S H I V I K A's P O V —

As my eyes scanned the beautiful moonlight a small smile spread on my lips. The moon seemed more beautiful today. While the couple shined there on the stage, the moon was shining in the sky. Moon and i have a very beautiful bond. It has always been my secret diary to whom i have shared even my slightest secret. Be it anything.

Moon made me feel a warmth which made me escape all the bitter hurtful events of my life. I feel like as if my parents, my mom and dad were protecting me from there. And now i felt that feeling near me as atharv's presence. His presence always made me feel protected. I feel safe sround him which i haven't felt near any stranger. And he too was a stranger right? Or may be we have became a little close?

I don't feel like going away from him. He makes me feel something i haven't experienced in my life before. The way his eyes speaks thousands of unspoken words. How his orbs make my heart race just by a contact. How his warm appearance makes me feel at ease.

Is this really how you slowly fall in love?

No, I don't want to. Not like i doubt his intentions but love has made its feared place in my heart and I don't want to get hurt once again. The previous time, i survived, i picked up my heart's broken pieces, i tried to move on and i did but if all of that happens again, i won't be able to survive like i did before. I won't be able to.

I just fear of falling in love. Atharv is a very nice person indeed but he deserves the best and i am no one near it. He doesn't deserve a girl with dark past and vulnerable life at all. He deserves a girl who can give him the whole world and i? I cannot even handle my world, how will i give him the world he deserves?

Just lost in my thoughts i didn't realised that the man was standing beside me, atharv. The one who has captivated my mind with hia thoughts. The one who makes me drown in his eyes.

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it, miss avasthi?"

I heard his deep voice as his musky colongue hit my nostrils making me close my eyes instantly. I nodded but i felt his stare on me which i ignored and looked at the moon.

"It's indeed beautiful mr. Deshmukh."

I wishpered in a low voice. His eyes were on me, i could feel it as i gulped down the nervousness and looked towards him. As soon as i did, i felt myself drowning in his orbs as if it were an ocean. Do deep and that dark brown colour raised its beauty. If this is a dream, I don't want it to end. Please god.

Atleast I won't feel the hurt in my dreams. Or will i? This is not a dream right? Some or the other day he will leave too. Won't he? Life is all about leaving. First people leave from your life and then, at the end, you leave the world itself.

The game of life is full of hurdles. One minute it makes you feel so good, so euphoric, so beautiful. You feel like that's it, now my life has received all the happiness it deserves but the other minute, it all breaks apart.

It shatters you like anything and then getting up again. Healing yourself, it becomes so difficult. And I don't wanna experience it. This moment will end too. He will leave too. I don't wanna get attached to him but my heart feels tied. As if it is tied by a knot. A knot which is not seen. Not seen by anyone, not even me or him.

But i can feel it. What it is? I don't know but my hert wants to be tied by it for humesha. But dear heart, nothing is forever. One day, the knot will get weak and it will break. It break as well as it will break you.

But was my heart ready to listen? No. It loves to go ita way and at the end its me and my mind who suffers.

Him and i, both were still staring at each other. I feel adoration in his eyes. A kind of love which i haven't witnessed in anyone's eyes for me. Then why him? Why mr. Deshmukh? Why are you doing this to me? For me? I don't deserve all this.

Detaching my eyes from his orbs, i cleared my throat. A chuckle left his lips as i heard it making me frown. I gave him a confused look but he just shrugged off his shoulders. This man!

"Can i ask you a question mr. Deshmukh?"

I spoke out of curiosity. He gave me a look and nodded telling me to continue. I took a deep breath and said,

"Ap mujhe humesha ese ghurte kyu rehte hai?"

(Why do you keep staring at me?)

I asked while avoiding his intimidating gaze. He raised his brow and turned himself towards my direction, giving me all his attention. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes and found him slowly smirking. Why is he smirking all of a sudden?

"Apki ankhe hai hi itni nasheeli ki kisi aur nashe mein dubne ka man hi nahi karta! "

(Your eyes are intoxicating enough that I don't feel like drowning into any other intoxicants)

I chocked on my saliva as my eyes slowly looked at his face only to find him looking at them intensely. Damn, his stares does something to me. Heat rushed towards my cheeks as i felt them burning. Is this man for real? Why does he keeps flirting with me? Ahh he is making hard for me!! Mr. Deshmukh this is illegal.

My heart beat took it speed as i felt it coming out if my rib cage. The smirk was still dancing on his lips as he sexily took a sip from his wine glass. His adams apple waved as he gulped it down. I gulped while controlling myself and looked away. I could feel my heart burning with his action.

He is too much to be real.

"I-i t-think s-sonali i-is c-calling me, i will be back." I cursed myself for stuttering this much but escaping his tortures on my poor heart was more important right now. I glanced at him last time and went towards Sonali and Arav Jiju who were sitting on the small stage decorated on the terrace. She looked very happy today and why not she got the prince charming of her dreams.

