Jayant

Alisha and I walked slowly from the resort room toward the garden area, the silence between us heavier than the night air.
She looked breathtaking in the solid yellow frock with full sleeves and a rounded neckline-of course, the dress was beautiful, I had picked it myself. I had planned to punish her the moment I arrived, which is why I tossed her straight into the pool. Ironically, she was standing right next to it-this girl, my adorable little Aalu.

It's only a 20-second walk from the room to the garden, but we had been walking for over 40 seconds now, dragging the silence along with us. Alisha wasn't even looking at me. This wasn't my Aalu. My Alisha would have filled the air with endless chatter-but right now, she was quiet, too quiet, as if her silence was swallowing everything around us.

I kept watching her-the way her wet hair swayed gently with the breeze, the water droplets clinging to her skin, making her face glow softly under the lights. It was her raw beauty-unfiltered, effortless, and utterly captivating.

From a distance, I heard Rishi's familiar voice calling out, "Jayant! Alisha! Over here!" The moment she heard him, she picked up her pace and walked toward him without a glance back.

And I just stood there, watching her drift further away-as if, with each step, the distance between us was becoming something more than just physical. An unfamiliar ache settled in my chest-a feeling that she was slipping away from me, little by little.
For the first time, it felt like she wasn't just walking toward someone else-she was walking away from me.
~~~
We were all gathered around the round table. I had already met Rishi and Rahim-they were sitting together as usual. Alisha was sitting one seat away from me, with Rishi deliberately placed between us. I couldn't understand why she made him sit there-was she trying to keep her distance from me?

We were in the middle of a casual conversation when a romantic song suddenly began to play. All eyes turned toward the entrance as Dip and Bhumika made their grand entry. Everyone stood up, clapping and cheering as the couple walked in, hand in hand, perfectly synced with the music. I, however, remained seated, watching in silence until Rishi nudged me under the table with his foot, signaling me to stand. Reluctantly, I got up.

Their entrance was picture-perfect-just like a scene from a romantic movie. As they reached the table, they greeted everyone warmly, hugging and exchanging pleasantries. When it was my turn, I settled for a simple handshake with both of them, keeping my distance. But then, Alisha...

She stood up and hugged Dip. She hugged him. My eyebrow instinctively twitched. And as if that wasn't enough, she turned and embraced Bhumika just as warmly, laughing and chatting like they were the best of friends. Not a trace of discomfort on her face-no hesitation, no awkwardness. It was as if meeting her ex and his soon-to-be wife meant absolutely nothing to her.

Does she not realize the kind of mess she could stir up in their lives? Or does she simply not care? There she was, smiling brightly, effortlessly winning Bhumika over while I sat there, watching every move, feeling more restless by the second.

Everyone eventually settled back into their seats. Bhumika, of all people, took the seat right next to Alisha. And there I was, wondering-Why am I the only one tense about this? If even Dip didn't seem bothered, why couldn't I shake off this feeling?

Rishi and Rahim were laughing and joking with Bhumika, sharing the kind of easy bond people have with a beloved sister-in-law. Bhumika seemed unusually excited-more than just meeting Dip's friends, it was clear she wanted to know everything about him. And who better to spill the details than his childhood friends?

Without wasting any time, she started her questions. "So, what was Dip like in school and college? I know him now, but how was he as a friend?"

Rahim and Rishi instantly began showering Dip with praises, painting a picture of the perfect, calm, and responsible guy. Even Alisha chimed in-Seriously? I couldn't believe it. The same Dip who used to sit quietly but never missed a chance to throw sarcastic remarks my way? If he hadn't become friends with Alisha back then, I would've never let him into our group.

As the conversation flowed, Alisha suddenly asked Dip and Bhumika to share their love story. I wasn't particularly interested, but Dip, ever eager, began to narrate it in detail.

"It's funny," he started. "When you reach a certain age, having someone by your side starts to feel... necessary. So, I signed up on a dating app. Matched with a girl-beautiful and hot. After a week of chatting, we decided to meet at a restaurant. But apparently, I wasn't her type-she wanted someone 'hotter,' and well, I didn't make the cut. She left, but I figured since I was already there, I might as well enjoy the food."
He smiled, glancing at Bhumika. "And that's when I noticed her-sitting at the table across from me. Blue salwar suit, a small bindi on her forehead... and clearly uncomfortable with the guy she was with. The guy kept insisting, 'My hotel is nearby, let's go there and talk comfortably.'"

Bhumika rolled her eyes as Dip continued, "I could see she wasn't interested, but the guy wouldn't take no for an answer. By the time I finished my meal, their drama was still going on. So, I walked up to her table and said the first thing that came to mind-'Diya! You're here?'"

At this point, Bhumika cut in, laughing softly. "Okay, let me tell the rest!"
