Love Beyond The Boundaries.. ♡

chapter -11

Kashish's pov

I stood there, the weight of everything Rupali had said crushing me. My throat felt tight, my emotions tangled in confusion, guilt, and the old wound that had been festering for so long. I didn’t know how to explain it, didn’t know how to put into words the storm inside me.

"Because he left me when I needed him the most..." The words slipped out before I could stop them, my voice cracking, barely above a whisper.

Rupali’s expression softened, her anger fading into something more like concern. She stared at me, waiting for me to continue, but I didn’t know how to. How could I explain that all of this—my frustration, my anger—came from that one moment where I felt abandoned? When I felt like he had just walked away, like I didn’t matter to him.

Tears blurred my vision, and I wiped at my eyes quickly, not wanting to cry in front of them. But the pain was still there, raw and real. “He just… he wasn’t there when I needed him, Ruhh. And I—I don’t know how to forget that.”

Rupali's voice broke the silence, her eyes filled with confusion. "What do you mean, Kashii?"

I couldn’t bring myself to meet her gaze. My fingers fidgeted with the edge of my sleeve as I felt the weight of their eyes on me. Aman leaned forward, his voice soft but curious. “Yes, Kashish, tell me, please. What’s the actual thing? Karan mentioned something, but he didn’t explain it fully. I want to hear it from you.”

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding in my chest. How could I put it into words? The hurt, the betrayal I’d been carrying around all this time? I had kept it buried for so long, but now they were asking for the truth, and I owed them that.

Taking a deep breath, I finally spoke, my voice barely holding steady. "It was... back when everything was falling apart for me. There was a time when I needed him—really needed him, and he wasn’t there. He just... vanished."

I took a deep breath and began, feeling a heaviness settle over me as the memories surfaced. "I know Karan from childhood, Ruhh," I started, my voice trembling slightly. "I didn’t meet him for the first time in college. He was...he was my first love."

As the words slipped out, I glanced at Aman and Rupali, seeing the surprise in their eyes. This was something only I and Kaviya had known until now. It felt strange to finally confess it, but I couldn’t keep it buried anymore.

Flashback

"Kaviya and I have been best friends since we were kids," I continued. "She was my only friend for a long time. But Kaviya had another best friend—her neighbor, Karan. I had never met him, even though I’d been to her house countless times. But she talked about him all the time."

I could picture those days so clearly in my mind. "In 7th grade, our schools separated, and though Kaviya and I were apart, we stayed close. Our bond grew even stronger. And every time we talked, she’d bring up Karan. They were in the same school now, so she saw him every day."

I paused, remembering the stubbornness I had shown. "In 9th grade, I convinced my parents to let me switch schools. I told them if they didn’t send me to the same school as Kaviya, I wouldn’t go to any school. They eventually gave in."

A small, bittersweet smile crossed my face as I continued. "That’s when I met Karan. It felt like I had known him forever because Kaviya had talked about him so much. The three of us formed this unbreakable bond—we were inseparable. The best trio."