Closer Than Before | 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 ✅

Chapter 21: Silent treatment?

Radhika's POV:

After keeping the book on side table, I lay down on my side, trying to get comfortable. But no matter how much I shifted, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d gone too far.

About ten minutes later, I felt the bed shift as Samar laid down on his side of the bed, his back facing me.

I stared at his broad shoulders, feeling a pang of guilt mixed with frustration. Why did things have to be so complicated between us?

I sighed, turning away from him. My mind raced, replaying the events of the day over and over.

The silence between us was suffocating, and I wanted to reach out, to touch him, to break the wall that had somehow built up between us. But I didn’t. I just lay there, feeling bad and frustrated, until sleep finally took over.

The next morning, I woke up to the comforting aroma of tea. I blinked my eyes open and saw a cup of tea sitting on my bedside table.

I picked it up, feeling a warmth in my chest despite everything. Samar had left it for me, just like always. But when I looked around the house, he was nowhere to be found.

I sipped the tea, savoring the taste as I tried to shake off the remnants of sleep. It was delicious, just the way I liked it.

Even when he was upset with me, he still thought about the little things. That realization made my heart ache.

Today, I decided to wear my favorite baby pink anarkali suit. I paired it with silver jhumkas and a set of delicate silver bangles on one hand, while on the other, I wore my white band watch.

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but smile. I felt beautiful today, like I was wrapped in a soft, comforting glow.

I quickly snapped a mirror selfie and sent it to Siya. Within two minutes, her reply came, and it made me laugh out loud.“Aaj toh vo mar hi jyga tujhe dekh kr,” she had written.

Her text brought back a memory from our college days.

I remembered one day when Samar and I were sitting in the library, just like we often did.

I had turned to him, my heart pounding in my chest, and asked, “What’s one warning you wish you’d known before meeting me?”

He had smirked playfully, that familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. “Seeing you in traditional especially suits, I get different thoughts.”

My stomach had done a flip, and my face flushed a deep red. I looked away, feeling a mix of embarrassment and excitement.

He had cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady. “And what about you?”

I hesitated for a moment, my expression turning into something nervous. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell,” I said with a gentle smile.

In my mind, I had thought, I’d fall for you and never tell you "That I'll fall in love with you."

I smiled to myself now, thinking about how some feelings were just too deep to voice.

My love for Samar had always been there, quietly growing, even when I tried to push it away.

I had accepted a long time ago that I might never get to say those words to him, but that didn’t stop my heart from wanting him all the same.

Even back then, I knew I was falling for him, but I could never bring myself to say it out loud. I had always kept those feelings locked away, too afraid to ruin what we had.