Eternal Love || Book 3 of Love Series

9. His Fear

As Priya entered her home, she was greeted by her parents. She took her mother into a bone crushing hug and whispered in her ears, “He loves me." Breaking the hug, Rekha looked at her daughter and asked, “What about you?" The blush on her daughter's face gave her the answer. Raghav came and stood near his daughter and patted her head, saying, “Enjoy this phase. And always believe in your love.” Priya nodded and went to her room.

Priya’s Room

Changing into comfortable clothes, Priya opened her laptop and logged into Skype. She had already asked Anjali and Neha for a group video call. Soon the three friends were talking to each other.

Priya mustered up the courage and spoke, “I am in a relationship.” Neha squealed in happiness while shock was visible on Anjali's face. She asked, “Who is he?" Priya looked at her face and spoke, “Vikram.” Neha chuckled and said, “You guys took a lot of time? Approximately seven months?"

Instead of answering her question, Priya looked at Anjali. Hurt was evident on her face. She opened her mouth but Anjali spoke first, “I think I should sleep, seeing that I am not aware of anything?"

“It's not so, Anju. Actually….,"Priya spoke but she had no answer to the question. Anjali spoke again, “Did you like the gown?" Priya opened her mouth and closed it. She looked suspiciously at Anjali while Neha asked, “Which gown?” Anjali answered, “The red one. Which Vikram gave her today.”

Priya stared at her and finally asked, “You knew? You got the gown?” Anjali spoke, “Yes and yes. Vikram told me everything. But you did not." The three friends looked at each other through the laptop screen and burst into laughter. They laughed till their eyes watered and their stomach ached. And then Priya shared the details with her best friends.

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“How could you do that to me?" Priya shouted. “You are a liar. A cheater. I hate you, Vikram Khanna.” She slapped Vikram and left leaving a helpless and heartbroken Vikram behind.

Vikram woke up with a start. It was a dream. He gulped a glass of water and went to wash his face.

He recounted the events of the day. The plans, the proposal, the acceptance, THE DREAM.

Despite the air conditioner, he was sweating profusely. He spoke to himself, “Priya does not know the truth yet. But she will hate me when she does. She deserves better. I cannot do this to her." His thoughts were broken by the ringing of his phone. It was his secretary, Sasha, who informed him that he needed to leave to Chennai urgently. As she spoke, Vikram knew what he had to do.

Informing his parents about his departure, Vikram left for the airport. He was browsing through his and Priya’s photographs and reminiscing their moments. He had made up his mind but was not able to muster the courage. The task was difficult but had to be done. “She deserves better." He repeated these words in his mind. He had to do this for her, for her happiness. He was not worthy of her love. She should be with someone else.

Though the thought of seeing the love of your life with someone else was disturbing, Vikram felt that it was for the best. He drew a sharp breath and send a message to Priya, “I cannot be with you. We are over.Best of luck." As the message was delivered, the flight attendant asked everyone to switch off their phones. He switched off his phone and the flight took off for Chennai.
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~Purnima