Pyaar, Prema ..... Friendship?

🖤Chapter 23🖤

Ashwin wakes up to the sound of thunder and rain, as he yawns and stretches the kinks and muscles of his body. He lays on his back and stares at the wall, silent, letting his ears accustom to the sounds around him. It's then he hears a mild clinking of the plates against each other that puts him in alert, sitting up and listening to the sound carefully and his brain clicks. He sighs in relief as he realises that it's his friend, Roshan, causing up a storm in his kitchen. He remembers picking him up from his hotel and him promptly falling asleep in his car as he was too tired from his flight, both of them promising to talk tomorrow about the elephant in the room because they're both tired for different reasons. Ashwin rubs a hand down his face and gets off his bed, brushing his teeth, shrugging on his tank top and walks toward the kitchen, amused as he sees Roshan doing his little dance while he's making breakfast. "Dei, yennada panre?" he snickers through his words and Roshan jumps a foot, keeping a hand near his heart and glares at him "Arivu irukka? Paithiyam, kaiye paturunthichi na yenna pannuve?" "Hospital ke kutitu poven marunthu pode solluven" he snarks and then bursts out laughing at Roshan's betrayed face. "Neeye, Cooku with Comali poiyi maarite, kadi joke ellam pode arambichite" "Yenna panruthu, athu yennode DNA leh kalanthuruchi" he sighs and then lightly giggles before he takes a seat at the island chair.

"Ithu maatum Ahana ke terinjuchi, avale surprise ah ayiruva" Roshan teases and Ashwin's smile dims into a sad one. He knows Roshan said it as a passing thought since they are as close as the both of them, but it still stings that he could take her name without an ounce of guilt and regret, unlike him. Sensing his silence, Roshan shuts off the hood and the stove before he turns and looks at him, leaning against the counter top, his back digging into it. "Ei, yen da silent ah ayite?" he asks but Ashwin keeps silent "Dei, sonna thanda yennuku teriyum" Roshan wheedles again and Ashwin sighs "Periya thappu paniten da" he says and Roshan hums questioningly as he walks forward and takes the seat opposite him. "Apdi yennathan da nadanthuchi ungge rendu perukum? Neenge rendu perum sanda poota maraa naale kojikitu irupinggale" "Ithu small matter illeda, naa panuthu periya thappu, I broke her trust" "Yennada solre?" Roshan asks and Ashwin takes a deep breath before he pours out everything, all the events that had happened since the day they went back to Coimbatore "Naa nethu night kuda call panne try panne aana ava edukule, voice call ke poiruchi. Ennaku bayama irukku da, enakku yenamo naa avale lose panniteno nu thonuthu, that she's comfortable back in her place and she's not gonna come back-" "Athu thappu illeye" Roshan says seriously and Ashwin stares at him "Dei naa yenna solle varenu teriyuma, I'm gonna lose her and you're saying that it's okay?" "Nee panne thappu ke avale yenna panne solre? Ille naa kekure, nee ava yedethule irunthu pesu, ava un eduthule irunthu apdi panna nee yenna panuve? Unale ava munjiye kovam varame paaka mudiyuma? Unale avale pathi che po nu yosikama iruke mudiyuma? Unale ini avale nambe mudiyuma?" Roshan asks and Ashwin staggers "Dei, yennada solre? Naa-" "You did something that'll forever create a crack between the both of you, you made it awkward between the both of you-" "But ava yenkite awkward ah nadanthukiliye, she was still beside me and-" "Apro yen avaserama ponnum? Why rush to get out the house and fly off to New York-" "She said that her friend can help defuse this problem-" "Which she could have done it from here. Ava avalode friend ku inggeye call panni settle panirulam, but she went there, athuvum she rushed out, unne tirumbi kude paakele"

"So what now she hates me?!" "Dei! Naa apdi sollele da, she doesn't hate you but she also feels awkward and uncomfortable with you. She wants time away from you, yenna ipo neege onna irunthinge na inthe prechene unggele suthikitu than irukkum, and you guys will never not talk about it and every conversation you guys try to have will just burn down to this and it'll get even ugly. That's why she went away, cause she's uncomfortable, not that the thought of you but at the thought that now if she talks to you this issue will come up and it'll get messy and she doesn't want that" Roshan says pleadingly. Ashwin leans back against his chair, closing his eyes "So I caused it huh?" "Caused what?" "The gap between us, ennale olunga yosike mudile naale I've cause this distance between the both of us" he says defeated and feels a lump in his throat at the thought of it. It's silent as the duo go through their breakfast, only the clinking of the spoon against the plate is heard. "She still cares about you, ya know" Roshan says suddenly and Ashwin huffs bitterly "Yeah right" "Dei..." Roshan sighs but Ashwin stays silent. "Ava onne oraidiya avalode life le irunthu otheri vidule, even when she's needed space, she's never outright say that she doesn't want you in her life. Nee thande avale purinjikinum, ipo vachum athu pannu, understand her silence, understand that even if she's away she still needs you in her life, yenna nee ava valkeiyile avalo periya part play panre, you're such a huge impact in her life that she's unwilling to let you go. You have to do that too ya know? Trust her, let her go while also holding her hand a little, promising her that you'll always be there for her. Ipdithan you can get her to trust you back, mend this thing and that crack I said wouldn't be as obvious if you guys are together during this" Roshan says and Ashwin nods understandingly.