It's Always Been You

Chapter 5 - The Conversation

After her mother had left, Akshara kept thinking about what she had said in regards to marriage. Akshara checked her phone numerous times and saw Abhimanyu was yet to respond to her earlier messages.

Feeling like the walls very caving in and her mind going blank, all Akshara wanted to do was talk to her best friend. Have him be her sounding board, her guiding light as he always was.

Taking a deep breath, Akshara finally dialed Abhimanyu's phone number. He picked up on the first ring.

"So you are able to take my call before I've even finished dialing but you aren't able to text me back?" She complained, letting her anger and frustration shine.

"I was busy earlier. Sorry!" Abhimanyu lied. He hadn't been busy. He'd gotten all her texts. He had just been too anxious about her meeting with Rehaan that he simply had not been in the mood to text her back.

"Uh huh, liar!"

"No! I'm not lying!" Yes, he was. He just didn't want it admit he had been laying in his bed, sulking, waiting on her to call her.

"Sure, whatever." She rolled her eyes.

"So what's up? Why you calling?"

"Can a girl not call her best friend when she feels like it?"

"Now whose lying." Abhimanyu pointed out. "You can't fool me, Little One. I can tell from your voice that you are tensed about something."

Akshara was at a loss of words. Despite being the best friend he was, Akshara was still not able to grapple how he was able to read her like an open book.

"Okay, yes. I am confused. And I need some advice."

"Advice?" Abhimanyu felt his heart hammer against his chest. Was this about him? About Rehaan? She was confused about him? What was there to be confused about? Did she not say no?!

"Umm, my dad, he introduced me to someone."

"A guy?"

"Yes. Rehaan. His name is Rehaan. He is from Delhi, young, smart, handsome. And at first they didn't tell me why they had me tag along to their meeting —or well the real reason of course. Then Mama came and told me. They have chosen Rehaan to be my potential groom."

"And?"

"And I am confused." She confessed honestly. She trusted Abhimanyu with her life. He had never steered her wrong before. If he told her —even once that this marriage —Rehaan was not the right choice for her, she would back out in an instant. She...she just needed to hear it from Abhimanyu. Telling her to not get married to Rehaan.

On the other end of the line, Abhimanyu was at a loss of words. Akshara had not said no. She was even considering getting married to Rehaan. What was he even supposed to say?

"What do you want me to say?" Abhimanyu blurted, unhappy that Akshara was unable to come to a decision on her own. Maybe it had just been him who had high hopes from her. Maybe it had just been him who had felt something for her.

"What do you mean what do you want me to say? You are my best friend! You should be giving me advice! Helping me come to a decision." Akshara felt flabbergasted by his cold response.

"I don't know, Akshara. It's your life. Your future. You need to make that decision. You are going to be the one spending the rest of your life with him. Not me." The frustration was beginning to shine through the small afflictions of his voice.

He wanted to yell at her, scream at her, tell her to say no to the marriage. To the rishta. But he knew he couldn't do that. Because maybe all this was in his head. Maybe to Akshara, he really was just a friend. Her best friend. Nothing more. So he was going to act like one.

"Abhi..." Akshara's heart broke. Little by little. Why wasn't he telling her to say no to the marriage?

"Akshara, if you think Rehaan is a nice guy, a good guy, the right guy, then you should do what you think is right for you. It'll be you who has to make the commitment so only you are capable of making that decision. Not me, not your parents, no one else but you."

Akshara clutched her phone tight, taking Abhimanyu's nonchalant advice as his acceptance of her marriage.

"Did you know?"

"Know?"

"About Rehaan. Were you aware of dad's plan to make me meet him?" Is that why you didn't answer my texts?

Abhimanyu signed heavily over the phone. "Yes. They talked to me about him yesterday."

And yet you didn't say a word. Akshara was disappointed in her best friend. "And you were okay with it?"

Abhimanyu's breath hitched in his throat. "Why...why wouldn't I be? My best friend is all grown up. Going to get married? All I am thinking of is the food I'm going to be eating at your wedding." Abhimanyu tried to sound happy but he found his voice breaking.

An aura of gloominess blanketed over the phone. Neither Abhimanyu or Akshara talking about the actual root of the matter. Both of just beating around the bush, hoping that the other one understood the underlying, unsaid feelings.

"I haven't said yes yet." She pointed out.

But you didn't say no either. "No, you haven't."

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?" Maybe Akshara was making it all up in her head. Maybe Abhimanyu really didn't think of her as anything more than his best friend.

"It...it wasn't my place to tell you. Plus, Uncle said it was just a friendly meeting. Just to give you time to feel Rehaan out. See the type of vibe you two set. So? What did you think of him?"

Akshara pushed aside the feelings of hurt and anger she was feeling at Abhimanyu's distant behaviour and answered his questions. "He was nice. Attentive. I had fun talking to him." She kept her response short, clipped.

"Nice. So are you going to be seeing him again?"

"Yes. I think so."

"So you are really thinking of getting married, huh?"

"Yeah, I think I am." Akshara smiled half heartedly into the phone.

"Nice. Well I guess congratulations are in order then." Abhimanyu felt his heart breaking and his soul being crushed.

"I think you got a bit of time for that." She felt like sobbing.

"I'll wait then. But look at that. My best friend is going to be getting married."

Akshara couldn't bare to listen to Abhimanyu's voice being happy at the thought of her marriage anymore. But she didn't want to end the phone call either. It was a double edged sword. "You better miss me when I am all the way in Delhi."

"I'll do you one better. I'll come visit you in Delhi and you can show me around to the best spots. Help me explore the city."

Akshara chuckled. "Of course. Any time."

Abhimanyu felt a sudden numbness in his throat. "I gotta go, Akshara. Mom's calling me down stairs for dinner." He lied.

Akshara nodded her head and lied. "Same. Bye Abhi."

"Bye, Little One."

Abhimanyu and Akshara ended the phone call. They both fell down on their mattresses, clutching the phones to their chests, reeling from the conversation.

Best friends.

That's all they were to each other.

Just friends.