Truly Yours

Chapter 18 - The Past

Walking into Birla Enterprises, Abhimanyu stopped witnessing a sight he wish he could erase. Groaning internally, he turned to walk the other way when he was stopped by the one and only Anushka Shergill.

She was carrying around a box of sweets that she had seemingly been distributing. Not that they had been eaten... seemed like no one in the office trusted her.

"What are you doing here Ms. Shergill?" Abhimanyu asked her professionally gritting through his teeth.

"Abhimanyu!" she smiled, "Can I offer you some cookies? Everyone is working so hard so I thought I would deliver some food on the way to Arohi's offsite office," she said twiddling her hair and batting her eyelashes as she gazed at him with her most seductive gaze.

"It. Is. Sir... I will not repeat myself again" Abhimanyu gritted, enunciating each word. "We are lucky enough to have premium catering services offered to our staff here... it is inappropriate to be offering food at a workplace when you don't have insight into everyone's dietary requirements. Please be on your way" Abhimanyu told her professionally.

Anushka's smile faltered as the cracks slowly started peering in. She clenched her fingers as she packed her bag beside her to leave, huffing and puffing. She looked at him before she left.

"Does my presence really not affect you? How can you not be affected by the past at all?" she asked him as if she were threatening him.

Abhimanyu shrugged his shoulders casually, "The past is the past for a reason"

***

Anushka Shergill had been a chapter in his life where he had regarded himself as if being on autopilot mode. She had come into his life after interweaving herself into his social circle. He should've picked up on it then that she was trying to be a socialite.

Having been recently heartbroken at the time, Abhimanyu had agreed to go on a couple of dates with her and over time it had turned into a relationship... mostly initiated from her side. He had been a good boyfriend, doing the standard things that were required but he always knew he wasn't in love.

However, he was a man of principles and he had always been faithful despite his heart knowing that she wasn't the one. He knew one day it would end and take its natural course. What he did not expect was that her desire for success and fame had however one day landed her in the laps of one of his business rivals. And that was Abhimanyu's boundary- instantly, she had been banished from his life.

That was the day he had decided he was done with relationships and love. That it was much easier to just focus on work than get caught up in these charades. He had vowed to himself that he would never look for feelings or love in a relationship ever again.

But...

There had always been one exception to that rule... even though he had tried to fight his feelings there too.

His Akshara.

No boundary he tried to draw was strong enough from making him fall in love with her... all over again.

Only this time - there was an indication that she actually reciprocated his feelings which shocked him to the core. He had spent years thinking she would never reciprocate how he felt.

He had worked so hard to suppress his feelings ... to draw some distance and to simply see her as his sister's best friend. He had always thought that she could never possibly love him or see him that way and the last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. That is why he had to ensure that she was not being pressured into the wedding... and he had been surprised that she was okay with it!

He had worked so so hard. Tried to protect himself and distance himself... failing to even comprehend the intensity of his emotions in the early days as he had tried to act like he was never even in love with her.

He laughed at himself now, he had been an idiot.

How could an Abhimanyu exist if his love for Akshara did not?

It made sense now.

It had always been her.

And he had to tell her everything.

Including how in love he was.