02

00| Graduation Day

~Two years later

I sigh nervously then glance towards my family sitting among the audience.

It's my graduation. I am so nervous as I am the next one to go on stage. I glance down at my graduation gown then fix my cap before my name is announced.

I gather up all my courage and step into the stage, making my way towards the dean and the cheif guest who were distributing the degree certificate.

I pass them a small smile before taking my certificate. I glance towards the audience where my parents were clicking my pictures.

I smile bright looking at them. Meanwhile the photographer in front clicks our photo too.

"Thank you!" I say and shake my hand with the cheif guest before stepping down the stage.

Yes! It's done. Finally, I am graduated.

~♡♡♡~

"Aww, my Golu!" Mummy giggles while hugging me. "I can't believe you are graduated." She chuckles then admires my name written on my certificate.

"Mummy, I am 22. Don't call me Golu." I pout and complain.

"You know I can't stop calling you that." She says and pulls my cheeks.

I sigh deeply and shrug my shoulders as she does so which seems cute according to her but not for me.

"I am so proud of you." Dad says beside me and pats my back.

"Thanks Dad!" I smile at him.

"So when are you going to start your job, Aryan?" Jiju asks me.

"Next month." I answer.

I got a campus placement in Meta headquarters in Gurugram. Simultaneously, I am also planning to complete my MBA along with the job so that I can get greater opportunities in future.

"That's great." Jiju smiles at me.

"Aaaa! Aaaa!" I shift my gaze towards my one year old nephew, Vansh who was calling me while being in my sister's arms. "Aaaaa!"

"Aww, Vansh, you wanna go to your Mama?" Didi asks him while smiling at him.

"Haaaaaa!" He says while smiling, showing his two lower teeth.

"Come here, Vanshu." I smile at him and extend my arms.

Didi gives him to me and I carry him in my arms. As soon as he comes to me, he starts pulling my graduation cap.

"Aww, you want this cap." I chuckle softly and remove my cap to give it to him.

"Woahhhhh!" He widens his eyes in amazement as he looks at the cap and starts playing with it.

I chuckle softly and peck his temple. Meanwhile Didi stands near us and caresses Vansh's head.

That's when I see Zain's parents approaching us. They greet us and we greet them back. After which they start talking with my parents.

"Mamaaaa!" Vansh blabbers and attempts to put my cap on my head.

Didi and Jiju smile warmly looking at him.

"He likes being with you." Jiju says to me.

"Yeah," I smile then glance at Vansh.

"Papaaaa!" Vansh says while looking at Jiju and giggles.

"What happen, my bacha?" Jiju asks and pinches his cheek lightly. That's when his phone starts ringing. "Oh! Excuse me. It's from office."

He says before attending his call and making his way out of the crowd.

"Hachuuuu! Hachuuu!" Vansh mumbles while pulling my cap down again.

"You like this cap, Vansh?" I ask and smile at him.

"Kappppp!" He giggles.

"It's not kap. It's cap. Say cap." I tell him.

"Kapppp!" He giggles again showing his two small-small teeth.

Didi chuckles softly then glance at me. "Aryan?" She calls.

"Hmm" I nod while still smiling at Vansh.

"Vini called me this morning."

My smile slowly fades and I bite the inside of my cheek before looking away.

"I told her it's your graduation today." She says.

"You don't need to attend her calls daily." I say sternly and look back at her. "Di, I told you not to talk to her. Then why are you still talking to her?"

"Why are you not talking to her?" She questions back. "What happened between you two?"

I sigh and revert my gaze back to Vansh who was still busy playing with my cap.

"Aryan, atleast talk to her once. She calls me daily asking about you. She even comes to our house during her college vacations just to see you." She says softly.

I sigh again and twitch my jaw.

I blocked her number two years ago. That's why she either calls my sister or my mother to ask about me.

Ofcourse they don't know what has happened between the two of us. Mummy and Didi thinks that we both got into a fight that's why I am not talking to her.

After that incident, I never ever stepped back to Bangalore. But Vini does visits here during her college vacation. And on every vacation, she comes to my house.

But her plan to meet me fails everytime as I rarely stay at home. Most of the time I am out, either wandering around the city on my bike or staying over Zain's place.

I just don't want to meet her. That's why I don't stay at my house during vacations.

Mummy tells me about her that she visited our house and that she wanted to meet me and talk to me. But I always shrug it off and ignore.

Mummy always asks me about what happened between the two of us. But I don't tell her anything.

What's the use of it?

It's all over now.

It's been two years, I haven't seen her face. I know she is trying to contact me but I avoid her everytime.

I don't wanna see her face ever.

"Just disclose this matter. And tell me what has happened between you two?" Didi questions.

I sigh again and shake my head. "Nothing."

