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Sona was going through the app where she used to publish her poetry. It had been a long time since she logged into it, she had also forgotten her password but thankfully the forget password feature helped her get back her account. When she opened it she was shocked to see she had about 10k followers.

10k people who understood her unrequited love.

Weirdly enough she had reconnected with some of her internet friends too, especially Vedika. She seemed shocked to she her online and more shocked when she said she was going to publish her poems. Promising to buy her book she had also requested to meet her, Sona said yes without a thought and then she had asked her if she was with that 'special someone'. Sona had spammed her with laughing emojis and said no.

She shook her head at that thought, feeling a little silly. She never understood now how strong her emotions were before, now everything seemed stupid but to the then Sona all this stupidity was her living. And she respected her past self, she had made peace with it. If she would have something to say to the 18 year old Sona though, she would've told her to not love so hard.

She still remembered how she cried for weeks after the vacation, unknown to everyone but her dad. She had confided in him then, told him she liked Abhay but he didn't like her back. Her dad for whatever reason was not surprised, he had hugged her and consoled her and told her she didn't need boys like him in her life. He also looked slightly offended that he had dared to reject Sona. Thinking about that just made her giggle now.

She also had come terms with the word 'love', what she felt about Abhay might've not even been love but what she felt towards Aksith was also just close to love. But even so she pondered everyday, what was love?

Aksith had brought another hurricane of emotions in Sona's life, she was not deprived of feeling something close to love but she didn't feel it all together either. He always gave her mixed signals but she didn't blame him. If they took a step forward, but in the future decided to move it back, what would happen to their friendship?

Her friendship with Aksith was something she never wanted to lose.

To make complete peace with her 18 year old self, Sona decided to publish the poems. She could feel free by telling everyone about her feelings, about her past pain and most importantly to let everyone know she was over it.

She didn't think Abhay would know they were about him but he was a smart guy, of course he would assume the truth, but he was also mature enough to not talk about it to make her feel awkward, she was sure of that.

"Sona?"

"Hmm?" she barely looked up from her laptop, she had to email another report to her supervisor and she had just finished drafting the mail.

"Tarni is getting married in December," her mother set a glass of milk near her table like everyday.

"Hmm," Sona pressed the send button and then she almost fell off her chair as she decoded her mother's words. "What?!"

"Yeah," she didn't seem surprised but more annoyed as she looked at her. "When will you get married?"

"Mom!" Sona gasped. "You sound like you want to kick me out of the house!"

Her mother just rolled her eyes.

"What is this about Tarni?" she stood up. "Married? December is like 4 months away! Also, who is she getting married to? She didn't even like the guy she was going to meet? Don't tell me you all are forcing—"

"Go ask her only," her mother chipped in, "She was the one showing off her engagement ring."

"Engagement ring?!"

🦋🦋🦋

Sona didn't even change from her tank top and shorts as she barged into the Singh's home next door. Tarni's mom opened the door and she greeted her and hurriedly scurried away to her room. She almost cried when she saw her giggling on her the phone, a big diamond ring resting on her finger.

Tarni needed therapy, asap.

"Tarni are you okay?" she almost stubbed her toe by the bedside as she crawled on the soft sheets. "What happened? Why am I hearing weird things?"

"What?" she looked up from her phone. "Oh, Sona! Hey, when did you get here?"

Sona placed her palm over her mouth in worry. "Tarni? Did you hit your head when you were going to meet that doctor guy?"

"Yes," a weird noise rumbled in the back of her throat as she threw her head back. "He fixed me up alright, though."

Sona's elbow jerked and all the weight over her body fell straight on the bed, she craned her neck and spoke with horrified eyes. "Did you already have sex with him?" her words were low but high pitched.

"It was so good, Sona!" she screamed in glee, her face red as she hyperventilated, fanning her cheeks with a big smile. "Sona! He has these amazing dimples and whenever he moved insid—"

"Shut up!" she shrieked and covered her ears. "Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to hear all that!"

"Tell me how the hell are you getting married just after a round of sex!"

"It wasn't one—"

"No shut up! Why are you engaged?"

"Sona, he is such a handsome—"

"I thought he looked like he was 40?"

"No! He is older than me, 31 year to be precise but—"

"I am calling Aksith!"

"Wait, why?" Tarni covered her face. "Don't call him!"

"I don't know what to do with you," Sona's brown eyes were layered in rare rage. "You are acting so foolish!"

"Don't call Aksith!"

"Why?" Sona pressed as she crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes. "Do you think he will feel hurt when he gets to know that you will get married? I think he got over you long back!"

"No!" her voice was muffled, her long hair messily hiding the most part of her face too as she continued hiding behind her hands. "No! No! You don't understand!"

"What do I not understand?"

She muttered something incoherent and Sona was losing patience by every second.

"What do I not understand, Tarni?"

"Aksith likes me!" she bursted out with anxious eyes.

"What?" Sona dropped her phone.

Tarni bit her lip and hit herself on her head. "I-I think he does!" she stuttered. "You know, when I rejected him and stuff everything was cool and okay but then. . . . "

"Then what?" Sona's mouth was dry.

"Then. . . he gave me a letter. . . saying he would wait for me. . . ."

"What the fuck!" she felt her heart was cracking. "You are telling me this now?"

"Hey!" Tarni's mood soured too, her previous trepidation solidified into annoyance. "You can't tell me that! You were the one who hid from me that you liked my brother."

