When Hearts Collide

|•Chapter 3•|

**Ekansh's POV**

The second Naina walked into the conference room, the world around me blurred. Time hadn't dulled her effect on me-if anything, it had only made her more vivid. Her presence stirred up everything I had pushed aside for years. It wasn't just the way she looked, though she had only grown more stunning with time, but the way she carried herself-confident, determined, yet distant. Like a part of her was somewhere else.

Or maybe that part was just guarded from me.

As she spoke during the meeting, my mind drifted back to the last night I saw her, the words I wished I could take back. She didn't look at me directly, her eyes skimming over me, focused on anything but my presence. I couldn't blame her. The hurt between us was a chasm I had created, and for years, I had no idea how to bridge it.

When the meeting finally ended, I couldn't take my eyes off her. I had to talk to her, no matter how much she didn't want to hear it. I owed her that, at the very least-a proper explanation, an apology.

"Naina," I said, catching her just as she was about to leave. "Can we talk?"

Her eyes flickered toward mine, guarded and cautious. She hesitated but then nodded, and we walked out into the hallway together, the silence between us thick with everything that had been left unsaid for five years.

I stopped when we reached the far corner, away from the others. My heart was pounding, but I knew this was my chance. My only chance. "You left without giving me a chance to explain."

Her jaw tightened. "What was there to explain, Ekansh? I heard you loud and clear."

My heart sank. The words I'd said all those years ago hung between us like a noose, tightening with each second. "It wasn't like that," I started, desperation creeping into my voice. "You misunderstood-"

"I *misunderstood*?" she cut me off, her voice hard as steel. "I heard you say it, Ekansh. Our friendship didn't matter. That I didn't matter."

Her words sliced through me. I had spent years regretting that night, replaying it over and over. "I was a coward back then, Naina," I admitted, my voice softening. "I was stupid, and I let my own fears ruin everything."

She shook her head, her expression unreadable. "You didn't just ruin everything, Ekansh. You destroyed it."

Her voice trembled with the weight of five years of hurt, and it felt like a punch to my gut. Seeing her pain, knowing I was the cause of it-it was unbearable. I wanted to reach out to her, but I knew that wouldn't fix anything.

"I know," I said quietly. "And I've regretted it every day since. But I never stopped thinking about you, Naina. Never."

Her eyes met mine then, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw a flicker of the girl I used to know. But it was gone just as quickly. She was guarded now, a wall firmly in place. "You hurt me, Ekansh," she whispered, her voice raw. "You broke everything we had."