The Way You Smile

chapter twenty three

🏃Featured song🏃🏻
All Of Me
(John Legend)

Author's POV-

"I'm saying, I wanna date you."

Everything around Aditya became less visible. No sound went in or out of his ears except for the words from Vedant Velan.
I wanna date you. It was supposed to be all fireworks and magic to every girl. A confession from a man she likes. It was for a nano second for Aditi, yes. But realization hit her hard like a brick. The brick of reality broke her skull and made her inside shred a thousand tears of unknown cause.

"No..." The word fell out of her lips as a mumble. It was as if she was in some kind of movie. And lighting had just struck her at an odd odd angle. "N- no. You- you dont know what you are-"

"No, it's okay!" Vedant hastily crossed the distance between them. "Its fine! My mom will support us! I know it hard to face I was shocked too at fir-"

Aditya pushed his way past Vedant, stumbling on his cloak before tearing it off and running out of the party venue. Vedant made to follow at once and would have too...

Aryan blocked his way, bumping their shoulders. The Ron costume was just off the charts when he began intimidating the other guy in the room. The boy crooked his vision and gave him a look of warning.

"You ain't going anywhere near Aditya." Aryan placed a hand in Vedant's shoulders and flashed a smile.

The calm person that he is, Vedant pleaded with him through his eyes. He kept looking at the exit through which Aditya went out. Just after few seconds, Ved went for it and slashed Aryan to his right and ran towards the exit. "Aditya, wait!"

Wiping his tears, Aditya took a turn and looked back. The thought was painful. That Ved wanted to date him, that he has been all in love with Aditya and not the real Aditi. Love or like or lust, all was with Aditya who didnt even exist.

The thought, again, drove her nuts.

She fished her phone out of the robe and dialed Anu.

"Anu...."

"Aditi where the fuck are you?" Ananya's voice echoed through her ears and that made her eyes pop a little drop of tear.

"Anu, I need you. I'm outside," Aditi whimpered through the phone and tried utmost not to scare her off. "I don't know what to do," And the trial was a failure because Aditi's sob would have heard by people living in the arctic circle.

"Okay, shit. Stay there. I'm coming, don't fucking cry." Anu marched toward the exit and her eyes darted towards the silhouette of an Harry Potter.

"Found you," Anu said and ended the call before bouncing away and hugged her best friend.

"Ananya, I-" Aditya began but never had the chance to complete that sentence, for she began to cry on full time.

"Its okay, Adi. I'm here. You are okay,"

Anu rubbed circles around her back and tried a way to comfort her friend.

The two of them found a place near the parking lot to sit, with Aditi on Anu's shoulder. Amidst the only darkness, there sat silhouette of two, finding comfort in each other.

Aditi took her time to narrate what happened earlier to Anu while she sat calmly, fidgeting with the strands of her hair.

"He wants to date Aditya. Not me, Aditi." That was the last straw which Aditi has had. She waited for the response of Anu while narrowing her doe eyes.