chapter 65

Chapters 66, 67 are updated on ScrollStack

Chapter start

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At Delhi.

The scene is of a conference room where many high-profile businessmen are sitting and among them, there are two new youngsters sitting with them who are new in this field and they are Aarav and Ikshita.

Well, winning this project would be beneficial for Raj's company but still he has taken a risk and gave this project completely to Aarav to handle without worrying about any outcome.

Whereas Aarav knows that this is a big chance for him to prove his abilities to his father, Although Aarav knows that his father does not have big expectations from him at the moment because he himself told him that this is his learning age but he wants to make his father proud of him by winning this project for which he has worked really hard.

Ikshita is also sitting with him because she has also fully supported Aarav in this project.

Well, for now, Ikshita doesn't bother Aarav much after her confession last week as she doesn't want to divert his attention from his work.

And there, Aarav is also happy with her behavior somewhere that whatever happened between them, he did not accept her love, but she does not hold any grudge against him and has come here with him with a clean heart.

One by one the people sitting there present their projects in front of others, and then it is Aarav's turn where Ikshita handles the slide while Aarav presents his points with full confidence.

Well, the people sitting there also know this young talent has come here in place of his father and all are impressed by Aarav's presentation.

And then soon Aarav's turn also ends and after that another man named Devrat gives his presentation.

And then soon the meeting ends with the words that who has got the contract will be announced shortly till then everyone should have lunch which is organised in the same hotel where the meeting is taking place.

Right there where everybody's having lunch and catching up but suddenly Aarav, who is standing with Ikshita in that hall notices someone and it is none other than Aadhrithi, he gets shocked seeing her, but what else surprises Aarav is that Aadhrithi is standing with a man, who has his hands on her waist and is talking to someone. Maybe he's introducing her to someone.

While looking at Aadhrithi, Aarav notices a slight red color on her hairline, which indicates that she is married and noticing this, it does not take Aarav long to understand that the man standing with her is her husband.

Her that successful businessman husband, for whom she left him to marry.

And there Ikshita who was standing in front of Aarav, sees his startled eyes looking behind her.

" What happened Aarav?" Ikshita asks him seeing him lost but she doesn't get any answer because somewhere Aarav doesn't listen to Ikshita, his eyes are only on Aadhriti, lost.

Meanwhile, Aadhrithi standing a little distance away, feeling someone's sharp gaze on her looks here and there but when she looks in front of her, She too gets shocked when her eyes meet Aarav's.

Well, Aadhriti's heart starts beating faster when she sees Aarav because no matter what, at one time he was something to her and today she is looking at him standing with her husband.

She can see how Aarav's eyes are looking at her with many questions and resentment which she deserves. She knows it.

Well, Aadhriti has come here with her husband as her husband also came to attend this meeting and as the meeting is over now, Devrat meets Aadhriti outside because she is present in this hotel as Devrat has booked their room in this hotel because both of them have come here with the intention of staying for a few days as it has been only a month since their marriage, so along with work, Devrat is also spending time with her.

" Aarav, I am talking to you, where are you lost?" This time Ikshita speaks while touching Aarav's hand, upon which Aarav comes to his senses and moves his gaze away from Aadhriti and looks at Ikshita, still lost.

" What happened?" Ikshita asks him again, suddenly seeing his strange behavior

Aarav looks at her and then at Aadhriti standing a little distance behind her. Suddenly Aarav starts feeling uneasy.

Well, things may not have mattered from Aadhriti side but he really loved her and today seeing her like this, he feels uneasy, he doesn’t understand what to do.

On one hand, Aarav feels like going to her and asking for answers to all his questions, which she had ended in just one phone call.

So, on the other hand, he doesn't even feel like looking at her face.

He doesn't understand what he should do.

" I am leaving from here." Aarav tells Ikshita but Ikshita holds his hand before he can take even one step.

" Where are you going, the results are going to be announced soon, it is important for you to be here." Ikshita tells him but she notices that he looks a bit restless.

" Aarav, are you okay?" Ikshita asks him worriedly.

And on the other hand, Devrat leaves Aadhriti and goes to meet one of his fellow friends and getting this opportunity, Aadhriti thinks that whatever she did to Aarav, now that Aarav is in front of her, she should go and apologize to him once because obviously their last meeting was at Ansh and Advait's wedding and after that, today both of them are seeing each other in person.

So Aadhriti thinks that she should ask about his well being and apologize for whatever she did to him.

And with this thought in mind Aadhriti takes a step towards him and Aarav sees that she is coming towards him but seeing her coming close to him Aarav knows that he is not ready to talk to her and as she is a few steps away from him, she is shocked when she sees that Aarav hugs someone.

