| Masked feelings |

Epilogue

"You should thank the god."

Sneha said without lifting her eyes from the magazine she has been reading since forever.

I noticed, there was something that was bothering her. She was just pretending to read to avoid talking to me, and I knew that because that girl hated even the smell of books. I rolled my eyes at her, not understanding the reason behind her dull mood.

I had asked her about it when she walked into my office this morning, but she changed the topic effortlessly.

Seeing enough of her sucked up face I joined her on the couch.

"What's up with you?"

Though she heard me, she sat there without moving. I was not going to let the matter pass, so I pushed it further, "You know you can tell me anything,"

Before turning to her right side to look at me, she threw the magazine to the small square table in front of us and it landed perfectly on the floor. She let out an exaggerated sigh but didn't move to rectify her mistake, she let the magazine rest on the floor, then muttered vaguely, "That wasn't what I was expecting."

I didn't know whether she said that about her mistake or about what I said. Taking my second assumption is correct I replied, "I think I should thank someone else."

"So you mean, the almighty does not have any role in your life?" She queried.

"When did I say that?"

She shrugged her shoulders carelessly and continued to read an another magazine

"There is something concerning you, out with it pretty lady." I tried to take that magazine away from her but she held it tightly.

"Swayam,"

"Sneha...don't Swayam me."

She sighed heavily as if she was having a weight on her chest. At last, She blurted out, "I like someone."

Did I hear her wrong? She and love, impossible.

"Wow, that's an awesome news, isn't?" I exclaimed, but my excitement vanished into thin air when she went to her sulking mood, "Why are you making that kind of a face for such a great news?" I added rather confusingly.

"Hmm, here starts the problem. He loves someone else."

Breath caught in my throat, I know that feeling very well. She made that same face, it looked like some car ran over her.

"Who is that?"

With my that question, she became more attentive than before. Depositing the magazine on the table, she sat straight looking at her lap, not sparing me a glance.

"I don't want to tell, Swayam."

"Understandable"

"Even the guy doesn't know it yet,"

She sounded so weak that I wanted to comfort her. She was always there with me in every step I took in my life, she was like a pillar throughout my life who supported me like a family.

"Why don't you tell him?"

"Lol, he will laugh on my face." She snorted, but didn't look up from her lap yet, she was just hiding her face from me, as if she was embarrassed.

"He won't," I replied quickly.

"He will,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

"No,"

"Yes,"

Finally, she looked up and yelled,

"Drop it, Swayam. Nothing is going to change the truth,"