"My silence is just another word for my pain. A love like I have for you, I'll never, ever know again." 

- Vicki Case

^^^

"I guess you are aware that these dating apps don't work?" Avni voiced out her words as she took a sip of her coffee. They had assembled in the café as ordered by Aditi to plan the pre-wedding functions.

"I had already made an account weeks before." Confessed Kiara, a secret she had kept to herself for weeks. Everyone had been busy with their life and they hardly conversed.

"Kiara, you know you aren't that type? You can't go on dating and do those stuff. They don't come naturally to you." Avni was sounding concerned for her friend.

"I need a distraction, Avni." She rather screamed not able to handle Avni's series of objections.

"Distraction from whom?" Came a confused voice of Aditi, making their eyes enlarged in horror. Avni and Kiara shared a look that didn't go unnoticed by Aditi but rather than letting its side off, she questioned directly. "Are you both hiding something?" She interrogated as she placed a bunch of her books on the table along with two bags she had carried with her.

"Kiara..." she fixed her orbs on her waiting for her response.

"Actually, it just..."

"She had fallen for someone, who has no interest in her." Avni put it in a short manner. Aditi's brow knitted in confusion for a minute before widening in surprise.

"Wait! What! As in, falling in love?" Aditi found it impossible to believe. It wasn't because she considered the chances of Kiara falling for someone impossible but rather she had been kept hidden from the fact. Her accusing orbs were staring at Kiara, waiting for justification from her side. She felt betrayed by her friend. Why was she kept hidden from such a beautiful part of Kiara's life? Why Avni was aware of it but not she?

"I felt it was baseless talking about my feeling. It was a stupid thing it was just my mere attraction." Kiara grumbled not having to courage to glance at her friends accusing stare. Her eyes were rooted on the cup of coffee she had ordered that surely was of no use as it might had turn cold as she hadn't taken a sip from it.

"Whatever it was, it was your feeling and they aren't ever stupid." Aditi voiced her opinion. Keeping her displeasure at her side as she understood Kiara wasn't in a state to pacify for her actions. Maybe she was even guilty for having such feelings for the guy. "Have you directly or indirectly hinted to him about it?" Aditi inquired after a minute of silence.

Kiara jerked her eyes at Aditi with amazement. She was anticipating some annoyance from her side, anger but not a concern. Aditi was staring at her in worry. Kiara thought, was she so devasted that Aditi kept her frustration aside and was trying to console her? Was she that heartbroken?

"I didn't..." She confessed staring back at her filled coffee mug.

"So, he might be clueless about your feelings. And that doesn't mean you need a distraction but you just need to express it to him. Kiara, these guys aren't that self-aware about their feeling. They usually take crush as love and love as nothing. The more intense the feeling, the more they are scared to take a step forward. I would suggest that you at least provide enough hints for him to understand that you're interested. Yes, that..." she was going to complete but Kiara jumped in between.

"That isn't going to help. He is interested in someone else. He is dating someone." Kiara's information made Aditi's open mouth shut down after considering the word for a minute.

A Series of minutes passed by but none spoke as they kept staring at the table before them. "So, that means there isn't a hope left?" Aditi sounded helpless. She wanted to help her friend but was clueless about how to act?.

"I think so," Kiara voiced a minute later. Holding herself, she pressed a smile at Aditi's gloomy state. "Weren't we here to discuss your wedding, not my devasted love life." She attempted to cheer her companion up but both were staring at her with that sympathy look. "No, please! Don't stare at me like that. Not you, Aditi. I had enough of Avni's concern and I don't want you to offer me the same. Please, don't friends cheer each other? You should tell me that he didn't deserve me? Shouldn't you convince me, that not everyone can afford me?" Kiara was staring at them with pleading eyes for which Aditi broke into a smile.

"That's right! You deserve a far better guy who values your presence." Aditi muttered still unconvinced of herself. "Why don't you call him to our wedding? That would be fun, maybe he would realize what he is losing?" Aditi suggested, suddenly those orbs sparkling with enthusiasm. She was anticipating the same from her companion but they sat there staring at her in horror.

"I don't think, it's a good idea." Avni was the first one to object.

Aditi scowled at her response, "but why?" She paused for a minute, glancing at Kiara for support.

"I think Avni is correct. He doesn't know you. How can I call him for your wedding?" That was the easiest reason that rolled down her tongue. This conversation wasn't supposed to take such a turn.

"Introduce us, somewhere?" Aditi came up with another suggestion. "What about dinner? Yes, that would be right..." Aditi was going to come up with another option but Kiara interrupted her in mid.

"Why don't you understand, Aditi?" Her voice had raised higher than her usual one. "I don't want to meet him. I don't want anything to do with him. I want to forget just allow me with it." She stood from the chair in exasperation and walked out of the café without sparing a glance at her friend.

She had too much in her mind and heart. Too much, that it was getting unbearable to withhold. Was Avni's suggestion correct? Should she plan to walk off for a few days? Walking away and returning back after their wedding. That would be a better option but at that thought, Dhruv's face flashed into her mind. She couldn't leave him alone, not even when leaving him was a practical thing. She couldn't hurt him even though when he was stabbing her heart unintentionally, every single minute.

Was falling in love, scary? Why didn't one of the novels voiced this out? Why it was described as something beautiful, something breathtaking? but nothing that she had experienced so far. Not that she doubted that it wasn't beautiful, it was far more beautiful than the word beautiful could describe it. It was far marvellous, peaceful even. The mere thought of his could make her feel wonders of the world but at the same time, she was clouded with confusion, worries, and concern.

The entire thing was something new to her. She hadn't experienced such a thing before and it had come as a shock that she would feel it for Dhruv. The guy she had least expected to have such feelings toward. Along with the shock came a sense of realization that there wasn't any future for them. She couldn't entertain those feelings because it would result in ending the beautiful friendship they shared.

