A past that still hurts
Author's pov-
The elevator doors slid shut, enclosing them in silence.
Divya stood on one side, her arms crossed, checking her phone as if purv's presence didn't matter.
Purv stood on the other, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
Five years.
That's how long it had been since they last stood this close. Since they last breathed the same air.
But while the silence between them once held something unsaid, something fragile, now it was just cold. Indifferent.
And it was driving purv insane.
Suddenly, Divya's phone rang.
"Yeah, kaashi?" She answered, her voice casual. "I'm on my way. Harshil and I are having dinner, I'll be back by eleven. We'll talk then if I'm not too tired."
Purv's head snapped toward her at the name.
Harshil.
The name meant nothing to him, but the way she said it-with ease, with comfort-sent something dark curling inside him.
The elevator dinged.
They had reached the basement.
Divya walked out first, unfazed, heading straight toward her car. As if he wasn't even there.
And something inside him just... snapped.
Before he could think, he reached out-grabbing her wrist.
For the first time in five years, he touched her.
And the moment his fingers wrapped around her skin, something old and familiar crashed into both of them.
The past. The memories. The things neither of them ever spoke about.
Divya froze for half a second. Then, slowly, she turned her head to look at him.
Her eyes held no warmth. No longing.
Only detachment.
"Let go, purv," she said quietly.
But he didn't.
Not yet.
His fingers tightened slightly, as if confirming she was real. As if making sure she wouldn't disappear again.
"Who is he?" He asked, his voice quiet but firm.
Divya blinked, her face unreadable. "What?"
"Harshil," purv clarified, his jaw tightening. "Who is he?"
She let out a sharp, humourless laugh. "Are you seriously asking me that?"
He didn't answer.
He just stared.
Waiting.
Divya exhaled sharply, yanking her wrist away. "Why do you care?"
Silence.
The words hung between them, heavier than either of them expected.
Purv's expression remained blank, but there was something unreadable in his eyes. "You used to tell me everything. You never had a problem answering my questions before."
Divya let out a quiet scoff, crossing her arms. "That was five years ago, purv. We were kids. Immature."
She paused-just for a second.
Then she let out a soft chuckle, but there was no humor in it.
"And besides..." Her voice was quieter now. Sharper. "We were never in a relationship, were we? So why was I even telling you all that?"
Something in him stilled.
A flicker of something passed through his eyes-something Divya couldn't quite place.
Regret? Realisation?
But whatever it was, it disappeared too quickly.
Divya took a step back, putting distance between them. The first step she should have taken years ago.
"It's none of your business who I meet or don't," she said, her voice calm but final. "So don't ask. Focus on your life, purv."
And just like that, she turned, sliding into her car without another glance.
Purv stood there, rooted in place, as the engine roared to life.
The red taillights glowed for a moment-and then she was gone.
Gone.
Again.
But this time, it felt different.
This time, he was the one left behind.
And for the first time in years, purv found himself staring at the nothing- feeling everything.