Sona felt her world was crashing, like a full speeding airplane that had run out of fuel in the middle of the ocean, she was falling backwards. And slowly, slowly, she didn't even fully crash when she disintegrated mid-air itself, all her skin burning.

"How did you know?" she whispered ruefully, feeling a knot of pain in her throat. How had her long hid secret been discovered just like that? How had Tarni just screamed it on her face just like that? "Did Aksith tell you?" her fist shook.

"No!" she denied it immediately as she shook her head. "Sona, do you think I am so dumb to not know that you liked Abhay? I've always known it, okay? I didn't confront you because you didn't want to tell me. I always acted dumb with both of you around when I fully knew you liked him."

Sona shuddered, suddenly everything felt so cold that she couldn't even breathe.

Tarni's mom opened the door and asked why were they yelling and fighting but Sona numbly walked by her.

She felt her heart beating but she didn't feel it at the same time. A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Was love really a luxury she could never get?

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Sona was working mechanically at the office, her fingers typing and typing away nonstop like a machine. Her superior seemed happy with her though, but she was just drowning in her own misery she had created. It was August and it was raining, she could hear the water drops splashing against the glass windows, blurring her thoughts as she continued working.

"Sona, work's over," someone called her out and said.

She jerked her head away from her computer screen, it was 6 pm already. Pursing her lips she grabbed her bag and went her way to the gates as she climbed down the stairs in her heels. She never took the elevator even if her workplace was on the 5th floor.

Many other people were also dispersing from the company, most of them under an umbrella and a few misfortunate ones had to run their way to the taxi. Sona didn't know where she stood in between them as she let the rain drown her, wetting her new blouse and pencil skirt she had brought recently online from an impulsive purchase.

She wiped her face, but more water came tumbling through.

"Sona?!"

She blinked, a little taken back to see Abhay jogging towards her from his car. She didn't even realise he had parked it in front of her.

"What are you doing?" his voice mixed with the sound of the rain as the smell of wet mud intensified around them. "You'll get sick, Sona."

So swiftly he removed hit jacket that Sona had no time to blink when he put it around her, tugging on her wrist towards his car. She almost stumbled in her heels but pulled back before he opened the door.

"What are you doing here?" she asked with a frown, it seemed her senses were being cleared by the rain slowly, for she had comprehended his presence very late.

His dark hair was flat and dripping against his forehead as his white shirt become translucent, Sona could see his skin but her eyes moved back to his. His suit jacket was covering her head while he stood invincibly with a raised eyebrow.

His fingers moved to grasped the collar of his jacket on her head and as he pulled it over, he pulled her in, too. Sona gasped as she felt herself being pressed against his chest, his jacket was now covering both of them.

"W-What are you doing?" her fingers hooked themselves in the loop of his belt. Her heart was beating erratically at the sudden movement and at the sudden proximity.

"Sona," the way he said her name made her feel he was angry at her.

"Abhay?" she blinked her wet eyelashes, everything was dark under his jacket and also something else. . . . Sona didn't understand. As she looked into his eyes, she saw a soft glint shining in them.

His palms squeezed her waist slowly as he pressed her more closer. "D-Do you feel uncomfortable?" he stuttered slightly with wide eyes. His arm immediately let go of her, but he still stood close enough to invade her breathing.

She didn't say anything, just bit on her lower lip. "Abhay?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we doing?"

He blinked and took a large step back, his cheeks were slightly red as he swiftly turned and opened the car door for her. "Get in."

Sona soon found herself sitting on a towel inside his car as she used another spare one to dry her hair. She was looking at him but he was avoiding eye contact.

"Abhay. . . ." she almost whined, wondering why he wasn't answering her.

"I came here to pick you up," he cleared his throat, his fingers fumbling to switch the heater on. "I thought I would drop you and we could also talk about your poetry book."

"We could've just talked at home!" she teased him with his own words he had told her when she showed up at his office. "You didn't have to pick me up, you didn't even bring an umbrella." She shot a sad look at the drenched jacket that was laying in the backseat.

He just cleared his throat again as he started the car.

"Or did you want to want a romantic moment that's why you didn't bring one?" she joked with a laugh but he pressed on the brakes suddenly, snapping his neck towards her.

"I was joking," she said awkwardly as she rubbed the towel on her arm. She could still see through his shirt, his skin was translucently visible under the sheer material and as he moved his arms she could see his muscles moving too.

"Don't you want to dry yourself too?" she asked to kill the silence when he just stared at her with a complicated gaze. She retreated her hand back when she realised she had used both the towels.

"Sona," he said but didn't continue.

She was feeling the temperature rising with every minute as he just looked at her, feeling his gaze burning her skin she actually started feeling a little annoyed. "Can we go?" a pout formed on her lips.

"Yes," his hand moved on the gear and he started driving.

This time she took all the advantage to look at him just like he had been looking at her, though her looking classified more as glaring.

"Stop it, Sona," he said.

"Stop what?" she rolled her eyes, "I am not doing anything."

"You know what you are doing," he spoke more sternly now.

It wasn't her fault he looked very pleasing to the eyes that she couldn't stop looking at him. With a semi transparent shirt that was rolled up to display his veins, even his dripping wet hair made him look. . . . quiet nice. But she looked away, staring out the window instead as she gazed at the rain.

When they reached in front of her house Sona unbuckled her seatbelt and just as she was about to close the door he spoke, making her turn pale.

"I know you wrote all the poems about me, Sona."

Welcome to another chp of wtf is happening!!