unspoken heartbreak

Radhya

Rakshit and his date, Riya, had long gone to his room, leaving me alone downstairs. Physically, Aaliyah was with me, but emotionally? It was just me and my shattered heart—the one that had broken countless times because of Rakshit's actions.

But that's just my point of view. He hasn't really done anything wrong. He's young, handsome, and the most desirable guy in our circle. Why should he stop himself for me? And more than that, he has never felt anything for me beyond friendship. It's not like I ever confessed my feelings to him, nor did he ever reject me. So, I can't even play the sympathy card or expect him to be considerate enough to not hold someone else in his arms in front of me.

What right do I have?

He has every right to enjoy his life. And I have every right to mourn my pain—because this pain is mine. This longing is mine.

"You okay?"

Aaliyah, still holding the TV remote, asked me with concern. I doubted she had even started the movie yet. I was lost in my own thoughts, trying to gather the broken pieces of my heart, but for her, this was nothing new. And why should she even care about who her brother is hooking up with?

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I shook my head, pushing my emotions into a dark corner of my heart, locking them away with a fake smile.

"Actually, I…" She hesitated as if searching for words.

She moved closer and took both my hands in hers. "See, we were having such a good time, and Bhaiyyu totally ruined the mood. Now it just feels weird that there's another girl in the house. As if Bhaiyyu wasn't enough, now she's here too! I thought we'd have an amazing movie night, but now they'll just keep hovering like ghosts. There's no such thing as privacy anymore."

A dry, bitter chuckle escaped my lips at her ridiculous reasoning. I wanted to scream, "Don't worry! Your brother and his date won't be coming downstairs before morning!" I mean, what kind of guy abandons his 'enjoyable moments' to wander around? And Rakshit? Never.

He's up there, indulging in those passionate moments… and we're here.

"Don't worry. Just pretend it's only us in this house, okay? Because I doubt they'll disturb us." I maintained the decorum of friendship, choosing my words with restraint.

"That's true!" Her eyes lit up. "So, shall we start the movie?"

I nodded. "Yeah… excited."

Another fake smile. Another forced display of joy. Meanwhile, inside, my heart was burning, as if some scalding liquid was flowing through my veins, setting every nerve on fire.

She pressed play, and the screen filled with terrifying scenes meant to make one's blood run cold. But today, they failed to scare me—because my real fear was sitting on the first floor, in Rakshit's room.

I was dying a little inside with every passing second, wondering what was happening up there. Were they just talking? Laughing at some joke? Studying together? Call me stupid, call my brain weak, but these thoughts comforted me. It was easier to imagine them engaged in meaningless conversation than to face the bitter truth.

But reality is like a bubble—it only takes a single prick of truth to burst it, leaving behind scattered droplets.

Just like my heart.

To be honest, I didn't even have the courage to step outside and listen to the sounds coming from Rakshit's room. And what if I heard something I was never meant to hear? Something that would turn my worst nightmares into reality?

How pathetic of me…

Kis kadar tere pyaar ne mujhe toda hai,

Ki ab is toote dil ne mujhe har ek galat raah pe moda hai.

Tu anjaan sa ghum hai apni hi duniya mein,

Aur main apni duniya ko hi tujh mein joda hai.

"Radhya, pick up the phone! It's been ringing for ages!"

Aaliyah, half-asleep and sprawled over me, mumbled in irritation.

I had no idea what time it was or when I had fallen asleep. All I knew was that my head was pounding, Aaliyah was muttering beside me, and my phone's ringtone was only making my headache worse.

"Radhyaaa!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it," I mumbled, yawning as I gently pushed Aaliyah away. My eyes refused to open properly, but I blindly fumbled around until I finally found my phone.

Squinting at the screen, I accepted the call.

"Hey… what's up?"

A deep, honeyed voice poured into my ears, smooth and warm like melting chocolate.

I rubbed my eyes and blinked. Was I dreaming?

No. It was really him.

Riyansh Raizada.

"Hey," I mumbled, my voice still heavy with sleep.

"I was thinking…" He hesitated.

"Huh?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"I was wondering… can we meet this evening? I mean, there's a great movie releasing this Friday, and I've been waiting to watch it for so long. Want to go together?" His voice was calm, soothing—like cool water on a burning wound.

"What? Me?"

I shot up in bed so fast that Aaliyah groaned in protest.

"Radhya, what the hell? Be careful!" she complained groggily.

"What happened?"

Rakshit, who had clearly overheard Aaliyah's sharp voice through the phone, sounded concerned.

"Nothing!" I quickly shook my head as if he could see me through the phone.

He chuckled. "Okay, so… should we…?"

Before he could finish, I cut him off.

"Actually, Rakshit, I don't think I can make it today. I already made plans with Aaliyah, and I don't want to ditch her."

I lied effortlessly, my eyes fixed on Aaliyah, who was still in deep sleep—completely unaware that I had just used her as an excuse to reject Riyansh.

"Oh, okay," he replied gently, without any trace of annoyance. "Then maybe another time?"

"Rakshit, I gotta go. Aaliyah's calling me. Okay, bye!"

I hung up.

I knew it was wrong, but what could I do? A broken heart has nothing to offer but pain, and I wasn't about to let someone else suffer because of mine.

A soft giggle and the sound of lips smacking together pulled my attention back.

Rakshit and Riya—standing on the stairs, shamelessly indulging in their PDA.

Seriously? Was last night not enough? Now they had to start this nonsense first thing in the morning?

"Hey, you're up," Rakshit finally noticed me, flashing a smile. "I thought you'd still be asleep. You went to bed pretty late, didn't you?"

What did he mean by that?

Had he checked on us last night? When did he even get a break from his clingy 'date'—who, by the way, was still glued to his side?

"Yeah, I woke up. Any problem with that?" I snapped, raising an eyebrow at Riya, watching her face carefully for a reaction.

"Why are you so grumpy this morning?" he asked, concerned.

But I didn't want his concern. Not today. Not ever.

If he was happy in his life, then I needed to find my happiness elsewhere.

"Nothing," I smiled at him.

And with that, I dialed a number.

"Riyansh? Actually, my plans changed. See you at 7."

*****************************

Hello everyone!

How are you all doing?

I hope you enjoyed today's chapter!

I know I haven't shared Rakshit's POV yet, but don't worry—his feelings will finally be revealed in the next chapter. So stay tuned for that!

Thank you so much for reading, and please don't forget to share your thoughts. As a new writer, your feedback means the world to me. It helps me grow and keeps me motivated to bring you more chapters. So, please leave a comment, review my book, vote if you liked it, and don't forget to add it to your library!

I'll see you all in the next chapter with Rakshit's perspective.

Until then, take care and happy reading!

Yours,

Novelfairy