She had longed for a deep lasting relationship but never trusted herself to be worthy of it. She couldn't trust herself if she carried on with the feeling it would last long and if it didn't then it would spoil the years of friendship she shared with not only Dhruv but her entire bunch of friends. They had mutual close friends and if things got awkward between them so it would get ugly between their close circle of friends. That had been a reason she had never confessed her feeling to Dhruv and kept it hidden from everyone except Avni.

She had been hesitating to confess those feeling but at the same time, she needed someone to confide to. She could trust Avni with her secret, she knew a word won't be out of her. And so was it! Even after the announcement of Aditi's and Dhruv's wedding, Avni had kept her promise. She hadn't voiced a word to anyone. Not a single soul!

___

"Why you didn't share it with me?" Aditi had finally voiced her displeasure as Kiara left their side. They hadn't yet opened the books nor discussed ideas for the pre-wedding function.

"She didn't want it to be shared. She had urged me to keep it a secret." Avni provided her justification but Aditi rolled her eyes.

"Maybe if I had known it days before, I could have helped." She sounded regretful. A sudden urge to help her friend with her love life was overpowering her. She had known Kiara for years and was aware she had never shown much interest in guys around her. Except having attraction towards very few but when she glanced at those orbs. The underlying pain beneath it, she knew Kiara had fallen in love for the first time in her life. She wanted to help her with it. Kiara deserved a happy ending.

"Do you know this guy of hers?" Aditi inquired after having some thoughts. Avni was staring at her with a suspicious gaze. "Avni, come on! I need your help with it. Don't you think, Kiara deserves it?" She was getting annoyed with Avni's lack of cooperation.

Avni stared at Aditi a minute longer. Her gaze averting to the number of books placed on the table. Avni had the opportunity, Aditi was asking her. She could inform her about the entire truth. She could mention that Kiara had fallen in love with Aditi's would-be fiancé but was it worth it? Could she ever break Aditi's heart for Kiara's sake?

No! She could never do that! She could never hurt any of her friends. Maybe Kiara was correct, the truth was better left hidden. Aditi was waiting patiently for Avni. "I do but I can't share any of her information." Aditi was going to grumble but Avni didn't provide her with an opportunity to interrupt. "Try to understand, Aditi. She trusted me with her deepest secret, I can't voice it out without her approval. I can't break her trust." Avni was pleading with her to understand.

"I just want to help her out."

"Trust me, leaving the topic would be a better help to her." Avni's final statement made Aditi slight suspicious but she brushed it off.

"Never mind, let's have the discussion some other day. I am not going to plan any of my pre-wedding functions with my friend's disappearance." Aditi's words made Avni realize how her suggestion to Kiara about disappearing was stupid. Aditi and Dhruv considered her a very close friend and neither of them would be glad about her absence from their wedding. That also made her concerned about Kiara. She had to face so much and it was just the beginning. She took a last sip of coffee before they decided to get to their destination.

___

"Start on, damn it!" Stamped an annoyed, frustrated hand on the laptop as she groaned in displeasure.

"Oh! Cool down," came a chuckling voice from another direction forcing Kiara to glance at the source laughing at her annoyed self. "What had pissed you off?" His orbs shinning in mischief as he walked towards her desk. "Boss, won't appreciate an article written in a furious mood." He chuckled at the end making Kiara narrow her eyes at the over-friendly stranger.

A guy much bigger in height with mischievous orbs and a mocking smile was staring at Kiara. His black hair was styled properly as a professional attire engulfed his body.

She overlooked his presence as she managed to switch on the laptop. "Oh! Ignorance," he sounded amused. "I had never been ignored before. My over-charming figure never allowed anyone to ignore me." She forced herself, not to burst her anger on an unknown person. Why wasn't the person next to her getting the clue? She wasn't in the mood for conversation. She had never behaved so rude to a stranger yet she couldn't help with her overpowering rage.

"Employees are advised not to disturb their co-workers." Came a voice of authority, a broad smile playing on the girl's face. As she raised a brow at the guy disturbing Kiara as her hand were folded around her chest. She seemed one of those girls who always stood against bullies during their school days. "Boss words not mine." She shrugged her shoulder when the guy stared at her in confusion.

"Oh!" He looked between Kiara and the girl. "Best friend on rescue." He chuckled at his inner joke. "Never mind maybe after office hours." He winked at the girls as he cross passed them towards his desk at the far corner. The girl diverted her gaze at Kiara who seemed busy typing words on her laptop.

"You still have it pending." The girl sounded worried, "Is everything fine, Kiara?" She inquired finding her friend not able to concentrate on her work. Kiara was one of the hardworking employees the company had. She never kept any work pending, for her work came first and later all the fun.

"I just don't know..." Kiara was sounding defeated. "Yami, I can't make myself complete it. I feel as if I am forcing words out and the end result isn't appealing. I don't feel as if I am enjoying it as I always do. It feels like a burden. My work was never a burden for me, Yami." At those last words, Kiara glanced at her friend. Those black orbs were staring at her with concern, she slightly gave her a nod of assurance.

"I think, you need some amount of fresh air," Yami suggested considering it for a moment. "You had been engrossing yourself in work for the past few days. On Sundays too," she glared at Kiara. "You need a break." She paused for a second, "what about a movie night? It will help your mind to have some minutes of rest." Yami offered and Kiara was going to object. She wasn't in the mood for a movie. Her devasted, overwhelming state won't help her to enjoy a movie but she considered it for a moment. She wanted a distraction yet she was brushing every option that could provide her distraction.

"Fine, let's make it today." Kiara's approval made a huge grin play on Yami's face.