*past in italics
*Not edited
*thoughts are also in italics
*dedicated to Nivetha008
*Please vote and comment

"You are not stepping inside that office, until he is there" Ajay said arranging the dinner at the dining table and Aparna made faces.

"It's not because of him Ajay, his presence won't bother me anymore. I passed that Phase long ago" her answer made him frown.

"I saw her Ajay, I saw Shruti there, that is what lead to that attack. Trust me" she said and regretted immediately when she noticed the change in Ajay's expression with the mention of Shruti's name.

"I'm- Ajay, monkey look I'm alright and nothing of this sort will happen again okay. I have you to support me right. I can't run away form him Ajay, I don't him to affect my in any way" she said with a puppy face and Ajay smiled at her.

"You wanted him to be your life Aparna" he chucked and she nodded her head.

"That's in the past and no more past talks, okay!" she said and he nodded his head.

"Ashwin was there in your cabin Aprana and he was worried" Ajay said before fading into his room and Aparna looked at his fading figure.

It was quite a surprise for her to find Ajay saying something about Ashwin this calmly, again his words echoed in her mind.

'he was worried' even though Aparna's mind refused accept that statement, a cornor of her heart knows that he did cared for her, atleast in the past.

He has seen concern in his eyes for many times, maybe it's her mistake to imagine that concern as something eternal.

She drown herself in the pool of her memories as her mind dragged her into her memory lane which held thousands of her emotions as fragments of memories.

"Hi Mr. Ashwin, nice to meet you again" Aparna forwarded her hands to the person who stood who stood there alone in that party.

"hey you are Aparna right" he shook her hand and she smiled.

"wah! Such a busy businessman remembers my name, I'm feeling proud" she said raising her imaginary collar.

"So no companies for the day? I can give you company" she said and he smiled at her.

"You are in college now right? Don't you have works" he asked after few minutes of senseless talks.

"who likes to study, this dad na, he is the one forcing me to study as he wants me to takeover his business soon" she made faces which bought a smile in her face.

"I Want to be a singer, I want to rule this whole world with my sweet voice. I have made a new friend who is an excellent singer, we are panning to start an YouTube Channel and to make album songs together" her words made him laugh.

"Concentrate on your carear than wasting your time Aparna" he said only to get a glare form him.

"I don't want to live a boring life like you business people" she said and took a sip of her cool drinks and chocked immediately.

"hey careful" he moved close to her and patted her head when she started coughing.

"You have to be more careful Aparna" he saw a care in him which made her heart flutter.

"I'm fine" she said taking a step back from him.

"let's be friends Mr. Ashwin. If I joined my father's business in near future I want a friend who knows something about business" she said and he smiled at her.

That day changed everything in Aparna's life, the way he behaved with her was somewhat different which made her feel something new inside her.

He was not like Ajay, Ajay was her best friend, he is like her shadow, someone similar to herself but the case of Ashwin was different.

He was reversed which dragged her towards him. She never wanted to name her feeling but she felt odd around him.

She felt happy when she spotted him in a usual business party, she searched for him when she failed to see him at any get-togethers.

Without her knowledge Aparna gave him a place in her life and that became stronger when he made business deal with his father making her meet him frequently.

The days passed and Ajay's absence in her life was filled with Ashwin when Ajay left to US for his higher studies.

With her only friend being Ashwin, Aparna felt a kind of infactatuion, a rare feeling when ever she was with  made her imagine things of her own.

But she would have eventually figured that out! She would have made herself out if they tiny web of her imaginations, she would have escaped that mess if only that tragic incident involving a witch didn't happened at that time.

"Aparna" Ajay's call dragged her out of her memories.

"It's late, go and sleep" he siad in an authoritic tone and she did as he said.

Ajay closed his eyes and opened it agian trying to clear his mind and in that micro second her face flashed on his mind.

Aparna's vulnerable face. The way shiverd like a raindrop at the tip of a leaf, it killed his soul.

Ajay badly wanted to wipe out all her pain and suffering. He wanted to see his old Aprana back. The Aparna who enjoyed her life. The aprana who knows only to love and not to hate.

'why can't you think about your own once Ajay?' his conscience questined him.

"She is my responsibility and will be my first priority" he said to himself.