She smiled as she took over the story. "So, this guy-wearing a checkered shirt, looking fairly average-just shows up and calls me Diya. First, my name isn't Diya. Second, I had never seen him before. So, of course, I was confused. But before I could say anything, he slid into our conversation like we were long-lost friends.
He even bent down and whispered, 'Don't worry,' while pretending to touch my ankle-like we were sending secret signals. Then, as if he hadn't already crossed enough lines, he offered, 'Let me drop you home.' I stared at him, baffled, and asked, 'Why would you drop me? Who even are you?'
By then, I felt trapped-one guy pressuring me to leave with him and another acting like a mysterious savior. But something about his ridiculous confidence was comforting. So, when he insisted again, saying, 'I'm your friend-the one who saves you from trouble,' I played along.
We walked out together, leaving my awful date behind. The moment we stepped outside, we both burst into laughter.

He said, 'I can't believe that worked,' and I said, 'You're lucky I didn't slap you.'
That one silly moment turned into a walk, that walk turned into coffee, coffee turned into long chats-and now, well... we're getting married."

She leaned back with a satisfied smile. "Story over. So, what about yours relationship status"

Rishi, ever blunt and unfiltered, flashed a crooked smile.
"It's a yes from me-but a no from my family. Inter-caste drama, you know the drill."

We chuckled. Typical Rishi.

Rahim, who had been quiet, gave a sad little smile and shrugged.
"Don't even ask me. Fresh breakup. Still trying to find the delete button in my heart." Alisha picked up on his mood and subtly signaled Bhumika not to press further.

I had been half-listening while scrolling through my phone, trying to distract myself, until I heard a soft, playful voice cut through the chatter.
Bhumika leaned towards Alisha and said with a smirk, "We already know about you."

Her words made my ears perk up instantly. My head snapped up. "Know what?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.
She grinned, all too casually. "Oh come on, everyone knows now... about Alisha's relationship."

My chest tightened. Relationship? Was she talking about the interview?

Wait-why isn't anyone else mentioning it? Why does it feel like I'm the only one in the dark?

Before I could process more, I heard something that made my stomach twist.
"Make sure to bring Aransh to my wedding," Bhumika said with a giggle. "My sister is a huge fan of his!"

I froze. "Aransh?" I repeated, my voice firmer, more demanding. My eyes locked onto Alisha's face.

She didn't look happy. In fact, there was no glow in her eyes, no smile-only unease. And when she glanced at me, it felt like she flinched. Like she'd been caught doing something she never wanted me to find out.

She hesitated, then said quietly, "She's talking about Aransh Khanna."

That name. Aransh Khanna. It didn't sit right. I didn't know why, but something twisted inside me. And then I asked, more directly this time, "Who is he to you, Alisha?"

The room went quiet. Everyone looked at her. She didn't speak immediately. There was a pause-a tense, heavy pause.
Just as Bhumika opened her mouth to say something, Alisha interrupted her, her voice flat and sharp:
"He's my boyfriend."

She said it like a dagger-quick, cold, and straight to the heart.

I couldn't believe what I had just heard.
"Your... boyfriend?" I repeated, barely able to form the words.

None of it made sense. Just yesterday, she'd said in that interview that she had been in love with someone for seventeen years. And today-this? A boyfriend? Since when?
"When did that happen?" I asked, trying hard to keep my voice steady.

She met my gaze, her eyes suddenly sharper than ever, and said, "It's been more than a year now."

A year. And I was just finding out today.
Before I could say anything more, Rahim, ever the peacemaker, muttered, "Wow. Finally..." but Rishi nudged him, stopping him from saying anything else.

I was still staring at her. And she-she was looking right back at me, like she was enjoying this. Like she wanted me to hurt. Like this was revenge for something I didn't even know I'd done.

Bhumika, still oblivious to the tension thickening between us, chimed in, "I just read an article today-about Alisha and Aransh's relationship. It was all over the internet."

I pulled out my phone and started searching. My fingers moved faster than my mind could keep up. And there it was-the article. With pictures. So many of them. Her and Aransh. Close. Smiling. Hands brushing. Eyes locked.
Pictures that screamed intimacy. Pictures that told a story I had never been a part of.
And in that moment, something inside me broke.

Alisha, have you really pushed me this far out of your life? So far that I now have to learn about you from the internet? From strangers? From gossip?

I didn't know what hurt more-her words, or the way she said them like I no longer mattered.

Maybe... maybe I didn't.

Each image felt like a knife.
You didn't tell me, Alisha. You let the world know before me. Why?

And then, the worst thought crept in:
Did I ever matter to you at all? Or have I already been erased from your life-replaced in silence, left to figure it all out through headlines and whispers?

