Intensely Twisted Fate

Chapter : 15

Shravan's POV

I sat at my desk, staring at the computer screen, but my mind was far from focused. Today had been different. We hadn’t retreated to our safe haven, that little corner of the office where we could share our thoughts and jokes, away from the prying eyes of colleagues. It was our escape, a place where we could laugh and enjoy each other’s company. Instead, we were stuck here, surrounded by the bustle of the office, and I felt a weight pressing down on my chest.

Laranya was on the phone again, her voice animated as she chatted with Aarav. I could hear her laughter, light and carefree, and each chuckle felt like a dagger to my heart. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms tightly, trying to shield myself from the growing ache of jealousy. It was stupid, I knew that. They were friends, and I had no right to feel this way. But it was hard to suppress the feelings that bubbled up inside me.

Every time her phone buzzed, I felt a surge of irritation. How many times could one person call in a single afternoon? Aarav seemed to have taken over her time, her laughter echoing in the air, drowning out my attempts to connect with her. I wanted to ask her about their conversation, to understand what they were laughing about, but I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt. I was afraid of what I might hear.

When the clock inched closer to evening, she turned to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “Hey, Shravan! Want to come shopping with me?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words stuck in my throat. My instinct was to say yes, to spend time with her, to enjoy whatever moments I could steal before the day ended. But all I could think about was the way she was so effortlessly enjoying her time with Aarav, how easily she had slipped into laughter with him. “No, I can’t,” I said, my voice clipped, the edge of anger seeping through.

“Are you sure?” she pressed, a hint of disappointment flickering across her face.

“Yeah, I just have some work to catch up on,” I replied, forcing myself to focus on my screen as I resumed typing, the sound of my fingers hitting the keys almost painfully loud in the silence that followed. I could sense her gaze lingering on me, her disappointment palpable, but I didn’t have the strength to face her.

I threw myself into my work, even though I knew I was being unreasonable. I never turned down the opportunity to spend time with her. The thought of it made my heart ache. But today, with Aarav’s voice filling the air, I felt too raw, too exposed. I wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all—why was it so easy for her to enjoy someone else’s company when I was desperately trying to navigate my feelings for her?

As the evening dragged on, I could see her moving about the office, her spirits dimmed but still trying to maintain a cheerful demeanor. Part of me felt guilty for shutting her out, but the other part was too hurt to allow myself to be happy in her happiness. I kept telling myself that she deserved joy, that if she was happy, I should be happy for her too. But it felt impossible. I was selfishly caught in my emotions, and it felt like I was losing her in real time.

I tried to convince myself that my feelings were unimportant, that I could be content with just being her friend. But every time I saw her smile at her phone or hear her laugh at a joke that wasn’t mine, the reality crashed down on me. I was falling for her, and it terrified me. I didn’t want to ruin what we had, but the thought of seeing her with someone else was slowly tearing me apart.

I kept my head down, burying myself in the work that seemed to multiply by the second. Each keystroke felt like a desperate attempt to drown out the chaos inside me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t escape the truth—I was in love with my best friend, and it hurt like hell to watch her drift away, even if it was just for a shopping trip.