22. I don't love you

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~Shreya's POV~

"Shreya....." He started. Man complete fast. I am on the verge of fainting with anxiety.

I hummed and he continued "actually I-" I hummed again to make him go further.

"I am sorry but-" ..............................

"I don't love you-"...............................

"It was just-"...............................

"just an attraction and nothing more.".........................

"I just liked you but I think you took it in a wrong way.".............................

(Play 'Sacchi Mohabbat' from 'Manmarziyan' before reading further)

Both the phone and the bouquet fell down from my grip and I stood there staring at him in astonishment as tears rolled down my eyes and I found it difficult to breath as if a 100 kg weight is put on my chest.

I took few deep breaths to calm down myself and tried to speak.

"Ve-Vedant You a-are kidding, right?"

"Listen I know you like to see me nervous around you but please end this prank. It's hurtful. Please." I took his face in my palms as he looked anywhere but me.

"Shreya I am not-" I turned his face to make his eyes meet mine.

"Now speak. Looking into my eyes." He stopped and could not continue.

Then he removed my hands from his face and drifted apart. He turned around to say.

"I am not kidding okay. If you are done with your nonsense, then please leave." He said in one go raising his voice.

"What!!! So you mean all those intense moments we felt, the care, the support, the appreciation and the longing, everything was fake? It was only due to attraction?" I said as my heart was getting crushed into pieces.

"Vedant turn around and look at me." I almost shouted. He didn't.

"Enough!!!" I pulled him towards me and hugged him wrapping my arms around his neck. I held his head and rubbed our cheeks. "Shre" he tried to say but stopped. I could feel his deep breathes on me. I felt his arms rising upwards to cage me. His arms just touched my back when he seemed to get back his senses and removed his arms.

I stood apart and held his hands while he closed his eyes and few tears fell down from them. Mine were continuously working like an unhinged dam but I tried to speak with my shaky voice.

"This. This Vedant. Whatever you felt now. It is not just attraction okay." I held his jaw with one hand to make him look at me.

"Don't fool yourself. I know you love me. Please don't run away from your feelings. If there's anything, you can tell me. We will sort it out."

He stepped back jerking off my hands. "Listen I just behaved nicely with you and you took it as love. Stop being so desperate and leave me." He said being stubborn.

"Behaved nicely? Wow" I clapped my hands and he looked at me in awe as sarcasm drooled over the sounds of claps echoing throughout the basement.

"So behaving nicely includes getting close to someone, asking them to never leave you, not being able to sleep thinking about them, losing your senses at just a hug and getting freezed receiving a peck, right?" I said raising my eyebrows and went closer to him.

"Stop it Shre-" He shouted only to receive a tight slap right on his face.

He jerked off due to the force. I can't even tell what I felt while slapping him. I just expressed my wish to protect him from any danger, even a scratch and now all this. My hands were shivering and goose bumps arose all over my arms but I stood stern looking into his eyes.

"How about now? Still wanna behave nicely? Wanna be gentleman? Wanna be the man of someone's dreams and then throw them out of your life?" I said with a sarcastic smile wiping off my tears. He doesn't deserve any.

"Shreya" he showed his hand indicating me to stop. "You are overreacting."

"Stop calling my name. Enough of your fake drama and concern. You must be happy playing with my feelings but you don't know that for me, nobody comes above my dignity." I said with a dominating voice showing my index finger.

"What did you think? Huh? I would beg you? Beg you to reconcile with me? Holy crap!!! You don't deserve me at all. Just go to hell and don't even dare to cast your eyes on me."

I picked my phone from the floor and then looked at the bouquet. My eyes got teary again remembering the moment I took it and came here. I scooped it in my hand and threw it on him. He didn't reacted a bit and I came out of the basement.

As I climbed the stairs, emotions flew all around my mind and my chest felt heavy again. I found it difficult to breathe and took support of the wall.

Why? Why why why? Why did he do this? I really loved him but for him, all this was just a play. How easy it was for him to ruin me?

I thought he has changed. I mistook him to be a man, my man but he proved me wrong. He will forever be that rude, arrogant boy he was years ago.

All the love and care he showed me was false. Everything was fake. That is why he ignored everyone's question. He is just like any other guy who fears commitment. But, what was my fault in loving him? Why me? God, why me?

Controlling my thoughts and managing to walk, I was going towards the washroom when someone called me from behind.

