Love Rekindled - AdiYa FF

Chapter 4: Tides of Emotions

"Tell me, Zoya. I am asking you something." Aditya demanded as the rain had started to lose its intensity.

"What do you want to know?" Zoya asked, despite knowing very well what he was asking about.

"Will you care to explain the reason behind that lie you told me? About being married to Rohan?" Aditya asked seriously, while Zoya retaliated, "My wish! I can say whatever I feel to anyone. Why do you bother? You are already dating...someone else yeah?"

Aditya's expression darkened, and he stepped closer, his voice dropping low, almost taunting. "Did it hurt, Zoya? Did it bother you?"

Zoya's breath caught in her throat, her gaze faltering under the weight of his question. She wanted to deny it, to throw his accusation back in his face. But the truth clung to the silence between them, and she couldn't bring herself to lie.

"This isn't about that," she finally whispered, her voice strained. But it was too late—Aditya had already seen the crack in her armor. He moved in closer, the space between them shrinking as the first drops of rain began to fall, cool and heavy, soaking into their clothes.

"You see," Aditya murmured, his breath warm against her skin, "No matter how many lies you tell, no matter how high you build your walls, you can't hide what's really going on between us. You feel it too."

Zoya's chest tightened, her resolve weakening with every word he spoke. The heat of his body, the nearness of him, it was all too much. She should push him away, should walk away from this twisted mess they'd found themselves in, but her feet remained rooted to the ground.

"What do you want from me now, Aditya?" Her voice was barely a whisper now, trembling with the weight of unspoken feelings.

Aditya's eyes softened, the tension between them shifting. "I want you to stop acting. From me. Zoya, I know you. You can't fool me. You're not fine, and we both know it."

Her throat tightened at his words. He always had this way of seeing right through her, and she hated it. She crossed her arms, glaring at him through the downpour. "You don't know me anymore. Not after everything."

The silence between them stretched on, filled with the sound of the rain hitting the ground. Aditya's face softened, a flicker of regret crossing his features. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I don't know everything about your life now. But I still know you, Zoya. And I can see how much you're holding back. Why don't you just let your feelings out in the open?"

Zoya swallowed hard, her emotions rising like the storm around them. She had spent so long burying the pain, pretending it didn't hurt, that she was fine without him. But standing here, with Aditya so close, the weight of it all felt unbearable.

"Because that's what life has taught me," she replied, her voice weary, filled with the years of hurt she'd never voiced. "You don't get to pick up the pieces of my life now, Aditya. I learned to handle things alone because I had no other choice. Because, you left me with no other choice."

Aditya ran a hand through his soaked hair, frustration evident in his every movement. "I never wanted to make things harder for you, Zoya. But I can't just stand by and act like there's nothing between us. We have unfinished business, and you know it."

Zoya's heart pounded in her chest. She had been running, avoiding, building walls so high no one could break through. But now, here in the rain, she couldn't deny the pull she still felt. The part of her that longed for him, for the connection they used to share, was battling against the fear of being hurt all over again.

"I don't know if I can do this," she admitted, her voice shaking. "I don't know if I can go through all of this again."

Aditya took a step closer, his gaze steady and unyielding. "You won't have to go through it alone this time. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."