Twist Of Fate ( Available On Kindle)

part 20

"Anu..." Varun's voice interrupted Anbu's thoughts. She shifted her gaze from the tissue stand on the table to Varun, who looked at her questioningly. Anbu bit her inner cheeks, trying to maintain a stable expression. She knew Varun could sense her emotions just by looking into her eyes, but she didn't want him to know what was going on in her life right now.

She and Swati had come to meet Varun at the place he mentioned. Varun seemed quieter than usual, and Anbu sensed that he was about to bring up something unexpected. Before he could start, Swati went to place their drink orders, leaving Anbu alone with Varun. He made small talk to pass the time until Swati returned, but Anbu's mind was elsewhere.

"What? Why are you giving me strange looks?" Anbu asked, trying to appear casual as she looked around the café. It was crowded, with adults, college students, and couples lost in their own worlds. Part of her wished she could be like them, happy with her partner, and she found herself missing Rishi. But amidst the couples and busy individuals, she felt out of place.

"Care to explain?" Anbu turned her attention back to Varun, raising her eyebrows as if she didn't know what he was talking about.

"Don't pretend, just spill it out already," Varun urged, glaring at her.

Anbu shook her head in denial. "Oh come on, just tell me what it is? Is your fiancé avoiding you? Or did your mom say something according to Indian culture? I know it's not your period date either. Then what is it?" Varun kept guessing, irritating Anbu.

"Will you shut up?" Anbu grumbled, annoyed by Varun's persistence.

"Nope, not until you tell me what it is. Just tell me, yaar, why are you always hard to get?" Varun continued to pester her.

"I'm not pretending anything, it's you. No, actually, it's both of you who are pretending," Anbu retorted, returning his glare. She felt frustrated by his behaviour. She knew he would push her until she revealed what was bothering her, but she wasn't ready to share yet.

Varun's expression changed, confirming Anbu's suspicion. "Stop lying. I have noticed how you both ignore each other in each other's presence, and sometimes I have caught you stealing glances at each other. And from the day you came back, Swati has been distancing herself from us, from you. Don't you see how she gives lame reasons to avoid meeting us, hanging out with us? And I want to know when you guys will stop playing this hide and seek game? Till when?" Anbu confronted him, her tone serious. She needed to address their strained friendship before it worsened.

Varun looked around before responding. "I know you're saying all these just to divert me from questioning you, right? Well, you'll succeed. Now stop with these games," he said, clearly irritated, rubbing his temple as he stared at Anbu.

"Just say it, Varun. You and Swati had a thing, and you guys never felt it important to tell me. Were you just fooling around with her?" Anbu blurted out, unable to contain her curiosity.

Varun didn't look away, maintaining his gaze with a blank expression. It seemed like he was struggling to control his emotions. Letting out a sigh, he began with a heavy voice, "You're right, we had something in the past, but it no longer exists now. We have moved on, and we didn't want to make it awkward, so we kept you away from all of it." He paused, swallowing hard, indicating the difficulty in discussing his relationship with Swati. After taking a deep breath, he continued, "Don't ask her about it. Now that you have your answer, leave this matter here. I wanted to share something important with both of you, but right now, I'm not in the state to do anything. I'm leaving."

With that, Varun stood up and left, leaving Anbu stunned and processing what had just happened. If they were truly over their relationship, why did Varun leave? His words didn't seem to align with his actions, indicating that there was more to their story than just love and a breakup.

As Anbu mulled over Varun's words, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Swati standing beside her with their ordered drinks. Swati glanced at the empty chair where Varun had been sitting moments ago.

"Where is he?" Swati asked, taking a seat beside Anbu.

"He left," Anbu replied, unfazed.

"To where?" Swati inquired further, handing Anbu the pineapple shake she ordered.

"He just left, that's all I know," Anbu responded.

"How can he leave like that? He's the one who called us to meet, saying he has something important to discuss," Swati began to complain.

"If you're so concerned about him, call him and ask him directly. Stop bothering me," Anbu snapped back. She didn't want to entertain any more questions from Swati. Both Varun and Swati were making her feel uneasy, and she didn't want to engage in further conversation with Swati at the moment.

Varun's sudden absence made Anbu realise that she may have hurt him by bringing up the topic just to deflect his questions. She regretted her actions, feeling disappointed in herself. The past few days had been tough, and she had lashed out her frustration on him.

"Fuck! I triggered him," she cursed inwardly, frustrated with the tangled and messy nature of relationships. She wished it could be simple: two people loving each other, getting together, and living happily ever after, without any drama or heartbreak. But then, she pondered, who would appreciate love if it didn't come with the pain and fear of losing it?

God, she thought, had a long-term plan for everything. He knew humans would take things for granted if they came too easily, so he added hardship and pain to make people worthy of love and relationships.

The next morning, Anbu relished the warmth of her blanket, deciding to stay inside and continue sleeping for a while longer. As she stretched and yawned, she reached for what she thought was a pillow, only to find it hard and heavy.

Peeking out from under her blanket, she found a man sleeping beside her. Shocked, she jumped away, pulling the blanket with her. Looking around the shadowy room, she tried to make sense of the situation. Approaching the bed cautiously, she recognized the figure as Rishi.

Confused and startled, Anbu wondered why Rishi was there, when he had arrived, and why he was sleeping beside her on her bed.