Aisha sat beside Rishi, the warmth of nostalgia still lingering between them. Yet, as the conversation quieted, her thoughts drifted elsewhere....back to Ranvir, back to the love she had fought so hard to hold onto.
She sighed, staring down at her fingers as she absentmindedly traced the outline of her ring. "He wasn't always like this, you know," she murmured, almost as if she needed to convince herself.
Rishi's jaw tensed, but he said nothing, allowing her to continue.
"When we first started dating, Ranvir was… different. He cared, in ways that felt real." A small, wistful smile tugged at her lips as she recalled the past. "He used to surprise me with little things....coffee just the way I liked it, handwritten notes slipped into my bag, random midnight drives just because he wanted to see me smile. He made me feel like I was his world."
She shook her head, her voice growing quieter. "And then, somewhere along the way, it changed. The calls became fewer, the texts colder. The surprises stopped. I became the one who was always reaching out, always waiting, always hoping. And he… he just knew I'd always be there."
Rishi's fingers curled slightly into a fist at his side, but his voice remained steady. "And you still love him."
Aisha let out a breath, her gaze unfocused. "I do," she admitted, almost painfully. "Or maybe I love the version of him that doesn't exist anymore."
She exhaled sharply and straightened up. "I need to see him."
Rishi raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "What do you mean?"
"I need to remind myself why I love him, why I'm holding on. He's at that club tonight, right?"
Rishi's face darkened slightly, but he nodded. "Yeah. He's probably there."
"Then I'm going."
He studied her for a moment before sighing. "Fine. Then I'm coming with you."
Aisha blinked in surprise. "Rishi, you don't have to...."
"I want to," he cut in, his voice firm but calm. "I just… don't want you going there alone."
Something in his tone made her pause, but she didn't argue. Instead, she offered a small nod. "Alright. Let's go."
As they got up to leave, Rishi cast one last glance at her....at the determination in her eyes, at the stubborn hope she still clung to. And he knew, even as he walked beside her, that she was still walking toward heartbreak.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
They stepped outside, and Rishi walked ahead to open the car door for her. Aisha slid in gracefully, and he shut the door before moving to the driver's seat. As the engine hummed to life, he reached for the controls and, without a second thought, played her favorite songs.
Aisha glanced at him, a little surprised but touched by the gesture. Rishi had always remembered the little things, even when she never expected him to.
As they drove, he rolled down the windows, letting the cool night air flow in. He knew Aisha felt suffocated in closed spaces, and without her having to say a word, he made sure she was comfortable.
The wind tousled her dark hair, making it dance around her delicate face. In the dim glow of the passing streetlights, her beauty seemed almost ethereal. Rishi stole a glance at her, watching the way she absentmindedly gazed out at the city, lost in thought.
She was beautiful....not just in appearance, but in the way she carried her silent pain with grace, in the way she still held on to hope despite everything. And in that moment, he found himself admiring her even more, knowing that his love for her was something she had never even noticed.
They reached the club, and as Rishi was parking the car, Aisha, impatient to see Ranvir, stepped out before he could even turn off the engine. Her heart pounded as she made her way toward the entrance, eager yet nervous.
But before she could reach the door, she froze in place.
Ranvir had just walked out of the club, his arms lazily wrapped around a woman....a woman Aisha recognized immediately. It was the same girl he had always insisted was "just a friend," the one who had been the source of countless fights between them.
Aisha's breath caught in her throat. Her body refused to move, her heart beating erratically as she watched the scene unfold.
The girl noticed her first. A slow, knowing smirk stretched across her lips before she turned to Ranvir, pulling him even closer. And then, right in front of Aisha, she pressed her lips to his.
Ranvir didn't push her away.
He didn't hesitate.
Instead, he kissed her back, deepening the kiss with a passion Aisha hadn't seen from him in a long time.
Aisha felt her entire world tilt. Her hands trembled at her sides, her breath caught somewhere between disbelief and devastation.
Before she could even react, Ranvir and the girl pulled apart, laughing as if nothing had happened. He opened the passenger door for her, and without even noticing Aisha standing there, they both slipped inside his car.
The engine roared to life, and within seconds, they were gone....leaving Aisha standing in the cold night, her heart shattered into a thousand pieces.
And just then, Rishi arrived, his eyes immediately finding her frozen form. One look at her face, and he knew.
She had just witnessed the very moment her illusions came crashing down