The aftermath
Author's pov-
The moment their lips parted, reality came crashing back.
Divya could still feel the warmth of purv's touch, the way his fingers had pressed into her waist like he was afraid to let go. But now, in the silence that followed, uncertainty settled between them.
Purv took a step back, running a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply. His usual composed expression was gone, replaced by something unreadable-something that made Divya's stomach tighten.
"This.. shouldn't have happened," he muttered, almost to himself.
Divya's heart clenched. "Then why didn't you stop?"
Purv looked at her then, his gaze intense, conflicted. "Because I didn't want to."
The confession hung between them like an unspoken promise.
Neither of them moved. Neither of them spoke. The only sound was the distant hum of the city around them.
Divya swallowed the lump in her throat. "Are you going to pretend this didn't happen?"
His jaw clenched. "I don't know."
Anger flared inside her. "You don't know?"
Purv sighed, stepping back further, as if putting distance between them would somehow erase what had just happened. "Divya, you don't understand-"
"Then make me understand," she interrupted, her voice laced with frustration.
For a moment, he just stared at her. And then, in a voice so quiet she almost didn't hear it, he said, "I don't want to hurt you."
Divya felt her breath hitch.
She wasn't sure what hurt more- the fact that he thought he would hurt her, or the fact that he believed walking away was the best way to avoid it.
She shook her head. "You don't get to decide that for me."
Purv sighed again, looking away. "This is complicated."
Divya let out a bitter laugh. "No, it's not. You kissed me, purv. And I kissed you back. It's only complicated if you make it that way."
A muscle in his jaw twitched, but he didn't say anything.
Frustration bubbled inside her. "You can act like this meant nothing. You can push me away. But you can't deny that for at least one moment, you felt something."
Purv's eyes darkened, and for a second, she thought he might argue. But instead, he did the one thing she hadn't expected.
He reached for her again.
His fingers brushed against her cheek, gentle but firm, as if he was memorizing her all over again. "Of course I felt something," he admitted. "That's the problem."
Divya's breath hitched. "Then why-"
"Because people like me don't get to have things like this," he cut her off, his voice raw, pained. "And people like you... shouldn't waste their time on someone like me."
Her chest ached at his words.
"Let me be the one to decide that," she whispered.
Purv stared at her, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. But instead of responding, he let his hand fall away, stepping back into the shadows.
"Go inside, divya," he murmured.
She wanted to fight. She wanted to demand answers. But something about the way he looked at her-like he was breaking his own heart just by standing there-made her stay silent.
And so, without another word, she turned around and walked away.
She didn't looked back.
But she wished she had.
Because if she had, she would have seen the way purv watched her go-like she was the one thing in the world he wanted but could never have.