JAAN ( Darr 2 )

Shattering

And it didn't go unnoticed.  She looked at him, Suddenly turning and  holding his gaze for a moment longer than usual. 

There was a blush in her cheeks, and he felt heat rising in his own. He shifted, about to look away, but she didn't let him. Her shyness slowly morphed into something lighter, almost playful, as a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Wasn't the last time enough to convince you?" she asked, her voice serious but her eyes sparkling.

Rahul blinked, startled by her teasing. How could she joke like this, so easily, after everything they'd been through? After everything he had done to her? It didn't make sense.

But Kiran, as if sensing his confusion, tilted her head slightly, her expression softening.

 "It's easier that way," she said, her words almost answering the question he hadn't spoken aloud.

He looked at her, brow furrowed, not quite understanding. 

"Easier?"

"To take things lightly," she clarified, her voice carrying a tinge of bitterness now. 

"To laugh off the serious stuff. It doesn't take much, just pretending. You run from it, don't deal with it." 

She paused, her smile fading as she gave a small, bitter laugh. 

"It's not a good thing at all, but in the moment... it's easier. Until it hits you over in the head."

Rahul nodded, his mind racing as usual, overanalyzing every detail, trying to find the right words, the right questions. But as Kiran spoke, her words made sense in a way that cut through his endless cycle of thoughts.

"Am I... am I allowed to ask you something?" He asked softly almost inaudible.

She turned to face him, her expression curious but gentle. "Yes," she said nodding quietly, and to his surprise, she pulled her chair closer, her hand sliding across the table to meet his. Their fingers intertwined effortlessly, as though this simple gesture had been waiting between them for far too long.

Rahul hesitated, his breath catching as he tried to form the question.

 "What happened last night?" His voice cracked with uncertainty. "I mean... before we..." He trailed off, unsure how to ask about something so personal, so painful.

"You... you don't have to tell me. I...I mean, it's none of my..."

"You're babbling," she interrupted, a soft smile curling at the corners of her mouth. Her tone was light, almost teasing, but her eyes were serious.

"Rahul?"

"Y-y-yes?" He stammered, startled by her sudden closeness. She moved even closer, and before he could think or breathe or stop it, Kiran wrapped her arms gently around his shoulders, her head resting on his chest. He froze, instinctively holding her as though she might slip away if he let go for even a second.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. He felt her warmth, her breath against him, and he thought maybe, just maybe, this wasn't real. That he might wake up from this strange, impossible dream.

And just when he began to think she would fall asleep like that, holding him in the silence, she began to speak, her voice so quiet, yet he could hear every word.

"Sunil..." Kiran started, her voice fragile but steady. "That night, he... he was with someone else. Melina. I walked in on them." She swallowed, her fingers tightening slightly against his shirt.

 "And the worst part... I wasn't even surprised." she laughed. A bitter sound he hand never heard from her before and he didn't exactly know what to feel.