32 Pacifying My Best Friend #2
Instead of pulling back, Ansh used his momentum and weight to carefully press her down onto the mattress. Niyati gasped as she found herself lying beneath him, her hands instinctively gripping his forearms.
Before she could protest further, Ansh captured her lips in a deep, head-spinning kiss that effectively silenced her doubts. The familiar heat flared instantly between them, sending a wave of electric shivers down her spine.
Breaking the kiss, Ansh trailed his mouth down to her exposed neck, leaving a series of warm, wet kisses along the sensitive skin. A quiet, uncontrollable moan escaped Niyati's lips, her fingers tangling into his hair as her body betrayed her resolve.
His lips moved lower, his hands reaching for the hem of her gown to slide it upward.
The sudden movement snapped Niyati back to reality.
"Ansh, stop!" she said, her voice rising with sudden firm resolve as her hands came up to firmly grip his shoulders, physically halting his movement.
Ansh paused instantly, lifting his head. His breathing was heavy, his eyes dark and dilated as he looked down at her, silently searching her face.
Niyati shook her head, her expression earnest and brimming with quiet guilt. "No. I really can't do this right now."
"Niyati-"
"I mean it, Ansh," she pleaded softly, looking up into his eyes.
"I love you, but my heart is tearing itself apart right now. I can't go any further, and I can't enjoy this while knowing Diya is sitting alone at home, feeling betrayed by both of us. Not until we manage to convince her... not until I pacify my best friend."
Ansh stared at her for a long moment, the intense heat in his eyes slowly yielding to deep understanding and respect.
He let out a long, shuddering exhale, resting his forehead against hers for a brief second before pulling back completely to lie down beside her, drawing her safely into his arms without another push.
Diya simply stared back at me. For one excruciating second, I waited for the usual warmth-the familiar, loud "Niyuuu! You came!" followed by a tight hug. But nothing came.
Her face remained completely blank, a stone wall built overnight. Without a single word, she stepped aside to let me in, turned on her heel, and walked away.
The front door remained standing open behind me. I stood frozen on the doormat, my fragile smile slowly withering away as I swallowed the thick lump in my throat. I pushed the door shut and stepped into the foyer.
"Who is it, Diya?" Aunty's voice echoed warmly from the kitchen.
"Niyati, Maa," Diya called back from somewhere near the staircase, her tone flat and unreadable.
Mrs. Raizada appeared a moment later, wiping her hands on a hand towel. Her face lit up the second she saw me. "Hi, beta! You're here early."
"Hi, Aunty," I forced my voice to sound light, though my stomach was in knots.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink?" she asked, walking over to give my arm an affectionate squeeze.
"No, Aunty, I'm fine. I just came to spend some time with Diya. We'll probably just hang out in her room," I managed a polite smile, desperately trying to keep my composure.
Mrs Raizada smiles - "Okay, then I'll make snacks for you two!"
Awwww, aunty is so sweet but her children both are very stubborn. I should learn from my future Sasu Maa how to handle these two. "You're the best, aunty."
Mrs. Raizada laughed warmly. "Go on up, then. I'll send some snacks up for you girls in a bit."
"Thank you, Aunty."
As she vanished back into the kitchen, I turned to face the grand staircase.
Come on, Niyati, I mentally lectured myself, gripping the strap of my bag. You came here to fix this. Don't back out now.
I forced my legs to move, carrying me up the carpeted stairs until I was standing right outside Diya's bedroom. I stared at the dark wooden paneling for a few seconds, taking one last steadying breath, before knocking softly.
"Come in," her muffled voice replied.
I pushed the door open. Diya was sitting cross-legged on her bed, her laptop resting on her knees. She didn't even lift her head when the door creaked. Quietly closing it behind me, I hovered by the entrance, feeling completely out of place in a room that had been my second home for years.
"Diya..." I began hesitantly.
"Hmm."
"Can I sit?"
She gestured vaguely toward the desk chair without breaking her gaze from the screen. "Sure."
I sank into the chair, the silence stretching between us so thick it was suffocating. Diya's fingers clacked rhythmically against her keyboard. I watched her for a long minute, the emotional distance between us hurting far more than any shouting match would have.
"Are you really going to ignore me?" I whispered softly.
Diya shrugged, her shoulders tense. "I'm not ignoring you."
"You haven't even looked at me since I walked into the house."
"I'm looking at my laptop."
