Laazawaal Mohabbat

Chapter 17 : Calamity Knocking

Just as Zunera ran out of his cabin, barely a minute later his cabin door burst open. He grinned and turned around.

“I knew you will-” - he stopped mid-sentence, the smile vanishing from his face because the person standing infront of him was...

Kashish.

Her eyes puffy and looking at him accusingly. Like he had betrayed her in the race of life.

“Kuku ? What happened ?” - he asked, worried for his friend.

“How could you ?” - she whisper-asked, her eyes welling up.

He was genuinely confused as to what she was talking about. Had she taken her best friend's insult THAT seriously ?

“Kuku your friend-”

“HOW COULD YOU ?” - she reiterated. Her tone shrill.

“How could I what ?!” - he asked.

“REFUSE TO MARRY ME!”

He froze. She was upset because of... that ?

“I... don't understand. You are upset because I refused to marry you ?” - he asked in disbelief.

“You are acting as if my reaction is alien...” - her tone was calm again. Sinking into a well of sadness.

“Of course it is! I thought you'll be equally relieved! After all, we don't see each other like that!” - he exclaimed, baffled.

Her eyes sharpened on him. “You might not have thought about me like that Abhi! But I have always thought like that about you!” - she said, rendering him speechless. “Have you never noticed, the way I'm around you is different than everybody else's ?! Why I accompany you every year on your car races despite your life-threatening driving ?! Why, if someone hurts you even mistakenly, he becomes my arch nemesis ?! Can't you see ? The efforts I make around you ? To appease you ? Since childhood, I have adapted everything you like and have abandoned all the things that you don't? WHY ?!”

He was at a short of words.

Her confession had came out as the biggest shock of his life. She had... feelings for him ?

“For someone so intelligent and sharp-minded, you failed to realize that you're not just a friend for your childhood friend! But her everything!” - she finished, weeping.

“Kuku I...” - he honestly didn't know what to say as his childhood friend — who happened to have feelings for him — stood infront of him, crying.

“Come here...” - he gently took her to the sofa and made her sit. He picked out some tissues from the box before sitting beside her.

“I have never been so shocked in my life before.” - he started, giving her a tissue to wipe her tears. “I agree that I have failed at realizing your sentiments for me but you could have at least tell me Kuku... don't we have that level of understanding where we can easily share our thoughts ?” - his tone was gentle.

“There are some things we girls expect from you guys Abhi! I thought you will, eventually, approach the topic one day. Even Aafiya aunty and Mummy thought the same! That we are made for each other!” - she reasoned. Her tone accusatory again.

He sighed. How to make her understand that they practically behave like siblings ? But he kept that opinion to himself as to not hurt her further.

“But the truth is total opposite Kuku... we are made to be friends with each other. Nothing more nothing less. I respect your feelings but... I've never seen you as my life partner. I don't know what I ever did that gave you the idea that I feel the same way.” - he tenderly tried to make her understand.