To be honest, i would have died if someone had confessed to me like that. Like Jiju is so romantic oh my god. I feel so good for Sona that finally she got the love of her life completely. Our lives were so different but still, we were best friends.

In this fairy tale life where she was living the life of a princess, I was living like Cinderella. Cagged in the four walls, forced to do all the chores of her house, bearing all the tortures made by her aunt and having a pathetic life. But what was different was, that she found her prince who changed her miserable life into a real fairytale while I think I have to live a pathetic life forever.

My experience in love will not let me believe in love all over again.

I sat beside her and side-hugged her while she gave me her most precious smile. "I am so happy for you sona!" I whispered in her ears as she went all red making me chuckle.

"Jiju, I didn't know you were so romantic!" I said while looking at Arav Jiju who looked at me with a smirk. What the hell? In these situations, he was mostly shy and all but today he is smirking. Got the confidence I see.

"You don't know many things about me Sali Sahiba"

(Sister-in-law)

He said making me let out a laugh as Sonali hit his arm slightly while he gave her a pout. Why are they so cute? I chuckled when my eyes fell on him and like every single time, his eyes were stuck on me. The way he takes a sip from his wine glass again raced my heart beat as i placed my hand on my chest, feeling it. Damn, it's running a marathon.

Avoiding his gaze i lowered my lashes trying to hide my flushed face.

  A U T H O R 'S P O V —

Her heart was whispering her to look into his eyes. To look how much he adores her. How much hia eyes speak his love while he stares at her. How bad his eyes says that he was madly in love with her.

But they say, Heartbreak leaves a soul broken with itself. No matter how much a person tries to overcome the fear of it, they just can't. Same was with her. Her heart was aching, craving, dying to feel the warmth of a lover in her life but her fear was greater than her feelings.

She was scared, not because she doesn't want him in her life but whomsoever she has loved till now, has left her alone. Broken. First her parents, then the tortures of her aunt and uncle and again the one she loved the most. Her first love. Her first boyfriend. Her ex.

Her heart was screaming on her for being coward but only she and her mind know how much she has suffered. Mentally, physically and by all means. Her eyes craved for his one look but controlling herself, her feelings, she convinced them to not to get attached to his orbs or else it will be very difficult once he goes away from her.

His presence was like a warm hug a person needs to forget all their worries and stresses. She too wanted it. Wanted it more but her mind was busy convincing her that no! You cannot get attached to his every move, to his every expression, to his every smile, to his dark deep brown eyes.

Her mind was doing alm the opposite things her heart wanted to do. Her heart ached more. But what could she do? Nothing. She has bore this all her life and letting him go won't be affecting her that much, right? Afterall there was nothing between them.

Were they even friends? Her mind reminded her that both of them never shared such conversations. It was also by their eyes or by their heart beats.

It is more than a friendship! Her heart shouted itself. Was it? The doubt left her in deep thoughts. Her beart raced. Her chest burned with all the mixed feelings.

Even though they haven't shared such conversations, there was still a comfortable bond between them. There was no hesitation between them. Be it heart to heart conversation or eyes to eyes conversation, they still talked to each other.

And they say na, that some bonds aren't made by verbal conversations but also with the unspoken feelings their eyes, their heart speak out loud and that is named as ishq.

Love is something which dosen't need words to define itself, prove itself, justify itself but some mere eye contacts say more than a lot. More than some mere words can.

Whatever they shared was confusing her. Where her heart was shouting that she was feeling more than a friend towards him, her mind was not letting her believe it by flashing the past events infront if her eyes.

The same place where two lovers were cut clear in front of each other, confessed their everlasting love to each other. There were two whose hearts craved to have each other's love. They craved to feel each other in their arms. They craved to love each other openly, whole heartedly.

Where his heart and mind both were determined that he was in love with her, her mind didn't let her believe anything her heart spoke. The love which was already bloomed from his side was fearing to grow from her side.

Her past suffocated her but his presence was like oxygen which calmed her heart. Her past was killing her from inside but his eyes were the medicine that was keeping her alive. Her eyes wanted to shed tears, tears of her undying agony but his one smile made all of it vanish.

And why was it happening? She didn't wanted to name it.

The beautiful day came to an halt with the blooming happiness between the soon to be husband - wife. Having each other by themselves. Their hearts became one. The official name of their love was given to them.

But two hearts were still craving, still being hurt and still were left to become one. While one heart was dying to have another in its arms, the other was stepping away from it.

All because of that one fear.

the scars made on the body can be healed easily but the scars which are made on a soul, a heart, they are impossible to remove. The memories haunts a person all their life and only those bearing it, know how hard it is to live with that undying scar digged inside their hearts.

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To be continued 🫶🏻

Thanks for reading !!