Shravan's POV

Tomorrow is my court marriage with Advika. Along with our siblings and parents, Prem Uncle's family will also be joining us at the court. Prem Uncle is my father's best friend and practically family to us.

My parents didn't want them to miss it, and I wanted Aditya there too, he is my best friend. Besides, if Ayesha sees the wedding for herself, maybe it’ll help her move on more quickly.

It had been days since I’d last seen Aditya, and there were a few things I wanted to discuss with him, so I decided to go see him. I don't go to anyone else until it is not Aditya. The only man I can trust.

Without knocking, I pushed his door open. He looked up from his laptop, a bit surprised, then smiled.

"Shravan," he said, taking off his glasses. "You here?"

The smile on his lips didn’t quite reach his eyes. Something was bothering him, something he wasn’t telling me.

"Yeah, I thought you forgot me," I said, taking a seat across from him.

"Oh no! How could I forget you, Shravan?" he replied, though his smile was still forced.

He might fool others, but not me.

"What's bothering you?" I asked.

"Noth—"

"You know you can't lie to me," I interrupted before he could finish.

He chuckled.

"Just had a small fight with Arya. You know how easily she loses her temper and gets mad at the smallest things," he shrugged. "That's all."

I wanted to discuss this with him for so long but never got the chance. Seems like it is the best time.

"So, what's your relationship with Arya?" I asked.

He looked a bit taken aback by my question, his eyes narrowing at me.

"You know we’ve been good friends since childhood, and we’re just..."

"Dating," I finished for him. "The way you look at each other isn’t lost on me. Arya acts possessive around you too. I can sense there’s something more going on between you two. I just wanted to hear it from you."

Aditya fell completely silent. I am not sure how long they have been dating, but since Arya has returned from abroad, her behavior has changed a lot when it comes to Aditya.

He just stared at me because he wasn't able to accept it openly, nor could he lie to me.

“Aditya, you know how complicated the ties in our family are. Do you think our parents would ever agree to this relationship?” I asked, my voice laden with frustration.

His silence was louder than any response he could have given.

A few years back, we thought that our fathers were just best friends,s, but then we came to know the truth, which shocked us to the core.

Our fathers are not only friends! They have a common family member which somehow makes them brothers.

We have very complicated family ties.

I was waiting for Aditya to say something but nothing came from his side.

“Arya is innocent in all of this,” I pressed. “But you must have thought about the implications.”

Aditya briefly looked down, his jaw tightening before meeting my gaze again. His silence made my frustration boil over. He claims to like Arya, but neither is he ready to accept it openly nor is he ready to take a stand even after knowing the past relationship of our family.

"Aditya, if you are playing with the heart of my sister, then let me tell you that I can't see tears in her eyes," I told him.

No matter how much I fight with Arya I still love her. She is my only sister. I’d move heaven and earth to protect her from heartbreak, even if it meant confronting my best friend.

"Then can I see tears in my sister's eyes?" He asked me back.

His question hit me like a punch to the gut.

Aditya and Ayesha shared a bond unlike any other. Despite their six-year age gap, he had always been her protector, her confidant, the one who granted her wishes before she even voiced them. She turned to him before anyone else, even our parents. It is quite obvious that she had told him about her infatuation.

“She likes you, Shravan,” Aditya said quietly. “And yet, you’re marrying Advika.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“You have every right to choose your partner,” he continued, his voice steady but firm. “It’s your life. Just because Ayesha likes you doesn’t mean you’re obligated to like her back. But you could at least give her a chance.”

He drew a breath.

"I am marrying Advika. I like ...."

“You don’t like her,” Aditya countered sharply. “Not yet, at least. Don’t lie to me, Shravan. You didn’t even know she existed before she joined the company. I’ve never heard you mention her before now.”

He sighed heavily and leaned back.

“I wouldn’t have objected if I truly believed you loved her,” he said. “But I know this isn’t about love. You have another reason for marrying Advika, don’t you?”

I stiffened but said nothing. Aditya closed his eyes briefly, a heavy sigh escaping him.

“I just hope you know what you’re doing. Because if you’re not careful, you won’t just hurt Ayesha. You’ll ruin three lives with the secrets you’re keeping.”

“First of all, I’m not hiding anything,” I said, my tone clipped and deliberate. “And second, I’m at least not complicating the ties of our relationship any further than they already are.”

Aditya's jaw twitched as he stared at me.

“Tell me, Aditya,” I pressed, crossing my arms. “When do you plan to tell our parents about your relationship? Because I’m sure that after my marriage, my mother will want Arya to settle down too.”

His eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw something raw—fear. Fear of losing her.

“Shravan, I’m not playing around,” he said, his voice trembling slightly with conviction. “I love her. I truly love her. I can’t live without her.”

“You should’ve thought of that before falling in love,” I shot back, my tone colder than I intended.

“Love doesn’t happen when thinking is involved,” he snapped, his frustration spilling over. “I fell in love before I even knew about our family ties.”

I looked away.

“This is your obsession with your so-called Pari,” I said bluntly, emphasizing the word like it left a bitter taste in my mouth. “That’s what made you fall for Arya.”

Aditya flinched as if I’d physically struck him.

I don't believe that anyone could fall in so much love with someone that they can't live without them. It's practically impossible.

"Shravan!" Aditya shouted as if he was offended by what I said, "Yes, I respect Pari. She has a personality that could charm anyone. But don’t you dare compare my love for Arya to that?”

His whole body was trembling in rage. It happens rarely that Aditya gets so angry. He keeps his calm most of the time.

"I love Arya for what she is. I love her heart and soul"

“Bullshit,” I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes.

“You won’t understand,” Aditya said, his tone softening but laced with frustration. “Not until you’ve fallen in love yourself, Shravan.”

That will never happen! Love is just an illusion.

It was enough of me hearing him and his lectures on love.

“Well,” I said, rising from my seat, my tone sharp and dismissive. “I hope you find the courage to tell our families about your so-called love before it’s too late.”

I turned around and walked out of his office while saying,

"Meet you tomorrow in the court"

~~~~~~~~~~

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