"The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love someone else." 

- Poise

^^^

"For how long are you planning to ignore my texts?"

A message popped on Kiara's phone, making her forget about the scolding she received from her boss. She was certain that soon she would be dismissed from her job, as her article was losing the magic it had held before.

"As long as you won't stop disturbing me," Kiara responded to Dhruv's message.

"I don't know whether I should be sad or happy with my this discovery that none... none can make you smile as wide as him." Muttered Yami, giving her a satisfying smile.

"Not even me?" inquired, offended Harshad, that happened to eavesdrop on their conversation once again.

"You should stop doing that!" Scolded Yami while Harshad offered her an innocent look. Kiara was offering him the same glare.

"It's not my fault, I am always curious regarding beautiful ladies." He winked making Kiara narrow her eyes at him and glanced at the cell in her hand.

"Oh! Man, such an accusation. You are getting disturbed by me." And how could Kiara stop herself from not grinning like an idiot? After Dhruv's dramatic response.

"Damn, I am jealous." Harshad muttered softly making Yami giggle.

Kiara was least aware of the comment. "Don't you have work, Mr CEO?" She typed as she waited for his response with a huge smile playing on her lips. She had missed him so much. She had missed arguing with him, his dramatic self, his mocking self. She had missed everything about him. She had missed her Dhruv.

"I do but that's boring... I am soon going to have a headache."

"Good for you, as you offer the same to everyone."

"Very funny..."

"I know, I am..."

"When are you ending home?"

"Why?"

"Just answer my question."

"Maybe four..."

"Okay..."

"But...wait... why?"

"Concentrate on your article Miss writer."

"Dhruv..."

"Did you call me?"

"Ugh! Why are you so annoying?"

"Wait! Let me think..." sending a wink at the end.

"Ugh! I hate you..."

"I know..." and laughing emoji followed his response.

"He is an idiot!" Kiara announced banging her phone on her desk.

"Now what did he commit?" Yami inquired in between her giggles.

"The question is, what hell is he going to commit?" Kiara groaned making Yami laugh a little louder. Yami was confused whom she adored most, was it, Kiara and Harshad or Dhruv and Kiara? But one thing she was assured of. Kiara was going to end up with either one of them. If it was Dhruv, she wished that Aditi's heart might not get broken on the way.

___

After an exhausting day, Kiara had reached home. She was simply going to slip into the room but was met with an unexpected figure. "Dhruv!" She widened her orbs in horror. Dhruv had a huge grin, seeing her shocked. That was in his plan to surprise her.

It wasn't easy for Dhruv to ignore Kiara's sadness. He wanted to force her, urge her to speak the truth. At the same time, he allowed her space. He knew if she want, she would share it sooner or later. She always had! And she would in future as well.

"How was the surprise?" Dhruv asked, walking towards Kiara to pull her into a hug.

"Dhruv," but he was interrupted by Rajeev. Rajeev was stunned to find Dhruv in their house. "You here?" He looked between his daughter and his friend. Earlier he had never noticed it. The way Kiara was staring at Dhruv was full of love. Why had it taken him so long? Only if he had realized it before maybe things would have been different for his daughter. Yet he doubted if Atul would ever agree to make Kiara, his daughter-in-law.

"Uncle," Dhruv's smile broadened. "I hope you don't mind if I stole your daughter for a few hours?" He asked for permission, smiling at confused Kiara.

Rajeev stared at his daughter for a minute longer. "Dhruv, sorry beta." Rajeev's words fade the smile on Dhruv's face. "We were actually planning a dinner night together. It had been days we had spent time together as a family so..."

Dhruv was taken aback by Rajeev's words. Though he attempted to muster a smile. Rajeev had always considered Dhruv as his son and him speaking those words out directly could hurt any human. But it was Dhruv, a human that had the skill to hide his pain. Kiara stared at his father in astonishment. How could he act so harsh with Dhruv?

"It's fine, uncle." Dhruv pressed a smile. "Nothing is more important than family." With those words, he walked out without sparing a glance at Kiara.

"Dad," Kiara scowled at Rajeev the minute Dhruv was out of her sight.

"I had to do it for your wellbeing." Rajeev muttered softly, "him beside you is only going to add to your pain."

Kiara stared at him a minute longer. Realised that his father was aware of her feeling. Rajeev slightly blinked his eyes in assurance making a drop of tear slowly slide from her cheek. She had attempted her level best to hide her feeling from the world yet it was so visible to others' eyes. She was scared, what if? What if, Dhruv finds it out? She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't ever come in-between his happiness.

___

Kiara was attempting her level best. She was trying to distract her thoughts from Dhruv. From the un-resting feeling in her heart that was yelling about Dhruv's upset mood. She groaned in exhaustion. Closing the book in frustration. She wasn't able to concentrate on reading her favourite tale. Even the novels couldn't distract her mind from Dhruv.

Finally, accepting her defeat. She typed a message even if she could anticipate the response.

"Dhruv, are you fine?"

She shut the phone, sighing in relief. She felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulder. She wasn't able to hold herself back from caring about him. As she knew, he would hardly express it to anyone.

Opening her laptop, inhaling a fresh amount of air. She started typing words. Thoughts were flowing continuously and a small smile sneaked on her lips. Finally, words were flowing out of her mind. She was behaving productively.

"Thank you.... Thank you.... Thank You..." She screamed in joy, glancing at the number of words on the bottom. A huge grin played on her lips as she glanced at the watch hanging on the wall. "I was typing without distraction for an hour!" She exclaimed jumping from her seat. "What an achievement! Finally!" She spent her hand around to allow the happiness to spread over her spirit. "Thank... You..." she looked up as if thanking the creator for helping her to work.

