Pushing away, pulling closer
Author's pov-
The next few days were a blur. Divya buried herself in work, trying to silence the storm inside her. But no matter how much she distracted herself, her mind always wandered back to him.
To the way he had stood outside her door that night, eyes burning with emotions he had never dared to show before.
To the way he had said, "Tell me you feel nothing, and I'll walk away."
To the way she had not been able to say it.
But she had to.
She had to push him away before she drowned in him again.
---------------------------------------------------
Purv had never been the kind of man who let emotions control him. He had been raised to believe in power, in control, in logic.
But nothing about Divya was logical.
Ever since that night, she had occupied every inch of his mind. He had tried to stay away, to let her come to him if she wanted.
But days had passed, and she hadn’t.
And he was losing his mind.
So he did what he always did—he took control.
---------------------------------------------------
Divya had just finished a long day when she stepped out of her office building, only to find him waiting for her.
She stopped in her tracks. "Purv?"
He was leaning against his car, arms crossed, eyes unreadable. "We need to talk."
She sighed. "There’s nothing to talk about."
"Then tell me you feel nothing. Look me in the eyes and say it."
Her breath hitched, but she forced herself to remain calm. "Purv, we’re not in college anymore. I don’t have time for this."
"You always do this," he said, stepping closer. "You run when things get complicated. But I’m not letting you run from me this time."
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay firm. "Purv, let it go. Whatever you think is left between us—it’s gone."
He scoffed. "Liar."
Her jaw clenched. "I’ve moved on."
He stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head. "Then why do you still look at me like this?"
Divya hated that he could read her so easily.
She took a step back, shaking her head. "You don’t get to do this, Purv. You don’t get to show up after five years and act like—"
"Like what?" He stepped forward, closing the distance. "Like I still love you?"
Her breath hitched, but she refused to let him see how much his words affected her. "It doesn’t matter."
"It does."
"Not anymore."
Something dark flickered in his eyes. "Why?" His voice dropped, softer now, desperate. "Why are you pushing me away?"
"Because you’ll break me again," she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "And I won’t survive it this time."
Purv froze.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The weight of her words hung between them, heavy and suffocating.
Then, to her surprise, he let out a humorless chuckle. "You think I can survive without you?"
She blinked.
"You think I haven’t spent five years trying to convince myself that I don’t love you?" His voice was rough, raw. "That I didn’t care when you left? That I didn’t miss you every damn day?"
She swallowed, her heart pounding.
"But I did, Divya," he whispered. "And I still do."
She wanted to believe him. She almost did.
But she had believed him once before.
And it had cost her everything.
So she did the only thing she knew how to do—she turned around and walked away.
And this time, she prayed he wouldn’t follow.