𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑫𝑰𝑻𝑨: 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐞 - Yours With All My Heart

|49|•ᴅʀᴀɢɢᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ•

BONDITA

“What were you doing there in?” My voice filled the silent car, breaking through the tense atmosphere hanging between us. After I’d seen Kabir in Anirudh’s cabin, I practically dragged him out, hoping to avoid any unnecessary conflict. But now, as we were driving home, the question I’d been holding onto wouldn’t stay down. I knew who Kabir was, knew who Anirudh was… and knew both of them could be a little possessive about me—no, scratch that, very possessive about me. This time, though, things had escalated, and I couldn’t shake off the uneasiness.

Kabir’s eyes met mine through the mirror, his face set in a hard, unreadable expression. It was like a switch had flipped, and the friend I knew, who laughed and joked around, had faded, leaving someone colder, angrier. “I was giving him a piece of my mind,” he said simply.

I let out a heavy sigh, running a hand over my face, feeling the weight of it all press down on me. “Why? I told you not to, Kabir… Now what’s he supposed to think? That I’m complaining about him? That I’m sending you to make things right? God, Kabir!” Frustration filled my voice, spilling over into words I could barely control. At this moment, I didn’t know if what I was saying was right or wrong, but one thing was clear: whatever was between Anirudh and me, it was our problem to solve.

Kabir let out a harsh chuckle, his gaze locked on the road ahead as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. “This is the issue, Bondu… Why the fuck do you care what he thinks? This is your life… and—”

“I do care what he thinks, Kabir!” My voice was rising now, a desperation slipping through that I couldn’t hide. “How can you say that? He’s my life partner. I love him, so this is wrong… everything is wrong!” I looked over at Kabir, hoping he would understand.

Kabir’s hand clenched the wheel even tighter, his knuckles turning white as he snapped, his voice rough and intense. “You know what’s wrong here? What’s wrong here is you acting like a pathetic, helpless wife! For god’s sake, Bondu, I’m not against you both! Trust me, I’ve seen the love Anirudh has in his eyes for you. I know he’s the man for you. But what happened here? It’s all fucking wrong! You’re an independent barrister, Bondu, and he’s the same! This is all your fault!”

My eyes stung, and my heart clenched painfully as his words hit me. Kabir… he was yelling at me. Not in his usual, joking way, but truly, angrily yelling at me. It felt like a punch to the gut, and I bit my lip, trying not to cry as I murmured, “Why? Huh? Why are you all yelling and shouting at me? Are you just… just taking your anger out on me? You know I don’t like it… It feels like someone’s ripping my heart away. You both are so close to me, but when you… when you yell, it hurts… an-and… Kabir, this is the first time you’ve ever yelled at me. Why?”

The car came to a stop somewhere I didn’t recognize, and Kabir turned to look at me, his gaze softening as he met my eyes. He sighed, his voice gentler as he asked, “Why? That’s my question, Bondu. When he yelled at you, when he said it was your fault, why didn’t you ask him why? Why didn’t you tell him that it hurt when he shouted at you?” He took my hand, his grip warm and reassuring. “You know, Bondu… I never wanted to yell at you. I only did it because I wanted you to tell him that it hurts. You need to tell him, to make him understand. Meet him, talk to him, solve the problem, Bondu. I know how much you love each other, and I know Ani bro will understand…”

I stared at him, speechless, feeling a lump in my throat. Deep down, I knew Kabir was right. He was right about so many things. Kabir squeezed my hand, drawing my attention as he continued, “Bondu, today Anii bro said that I shouldn’t have come between you two… that it’s your life, and everything is about the two of you. And yeah, I admit, maybe I shouldn’t have meddled in your relationship. But Bondu, I still remember that twelve-year-old boy crying in a corner because he was bullied. I still remember the first girl who ever came and sat beside me, who told me everything would be okay as long as she was there. That was you, Bondu. And as kids, we made that promise to always be there for each other.”