Fragrance of love

35. THE TRUTH

Next morning at **Gulmohar Garden**, the air was fresh with the scent of blooming flowers, but Saransh's mood was anything but light. He walked towards a lone bench where Ikshit sat, his face calm but eyes scanning Saransh intently.

Saransh frowned, his voice sharp as he asked, "Kyu bulaya mujhe yaha?"

Ikshit, sitting casually with one leg crossed over the other, looked up at him, his expression unreadable. He didn’t answer right away, letting the silence stretch for a few moments. The chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves filled the gap between them. Ikshit’s gaze didn’t waver as he finally spoke.

"Before Shanaya's accident, did you both have any argument?" Ikshit asked, his tone measured, but the weight of the question hung heavy in the air.

Saransh stopped in his tracks and looked at him, his breath catching for a moment. His eyes, still clouded from the sleepless night before, narrowed slightly, searching Ikshit’s face for a reason behind the sudden question.

"Matlab?" Saransh’s voice was barely above a whisper, but there was an unmistakable edge to it.

Ikshit didn’t break eye contact, waiting for a response, his expression steady, as if he knew more than he was letting on.

Saransh's heart skipped a beat. His throat tightened as he asked, "Did Shanaya tell you?"

Ikshit leaned back on the bench, his eyes never leaving Saransh's face. "No, she didn’t. But she told everything to Shruti," he paused, letting the words sink in, "and Shruti told me."

The weight of the revelation hit Saransh hard. He clenched his fists, trying to keep his emotions in check. His mind raced back to the last conversation with Shanaya, replaying every word, every look. His lips trembled as he struggled to find the right words to respond, but a sense of dread began to rise within him.

Ikshit’s voice cut through the silence, frustration evident in his tone. "Tera best friend hote hue bhi, tune mujhe kuch nahi bataya? Akhir chal kya raha hai, Saransh?" He paused, his eyes searching Saransh’s face for answers. "Main tujhe Shanaya ke accident ke liye blame nahi karunga, kyunki puri conversation mujhe pata hi nahi hai. But the thing is, tu usse pyaar karta hai, ye us raat tune confess kiya tha."

Saransh’s heart raced as he heard those words, his body tense with the weight of the moment.

"Lekin Shanaya ko lagta hai ki tu apne first love se abhi bhi move on nahi kar paya," Ikshit continued, his voice low but firm. "Aur jaha tak mujhe pata hai, tera first love koi nahi hai... aur agar hai bhi, toh kaun hai? Main tera best friend hoon, lekin tune aaj tak kisi ladki ke baare mein kuch nahi bataya. Ye sab kya chalu hai, Saransh?"

Saransh stood frozen, his mind racing. The tension between them was thick, almost suffocating.

"Bata mujhe... tere aur Shanaya ke beech mein kya hai? Ye contract marriage, etc., kya hai ye sab?" Ikshit’s voice was both demanding and pleading now, trying to make sense of the chaos.

Saransh swallowed hard, feeling the weight of secrets he had kept for far too long.

Saransh finally broke his silence, his voice barely above a whisper, but each word carried the weight of years of bottled emotions. "I have a first love... my first love, my life, my everything," he confessed, his eyes downcast.

Ikshit leaned forward, his curiosity now mixed with confusion. "Who?" he asked, his voice softer, as if sensing that whatever Saransh was about to reveal had been buried deep inside for a long time.

The silence stretched between them, as Saransh hesitated, the words heavy on his tongue.

Saransh took a deep breath, his voice shaking as he finally spoke. "It's Shanaya... she’s my first love. The moment I saw her, I forgot about the world. Literally drowned in her eyes, her smile, her voice. When I witnessed all of that for the first time—call me mad, but yeah—I fell in love with her right then and there. Can you believe it? The guy who never believed in love, who found all this stuff cringe, who stayed away from girls, fell in love at first sight."