Endgame | ✓

15. She Was His First.

15. She Was His First.

"VIRAT SEEMS NICE," Nikita remarked, slightly smiling to herself as she applied another coat of nail-polish to her toe.

"Mm, he is nice," I corrected her, burying my face into the pillow. To say that I was exhausted would be a massive understatement, for I have been clicking pictures under the sun for a time which seemed more than eternity. "But wait... why are you suddenly so interested in Virat, huh?"

It was simpler to say Nikita and Virat's proximity didn't matter to me at all but even I knew it was a far cry from the truth. If anything, I hated that I loved Virat and not Advay, and that was enough to blur the lines when it came anything regarding to my love life.

I peeked at her from the corner of the pillow. She sat down on the bed, adjacent to me, her eyes spinning around to finally settle at me. "We've been talking a lot lately and I think he's into --"

"You? Yeah, he totally is." I was sure Nikita didn't like the sound of it as it came across a rude, contemptuous scoff. 

"No, Anushka! I mean, I don't know. But he talks to me about you. I think he's into you," she chuckled dryly.

"I mean, seriously? You think? He cannot be into me, he shouldn't be into me. I'm with Advay, remember?" I told her, flashing my engagement ring. "And moreover, I know he likes you."

"Really?" Nikita giggled. "Uh huh, we'll see about that tomorrow. But I seriously can't believe Arista and Abeer are going for renewal of their vows. Such a cliche." 

I couldn't believe at it too. Their wedding was a very important event for me. I still stupidly smile to myself when I reminisced how Virat had entered the church that night, with the old famous dialogue.

There was something so incredible and so magical about the time we spent in Rome.

The way how I tossed a poker chip, wishing for him to get his true love. It was kind of ironical that every time he was getting a step closer to his love, I was getting two steps far from it.

"But you know what, I'm really glad I've got friends like you, Virat, Abeer. Without you guys, I must have been a broke after what Nikhil did." Her words clogged my throat, I couldn't show her I was going for a long guilt-trip for this. I rose up to a sitting position beside her. In my story, the fact that I made Nikita and Nikhil break up seemed my greatest hamartia -- and if either Nikita or Virat ever come to know about it, the resurrection after the fall was only inevitable.

But then the guilt still overpowered my senses when I muttered a soft, "I'm sorry."

The words didn't go unnoticed by Nikita. "For what?"

With flushed cheeks, I was haphazardly coiffing my hair into the bun. My senses were on alarm when I realized the truth could break our life-long friendship.

So I just shook my head and smiled, "Nothing. So are you over Nikhil?"

"You never get over true love that easy. Even if it's poisonous."

I couldn't help but smile. After all, who would know it better.

•••

STANDING IN FRONT OF ME was the bride, Arista. She threw me a tentative look over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine. I thought she felt the uncomfortable spell between us because her lips quirked up in a seemingly forced smile that dwindled away in the next second. We were at the banquet hall which swarmed with all sorts of people.