A secret treasure of the past

38. His Confession

Shriya felt a wave of comfort rush through her body. It's been a long time since she felt home. There was something about Raghav's presence that calmed her. She thought maybe that's what they call the bliss of love. She reciprocated his kiss with equal warmth.

Raghav suddenly broke the kiss and apologized. He took two steps back and said "I shouldn't have ..you know. I am sorry Shriya". Shriya looked away. Everytime he addressed her as Shriya and not sweety, Shriya felt a pang in her heart. It felt very distant and made her realise about the barriers between them.

She looked at him with disbelief, remorse and anger. Her mind tried to knock sense to her that this was what she wanted. Ever since he promised her he spoke with a tinge of formality in his tone. She felt empty and alone due to this.

All she spoke was "Raghav! The last thing I want is you having pity for me. I can handle myself". This time Raghav gave a piece of his mind "Why do you assume things Shriya? I AM A PERSON WHO CAN SPEAK FOR GOD'S SAKE. YOU KNOW YOU CAN ALWAYS ASK ME! before drawing conclusions that I pity you".

She shouted back "I can see it clearly in your eyes. Don't you dare shout at me Raghav! And don't you dare lie to me. You see me as a responsibility don't you?"

Raghav ran his hand through his hair and said "Again an assumption! YOU CAN SEE PITY IN MY EYES BUT CAN'T YOU SEE LOVE FOR YOU Ms.SHRIYA SHETTY?" while saying these words his hands held her arms in a tight grip.

Shriya pushed his hands away and shouted again "LOVE?? I thought you named it LUST when you rejected me. I PROPOSED YOU AND YOU REJECTED ME! YOU DON'T GET TO PREACH ABOUT YOUR SO CALLED LUST WHICH YOU REPHRASED AS LOVE".

Raghav's eyes softened. He did not realise they were red with tears he moved closer to her and she kept moving away from him. "You know it's really difficult for me to stay away from you Sweety. I realised that it was love all the way after you left me alone that day. I thought we were best friends but you were always more than that to me. You were my world Sweetu! I hated myself for getting intimate with you at that time and I thought I was a jerk to ruin our friendship. But I was scared of loosing you. I thought it was Lust!.. when it was actually crazy mad true Love. I have never known what true love meant Sweets!" he said the word sweets with extra softness in his voice.

He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear to look at her unreadable expression. There was barely any space between them. Shriya gulped down and looked away from his gaze.

He took her face between his both the hands and there was hardly any distance between their lips. It was not like they have never kissed before. But Shriya felt something very different. Reality dawned upon her that he just confessed his love for her in person and she looked into his eyes.

Shriya tried hard to look for a reason to not trust his words. She searched his eyes for a tiny thing that could  prove to her stupid heart that he was lying and doesn't love her.
His eyes mirrored unblemished love. She felt a lone tear drip down her right eye. He wiped it using his thumb.

"Now I know that true love means loosing a part of your soul in the absence of your love" Raghav said with his breath shaky and fanning all over the face of Shriya, his lips dangerously close to hers while he spoke and hands gently securing her face.

Shriya felt weak and wanted something to hold on to as she was loosing balance. She clutched his shirt near his shoulder. He quickly held her from falling. He made her sit on a sofa and sat beside her. He took her both hands in his and spoke "I don't know whatever the future holds for us. This moment I want to confess that I loved you always and will love you forever. I am not saying this because you are the mother of my child or because I pity your vulnerability. I am saying this because I want to confess my feelings and not hold them back".

He rested his forehead on hers and said "Thank you for being the most beautiful aspect of my life! I LOVE YOU SWEETU!" saying so he gently kissed on her forehead.

To say that Shriya was speechless would be an understatement. She was numb and looked at him teary eyed. He kissed on her eyes and took her into his embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder and tried to calm her racing heart.

Shriya was lost and suddenly came back to her senses as she heard a phone ring. It was Raghav's phone and he picked up the call and moved towards the balcony to talk. Shriya felt empty as he moved away and their embrace has broken.

Shriya's mental health issues made her worry about slightest of things. She was always left overthinking and worrying. She kept looking at Raghav while he spoke with someone on the phone. 

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

A/N:

Hey guys!
Sorry for a late update!

Do share your thoughts.

What do you think will happen now?

Are Shriya's fears worthless or something that could be important?