Ruhi’s POV
After our date night, just before we both left for our homes, Aayansh offered to drop me.
But I stopped him.
“You should go,” I said softly. “I need to meet Shrey.”
I knew he didn’t like Shrey. I knew this would hurt him.
But I also didn’t want to lie to him and sneak around. If I was going to meet Shrey, Aayansh deserved to know.
“I need to talk to him,” I added.
The moment he heard that, his face fell.
I could see the anger flicker in his eyes but he didn’t say a word.
I took his hand in mine and gently made him look at me. He did, though I could tell from his expression that he didn’t want to hear what was coming.
“Look, Aayansh,” I said softly. “I know you don’t like Shrey. But he’s my best friend, and I can’t just give up on that friendship.”
I took a breath, gathering my thoughts.
“When we first met, I didn’t like him either,” I admitted. “I found him too noisy… honestly, very irritating. I tried to ignore him. I hoped he’d leave me alone. But he never did.”
Aayansh was listening now.
“He was always there no matter what. Slowly, without me realizing it, he made a place in my life. He stood by me during my lowest phase. He knew when I needed space and gave me exactly that. He was there for me when no one else was. Not even my family.”
I paused, my voice softer now.
“Aayansh, Shrey is really important to me. And you are too. You’re my boyfriend, and he’s my best friend. I don’t want to choose between the two of you. I just want you both to get along.”
I squeezed his hand gently.
“I don’t want to lie to you and go meet him. I hope you understand… and maybe, someday, you both can at least try to get along.”
I watched his face carefully.
It softened but I could tell he still wasn’t fully convinced.
“Okay,” he said finally. “I’ll try.”
That was enough for me.
I squeezed his hand once more, silently thanking him.
As we went our separate ways, I texted Shrey and asked him to meet me at our usual place his restaurant.
The very first one he had opened.
When I reached, I saw him already sitting at a table, scrolling on his phone.
I knew him well enough to know he had taken it out the moment he saw my car.
I walked over and sat across from him.
He glanced at me briefly then went right back to his phone.
Typical Shrey.
He was dramatic like that. Whenever he got angry, he wouldn’t leave but he’d ignore you completely, even if you were sitting right in front of him.
“Shrey,” I called.
No response.
“Shrey,” I tried again.
Nothing.
I sighed. “I’m calling you one last time. If you don’t talk, I’m leaving.”
That worked.
He finally looked up. “Okay. Speak.”
I took a deep breath. “I know you don’t like Aayansh, but”
Before I could finish, he interrupted. “It’s not that I don’t like him. I hate him.”
I frowned. “Why?”
“Because of him, you lied to me.”
“I didn’t lie, Shrey,” I said firmly. “I just didn’t tell you.”
“We promised,” he shot back. “If you ever liked a guy, you’d tell me first. You changed, Ruhi.”
“I didn’t change,” I said, a little hurt. “And I know I promised that. But the situation was different. I hated him when I first met him. You know me if I hate someone, I never look at them again.”
He smirked. “Yeah? And now you’re dating him.”
I shot him an angry look. “Don’t taunt me.”
He huffed, looking away.
“I was confused too,” I admitted quietly. “I didn’t know how I started liking him. He was just… there. When I needed him. He understood me even when I didn’t say anything. Even when we weren’t on good terms, he still showed up.”
I smiled faintly, lost in the memory.
“I don’t know when the hate turned into something else. People talk about love at first sight… but I think I had love at first hate.”
I said it dreamily, without even realizing.
Shrey looked at me carefully. “You really like him.”
It wasn’t a question.
I hummed. “I do.”
He sighed. “I still don’t like him.”
“I know,” I said. “But at least try to get along with him. I don’t want to lose either of you.”
He leaned back. “I’ll try. But I can’t guarantee anything.”
Then he softened a little.
“I could tell he liked you even during the wedding. He behaved differently whenever you were around. Now I know why.”
