Love Finds a Way !!!

Chapter 62

 "You are the biggest idiot on planet earth," Pratiksha said annoyed with Kanak.

She hadn't known why Kanak had sounded as if her world had ended over the phone. But she had been beyond worry on her way to Kanak's house. Once she was there Kanak had decided to make coffee. Pratiksha hadn't known how Kanak had developed a taste for so much coffee. They had already had two cups and she was ready to make another one. Kanak had slowly recounted the incident. And at first Pratiksha had been shocked. Kanak and Aarav had shared a kiss. A Kiss? She had felt the need to sit down. And she had. Kanak had stood there unsure.

"Aarav Singhania kissed you?" she had asked bemused.

"Yes," Kanak had replied.

"Are you sure?" Pratiksha had asked still in disbelief.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kanak had said irritated. Here she had been wanting advice and there she was not getting over the fact that...that they had shared a kiss.

"I mean you didn't dream it or anything," Pratiksha had asked amused.

"No," Kanak had replied morosely.

"Wow," Pratiksha had said. Admiration in her voice. She had liked Aarav Singhania. He was a genuine person with a personality unlike anybody else's. And he had his head in the right place. Besides she had been hooked with his brand of sarcasm. It came with experience and she had appreciated that quality in him. Of course, she had thought him to be perfect for Kanak. She had seen the spark they shared anyway. And now that they had shared a kiss. She had been positive he liked her way too much just as Kanak did.

"It was just a moment," Kanak had said and the upset in her voice wasn't lost on Pratiksha. Something had gone wrong.

"What happened?" Pratiksha had asked narrowing her gaze at him.

Then Kanak had told her of her reaction and the fight that had followed. Pratiksha had just stared at Kanak for ten minutes before she had found her voice and called her an idiot.

"What is wrong with you?" Pratiksha said still staring at her.

"I know I messed up," Kanak said upset.

"No you didn't," Pratiksha said impatiently and Kanak looked at her quizzically, "you overreacted. So stop thinking that way. You weren't clear with how to voice your emotions. How you felt. But it doesn't mean you are wrong," she explained with exasperation, "the way you think, the way you behave is different from Aarav Singhania's," she said, "your upbringing and the social views you value so much were the main cause of the way you behaved. It wasn't wrong it was...unrequired," she said after a pause.

"But...Pratiksha we are not even in a relationship," Kanak said slowly.

"Aren't you?" Pratiksha asked shrewdly.

Kanak looked up at her startled. What was Pratiksha hinting at? What relationship? She and Aarav had never even spoken of any such thing.

"I don't understand," Kanak said confused.

"Kanak, what am I going to do with you," Pratiksha said shaking her head and it reminded her of how Aarav had said the same thing to her a few days back. And she became sad. "You are such an innocent," she said with a smile, "tell me something. Why would a man like Aarav Singhania bother with a minor request made by you?" she asked as she put her chin on her hand leaning over the table. Kanak thought about the question but couldn't come up with anything except that he was a very nice man. So she shrugged. "Why would he worry over you? Why would he want you to become more confident? Why would he want to see you? That day when you had been fired he had driven all the way here to check on you all because you hadn't answered your phone. So tell me, what does all this means to you?" she asked again.

"That he probably likes me," Kanak answered hesitantly.

"He more than just likes you," Pratiksha said irritated, "no man and let me repeat no man would ever behave the way he does if he doesn't more than like you, get it," she said impatiently. "He cares for you deeply. He may not have voiced his feelings yet for whatever reasons but he knows it. How could you not feel it Kanak? And this is when you love him so much," Pratiksha said as she folded her arms.

"But..." Kanak said then bit her lip.

"Kanak," Pratiksha said seriously, "listen to me. Don't let stereotypes block your path. Don't overthink things or situations. Whatever you shared is supposed to be something beautiful don't ruin it," she advised, "when you needed people the most you had none by your side," she pointed out, "what relatives? They were the ones who had shunned you, turned their backs on you after your parents' deaths. They have no right to cast aspersions on you. They have no right whatsoever to look down their noses on you either," she said categorically. "If you ask me, this is your life and you get to decide what to do with it. Or who you would want to spend it with. Trust me, he is sincere in how he feels all you need to do is be more understanding," she said with a smile.

"We haven't spent enough time for me to understand him Pratiksha," Kanak voiced.

"He has spent the same amount of time with you, my dear," Pratiksha said exasperated, "you probably do understand him. At least that is what I can deduce from your words," she said trying to be more patient, "listen to me Kanak, he is a great guy. You know that. He cares for you. You know that too. What you need to do is try to work around your inhibitions. He has never hurt you maybe before, when he had tried to manipulate you but I don't think he had consciously ever done anything wrong by you," she said, "you hurt him. If you didn't explain how you felt for him you didn't hear his part either. Maybe the choice of your words wasn't right. He told you it hadn't been casual for him and he wasn't in the habit of kissing every other girl," she said straightforwardly and Kanak's cheeks heated at that. "You on the other hand said that other things mattered more than him. Even if you didn't say it, you meant it. At that time you were more worried about society, people and what would others think and say if they were to find out than concerned about how he had felt," she said shaking her head, "you need to show him you care. You need to tell him exactly how you felt. He could have been more astute about the situation like he always had been but maybe he wanted you to be a bit more perceptive towards him too," she said and raised an eyebrow in question. She hoped Kanak was following what she was trying to get her to see. "Now you are miserable and depressed because you know the situation could have been averted. Maybe he understood your reluctance but the way you voiced it...made him angry," she said gently, "besides men are a strange species anyway. They are better fed than understood," she said cheekily.

Kanak smiled at that. Pratiksha was right. She needed to get over some of her notions and not overly worry about others all the time. She will have to become more confident where Aarav was concerned. Now that she was in love with him it was important she stands by her feelings. What will happen in future will happen in future but why was she spoiling her present because of her fear of it. Who knew what destiny had in store for them. She will have to show him how she felt. But first she will have to apologize to him. For that she will have to meet him. But how? He had told her he would limit their meetings and he had. It was her problem. And she will find a solution for it.

Pratiksha watched her best friend debate out things in her head. Lay down the facts for further processing later but she saw the change come over her almost immediately. A certain determination replaced the sadness in her eyes. Good, Pratiksha thought. If Kanak wanted her dream she will have to take a stand and fight for it. Somewhere Pratiksha knew it would come to that and she would help Kanak every way possible but for now she was satisfied. Kanak seemed to be resolving the puzzle Aarav had left for her. And she smiled. Now only if they could work out their differences Pratiksha was sure Kanak would be a very loved and satisfied person. Because Aarav was the kind of man who knew how to take care of those he called his own.

Only Pratiksha didn't know that there was another who though different from Aarav shared the same quality. Would she find out?

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