My Dad's Best Friend

Chapter 11: A new beginning

Prakash hung his mouth open while Nick continued eating.

"That's why you don't drive," he finally managed to say.

"Yes and no." Nick responded casually.

"What?"

"Well, I did try to drive later but I just couldn't. I can't explain if it's the fear of driving or fear of losing someone, if I ever drive."

"You..., how? Why didn't you tell me before?" Prakash spat out of the uncertainty of what to ask.

Silence.

"I am so sorry."

Nick smiled warmly and said, "It's alright."

"You never mentioned these things for the past three years and I ended up hurting you yesterday. Why did you not tell me, Nick?"

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"I really like her and want to get to know her. I thought I was the closed one. But turns out, she is. Even though she talks non-stop." I told my brother who was in deep thought.

"Well, you know who you should reach out to." Raj said keeping me hanging and he didn't have to continue any further. I smiled and picked up the phone and went straight to my bedroom and dialed Ray's number. He picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" Ray said hesitantly.

"Hey Ray! It's Harsh."

"Oh Hi Harsh! How are you? Is everything alright? Is Nick okay? Did she do something?" Ray shot a series of questions as he wasn't expecting my call and I don't blame him.

"Everything is fine here. Well, this is going to sound silly. But, I don't want to beat around the bush. I know you told me not to fall in love with your best-friend but I do have feelings for her and I want to get to know her. So, I called you..." I kept my sentence hanging.

"To get to know her. Right?" Ray surprisingly sounded excited.

"Yes."

"If you are up to handling that, I am no-one to stop you. But there are things Nick wouldn't like to discuss even with a life-partner. Consider them as bad memories. She is just afraid to get along with people who know those things." Ray explained.

"Fine, I won't ask them." I said casually.

Silence. I understood my mistake immediately.

"I won't ask her anything about the past. But, I'm not sure about how to tell her that so she could at least give me a chance."

"Sometimes, being present in the moment is enough. Knowing her now, without getting to know her is what you need to do." Ray concluded.

"Knowing her now, without getting to know her is what you need to do." Those words of Ray resonated in my mind as I put the phone down. This phone call made me understand one thing about NICK. I just have to take this relationship carefully. There is only one way to do that. Baby steps.

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"Truth be told; I didn't even want to tell you now. I just didn't want you to see me the way my family sees me. I mean they are all fine now. But every time I face them, this rush of emotions flood inside me. My mom never forgave me, which is obvious. Ray's dad pleaded with her many times, but that's that. We talk as two people. Ray always tried to cheer me up even though he lost his mother, my sister-in-law treated me as her own child and always believed in me. The worst part is, I couldn't even get to say my goodbyes to the most amazing women in my life. After that, I left the house. Pursued my studies, work, dreams and made sure I was occupied mentally all the time and then I met you." Nick stopped.