He paused, then added, “I’ll do this for you. But if he ever hurts you… I’ll beat him.”
I smiled. “Deal.”
We both stood up.
“It’s late,” I said. “You should rest.”
“You too.”
We said goodbye and went our separate ways.
After reaching home, I freshened up and collapsed onto my bed.
The first thing I did was text Shrey.
Me: Reached home.
Shrey: Same.
Me: It’s late. Go sleep. I’ll rest too.
Then I texted Aayansh.
Me: Hi… are you asleep?
No reply.
I assumed he had fallen asleep.
Just as I placed my phone aside, it buzzed.
A message from him.
Aayansh: No. I couldn’t sleep.
And just like that…
my heart softened all over again.
Aayansh’s POV
I was genuinely happy that day.
Ruhi had put so much effort into making me smile. The date itself was so perfect that I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was to have her in my life. Everything felt right.
Until the moment I told her I’d drop her home.
That’s when she said she needed to meet Shrey.
Just like that, my mood dropped.
I didn’t say anything at first, but inside, I was already unsettled. I didn’t like the idea at all. And then she started explaining about how important Shrey was to her, how she didn’t want to choose between us, how she didn’t want to hurt either of us. Most importantly, she didn’t want to lie to me and sneak off to meet him.
That part… made me feel a little better.
Still, I didn’t want her to go.
But she looked at me with that calm honesty of hers and assured me. And I didn’t want to be that boyfriend, the controlling one so I nodded and said okay.
Even though my heart wasn’t fully on board.
On the drive back home, my mind kept replaying our conversation. It was clear Shrey wasn’t just anyone. He was an important part of her life. Someone who knew her well. Maybe even better than I did.
And that didn’t sit right with me.
I went to my room and tried to focus on work, but it was useless. My thoughts kept drifting back to them sitting together, talking. I knew Shrey didn’t like me.
What if he tried to convince her that I wasn’t good for her?
What if he asked her to break up with me?
I kept checking my phone, hoping for a message. Or a call.
Nothing.
I even thought about calling her but then another thought stopped me.
What if she thinks I’m too clingy?
My head was a mess.
Then my phone buzzed.
Her name flashed on the screen.
I didn’t open it immediately. I just stared at my phone for a while, my heart racing. After a few minutes, I finally unlocked it.
“Hi… are you asleep?”
I typed back instantly.
“No. I couldn’t sleep.”
And then I decided I needed to hear her voice. I wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise.
I called her.
She picked up immediately. “Hello.”
I took a breath. “Hey… did you reach home?”
“Hmm,” she replied softly.
“What happened?” I asked. “Did you talk to Shrey?”
“Yes, we did.”
My chest tightened. “Everything’s okay, right?”
“Yes. Everything is okay, Aayansh,” she said gently. “Stop overthinking. I’m not going anywhere. Okay?”
That’s when I finally breathed properly.
She knew exactly what I was thinking and what I was feeling without me even saying it.
“Okay,” I replied quietly.
Then she said, “Aayansh, listen. I like you. I really like you, and I mean it. Even if someone comes to me and tells me to stop loving you, I won’t listen. Even if that person is close to me unless you come to me yourself and say you don’t like me anymore.”
My heart started beating uncontrollably.
The way she assured me… it made everything inside me settle.
“I like you too, Ruhi,” I said honestly. “And it can never happen that I’ll tell you I don’t like you anymore.”
After that, everything felt lighter.
We didn’t talk about Shrey again. Neither of us did. Instead, we slipped into our usual conversations laughing, talking about the date. She asked me if I liked the surprise she’d planned.
I could hear the sleepiness in her voice, but she was still listening to every word I said, replying patiently even while I was rambling.
She’s so cute.
Eventually, I told her to sleep. We said goodnight, and I ended the call.
I was smiling when I put my phone down.
Still smiling.
Then another notification popped up.
An unknown number.
I opened the message.
It was from
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