"I saw her Ajay, I saw Shruti there" Aparna's voice echoed in his mind and guilt overpowered his heart.

"Shruti" he murmured her name, after a long time. Walking towards his wardrobe he took a photo frame which is kept hidden under the cloths.

Years that passed made her face blur in his memories, but the sudden mention of her brought all the pains back.

He caressed that picture where she was smiling, Shruti.

"I love you so much Ajay, I won't mind dying for you too" her words echoed in his mind.

A girl who loved him Crazily, a girl he tried to love back as much as possible. A girl who made his dream come true. The girl who broke all his dreams in a second. The girl whom he believed to be the perfect life partner for him. The girl who broke all his believes within a second. The girl who killed him with her words.

"Why did you entered into my life Shruti? Just to make my miserable life more miserable?" he wanted to ask him that question if he ever got a chance to meet her.

Ajay knows in the attempt to shave Aparna from her miseries he did injustice to Shruti, but if there is a chance to change everything, he would never do the same mistake.

Ashwin leaned in the balcony railing. The coldness of that metal rods made him flinch for a second and his heart travelled back to the time when he saw Ajay hugging Aprana.

Even though there closeness bothered him like every other time, he Noticed something wrong with Aparna. Even though he didn't took a good look at her because of his glaring session with Ajay, he saw a vulnerable side of Aparna, for the first time.

The Aparna he knows was, crazy, innocent, bold, brave, but never vulnerable.

Even when she walked off his life, she did that like a queen. And the way she looked with her puffy eyes, messy hair, that worried him.

His heart felt the same pain when she suffered, but Ashwin is not Going to what pain he forced her to undergo. Atleast not now.

Ashwin can remember the cute days he spend with Aparna, the days when his life was filled with worries and she is carefree.

From the time he became her father's partner the closeness between them increased and he did considered her a friend and nothing more.

Ashwin knows form the beginning that Aparna has some kind of infatuation on him. That is what made him take the first step in their relationship. But he never expected the emotions she had for him to change.

May be he was late. Or he was too careless to lose her. When he had her attention, all he minded was his business and when he turned his attention towards her, she changed, so did her emotions.

Even though Ashwin badly wants to balme Aparna for what she did to him, he can't really do that, she was just 20 at time and he can't expect her to understand him at that tender age.

Rubbing off her thoughts form her mind, Ashwin decided to get some sleep after writing his dairy.

The next day had a lot stored for him.

The next morning was no different for Aparna as her intercom ringed within five minutes of her arrival.

Aprana pushed opened Ashwin's cabin door when she heard the "come in" form his voice.

"are files and tender quatations ready?" he asked and she nodded her head in positive.

"okay mail them to me" he said.

"Is there is anything else I have to do now Mr. Ashwin?" she asked when he continued working.

"No" he said not looking up and she started to walk towards the door.

"Aprana wait" she heard him and stopped at her place.

"Yes, Mr. Ashwin" said she after turning towards him.

"what happens to you yesterday?" he asked unable to control the curiosity.

"That's personal Mr. Ashwin, but of that concern you that much, I just got a mental breakdown, hope you are satisfied now" she said and walked out while he is too shocked to react.

"Mental Breakdown?" he repeated her words and his heart pained at her. She is the happiest and craziest soul he has ever seen, why would that even happen to her? He has no idea. But less that he knows, he was the reason for her every problems in one way or another.

Reaching her cabin again, Aparna thought about the way her life changed. "he was worried" Ajay's words echoed in her mind once again.

She saw the same worry in his eyes, minutes back when he asked about last day.

Why do he cares? There is nothing left between them to care. But Aparna's mind was not ready to accept that. She can't let the dead feelings of her heart once agian.

She can't let her thoughts nourish the decayed feelings of her past. She can't risk another heartbreak.

"You are nothing more than a Buisness deal for him Aparna" her mind remained her the fact she usually forgets in his presence.

Everything that related them was just a business deal. Their marriage, the life they lived as husband and wife, her being Mrs. Aparna Ashwin, everything is just a business deal which has no more value now.

And Aparna won't try to retrieve that broken deal once agian, atleast not in this life.

Here is the next part guys! Hope you loved this too. Share your veiws with me. And don't forgot to Vote and comment.