Choices

Reasons

"I love you Riya"

Aarav 6'3" frame was on floor, head hung low, kneeling before Riya as if he lost his reason to live. Tears cascaded down his face yet he was mumbling "I love you, I really love you"

Riya was in no better condition. Hands over her mouth, she desperately tried to control her heart wrenching sobs. Yet she failed. 

"No Aarav you can't do this to her"

"Do you think I want to?" He stood up as he replied.

"I would kill myself before I hurt her, but I can't hide my true feelings. Atleast not from you" he took the photo frame which was poised on her table.

It was a picture of Riya, Aarav and me with my face burried  in Aarav's chest and a smiling Riya gazing into Aarav's black orbs. It was a selfie clicked the moment I accepted Aarav's love.

A bitter chuckle escaped his mouth as he carresed the picture which managed to skilfully break my already crumbling heart.

"She was such a beauty, but she never acknowledged it..." he stated looking at the tall girl he was holding in the photo.

"Her beauty made every guy's head turn, yet she never knew.

Her quirky personality made me follow her every day, yet she never knew.

Her no-nonsense attitude towards guys pulled me more towards her, yet she never knew.

Her Abhi's death threats challenged my ego and made me pursue her more, yet she never knew.

I believed she was my true love.

Yet... I never knew that its was my challenged ego which pushed  my infatuated self towards her and not my heart."

"You tell me that all these years, it was your infatuation that held you relation and not love.

You want me to belive that it wasn't love which made you cross mountains to see her happy?" Riya's voice resonated through the room

"It wasn't" a weak voice replied her

It wasn't... It wasn't... his voice boomed in my mind.

"I admired her. She was my tailor-made dream girl.

She was considered unattainable by every damn guy in college. And I wanted to break that notion

I wanted to be the man who managed to win her.

My immature teen-self wanted to be the guy who she would loose her mind over and I did it.

Her whole world began to revolve around me. She adored me to the extent of declining her dream Venice job offer to be with me."

I was completely numb with the drama unfolding before me that I didn't even notice the figure behind me, fuming in molten anger.

"Then I came to know about her true self.

She is just a eight year old child at heart Riya, always holding onto her loved ones thinking she might get lost again.

I couldn't see her like that. I did every possible thing to make her happy, to mend her broken heart..." he said with a meloncholic smile.

"But along the line I realized she wasn't my better-half

I realized my missing heart was with you and not her.

I forced this stupid heart to love her, I always clung to her side and shifted my every thought to her from you.

But your imprint never left my mind"

Both Riya and Aarav were sobbing by now.

Yet I couldn't move myself to confront him or console them.

"She was truly an Angel and I loved her at some point.

But not anymore. My mind is always over you even when she is the one cuddling me.

I can't move my eyes from you a single second and my heart painfully longs for you."  A pregnant silence followed his confession.

"But this is wrong Aarav"

"I know that!!!

I'm very well aware of that!!" his frustration found its way out.

"I couldn't look into her eyes without guilt eating me up.

I couldn't see her innocent face when my heart was whispering another name...

I distanced myself from her. I ignored her calls and stayed at hotel over three months just to escape this guilt.

But I can't live with myself without pouring my heart out to you

I don't imagine a future for us, I can't leave her but I could atleast make you aware of my feelings"

"Even if I'm with her my whole life know that my soul will always belong to you.

She is not ment to be mine..."

"YOU BLOODY COWARD!!!" A ranging figure pushed past me directing a brutal punch to Aarav's face.

"You spoil...." Abhi's spiteful words were washed away by the August breeze along with my happiness.

I turned back moving towards the elevator like an abandoned boat floating with the tides.

"Infatuation...

It wasn't...

My soul will always belong to you...

She is not ment to be mine..."

My mind reeled back to his words like a song on replay.

I should feel betrayed. I should be angry. I should be the one attacking him with hate-filled words instead of Abhi.

But I couldn't. I felt like being pushed underwater as Aarav's confession played with my mind.

I gasped, thrashed but his words wouldn't leave me

Aarav's smiling face and our happy moments which made my heart fly a few hours back have now turned into invisible hands that held my throat in a death grip.

As darkness consumed me, Abhi's worried voice reached my ears and I fainted in his hands with a hope of him taking care of everything. As usual.

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