Aadhrithi's steps stop when she sees Aarav hugging a girl while Ikshita gets shocked as to what happened to Aarav suddenly.

Why did he hug her? Ikshita thinks.

Well this was their first hug but instead of being happy Ikshita becomes worried by his strange behavior.

" What happened? Are you okay?" Ikshita again asks him the same question which Aarav is not answering. After all, what happened to him?

" Yes I am fine, please hold me." Aarav whispers into her ear, hiding his face in her hair at which Ikshita shivers for a moment, feeling his voice, his breath so close to the skin of her ear for the first time.

" Please hold me." Aarav tells her again to which Ikshita comes out of her thoughts and slowly lifts her hand and takes it behind him and she closes her eyes and hugs him back.

Whatever the reason, she feels happy to have him close to her at this moment.

Aadhriti sees them both like this and for some reason she doesn't like it but at the same time she knows that it is wrong for her to have these feelings now.

He has every right to hug anyone, but still she doesn't know why she doesn't like it. But maybe she knows it too, she probably feels bad that he is so close to another girl.

Meanwhile, Aarav also closes his eyes when he feels Ikshita's touch on him.

Well, at this time her touch is somehow reducing his restlessness.

Aarav hugs Ikshita tighter upon feeling  which Ikshita's grip on him also tightens without caring about where both of them are.

There are people around both of them but when he is asking her to hold him then she does not care what people think.

Aadhriti sees them both like that but then after thinking something she thinks it best to go back from there.

She turns her steps and Aarav opens his eyes and sees her going back.

Aarav watches her leave and then looks at Ikshita who is currently in his arms.

He smiles slightly thinking of Ikshita, but then he leaves her, which Ikshita feels.

Feeling his hand move away from her, Ikshita unwillingly loosens her grip on him and Aarav moves away from her at which Ikshita sees him.

Their eyes meet.

"Are you okay?" Ikshita asks him.

" Now, I am fine." Aarav replies and he himself does not understand how suddenly a different energy came into him after hugging her.

He is ready to face Aadhriti now.

"Can I ask you something?" Ikshita says observing his behavior, on which Aarav somehow understands her unspoken question, maybe she wants to question him about hugging her.

And obviously she has every right to question him as to why he hugged her when he had rejected her love and friendship.

And it is also his responsibility to answer her, now that he used her for his comfort, he should tell her the reason.

" Not now, I will give all the answers after some time." Aarav tells her to which she looks at him

" Are you sure?" she asks him to which he nods to which she smiles.

🦋🦋

Well the deal is announced where the investors say that they liked the idea of ​​the two men who are Aarav and Devrat

but as the deal has to be given to one person, Aarav's idea of ​​the work was better than Devrat's due to which Aarav gets the deal.

Hearing this, Aarav's face lights up with joy at the thought of maintaining his father's trust and Ikshita also feels happy at Aarav's victory.

There Devrat sees Aarav and is really disappointed with his failure, he cannot believe that he lost to a new comer.

" Congratulations Aarav, you finally did it, you won." Ikshita says while congratulating Aarav to which Aarav smiles.

" We won." Aarav reminds Ikshita because she had supported him equally in making this project.

And there, Ikshita smiles at Aarav's words. His using "we" for them fills her with hope somewhere.

And then everyone else present there also congratulates Aarav and professionally Devrat also comes close to Aarav to congratulate him.

" Congratulations, Aarav." Devrat says extending his hand towards him, at which Aarav looks at him and then behind him where Aadhriti is standing and looking at him.

Taking his eyes off Adhiriti, Aarav shakes hands with Devrat without holding any animosity.

" Well, wherever I am, it is difficult to defeat me but it's ok, new talents should also get a chance. Anyway, I have won many such deals." Devrat boasts about his abilities and speaks proudly, to which Aarav smiles slightly seeing his pride.

" What difference does it make how many such deals you have won, the difference is that you lost this one." Aarav says this with a tight smile which Devrat doesn't like

But Devrat doesn't say anything further and goes away from there

" Arrogant person, even after defeat his pride is not decreasing, huh, bada aaya  it's difficult to defeat me kehne wala." After Devrat leaves, Ikshita mumbles this which Aarav overhears and smiles seeing the way she makes faces while speaking.

" Aarav Mehra, come inside, let's sign the deal papers." The investor says to which Aarav nods

" Let's go." Aarav holds Ikshita's hand and goes back to the conference room to sign the deal and here Aadhriti seeing the closeness between Aarav and Ikshita, gets lost in some thoughts.

Seeing them going together holding each other hand, Aadhriti is a bit shocked as to how Aarav completely ignored her.

Even though she was in front of him, he did not look at her even once from that moment onwards. He is behaving as if her presence does not matter to him at all.

🦋🦋

In a hotel room.

