The Addiction of Love

V

After their kiss, Misha avoided Kiaan like a plague. She left early for hospital so that she wouldn't stumble across him, and then returned home late at night so that her mother wouldn't send her to him with his dinner. She didn't know why she was avoiding him, maybe because if she saw him, she wouldn't be able to resist him.

She had been stressing over it and it was visible on her face. Aamna had asked her more than once about it, but she used to shrug it off saying it was work pressure. Her mind was full of his thoughts. No matter what she was doing, a part of her brain was constantly thinking about him. And the worst part was, she couldn't even talk to anyone about it. She was quite an introverted person and it had always been difficult for her to make friends. Thankfully because of Kiaan, she never felt the need for it. He was always there to listen to her and give her the solution to her problems. But now that he was the reason behind her stress, she didn't know who to go to.

And what amazed her the most was even with all these thoughts troubling her, her heart was yearning for his touch. She fantasized about him kissing her and doing so much more. But every time she used to scold herself to shut those emotions. Because giving in to her desires and vocalizing her feelings wouldn't not only mean risking her heart, it would also mean risking their twenty six year old friendship. And she could not do that. She could not lose him. She'd built a grave for her emotions if she had to, and always be his friend. Because that was better than not having him in her life at all.

One evening, Kiaan was in his office when he received a call from Aamna. He frowned at it.

He greeted her and asked, "Sab theek hai, aunty?"

"Haan, beta. Woh kya hain naa, mujhe mithai pick karna tha dukaan se, par car start hi nahi ho rahi hai. Aur ab guests bhi aane wale hai, toh kya tum office se aate waqt le aaoge?" She requested him.

"Of course, Aunty. Aap bas bata do kaunsi mithai lani hai."

She told him the names of the mithai and thanked him, to which he replied with, "Maa apne bacho ko thank you nahi bolti."

He left the office and drove to the sweet shop, where he bought the sweets and then went directly to Misha's home. He rang the doorbell and while waiting for someone to open it, he hoped that he would get to see Misha. It had been so many days since they'd come across and he was missing her like crazy. Staying away from her all these days had also made him realise what he really felt for her. It was not just friendship, at least not from his side. And he needed to talk to her about it.

Aamna opened the door and smiled seeing him.

"Ye lijiye aap ki mithai," He passed the packet to her.

She kept her hand on his head in a loving manner and called him inside. The living room was absolutely tidy. Aamna went to the kitchen and he followed her.

"Uncle kaha hai?" He asked her.

"Woh aur Misha tayaar ho rahe hai." She told him while pulling out a tray and then decorating the mithais on it. Kiaan's eyes fell on the different, delicious dishes that were kept on the kitchen counter.

"Kya baat hai, aunty! Khana toh kafi aacha bana hai aaj. Kaun se guests aa rahe hai?" He asked while popping a cucumber into his mouth that was cut for the salad.

Aamna looked at him confused. "Misha ne bataya nahi tumhe?"

"Kya?"

"Yahi ke use dekhne ladke wale aa rahe hai." She nonchalantly said.

Kiaan froze when he heard that. He felt as if someone pierced a knife through his heart. "Ladke.. Ladke wale?"

"Haan. Rehaan ke baare mein toh pata hoga. Hum log kab se se pooch rahe the usse ki Rehaan ko lekar uska kya faisla hai. Ab jaa kar uski family se milne ke liye maani woh." Aamna went on speaking, not realising how much her words were hurting Kiaan.