Fragile Hearts

C h a p t e r - 60

On the other side:

Siddharth stood on the terrace, His hands gripped the football tightly as he hurled it against the wall with a force that matched the chaos inside him.

The sharp thud echoed in the silence, but it didn't do anything to quiet the thoughts consuming him.

Siddharth: "Adha pathi yosikadha, Sid!! Focus."

But he couldn't shake the words Arun had said. The words from the fight. The fight that had shattered something unbreakable.

"You're not my coach, Siddharth. Stay out of it."

The sound of Arun's voice, full of anger and frustration, cut through him like a blade.

Siddharth: "Ahhh..." He winced as the ball hit him.

Stay out of it. It was more than just a statment. Arun had always let him in-always sought his guidance, his presence. But this time... this time, Arun had shut him out.

Siddharth threw the ball again, harder this time. His mind raced, each word from the fight playing on repeat, like a broken record.

"Maybe you don't care about anyone anymore but yourself."

Siddharth: "Unmaiyave na apdidhan maaritana...?" He questioned himself.

Each word pierced deeper. He had never wanted to be that person. But it was exactly how Arun saw him now. Maybe it was true.

"Do you think how it feels to lose your best friend over something like this?" Arun's word echoed.

Arun had always been the one to care, the one to give, the one who wore his heart on his sleeve. And Siddharth-he had always been distant, closed off, letting his actions speak when words were too difficult.

He kicked the ball again. His frustration was building, but the pain in his chest grew heavier with each passing moment.

Arun's voice continued to echo in his head. Now, it was something else -something softer, something gentler.

"Sid, I can't do this without you." - The voice of 10 yrs old arun.

Siddharth stopped, his breath catching in his throat. Arun had said those words so many times before, not in anger, but in need.

"I can't do this without you."

The words repeated again and again.

Siddharth clenched his fists, his chest tightening. He had always been there for Arun, or at least he had thought he was. But now, what had he done?

Siddharth: "I failed.." He murmured to himself.

He had pushed Arun away. He had let his pride blind him to the fact that Arun had always needed him.

"Don't leave me alone, Sid."

Another memory flooded his mind-one of the countless times Arun had stood before him, vulnerable, needing him.

Siddharth: "Na avana vittuten...I broke my promise! Avan inime varamattan."

Arun had always been the one to reach out, to pull Siddharth back from the edge when he needed it the most.

But Siddharth had never been the one to reach out. He had never been the one to ask for help. And now, it was too late. Arun was no longer reaching out to him.

"You're my brother, Sid. You're the one person who's always been there for me."

The words cut through him like a knife. Arun had always seen him as a brother, the one person he could count on. And now? Now, it felt like he had failed him. Arun had always been the one to stand by him, no matter what. But where had he been when Arun needed him the most?