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• ISHAAN •

2 MONTHS LATER...

It was a Sunday morning with zero blueprints to plan for my clients, hence I went through my second comfort zone in my life after my notice board: advikab1389@gmail.com.

And, it all started with the reply I received after me ignoring her five emails for one month.

From: advikab1389@gmail.com
To: isha142@swiftlee.com

Subject: Gajar ka halwa

My favourite sweet is Gajar ka halwa (Carrot halwa). Surprisingly, the only Indian dessert I prefer.

Advika B...

From: isha142@swiftlee.com
To: advikab1389@gmail.com

Subject: Only Indian dessert?

What do you mean? I thought Indians were fond of their desserts and dishes more than anyone else.

I

From: advikab1389@gmail.com
To: isha142@swiftlee.com

Subject: Fortunately, no.

I prefer Italian cuisine. *wink wink*

Advika B...

A tremor of pinkness exploded in my cheeks as I read the *wink wink* thing. I never realised that I had 30 teeth— two of which had fallen while munching down cheese-loaded pizza— until that moment when the *wink wink* was looking back at me.

I skipped a few emails and read another set of my favourite emails we shared.

It was about her boyfriend Harsh, who she claims to be a "red flag".

Reasons (according to Advika)?:

One: He always wanted her to be flexible with his plans and never compromised it for her.
Two: He is super dramatic and is capable of turning a safety-pin-sized issue into something as huge as a sword, creating deep scars.
Three: He forced her for one month to say yes when he proposed to her before passing out of college.
Four: He had a situationship with her college mate for two months, despite being in a relationship with her.
Five: He manipulated and threatened her into joining his father's firm as an intern.

From: isha142@swiftlee.com
To: advikab1389@gmail.com

Subject: Why not?

Now that you don't want to continue the relationship with Harsh, why not end it?

I

From: advikab1389@gmail.com
To: isha142@swiftlee.com

Subject: Fuck my maturity!

Harsh is a red universe. But, I am a red flag as well.

I should tell him that I want to end things. But, being an extreme coward, I am afraid of ending things at the wrong time. Because, he wanted to keep this relationship intact, despite everything that was between us. If I tell him that I don't want to continue it, he would somehow convince me back into the relationship by saying things like, "I'm making efforts as well," or "Just give me some time, and I will turn our mundane lives into magic," and so on. It feels like I'm too immature to have THIS relationship.

I must have ended things with him when I found out that he cheated on me with Smita. It was my fault. I was obsessed with being in a relationship and badly wanted it.