LOVE - Obsessed

19. The Week of Silence

Anaya's POV

The week that followed after the café felt... heavy.

I thought ignoring things would make them easier. Instead, it made everything worse.

Every time I saw Ajay, my stomach twisted into knots.
Not because he did anything wrong.
But because... I didn't know what was happening inside me.

He had become someone I depended on. Someone I trusted. And that realization scared me more than anything.

I wasn't supposed to get too close.
I wasn't supposed to allow myself to care.
Not when I was already engaged to someone else.

"Anaya!" Aysha waved her hand in front of my face. "Kahan kho gayi ho?" (Where are you lost?)

"Sorry... bas thodi tired hoon," I lied again, for what felt like the hundredth time this week.

Keerthi rolled her eyes. "Aur kitna jhooth bolegi? (How many more lies?) Tu clearly usko avoid kar rahi hai." (You're clearly avoiding him.)

Aysha nodded. "Aur vo bechara? Roz dekhta hai tujhe, phir bhi kuch nahi bolta." (And that poor guy? He sees you every day and still says nothing.)

Mahi smirked. "Frankly speaking, agar main hoti toh kab ka confrontation kar leti." (If I were you, I would've confronted him long back.)

"Guys please!" I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Mujhe samajhne do khud ko pehle." (Let me figure myself out first.)

Aysha placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. "Bas ek baat yaad rakh - kisi ko itna mat avoid kar" (Just remember one thing don't ignore someone this much.)

I bit my lip, her words cutting deep.

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Ajay's POV

It was just seven days.

But to me, it felt like seven years.

Every single day, I watched her avoiding me - like I had done something terribly wrong.

She wouldn't meet my eyes.
She wouldn't reply to my texts properly.
She wouldn't even stay in the same room longer than a few minutes.

"Ajay bhai, tu theek hai na?" Imran asked as he sat next to me at the canteen. (Ajay bro, are you okay?)

I tried to act normal. "Haan, bas thoda tired hoon." (Yeah, just a little tired.)

"Jhooth mat bol, Ajay," Ankit interjected. "Hum sab dekh rahe hain kya ho raha hai." (Don't lie. We all see what's happening.)

"Exactly," Ayash added. "Anaya se kya baat hui? Usne tujhe avoid karna kyu shuru kiya?" (What happened with Anaya? Why did she start avoiding you?)

Sanjay, always the most observant, looked at me quietly before speaking.

"Tu usse baat karne ki koshish toh kar raha hai na?" (You are at least trying to talk to her, right?)

I sighed, frustrated. "Roz koshish karta hoon yaar. Par har baar kuch na kuch bahana bana leti hai." (I try every day, but she keeps making excuses.)

There was a pause before Imran spoke, "Kahin uske fiancé ki wajah se toh nahi?" (Is it because of her fiancé?)

I stiffened slightly.
That name - fiancé - felt like a knife every time.

"Pata nahi," I muttered. "Bas ek baar usse baat karna hai. Sirf ek baar." (I don't know. I just want to talk to her. Just once.)

Ankit leaned forward. "Ajay... tu use khud se door mat hone de. Agar tujhe lagta hai ki kuch galat ho raha hai, toh abhi baat kar." (Don't let her distance herself. If you feel something is wrong, talk to her now.)