Estranged lovers

Chapter 34

ANNIKA'S POV

The soft hum of the cafeteria surrounded them as Annika picked at her sandwich, her mind still tangled in the web of emotions from the previous night.

Shivani sat across from her, watching her carefully. It had been a long day, and the silence between them was thick with unspoken thoughts. Shivani knew her friend well enough to sense that something was wrong, even if Annika hadn't voiced it yet.

"Annika, you're really not okay, are you?" Shivani asked dropping her sandwich

Annika exhaled a long, tired sigh, her eyes flickering to her phone briefly before setting it back down.

She couldn't bring herself to look up at Shivani, not wanting to talk about last night. But the weight of the events pressed on her, and she found herself speaking, her voice barely a whisper.

"I don't know, Shivani. Last night was... complicated. Siddharth... you know he showed up at the bar. And I could feel him watching me the whole time. Then... he saw me talking to Abhinav. Leaning too close, I guess."

Shivani raised an eyebrow, a mix of surprise and curiosity flashing in her eyes.

"Wait, wait. Hold on. Siddharth got jealous?"

Annika nodded, looking down at the table, her hands curling around her cup. She could still feel the heat of his anger from last night. The way he'd looked at her. But what had thrown her off even more was the way she'd reacted to him.

"Yeah. He... lost it. He cornered me, demanded answers. Accused me of letting Abhinav get too close. I didn't know what to say. It was so sudden, and the anger in his voice... it was like he didn't even know what he was angry about. But he was furious, Shivani. And I didn't know how to handle it."

Shivani crossed her arms, the concerned look on her face deepening.

She wasn't a fan of Siddharth's cold and calculated demeanor. But Shivani had also heard bits and pieces about his past through Shaym, who had confided in her a few times. She didn't entirely approve of how Siddharth dealt with things, but she couldn't ignore the painful history that shaped him.

"He's complicated, Annika. I don't like how he handles things, but... I know where some of that anger is coming from. Shaym's told me about Siddharth's past, how he grew up, the stuff he's been through. It's not an excuse for how he treats you, but it's something to understand. He's not as cold as he seems. He doesn't know how to be vulnerable, and his way of showing that is by shutting everyone out... especially you." Shivani said looking at Annika

Annika's heart ached at Shivani's words.

She had heard bits and pieces of Siddharth's troubled past, at the lake house...his scars, his tears. 

But hearing them from someone who knew him better, someone who understood him, was different. It didn't make his actions any easier to deal with, but maybe, just maybe, it gave her some context.

"I don't know, Shivani... I feel like I'm walking on eggshells all the time with him. It's like one minute, he's angry, the next, he's distant. And then last night... after he dragged me home from the bar... there was this moment..." Annika starts

Shivani leaned in, her expression softening with empathy.

"What happened, Annika?" Shivani asks silently lending her support

Annika closed her eyes, recalling the raw intensity of the moment. The way Siddharth had held her on the stairs of their home, the way his lips had crashed onto hers. It was wild, and yet there was something about it that both terrified and electrified her. But then, the aftermath... it had been a whirlwind of emotions, all too much for her to process.