His Addictive ARCHNEMESIS ~ Ishman

Ch: 12 ~ Shattered

Shubman’s shoulders slumped, the weight of the conversation hitting him. He forced a bitter smile. “So, what? We just pretend none of this happened? Go back to being rivals? Strangers?”

In the silence that followed his question, Shubman could see Ishan’s face, something soft and vulnerable slipping through his usually confident demeanor.

But, just as quickly, Ishan covered it up, swallowing back any replied blankly trying to be not bothered—— "there is nothing... between.. us..to end or begin with, we did messed up couple of times— mistakes are not to be crowned... it meant nothing... not to me... atleast."

Ishan grabbed his belongings, his movements swift, almost mechanical, as if he was desperate to escape. Without a word, Ishan walked out, his footsteps fading into the quiet of the hallway, leaving Shubman alone with a churning sense of loss.

For a few moments, Shubman didn’t move. He stood in the empty room, his mind spinning as he tried to process what had just happened.

There was a hollow ache in his chest, an different emptiness that felt . He’d never thought much about what he truly wanted outside of his responsibilities, outside of the roles he played for everyone else—his father, his team, his college.

Every step he’d taken so far was meant to live up to a legacy, to prove something, to be the perfect son, the ideal team Captain. And yet, with Ishan, he’d felt something different.

Refreshing, suttle sense of being thrilled.. Something wild and consuming, yes, but also liberating, and somewhere nice.. may be happy? and all in ways he hadn’t fully allowed himself to understand.

For that one moment of togetherness that they could share, for that something  they had to be real, Shubman had been willing, in that very moment, to fight against the constraints he’d set around himself and may be even the whole world for him.

He had wanted to choose something that was just his own, that had nothing to do with duty or expectations. He had wanted to give this—whatever it was between him and Ishan—a chance.

But now, Ishan was gone, leaving behind a trail of his spoken words and painful realizations.

Shubman felt the familiar doubt creep back in, mixing with the bitterness of rejection. Maybe he wasn’t meant to have this, he thought. Maybe he wasn’t meant to find happiness or fulfillment outside of the rigid world he’d built for himself.

And now, he was left to face the consequences alone, burdened by the insecurity that always lurked in the back of his mind—the feeling that he wasn’t enough, that he was unworthy of having something real, something meaningful.

After a few moments, he forced himself to pull it together, making himself look presentable despite the raw emotions churning beneath the surface.

He left the apartment and noticed a broken name plate—— Divya ~ Ishan hanging by a side.. he creased Ishan’s name and smiled faintly remembering their moments, the stupid arguments, the annoying banters they shared, the stolen glances, the kiss.. but relatily dawned around, may be they were never meant to be... together..

☆☆☆

Shubman wandered aimlessly throughout the day, his mind clouded with self-doubt and an unexplainable pain. A lone tear slipped by his eye, and he couldn't reason himself why, why was he feeling hurt? It was not like they were together or he was in love.. was he?