I was still staring at my phone screen, scrolling through that cursed article, trying to make sense of it all-when Bhumika's voice suddenly broke through the tension, light and teasing, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside me.
"So, Mr. Jayant... when are you getting married to Shreya?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

I looked up, locking eyes with her. My hands froze mid-scroll. That name. That question. That timing.

It was like someone had tossed gasoline onto an open flame.

I clenched my jaw, forcing the words out, my voice edged with barely controlled fury.
"You should focus on your wedding, not mine."
The room stiffened.

But I wasn't done. The hurt inside me twisted into something darker. Something sharp. I added coldly, "Anyway, breaking relationships is Dip's specialty, isn't it?"

Silence. Heavy. Uncomfortable.

Everyone froze, their eyes wide, like I'd just shattered a glass in the middle of the room. Maybe I had. Maybe they thought I'd gone too far.
The room fell into an awkward silence. Everyone turned to stare at me like I had crossed some invisible line. But was I wrong? Without any reason, Dip had broken up with Alisha-wasn't that the truth? Yet somehow, I was the villain for saying it out loud.
Alisha, clearly uncomfortable, tried to smooth things over. "He didn't mean it like that-"
I cut her off before she could finish. "Why not? I'm just stating facts. He doesn't end relationships without a reason, right?"

"Stop, Jayant!" Alisha's voice was firm-louder than I expected. Her sudden need to defend Dip stung more than I wanted to admit. Without another word, I pushed my chair back and left the table, needing space to cool down.

I stood quietly in the shadowed corner of the resort, away from the noise, away from the people-just waiting. Hoping. That maybe Alisha would come after me. That maybe she'd try to explain, or at least say something to calm me down.
But she didn't.

Instead, it was Rishi who came. He walked up beside me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder. "Why are you taking out your anger on someone who has nothing to do with it?" he said softly. "That's not like you."

Before I could respond, Rahim joined us, standing on my other side. "You don't ruin someone else's happy day because you're hurting," he added.

I didn't say a word to either of them. I wasn't in the mood for lectures. My mind was fixed on one thing-Alisha. I needed to talk to her. I needed answers.

Rahim nudged me a little. "Come on, bro. Let it go. Breathe."

But I didn't move. I turned my gaze toward the hills just behind the resort, needing something steady to hold onto, even if it was just scenery. Then I asked, quietly but firmly, "You guys already knew about Aransh, didn't you?"
Rahim shook his head. "I swear, I found out just today."
Rishi, though, said nothing.
I stared ahead, my voice lowering into something more fragile. "Alisha's changed, man. She's hiding things from me now. Why? What did I do wrong?"

They couldn't hear it-but there was pain in every word I spoke. My best friend... and I didn't even know what was happening in her life anymore. That realization was tearing me apart.
Then, to my surprise, Rishi spoke-seriously, for once. "Look, back then we were kids, always together. But we've grown up now. Lives have shifted. She's in Mumbai, you're in Delhi. It's just how life works. No two people stay side by side from birth to death."

I stared at him, stunned. I had never heard Rishi speak like that. There was a calm depth to his words that unsettled me. A bitter smile crept to my face as I responded, "I get that. I'm not asking for us to always be together. But is it too much to expect... at least a little honesty? Just one piece of news?"

Rishi looked at me, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "That's her choice, Jayant. You've got to let her go."

"I never stopped her," I snapped.
Rishi let out a laugh. But it wasn't playful. It was the kind of laugh you hear when someone knows something you don't.

"You did stop her," he said quietly. "You're the one holding her back from moving forward. And the funny part? You don't even realize it."

He pulled his hand from my shoulder and took a step back. "Think about it... when you've got the time."

Then he looked at Rahim. "Come on, let's leave him to his thoughts."

And just like that, they walked away, leaving me standing there-alone.
I stared into the hills again, but now my mind was clouded. What did Rishi really mean? Was he right? Had I unknowingly become the reason Alisha couldn't move on?
I didn't know anymore. All I knew was... something inside me had started to unravel.

Minutes stretched on, and the anger I had felt began to fade into something heavier-disappointment.
When I finally decided to return to the table, I caught sight of Alisha and Dip talking-no, arguing. I slowed my steps, unable to resist listening in.
"What's wrong with Jayant?" Dip's voice was irritated. "He needs to apologize-to both Bhumika and me."

Alisha's tone was softer, but it still cut through. "I don't know... He always loses his temper when marriage comes up. So, just let me talk to him."

Dip exhaled sharply. "Well, I'm not going to sit here and listen to his tantrums. And I won't let Bhumika put up with it either."
And then, his next words froze me in place.
"You weren't even in contact with him for months-because Shreya told you not to, right?"

