Pranati's POV

The morning after Shravan’s confession in the grove felt too much like a dream I couldn’t shake. I’d spent the night tossing and turning, trying to make sense of the photo, the note, and the eerie feeling that something was closing in on me. But in the light of day, it all felt distant, like a warning I wasn’t ready to hear. 

I tried to focus on the day’s routine, pushing the creeping unease to the back of my mind, but it was impossible. Every time I looked over at Shravan, every glance that lingered just a little too long, I felt the weight of his words pressing on me. Doesn't that count for something? His question echoed in my mind, but I shoved it down. I couldn’t think about him now—not with everything else in flux. 

Siddharth was still distant. Cold. He avoided me, his presence like a shadow in the house. The tension between us had thickened in the last few days, every small interaction laced with something unspoken—something I wasn’t sure I was ready to face. 

I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to talk to someone. I needed to hear a familiar voice that wasn’t filled with silence or veiled emotions. So, I reached for my phone, scrolling through the contacts until I found Sakshi’s number. 

A quick text to let her know I needed to talk was enough to get her on a video call in under five minutes. 

"Sakshi," I breathed, my voice tight, "I need to talk." 

Her face appeared on the screen, and the warm, familiar smile instantly calmed some of the storm brewing inside me. “Hey, Pranati! How’s everything?” 

“Everything’s...” I hesitated, not wanting to go into the mess of emotions swirling inside me. “Everything’s fine. I guess.” 

“You don’t sound fine,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me. "Come on, spill it. What’s really going on?” 

I looked down at my hands, twisting the phone between my fingers. “It’s just... everything feels off, you know? Shravan... Siddharth... and someone’s been reading my dairy and writting me creepy notes behind. 

Her brow furrowed. “What?” How could this happen!!!? 

I bit my lip, unsure how to explain.  

Sakshi was silent for a moment, studying my face through the screen. “Pranati, you know you can’t ignore that kind of feeling. You have to be careful around everyone, someone’s been watching you especially with everything that’s been going on. 

I nodded slowly, the weight of her words sinking in. “I know. But it’s not just that. It’s... it’s Shravan. I don’t know how to explain it, but every time I talk to him, I feel like something’s changing between us. It’s like... I can’t escape him. And Siddharth—he’s so distant. I don’t know what’s happening.” 

Sakshi’s face softened, her eyes filled with understanding. “Look, I know you’ve been caught up in this love triangle now, but you need to be honest with yourself. What do you want, Pranati? What does your heart say?” 

I sighed, closing my eyes as I tried to untangle the mess inside me. “I don’t even know anymore. I care about both of them. But it feels like no matter what I choose, it’s going to hurt someone. And that’s the part I can’t stand.” 

There was a long pause before Sakshi spoke again, her voice gentle. “Pranati, I know you don’t want to hurt anyone, but you can’t keep carrying this weight. You have to listen to your heart, no matter how messy it is. Trust yourself. You deserve to be happy.” 

I felt a tear slip down my cheek, but I quickly wiped it away. “I just wish it was easier.” 

Sakshi’s smile was warm, comforting. “I know, babe. But you’ll figure it out. You always do.” 

Before I could say anything else, the sound of a loud knock at the door interrupted our conversation. I quickly glanced over my shoulder, my heart skipping a beat. Who could it be? 

“Listen, I gotta go. Just... be careful, okay?” Sakshi’s voice brought me back to the call. “And remember, I’m just a phone call away.” 

“Thanks, Sakshi,” I said softly, my eyes already darting toward the door. “I’ll talk to you soon.” 

She waved before hanging up, and I stood there for a moment, staring at the screen, feeling the weight of her words. 

With a deep breath, I walked to the door, wondering who it could be. When I opened it, I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. 

Standing there, right in front of me, was Shravan. 

He looked different. Tense, almost angry, and yet there was something desperate in his eyes. 

“Pranati,” he said, his voice tight. “Can we talk?” 

Shravan’s eyes locked with mine—serious, unreadable. He hadn’t said anything beyond “Can we talk?” but I could already feel it in my bones—this wasn’t going to be just another casual conversation. Something about the air between us had shifted. Thickened. 

I stepped aside silently, letting him in. My fingers curled into my palms as I shut the door behind him, unsure of what to expect, unsure of what I wanted. 

We stood in the middle of my room. It was quiet, the distant chatter of cousins outside barely filtering in. For a moment, neither of us spoke. He rubbed the back of his neck, hesitating. 

“You didn’t come by today,” he said, finally. 

“I didn’t know I was supposed to,” I replied quietly, keeping my tone neutral. 

He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “You’ve been avoiding me.” 

I didn’t deny it. 

“Is it Siddharth?” he asked bluntly. 

That name felt like a slap in this moment. “It’s not just Siddharth.” 

His jaw clenched. “Then what is it, Pranu?” 

I looked away, biting the inside of my cheek. “I’m just... confused.” 

He stepped closer. “I’m not. Not anymore.” 

I turned back to him, heart in my throat. 

“Pranu,” Shravan began, his voice trembling slightly, “I’ve always loved you. You know that. You were never just a crush. You’ve always been... it for me.” 

