Five More Minutes

26 | close to me

RAGE was coursing through her veins. Aahana couldn't take it anymore. She was tired of this—tired of her showing up at unexpected places and ruining everything.

She turned around and pushed away. The crowd was staring at them, wondering why she said that, wondering who she was. But they'd never know. She stomped in the opposite direction. Her breath was unsteady. Her pulse quickened.

"Aahana! Aahana!" Everett called out. She didn't want to halt but she did. He ran and paused to stand in front of her. She lowered her eyes. "You're turning red," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Aahana!" One more voice called it. It was familiar. She hadn't heard it in months. Aahana turned around. Kavya Mehta, the famous actress made her way to her. Her face with heightened features was staring back. They looked quite similar, Aahana and her. Back in time, people would think they are twins. Why wouldn't they? Aahana and Kavya were always together before she betrayed her.

"How are you, Ana?" Kavya asked, a smile forming on her beautiful face masked with makeup.

"Cut the crap, Kavya. You don't have to pretend to care in front of your so-called fans. They don't even know you." She heard gasps from the locals and tourists but the bodyguards forbade them from coming any closer.

"I'm trying to be nice. What are you doing here? How about we catch up?" Everett's eyes were on them both. His looks were a mixture of amusement and horror.

"I'd rather die than be under the same roof as you," Aahana spat at her sister. "Leave me alone." She spun around, ready to walk away.

"Ana, please leave the past behind. What's done is done. We can't go back and fix it." Kavya's voice was filled with request and order. Mostly order.

Aahana turned to her sister again and took a step closer. "We? What do you mean we? I didn't do a thing. You did. It was you who screwed things up between us and didn't even try to mend it."

Kavya sighed coolly. "I tried, all right? I'm trying to fix things now. Can't we just kiss and makeup?"

Anger was boiling in her veins. Aahana clenched her jaw tightly. It had begun to hurt. "Why in the world would I forgive you? You haven't even apologised!"

"I have, okay? I'm sorry for the hundredth time." She didn't mean it. Aahana knew she didn't. Kavya was just trying to make a scene. She probably wanted to be in the headlines again.

"It's too late." Aahana scoffed and walked away. Her sister didn't follow.

Aahana had cried in the bathroom until there was no water to run down her eyes. She had screamed in the shower when no one was at home. She had given up the only thing she enjoyed doing. Where was Kavya then? Away. So, yes. A simple sorry is not going to make up for the fact that Kavya betrayed her and never tried to come back.

"What just happened?" Everett's voice was gentle but he wasn't asking her. He was stunned by what had happened between them. He didn't expect to see this side of Aahana. "Do you want to talk about it or distract yourself from it?" The question was directed to her.

She took a deep breath. "Remember when you asked me about my passion." Everett hummed. "It was acting. I wanted to be an actress. Kavya had promised me that she would pursue regular education and then we would join a theatre club together. But one day, we heard that her college was performing a play where many famous directors were going to come. A day before the auditions, Kavya told me not to rush and that she wasn't auditioning either.

"But it was a lie. She auditioned, got the role, the directors loved her and after that, it wasn't the same Kavya anymore. She moved back to India. Her first movie was a hit. It's not like I gave up acting out of spite, it's just...I realised that I was getting roles because I was her sister. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. The last time I saw her was a year ago with a new name. Kayla Khanna."

"Woah. That's a lot."

"Uh-huh." Aahana thought telling him would make it better but it didn't. More terrible feelings flushed back so she snapped her head at him. "Now," she said, "I want to be left alone."

Everett watched her walk away and he let her. He took one breath and began walking to the hotel. He wasn't sure what to do. He had to get used to this sudden empty feeling. He had no clue Aahana had been through all that. The person she trusted had broken her trust.

He could feel her bottled by anger radiating from her. It wasn't the type of anger where you cry and yell. It was the one where you're done with the other person. Aahana was done with Kavya.

He opened the door and the silence greeted him. He kicked the door close and walked inside the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and looked at himself. Should he go looking for her or wait until she returns?

I'll wait for a few minutes and then go looking for her. I shouldn't worry. She knows Peakview more than me. But he was worried about her.

Twenty minutes passed by.

One hour passed by.

Two hours passed by.

Everett was feeling more and more anxious by each passing minute. Finally, he took his phone and walked out of the hotel. He had given her enough time. It was getting late. He had to look for her. He visited the beach, the sunset point, the lake but she wasn't there. He couldn't find her. After searching for more than an hour, he came back to the hotel. He asked the receptionist if Aahana was back but she said she wasn't.

Everett massaged his head and stood at the gate, waiting for her to come back. Ten minutes later, he saw a slender girl walking to the hotel. He immediately recognised her. She approached him and looked in the eye.

"Where the fuck have you been? I looked everywhere!" He snapped.

"I just needed to clear my head," she mumbled.

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He breathed in her hair, inhaling the faint smell of coconut.

"I was worried. For a split second, I thought I lost you," he whispered. She hugged him tightly before pulling apart. Everett held her close, his eyes on her. She was staring down at their feet. "Hey." He put his index finger under her chin and slowly lifted her gaze. "Do you need something? Do you wanna eat or I co–"

"I called Kavya. I am meeting her tomorrow," she said, taking him aback. "I know I said I was done with her but I–I need to know why she did it. I need something to move on. I can't...I want it to hurt less."

He pulled her close again, her head lying on her chest. "It's okay, I can be with you when you meet her, does that sound good?"

"Yeah, I'd want you close to me." She sniffed. "But I need to fight this battle alone."