"I noticed."
"Good."
I let out a shaky sigh, leaning forward with my hands clasped tightly in my lap. "Diya, please."
"What?"
"I came here to talk."
"About?" she asked, her voice dripping with dry indifference.
"You know what."
Diya finally paused, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Slowly, she shut the laptop screen, setting it aside, and leaned back against her pillows. "Oh, right. Your little secret."
The words flinched right through me. "Diya..."
"No, no. Please," she crossed her arms, her dark eyes pinning me to the spot. "Tell me. I'm listening."
I looked down at my hands, my voice trembling as I laid my heart open. "I know you're angry."
"I'm furious."
"I know."
"And hurt."
"I know."
"And thoroughly disappointed."
"I know, Diyuu," I nodded, the tears finally rising to blur my vision.
Diya let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Of course you know. You knew enough to hide it from me for weeks."
That cut deep. I swallowed hard, looking up to meet her sharp gaze. "I wasn't trying to hide it because I didn't trust you."
"Then why?" she demanded, her composure cracking slightly as genuine pain leaked into her voice.
"Because I was terrified," I admitted softly, taking a shaky breath. "I was scared of losing you."
Diya's sharp expression softened just a fraction, replaced by sheer bewilderment. "You thought I'd stop being your friend just because you were dating my brother?"
"I didn't know what to think! I was confused, and everything happened so fast," I pleaded, my voice breaking. "I was terrified of changing our dynamic or making things weird between us."
"You could have just talked to me, Niyati!"
"I should have. I know I should have."
"Yes! You should have!"
"I was wrong, Diya. Entirely wrong," I confessed, letting the tears fall freely now.
Diya looked away, staring at the window as her own breath turned shaky. "You know what really hurts, Niyu? I thought I knew everything about you. I thought if something life-changing happened to you, I'd be the very first person you'd run to."
My chest physically ached at her words. "You are one of the most important people in my life, Diya."
"Then why did I have to find out by walking in on you lifted up on my vanity table with my brother?!" she snapped, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
I buried my face in my hands for a brief moment, burning with shame. "I don't know..."
"Yes, you do."
Lowering my hands, I looked at her helplessly. "I was scared. When Ansh and I realized we still had feelings for each other and got back together, we didn't know how to navigate it or how to tell you. Every time we planned to sit you down, the secret felt bigger, and telling you felt terrifying."
Diya stared at me, processing my words. "So you just kept postponing it."
"Yes."
"That was stupid."
"I know."
"Extremely, utterly stupid."
"I know."
"Like... unbelievable levels of foolishness."
Despite the heavy sobbing, a tiny, watery smile slipped onto my lips. "I know."
Diya let out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling. "Stop agreeing with everything I say!"
"I don't know what else to do," I admitted softly.
A faint twitch appeared at the corner of her lips-almost a smile-before she caught herself and quickly looked away.
I wiped my wet cheeks and stood up, slowly walking over to the edge of her bed. "Diya... I am so, so sorry. I'm not going to sit here and make cheap excuses. I should have trusted you. You deserved to hear it from my mouth, not discover it like that."
Diya remained quiet, her gaze fixed on the bedsheet.
"I was just so afraid you'd hate me," I whispered.
Her head snapped up, her eyebrows pulling together in genuine shock. "I could never hate you, Niyati."
That broke the dam completely. Tears spilled down my face in unbroken streams. "Then why did you walk away from me this morning? Why were you so cold?"
Diya looked down, her fingers picking at a loose thread on her blanket. "Because I was still angry. And hurt. I needed time... and honestly..." She hesitated, glancing up at me with a sheepish, vulnerable expression. "I wanted you to feel a fraction of how panicked and heartbroken I felt yesterday."
My heart sank into my stomach. "I did," I breathed. "I really did."
Diya sighed, her shoulders finally relaxing. "I know."
Before either of us could say another word, a light knock sounded at the door. Neither of us answered, but the door swung open anyway.
Ansh walked into the room carrying two large tubs of ice cream. "Okay..." He froze mid-step, his dark eyes instantly darting between me sitting on the edge of the bed and Diya glaring at him. "I brought peace offerings."
Diya's eyes narrowed into slits as she crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"
Ansh held up the ice cream tubs smoothly. "Came to pacify my sister."
"Oh, wow," Diya mocked, throwing her hands up. "Taking your little girlfriend's side already, huh?"