Just Friends

CHAPTER 3

"My silence is just another word for my pain. A love like I have for you, I'll never, ever know again." 

- Vicki Case

^^^

"I guess you are aware that these dating apps don't work?" Avni voiced out her words as she took a sip of her coffee. They had assembled in the café as ordered by Aditi to plan the pre-wedding functions.

"I had already made an account weeks before." Confessed Kiara, a secret she had kept to herself for weeks. Everyone had been busy with their life and they hardly conversed.

"Kiara, you know you aren't that type? You can't go on dating and do those stuff. They don't come naturally to you." Avni was sounding concerned for her friend.

"I need a distraction, Avni." She rather screamed not able to handle Avni's series of objections.

"Distraction from whom?" Came a confused voice of Aditi, making their eyes enlarged in horror. Avni and Kiara shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by Aditi but rather than letting its side off, she questioned directly. "Are you both hiding something?" She interrogated as she placed a bunch of her books on the table along with two bags she had carried with her.

"Kiara..." she fixed her orbs on her waiting for her response.

"Actually, it just..."

"She had fallen for someone, who has no interest in her." Avni put it in a short manner. Aditi's brow knitted in confusion for a minute before widening in surprise.

"Wait! What! As in, falling in love?" Aditi found it impossible to believe. It wasn't because she considered the chances of Kiara falling for someone impossible but rather she had been kept hidden from the fact. Her accusing orbs were staring at Kiara, waiting for justification from her side. She felt betrayed by her friend. Why was she kept hidden from such a beautiful part of Kiara's life? Why Avni was aware of it but not she?

"I felt it was baseless talking about my feeling. It was a stupid thing it was just my mere attraction." Kiara grumbled not having to courage to glance at her friends accusing stare. Her eyes were rooted on the cup of coffee she had ordered that surely was of no use as it might had turn cold as she hadn't taken a sip from it.

"Whatever it was, it was your feeling and they aren't ever stupid." Aditi voiced her opinion. Keeping her displeasure at her side as she understood Kiara wasn't in a state to pacify for her actions. Maybe she was even guilty for having such feelings for the guy. "Have you directly or indirectly hinted to him about it?" Aditi inquired after a minute of silence.

Kiara jerked her eyes at Aditi with amazement. She was anticipating some annoyance from her side, anger but not a concern. Aditi was staring at her in worry. Kiara thought, was she so devasted that Aditi kept her frustration aside and was trying to console her? Was she that heartbroken?

"I didn't..." She confessed staring back at her filled coffee mug.

"So, he might be clueless about your feelings. And that doesn't mean you need a distraction but you just need to express it to him. Kiara, these guys aren't that self-aware about their feeling. They usually take crush as love and love as nothing. The more intense the feeling, the more they are scared to take a step forward. I would suggest that you at least provide enough hints for him to understand that you're interested. Yes, that..." she was going to complete but Kiara jumped in between.

"That isn't going to help. He is interested in someone else. He is dating someone." Kiara's information made Aditi's open mouth shut down after considering the word for a minute.