wanted him to give in and experience the joys of love. Of loving someone and getting the same in return.

“You can’t just shut your emotions off, Uday.” She reasoned, tilting her head to one side.

“Maybe I won’t the day I find love in ‘the someone’ you talk about with so much conviction.” 

He answered, letting dejection spread through her.

“You’ve found that someone, Uday. You’ve found Trisha. You are made for love.” 

The dejection still remained, like a faint lull in the background. Perhaps it didn’t hurt as much as it did when Vashma first experienced it. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to it.

Uday wanted to say something, anything to retaliate against her theory. His heart immediately denied her words, giving out red signals about it being absolutely false. But before he could he felt an object vibrate in his back pocket. He hoped to ignore it, but the rings were so persistent he pulled out his phone in exasperation. 

“It’s Trisha.”

She merely nodded, “It’s okay, take it.”

Uday seemed reluctant, his hand gripping on the phone in an attempt to release some frustration. There was so much more to say to Vashma but it felt like the longer they conversed, the further away he found himself from her.

He couldn’t lose her. 

When she noticed his inner turmoil reflect on his face, Vashma decided to reassure, “We’re okay, Uday. I’m not letting go of a friend like you, so you’ve got to deal with me.” Vashma playfully mocked.

He passed a sincere smile that tugged the strings of her heart, “I don’t want to be let go of either.”

She nodded quietly as he turned around and put an end to his incessant ringtone by answering the phone.

Vashma took a deep breath, letting go of the part of her that had fallen for this man. And yet her lips quivered and tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

His absence still made her heart ache.