Aarav and Ikshita are sitting face to face on the couch and here Aarav himself takes the initiative to talk about the thing which was left incomplete in that hall.

" Your question is why did I hug you, right?" Aarav asks her to which she looks at him

" If you felt bad then I am sorry for that." Aarav apologizes to her for hugging her to which Ikshita smiles.

" For the first time I am seeing a doctor apologising after treating and curing a heart patient." Ikshita says this, confusing Aarav, but Ikshita ends his confusion with her next line.

" That was a moment of happiness for me, I don't know what was the reason for you to do that but it was very precious moment for me.

So I thank you for giving me that moment, you don't need to say sorry." Ikshita says to which Aarav looks at her without any emotion

" well, The reason was my past..." says Aarav to which Ikshita gets shocked

" There was the girl I loved once upon a time and just because I couldn't face her, I hugged you." Aarav says it honestly which shocks Ikshita

His past was there, and she did not see that girl ?

And reading this thought of Ikshita, Aarav further says

" You saw Devrat, right?" Aarav asks to which Ikshita nods.

" Did you see a girl standing with him?" Aarav asks her to which she replies yes, she did see her

" Maybe she was his wife." says Ikshita

" A few months ago she held a special place in my life." Aarav says with a heavy heart which shocks Ikshita

And with this Aarav tells Ikshita everything that happened between them, why she left him and everything.

And after knowing his things Ikshita feels bad for him that why did that girl do this to him.

Ikshita thinks that if she had to leave him then she should have gone quietly from his life, why did she go after saying nonsense to him, giving him such trauma that now he feels every girl's love is fake.

" This is the reason that I don't trust love anymore, I'm scared of getting my heart broken again, I am not worthy of anyone's love." Aarav expresses his fear to her which hurts Ikshita but she stays quiet and lets him speak.

" And I don't know why I am sharing all this with you, but I just want to tell you one thing..." says Aarav

" what ?" Ikshita asks

" You are a really nice girl, and to be honest I don't want to lose a friend like you, can't we just remain friends?" Aarav asks her, to which Ikshita slightly smiles hiding her pain

" No." Ikshita gives her answer clearly, when he is telling his point clearly to her.

And Aarav gets saddened by her answer

" First of all you are worthy of love, and I love you, and I don't care how you are now and what you will be in the future and all that.

I really don't care about all this." She says to which Aarav looks at her

" And secondly, you don't want to give me a chance because of this fear that I am just like her and I will also break your heart because of some stupid reason, so it's okay don't give me a chance, but now I can't just remain your friend." Ikshita says this to which Aarav feels bad that she doesn't want to be his friend.

" I am at that stage of my life where I know what I want and what I don't.

I want your friendship but with love.

At this age, I don't want to be stuck between friendship and love, where there is love from my side and only friendship from the other side." She says this which Aarav listens to silently.

" I want to be your friend but with the status of a lover, I want to maintain friendship with you with love." Ikshita says to which Aarav sees her

" And another reason for me saying no to just friendship is that I am not strong enough to pretend to move on in front of the person I love.

No, I won't be able to do this." Ikshita says to which Aarav looks at her

" I can understand your pain, it is not easy to forget something that once meant a lot to you.

So you think the same thing for me too, how can I move on and just be friends with you when you mean more to me than a friend ?" She asks him a question for which he has no answer due to which he looks at her silently.

" But yes, I would just like to say one thing, I will always wait for you, the day you forget her, come to me, the doors of my heart will always be open for you." Ikshita says to which Aarav looks at her silently

And then saying this, Ikshita gets up from the couch and is about to leave the room but her steps stop at the sound of Aarav's words.

" We are staying here for two more days." Aarav says because this was her wish before coming here

" No, there is no need for that, I will go back by tonight's flight, the work is done." Ikshita says

" Won't we go together?" Aarav asks

" No. We were together only till work...now I can take care of myself alone." She says to which Aarav bites his inner cheek in an attempt to keep himself composed in front of her.

And further Ikshita does not stop there but goes out of the room to go to her room where her bags are kept.

Ikshita comes out of Aarav's room but as she is going to her room, She looks down from the floor where she suddenly sees Aadhrithi walking out of the hotel with her husband, smiling, and Ikshita gets irritated seeing her like that.

" Argh, I will kill her, she herself is happy with her husband, but she has made my Aarav's condition such that he doesn't want to be happy." She mumbles, cursing her.

" Bhagwan ji, I have become strong in front of him, but you know I will not be able to do this. I want him." She looks up and speaks to her God, making a pout, crying face.

" And although I won't give up, but please make Aarav forget that girl quickly and make him think about me, please bhagwan ji, itni si wish puri kardo." She further requests her God looking up.

To be continued......