Till The Count Of Five ✓

Chapter 58

Chapter 58

I saw him down. And that was everything.

Kiara

16th May 2019, Thursday
14:25

I climbed up the stairs, watching Ash come down the stairs. This year, the last year, both the times her birthday had been celebrated here. Last year, we had a small birthday party that had been thrown only because we had wanted to surprise her. She hadn't celebrated, we had brought her here. The smile on her face, the wide grin of a child who couldn't believe her eyes should have given more happiness than her argument with Shay that haf followed after thirty minutes. Now, all that made me feel pathetic.

A year later, in 2019, it changed. Her smile, her words, her argument, her surprise, her dress, it all changed. Ashiamma Apte - she did not change. She was the same little girl who used to sit with me in the bus. I had seen her happiness the first day we met. I had seen her ignorance the last day we hugged, but I had missed the sadness. She had held me in her arms right in front of this building and I had missed out how cold they had been, dead in a dress that never suited her mind.

She had called my name but it had sounded foreign. I had turned and wished her again before climbing on the scooter. She zipped her lips because I let her. She could have been alive if I had heard the things because then, it would be too late to cover up the truth.

I opened the door to the hall and stepped in. Right outside this door I had seen Ash and Shay fight. I turned to the central table. There she had been sitting like a queen, meeting my eyes through her glass. I traced the head of the chain. I had been here for more than one hour and she never told me once. My gaze went to the corner where I had stood, opposite to reality. I had lost my chance then.

A tear fell down. I pulled out the paper and placed it on the table. "This...this told me. Why couldn't you?" I wanted an answer. I wanted her to tell me why. Did she seriously think I would fight over this? She meant the world to me. And now she was dead.

I pulled out my phone and placed it on the table. Vee would know and he'd do something, I knew. This would end. The door opened and my sobs stopped. They went down my throat and my hands tightened around the chair.

"Kiara."

"She died because of me," I said and turned around. "I'm surprised you came."

"I would come any time you'd call."

I smiled. "Nolan, open your eyes wide, sweetheart." I stepped aside. His gaze fell on the paper, then back up on me, a placid expression on his face.

"Why?" I said and walked closer to him. "Why did you do it?"

"You don't underst–"

"Then, explain it to me." I grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Why?" He was still dressed up in the school uniform. I wanted to laugh and slap him hard.

"I saw you talking to Roy. I heard about Hardik." He calmly wrapped his hands around my wrists. "What did you tell him?"

I ignored his question. "Aren't you ashamed? You killed my best friend!"

He looked away. "Ashamed? I cannot look at myself. I can't look at my hands. I never wanted to hurt her. It was an accident. She said she'd tell you everything, how she likes me, how I've said no because of you. And we all know if she had asked you to step back, you would've. You would have never looked my way twice."

My hands left his collar and I staggered back in shock. "What?"

He looked away.

"Ash really did die because of me."