The air was thick with tension as Gautami paced her room, reading and rereading the message that Abhyudaya had sent just hours ago.
"Gautami, I miss you. I have been thinking about you a lot lately and I cannot get over the fact that we ended things between us the way we did. I know it has been a while, and we have both moved on but to be honest, I still have not moved on from you. I could not. No matter how much I tried forgetting you. I could not. I still love you the way I used to before and I cannot shake the feeling that we let something important slip away. How do you feel about….us?"
Gautami's heart had clenched when she saw his name pop up on her screen. For a moment, all the old feelings she had buried came rushing back---his smile, their inside jokes, the late-night talks that went on for hours and their shared dreams of the future.
They had been more than just a couple; they had been best friends too. And now, this message threatened to unravel the delicate balance she had built around her heart.
She had replied cautiously but honestly.
"Abhyudaya….I miss you too and I love you still. A part of me always will. But after everything that happened….I do not know if there is a way back for us. There is too much pain. It is hard to think of what we could have been without remembering how it all fell apart."
The conversation had flowed from there, with him expressing regret, telling her how he had never stopped caring for her and how he had always thought of her as someone irreplaceable in his life.
His words brought a warmth to her heart, a bittersweet reminder of what they once had. Gautami felt vulnerable and touched, unsure if this was just closure or the beginning of something new.
But now, just a few days later, her world came crashing down upon her.
Her elder brother, Siddharth sat across from her in the living room, his face unusually serious than on usual days.
"Gautami," he began, "I have been meaning to talk to you about something important. It is about Abhyudaya."
Her heart skipped a beat. "What about him?"
Siddharth hesitated for a moment, clearly struggling with how to phrase what he was about to say. "You know Abhyudaya and I have been best friends for a long time. He has confided in me about a lot of things over the years. And….well, I just found out something that I think you should know about him."
Gautami's mind raced. Was there more to Abhyudaya's feelings? Did Siddharth know about the messages?
"Just say it, Siddharth."
He sighed deeply. "A couple of days ago, Abhyudaya admitted to me that while you two were dating, he never really saw you as more than one of his friends. He even confessed to me recently that he still remembers his old crush Anamika."
The words hit Gautami like a physical blow. She felt like the ground had been pulled from beneath her feet.
"Anamika?" She whispered, barely able to speak.
"Yeah," Siddharth continued, his voice pained. "You remember right? Back in college, he had a crush on her. He told me that the feelings for her never completely went away, even when he was with you."
Gautami shook her head in disbelief, her chest tightening painfully. "That is impossible. He told me he hated her. He blocked her on everything after they had a fallout."
"I know and I am not saying he lied about that. But what you do not know is that the whole thing with Anamika was never completely over in his head. He still thought about her---even when he was with you."
Gautami's breath caught in her throat. The weight of her brother's words made her feel as if the walls were closing in around her. How could Abhyudaya still have feelings for Anamika even after all these years?
She clenched her fists, tears already threatening to spill. "Why did you not tell me this earlier Siddharth? Why did you let me believe….that he cared about me? That he loved me?"
Siddharth looked away, guilt written all over his face. "I did not know it would get this far. I thought you had moved on and I did not mean to hurt you."
Hurt. The word did not even begin to cover the agony she was feeling. Without another word, Gautami stormed out of the house, her mind spinning with a mix of disbelief, betrayal, and heartache.
---
Later that evening, Gautami stood at the park where she and Abhyudaya used to meet after their classes. She texted him to meet her there.
She could not confront him alone, not when her emotions were running this wild. Siddharth agreed to come with her, as a silent support.
When Abhyudaya arrived, he greeted her with a soft smile. "Hey Gautami. What is going on?"
She stared at him, her eyes filled with a rage he had never seen before. "We need to talk."
He frowned, glancing at Siddharth, who stood a few feet away. "Okay….what is this about?"
"You know what this is about," Gautami snapped, her voice trembling. "Siddharth told me everything. About Anamika. About how you never really saw me as anything more than a friend."
Abhyudaya's face fell, his expression turning serious. "Gautami, it is not like that---"
"Do not dare lying to me!" She shouted, her voice cracking. "You lied to me throughout our entire relationship! How could you? You told me you loved me, that I meant the world to you. And the whole time….the whole time you were thinking about her?"
Abhyudaya swallowed hard, unable to meet her eyes. "I did not want to hurt you Gautami. I was confused back then. I thought I could move past my feelings for Anamika, but it….it was not easy."
Her tears flowed freely now, and her voice became a whisper. "So what? You used me to get over her?"
"No," Abhyudaya said quickly, guilt lacing his words. "It was never like that. I cared about you. I really did. But....I did not realize how much my feelings for Anamika still lingered. By the time I did, it was too late. I did not know how to tell you."
Gautami's hands trembled as she wiped her tears. "You should have told me the truth instead of dragging me along, making me believe in something that was never real."
He stood there, helpless, as she wept before him. "Gautami….I am sorry. I an sorry for everything."
"Sorry?" She repeated bitterly. "Sorry does not fix this. You knew how much I loved you, how much I gave up for you. And now….now you are telling me it was all just a lie?"
"I never meant to hurt you," Abhyudaya whispered, his voice thick with regret.
Gautami's breath hitched as she stepped forward and slapped him, hard, across the face. "That is from me," she spat, tears still streaming down her face.
Then, with a shaking hand, she slapped him again. "And that is for my mother. For the woman who told me you were the best thing that ever happened to me. She was wrong."
Abhyudaya stood still, not daring to defend himself. He knew he deserved it. He deserved far worse.
Without another word, Gautami turned on her heel and walked away, her sobs echoing in the empty park.
And that was the last time Abhyudaya ever saw her.
The End
Thank you for reading.P.s: Well to be honest, like really honest, this is what happened to me today. I got to know the same thing about my ex partner from my elder brother who is his best friend.
I am yet to confront my ex and give him two tight slaps but I will do it very soon.
-Moonlight✨
YOU ARE READING
Oneshots ft. Slayy Point (On Hold)
RomanceBack with short stories with my favourite unofficial couple Abhyudaya and Gautami from Slayy Point and if you are a Slayyfam, then this one is for you❤ Started On: September 21st 2024 Ended On: To be determined.