His voice was low, frustrated. "I'm trapped. That tea vendor noticed my face. Now the whole country probably knows. I can't even step outside without facing questions. And Inder's coming to Manali. He won't leave until he finds me."
Shanaya sat quietly, listening. After a moment, she spoke. "You need to decide, Yash. How long can we keep running from reality? How much longer will we hide? Either you accept your truth, or you keep running. I'll stand by you no matter what."
Yash turned to her, his voice tense. "Why didn't you say that to me nine years ago? If you had, I wouldn't have wasted those years running. I could've accepted my truth back then. Instead, you helped me run from it."
Shanaya looked at him, her eyes calm but sad. Yash pressed on. "And what about you, Shanaya? You've been running too. For the last nine years, no one knows who you really are. Not even me. You've been hiding just like I have."
There was a pause, a heavy silence between them. Then Yash asked softly, almost as if he was afraid of the answer. "Why did you fall in love with me, Shanaya? Why me?"
Shanaya sighed, her gaze steady on Yash. "I could ask you the same question, you know - why did you fall in love with me?" She paused, her lips curving slightly. "But I'll save that for later."
She leaned against the table, considering his questions. "But for starters.. Earlier, so many years ago, back then, you weren't ready. You were lost, angry, confused. You weren't in a place to accept reality, and I wasn't going to push you into something you couldn't handle." Her voice softened. "I helped you run because, at the time, it was what you needed. And maybe," she hesitated, "maybe I needed it too."
Yash's expression remained firm, but his eyes searched hers. Shanaya continued. "And, you're right. I've been running too. Hiding. From who I really am. It's easier that way sometimes, isn't it? To pretend the past doesn't exist. But we both know it's been catching up to us, hasn't it?"
She took a breath, looking away for a moment before turning back to him. "As for why I fell in love with you..." she trailed off, her eyes softening. "Maybe we've been running side by side, and I've never felt alone in this. Or maybe," she smiled faintly, "because you're just impossible not to love."
Yash smirked, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "Impossible, huh?" He stepped closer, his tone turning playful. "You find me irresistible, admit it."
Shanaya rolled her eyes but felt a flicker of annoyance at his flirting. Before he could say more, she silenced him with a kiss. Yash responded, his hands moving gently to her waist. The kiss deepened, trailing down to her neck as they momentarily lost themselves in the moment.
When they finally pulled back, Yash grinned at her. "You said you'd ask me later why I fell in love with you. You haven't asked me yet." He shrugged lightly, his gaze softening. "But I'll tell you anyway."
He cupped her face, his voice sincere. "I fell in love with you because you stood by me when no one else would. You didn't see me as some lost cause. You saw me. The real me. And you made me believe that maybe I wasn't so lost after all."
Shanaya blushed deeply, and Yash chuckled, brushing his thumb gently across her cheek. "You know," he teased, "you're even more beautiful when you blush."
The blush deepened, and Shanaya quickly turned her face away, trying to hide it. Yash's chuckle grew softer, his amusement clear.
Shanaya, still flustered, deflected quickly. "You still haven't told me what you've decided. Are you going to keep running from your reality, or are you going to face it?"
Yash chuckled softly, shaking his head. "That's a question I could ask you too."
Shanaya took a deep breath, her voice soft but determined. "Maybe I should start with you. Maybe it's time I stop running and tell you my story. Everything. What I've been hiding from, what I'm scared of. All of it."
Yash's playful smile faded into something more serious, sensing the weight of her words. He nodded, stepping closer but staying quiet, giving her space to speak.
She hesitated for a moment, as if gathering her thoughts. Then, slowly, she began. "I wasn't always Shanaya," she stated, her voice steady but low. "I grew up in a small town far from here, in a place no one's ever heard of. My real name was Meera. I had a family, a brother, a life that was ordinary - until it wasn't."
She paused, her gaze distant as she recalled her past. "My family was involved in something...dangerous. My brother got mixed up with the wrong people, and he dragged us all into it. I tried to pull away, but it was too late. Things spiraled out of control." Her voice faltered slightly, but she pressed on. "One night, everything went wrong. My brother was killed, and I had to run. I had no choice. If I stayed, I would've been next."
Yash listened intently, his expression serious. He could see the pain in her eyes as she relived those memories. Shanaya continued, her voice steadier now. "I left everything behind. My name, my family, my life. I became Shanaya to survive. I moved to Mumbai, kept a low profile, and did whatever I could to stay off the radar. But I've never stopped looking over my shoulder. Not really."
Her gaze shifted to Yash, searching his face for understanding. "That's why I understood you so well when we met. You were running too. We were both trying to escape our pasts, trying to reinvent ourselves. And that's how we ended up here, in this...strange life."
Yash remained silent for a moment, absorbing everything she had just told him. Then, he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "So that's the real you, huh?" His tone was light, but his eyes were warm with understanding. "Well, Meera, it seems like we've both been running for a long time."
He reached for her hand, his grip gentle but firm. "You already know my story, every messy detail of it. But now, it's not just us anymore. Next comes the world...and the media." He sighed lightly, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Facing them is going to be a whole different battle."
Shanaya squeezed his hand, feeling a mix of relief and fear washed over her. She had finally shared her truth with him, laid everything bare. But now, there was a new challenge ahead - one neither of them could avoid anymore.