I opened my mouth to respond, but he raised a hand. 

“Let me say it all, okay?” he whispered. 

I nodded, frozen. 

“I was stupid before. Immature. I didn’t see what was in front of me. And when I did... it was too late. You were already slipping away.” 

He took another step toward me. I could feel the heat between us now. He looked down, then met my eyes again. 

“I don’t want to let you go again, Pranati. I don’t want to watch you with him anymore. I know I messed up. I know Siddharth’s had more of you than I ever did. But I swear to you—if you choose me, I’ll never let you feel like an option again.” 

“You’re not saying this because you saw me with Siddharth... are you?” I asked quietly. 

“No,” he said firmly. “I’m saying this because I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” 

He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out something small and velvet. 

My breath caught. 

“I’ve told Amma and Nanna,” he said softly. “They’ll be coming tomorrow... to talk to your parents.” 

He opened the box. 

Inside sat a simple, delicate diamond ring. 

“I’m asking you to marry me, Pranati. Not out of pressure. Not out of family. Just... say yes because your heart says yes.” 

My legs nearly gave out beneath me. 

Shravan’s fingers brushed mine as he pressed the ring box into my palm. The velvet was soft, but it might as well have been a branding iron. My skin burned where he’d touched me—not with the electric thrill I’d once felt for him, but with something heavier. Guilt. Dread. The suffocating weight of a love I wasn’t sure I could return anymore.

The words hung between us, shimmering like the diamond inside the box—beautiful, sharp, capable of cutting deep.

I should’ve been overjoyed. This was everything teenage Pranati had dreamed of: Shravan, my first love, my almost, finally seeing me. Finally choosing me. But the girl who’d ached for him was buried under layers of newer, messier truths—truths that tasted like Siddharth’s kisses in the rain, like the way he’d whispered my name against my skin, like the silence that had followed.

Why now? The question clawed at my throat. Why, after years of indifference, was Shravan here, offering me forever, when all I could think about was his brother’s hands on my waist, his brother’s mouth claiming mine?

“Pranu?” Shravan’s voice was raw, uncertain. He’d expected tears, maybe. A yes. Not this frozen silence.

I forced my fingers to close around the box. My lips parted, but no sound came out. What could I say? I loved you for so long, but now I don’t know if I even remember how?

He misread my hesitation. “I don’t need your answer right now,” he whispered tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear—a gesture so tender it made my chest ache. “But I hope... I hope it’s me.” 

When the door clicked shut behind him, I finally exhaled, my knees buckling. The ring box tumbled onto the bed, landing with a soft thud. I couldn’t bring myself to open it.

Because if I did, I’d have to face the truth:

The boy I’d once loved was offering me a future.

And all I could think about was the man who’d walked away from my present.

The evening air was thick with the scent of marigolds and impending rain. I clutched the railing of the rooftop, my nails biting into the rusted metal. Below, laughter spilled from the courtyard—cousins dancing, blissfully unaware of the war raging inside me.

Say yes because your heart says yes.

But my heart was a traitor. It didn’t beat in steady, certain rhythms anymore. It stuttered when Siddharth walked into a room. It clenched when Shravan smiled. It ached when neither of them looked at me at all.

Footsteps. Slow. Deliberate.

I didn’t turn. I didn’t need to.

“You said yes?” Siddharth’s voice was deceptively calm, but I heard the edge beneath it—the barely leashed fury.

“No.” The word scraped my throat raw.

He moved closer, his shadow swallowing mine. When his fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to face him, I expected anger. Instead, his eyes were dark with something worse: betrayal.

“Then why is that ring here?” he demanded, his thumb brushing the hinge of the box still clutched in my hand.

“He told our parents. They’re coming tomorrow.”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “And you’re just going to let this happen?”

“I don’t know what to do!” The confession tore from me, ragged and desperate. “You’ve been ignoring me for weeks. And now Shravan—he’s here, he’s saying all the right things—”

“Do you love him?” The question was a blade.

I flinched. Did I? Once, the answer would’ve been easy. Once, I’d loved Shravan with the kind of fierceness that left bruises. But now… Now, all I could remember was the way Siddharth had looked at me that night—like I was air, like I was his.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

Siddharth’s grip tightened. “Bullshit.”

He leaned in, his breath hot against my lips. “You don’t get to hide behind ‘I don’t know’ anymore, Pranati. Not after what happened between us. Not after the way you kissed me back.”

My pulse roared in my ears. He was right. I’d kissed him like a woman starving. I’d let him touch me in ways that couldn’t be undone. And then—

“You left,” I accused, shoving against his chest. “You walked away.”

His laugh was bitter. “And you ran straight to him.”

“I didn’t run anywhere! You both keep pulling me in opposite directions, and I’m tired—”

His voice dropped lower. Rougher. “Do you want him? Or is it just easier to say yes?” 

“I don’t know,” I whispered. 

“Then don’t answer yet,” he said, leaning closer. His breath fanned against my lips. “Because I haven’t even started fighting for you.” 

And then he walked away—leaving heat trailing in his wake, and a heart split clean in two.