"I guess, I can have a peaceful sleep." She muttered before glancing at her phone which had a message popped on the screen.

"I am fine, stop worrying about me. Miss writer." His message brightened her mood further.

"Good night, Mr Idiot." She typed having a beautiful smile on her lip. She was going to be offered a wonderful sleep after a long, exhausting month. Nothing had been sorted out. Her feeling hadn't changed towards Dhruv. Neither Dhruv was going to decline the marriage yet she was feeling some inner happiness. Maybe just Dhruv's presence around her could provide her with peace. She had never felt like this before. It wasn't attraction and she was sure it wasn't going to fade away so easily yet she was aware there was no hope. But that couldn't fade the feeling she had for him. Even after her frequent attempts, it was growing impossible. Impossible to forget him. What should she do?

___

"So, when you both had decided to have an engagement?" Amrita inquired as they had taken a seat on their favourite café corner.

"We aren't thinking about it. I am glad that things have sorted among us." Aditi muttered taking a sip of coffee. "I think Kiara is very busy, she wasn't present for the get-together and she hardly response to my messages." Aditi rolled her eyes, keeping her mobile at the side. "I wanted her suggestion over some wedding functions. She is so good at planning such stuff but she seems busy."

"Aditi, not even dates are planned. Why are you hurrying over the preparation? Give yourself some rest. I guess, concentrating on your work will be the best option for you now." Avni suggested trying to calm their over-enthusiast friend.

"I know, Avni." Aditi pouted taking into her suggestion. "I am trying... but I can't concentrate on my work." She paused for a minute. "There is some restlessness as if I am scared that I won't be able to marry Dhruv."

"That's so romantic... You are scared to lose him when he got so fortunate?" Amrita cooed making Aditi have a slight layer of blush. Avni stared at Aditi for a minute longer, trying to examine her.

"Do you love him?" Though Avni had questioned her yet she was afraid of the answer. She wasn't sure, what she was anticipating from Aditi?

"Love?" Aditi paused for a moment, considering the word. "I don't know..." she sounded confused. "I am excited about my life with him but I don't know if it's love. How am I even supposed to know, that it's love? What is even love?" She stared at her both friends for an answer.

"Love?" Anvi tested the word on her tongue. "I have heard it's beautiful... it makes you feel, you are on top of the world. It's a feeling that you can't escape from... it suffocates you yet it fulfils you." Avni smiled as she recollected the words Kiara had used to describe her love.

"Wow! You make it sound so amazing..." Amrita admired making Avni grin at her.

"It's not mine but Kiara's words. Come on! She is a writer and she can make everything seem so beautiful when in reality it is showered with only pain." Avni muttered shaking her head.

"Do you think it offers pain?" Aditi inquired getting curious.

"Haven't you seen Kiara's broken self? I simply had lost trust in the element of love. Why it make you hold feeling for someone that you can't have? People are better off without getting attached." Commented Avni, the rest two stared at her in astonishment.

"But now she has him. Maybe he is someone else but he is interested in her and she seems comfortable around him." Aditi attempted to show Avni the positive side of the situation.

"It's not going to be that easy for her to move on." Avni sounded defeated.

"What's wrong with moving on? If that person doesn't value her then why can't she just forget him?" Amrita seemed appalled she wasn't of the opinion of walking behind a guy that was least aware of your feelings.

"Things would have been far better if he didn't care. But the problem is that he fucking cares..." Avni's eyes stayed on the human who entered the café with a gloomy spirit. She searched for the source she was anticipating will be following him but there wasn't a sign. She shook her head concentrating on the two ladies staring at her with a curious gaze.

"What do you mean by that? If he cares then why he is dating someone else?" Asked Amrita getting curious about the situation.

"There are different types of care. His care doesn't mean he loves her in that manner. He is concerned for her but..." Avni shrugged her shoulder and both of them nodded, understanding the matter.

"She isn't coming..." Dhruv sounded defeated as he took a vacant chair. Every eye got rooted on him. "I just don't understand why she is doing this?" He was sounding exhausted, "she is pulling herself from us."

"Maybe she is attempting to move on..." Amrita simply stated making Dhruv glance at her in curiousness.

"Move on from what?" Dhruv inquired sounding desperate.

"Hadn't I told you?" Aditi reminded him, "the guy she had started having feelings for."

Dhruv narrowed his eyes, "Kiara doesn't like such creatures. She might develop a crush but won't ever share serious feelings for such foolish creatures." There was a sense of possessiveness underlying those words.

"She isn't talking about the guy we met on that day but someone else." Amrita felt a need to clear it for Aditi.

"Another guy?" Dhruv was suddenly curious to know about the entry of a new individual into Kiara's life.

Amrita nodded elaborating for Dhruv. "Yes, a person that she is so deeply in love with but that guy doesn't acknowledge her feelings. He is dating someone else..." Amrita was interrupted by Avni.

"And soon going to marry..." That revelation made everyone startled.

"What?" Aditi and Amrita yelled in unison.

"There isn't any guy like such if there was. She might have conveyed to me once... she had never hidden things from me."

"She had only shared it with Avni." Dhruv glanced at Avni at Aditi's those words. He felt a flash of envy, he was kept hidden from the fact but not Avni. The thought of Avni being much closer to her than him made him annoyed.

"Fine, it was her choice." Though he said those words he wasn't at all satisfied. "What are you going to have?" And with those words, he changed the topic. He wasn't in a frame of mind to learn much about the guy Kiara had kept hidden from him.