"Shreya yaar bata na kya hua?"

It was Maheer. As soon as he saw my face, he understood the response.

He took me into a gentle hug and patted my head. I also hugged him back and started crying like a baby. He didn't say anything and let me cry for some time. The weight on my chest reduced and I felt better.

Then he wiped my tears and made me sit on a chair while he sat on his knees.

"Do you want me to talk to Vedant?" He asked in a low tone. I shook my head looking down.

"Okay but stop crying now. Go wash your face. I am sending Myra okay." He left.

~Maheer's POV~

I was filled with rage when I saw Shreya crying like that. I don't know what made this man reject her. I saw him being desperate to see her every day, almost fainting with her one look and talking about her all the time like he never did for anyone else.

I went into the basement and saw him standing at a corner with his back towards me. His hands raised and resting at the wall while his head bowed down.

As I called his name, he turned towards me and passed me a glare with an expressionless face. "Why did you tell me to come here?" He asked almost shouting. I went near him and planted a tight slap on his face.

"What the-"

"Exactly. What the hell did you just do? Are you in your senses? You just rejected Shreya. Shreya Vedant Shreya, the one who means a lot to you and you wanted to spend your whole life with her. This is what you said to me, right?"

"Look I have had enough. Stop it."

I again slapped him. "You better find a worthy reason for breaking her like this. She is crying uncontrollably and is unable to utter a word." I pushed him back and came out from there.

~Myra's POV~

"Myra I don't know why but they aren't together and Shreya is crying endlessly. Please see her soon." Maheer texted a while ago and I ran out of the room.

I saw her sitting on a chair continuously staring a plant. She wasn't crying so I got more worried.

"Shreya" I sat in front of her on my knees and held her hands. She jerked them off without breaking the stare.

At this time, I don't know what would be right to do. I just know that she is really heartbroken. No matter how big or small the problem is, she never hesitates to talk to me.

In fact the moment she finds time, she starts throwing all her thoughts on me and I do it too. But currently, she has gone all silent which is not good for her.

"Shreya listen" I said but she raised her index finger towards me to shut me up. Then she pointed towards the plant she was eying all this while.

"You see this? This plant? Lovely na?" She moved her fingers around some leaves.

"Shreya what are you talking about? This is not the time to do this." She again stopped me, this time by putting her finger on her lips.

"When I talk, you just listen. Okay. So yes, this is Dicentra. The most beautiful plant. Just look at it's shape. Heart shaped plant. You know what's special about this?"

I shook my head and kept looking at her pale face which was now swollen due to intense crying.

"Oh yeah you know nothing. Idiot." She chuckled. "This plant is the symbol of heartbreak."

I can't see her like this. I don't know what happened between both of them but looking at her, it seems Vedant did something. "Heartbreak." She sighed. "What an irony, na? The leaves are heart shaped but the heart is broken" She hit her hands to make a clapping sound.

"The lesson is if you have a heart than it's meant to be broken." She whispered coming closer to me.

"Shreya!! Shreya listen. We can talk all this later. Please come to our room. You need some rest."

"Oh so you care about me? Wow." What? I could not understand her statement and furrowed my eyebrows.

"You are the one who goes around the whole college throwing advices about all the guys. Right? But you didn't warn me." She kept her hands on her forehead and her head fell down while her eyes got teary again. I could not control mine too at this.

"I was mad in love. But you could have warned me. You could have stopped me. But no" she started sobbing "No you didn't stop me. You let me have all the delusions. I didn't deserve this."

I got up and hugged her while she sat wrapping her arms around my waist and crying heavily. "I know baby. You didn't deserve this. And don't ever think of blaming yourself. You are the best. Okay."

"Teach that to my broken heart. Myra. I just. I just can't take this." She said weeping while I sensed her breathe breaking.

"Shreya stop. You will get ill. Shreya no. Just stop it now. Look you are here. I am here. It will be all fine." I patted her back and she finally stopped crying.

But now tears from my eyes were not ready to stop. I saw Maheer coming here with a furious expression. As soon as he saw me, he raised his eyebrows to enquire about Shreya's wellbeing. I blinked my eyes to assure him.

As of now, she is okay but the crack inside her will definitely take time to heal. She was pure, selfless and compassionate towards him so it's obvious facing all this isn't easy for her.

It's simple to ask someone to move on but the one who has lost the love of their life knows very well that it is as easy as walking on water.