A cold weight settled in my chest. What did he just say?
Without realizing it, I spoke out loud. "What?"

Both of them turned, startled to find me standing there. Alisha's face drained of color, panic flashing in her eyes as she quickly tried to explain. "Jayant, whatever you just heard-it's not true. Shreya didn't stop me from talking to you... it's something else... I explain you."

I stepped closer, my voice dangerously low. "Why did Shreya want to keep me away from you?"

By then, the rest of our friends had gathered around, sensing the tension thickening between us. My fists clenched at my sides as the anger I had been trying to control boiled over.

Alisha reached for my arm, but I pulled back-harder than I meant to. She stumbled, falling to the ground.

The moment I realized what I had done, I moved to help her, but Rishi and Rahim blocked me. Rishi's expression was hard-disapproving. "Don't touch her," he said quietly but firmly.

Dip crouched beside her, his hand resting protectively on her shoulder. That simple gesture-his hand on my Alisha-made something twist painfully inside me.

I ignored Rishi's attempt to stop me. "Alisha," I demanded, my voice shaking with anger, "why? Why did you stop talking to me-because of Shreya? Someone you don't even like?"

She was crying-silent tears rolling down her face as Dip's grip on her shoulder tightened in support.

Rahim stepped between us, his hands raised slightly, trying to create peace. "Jayant, man, relax. We don't even know what was said or how it was meant. Just... hear her out first. Don't blow this out of proportion."
Relax?

How the hell was I supposed to relax when it felt like the ground beneath me was splitting open?

Why does everyone around me always hide things from me?

Why am I always the last to know?
For a few seconds, no one said a word. The only sound was the distant hum of laughter and music from the wedding hall-so normal, so out of place with the storm boiling inside me.
And then... I saw Alisha.

She tried to come toward me. Her eyes met mine-soft, uncertain, apologetic. But before she could take more than a step, people stopped her. Her friends, my friends-everyone stood in her way.
"Let him calm down first," someone said.
"Not now, Alisha."

Why? Why were they stopping her?
I wasn't going to hurt her. I could never hurt her.

I had promised myself that long ago.

Alisha was crying-maybe because of me-and I was so angry, I couldn't even see her tears. From behind Rishi's shoulder, she softly said, "Jayant, please... let's sit and talk calmly."

But I ignored her words.
I don't think I've ever been this hurt before. Not like today.

And then, unable to hold it in any longer, I asked the one question that had been haunting me all this time...

"Who is your seventeen-year-old love, Alisha?"

The air left the room.
Time stopped.
Every pair of eyes turned toward her.
But she... said nothing.
Nothing.

At first, I thought the silence was confusion. That maybe no one knew what I was talking about.
But then I saw their faces-Rishi, Rahim and dip, even Bhumika. That look. That heaviness in their eyes.
They knew.
All of them.
They knew.
Except me.

I felt a slow burn rise in my chest. The kind that turns into an ache so deep, it doesn't scream-it suffocates.
The weight of their silence crushed me, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe.
I stood there, a fool in the middle of people I once called mine.

The silence didn't just speak-it screamed. And it said everything I needed to hear.

Without another word, without looking at a single face, I turned around and walked out.

They called after me-Rishi, Rahim, even Alisha.
But I didn't turn back. I didn't slow down.
Because it wasn't just Alisha who betrayed me.
It was all of them.

I had thought she was in this group because of me, but now, it felt like I was the outsider. The one who didn't belong.

My friends keep secrets from me... but Shreya, you too?
You say you love me-then how could you do this?
You should've known...
You should've known how much it would hurt me when I found out.
If you truly loved me, Shreya...
you would've never tried to control what mattered to me.
You would've never made choices for me behind my back.
Love isn't about removing people from my life.
It's about trusting me to keep the right ones close.

Those thoughts burned in my mind as I drove back to my apartment, each word echoing louder with every turn of the wheel.

The city lights blurred past as my anger pushed down on the accelerator, my car speeding up with every frustrated breath.

I remember what you said, Shreya.
You told me once you could never date a guy who had a female best friend. I get it-you've never liked Alisha. I know that.
But this? This isn't okay.

You had no right to come between us.
You knew what Alisha means to me. You know she's a part of my life, a constant, like breath. Still, you said something-God knows what-and Alisha must've agreed, probably thinking it was for my happiness.

But this wasn't for me.
You didn't do right, Shreya.
Not by me. Not by her.
I kept replaying it over and over in my head, the betrayal, the manipulation-disguised as concern, as love. My jaw clenched, hands tightening on the steering wheel, veins pulsing with rage.
I had left the party with questions for Alisha.
Now I had just as many for Shreya.
And I wasn't going to stay silent anymore.

🫶🫶