She sighs too and says, "I also told her that you got a job. She was really happy for you."

I click my tongue and irritatedly look back at her. "Stop telling her about my life, Dii. I don't want you all to be in touch with her."

"Aryan, why are you behaving like this?" She whispers while looking around at the people. "She loves you—"

"No, she doesn't." I mutter and hand Vansh back to her. "I need fresh air. This crowd is suffocating me." I mutter before walking out of the crowd.

My jaw twitches when I remember my sister's words again.

She loves me?

Bullshit! It's all rubbish.

I told Didi and Mummy so many times not to pick up her calls. But they don't listen.

I told Mummy many times not to let her inside our house. But she still lets her in.

Although she knows she would never find me home but I don't know why she still visits my house on her every vacation.

I hope to never meet her again. Never! Never!

That's when my steps come to a halt when I see the most unexpected person standing among the crowd, staring right at me.

Vinisha Sharma.

My jaw twitches as I meet her soft eyes, staring me from afar.

What is she doing here? Why is she here? I didn't expect that she will come here, at my graduation.

I was fed up with her visiting my house and calling my mother and sister continously. But now this?

I immediately revert my gaze and turn around. I quickly walk away from there and enter inside one of the college buildings.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

Why is she here?

My heart! My heart!

It's beating really fast. I am feeling this nervousness after whole two years.

I saw her after whole two years. Hell! I didn't even see her properly. I just met her eyes and then backed off.

She has to go back. She can't meet me. I can't meet her. I don't wanna meet her after what she did with me.

She broke my trust. That day I waited for her at the park but she never showed up. She left me all alone just to be with that shit piece.

Then why is she here? Why is she trying to contact me? She can just go back to her lover and live with him.

I don't want to see her face.

"Aryan!"

I gasp and freeze on spot when I hear her voice.

"Aryan!"

She calls again. This time a little softer.

My breath fastens as I hear her footsteps behind me, approaching me.

I gulp hard and slowly turn around. Tears almost well up in my eyes but I control them somehow as I face her.

I don't wanna show her that I am weak. She isn't my weakness. I'll not let my tears fall off my eyes.

I have moved on. So, now she doesn't matter to me at all.

I should stop being an emotional fool.

I take a long breath and take a look at her appearance.

She was wearing a pink kurti with white leggings and dupatta. Her hair was tied up in lower ponytail. She didn't do much effort to dress up herself.

But the shocking part was, she was looking so unhealthy. I furrow my brows as I see her thin body. As if she is shrunken. There were dark circles under her eyes. Her face didn't have that brightness she used to have but a kind of dullness. She was looking so sick.

"Aryan" She calls softly while looking at me with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you here?" I grit sternly. "Go away."

I sigh angrily and turn back to walk away but she starts following me.

"Aryan, please listen to me. I can explain." She says and stands in front of me, blocking my way. "Please. Just let me explain what happened that day."

"I don't wanna listen anything." I mutter and turn other way but she again blocks my way.

"Please Aryan. I am sorry. Just listen to me once. Please! I beg you. I am in a big problem. I need you, Aryan. I've been trying to contact you but you never—"

"Enough!" I shout angrily.

She flinches and immediately takes a step back.

I close my eyes and sigh as I remember that she gets scared whenever someone angrily raises his voice in front of her.

"Listen" I say calmly and open my eyes. "I don't wanna keep any relation with you. I have moved on. I don't want my past to interrupt my future."

Her lips tremble as tears start falling down her eyes. "Aryan, I love—"

"Stop!" I grit. "Don't say that word in front of me. It's all over."

She cries while shaking her head. "Aryan, please."

"No!" I glare at her and take a step towards her. "Stop calling my family and stop coming to my house. I am warning you, Vini. Stay away from me."

Tears go on falling down her eyes endlessly while she fidgets her fingers nervously.

"I don't want you in my life anymore." I mutter.

"Please, can we clear it all. Please. Just give me five minutes. I'll explain everything." She begs. "Aryan, please."

"No!" I shake my head and continue glaring at her. "Let go of me. It's over for me. I'm done with this shit."

She stops crying and looks at me with disbelief. "How can you say that? This is what our relationship mean to your?"

"Oh, we are not in any relationship." I scoff. "It ended two years ago."

"When?" She questions sternly. "I never ended my relationship with you."

"I did. I ended." I exclaim. "I know we never talked about this. So, today let's do it. I am officially breaking up with you." I declare.

She sighs and shakes her head while wiping off her tears. "I do not agree with this. I don't want to—"

"I don't care what you want." I huff. "Just leave me alone. It took me two years to finally move on from you. Now that I am living a happy life you again came up to ruin it."

"Happy?" She raises her brows. "You are happy without me?" She asks in a broken voice.

'No!'

My subconscious mind says.

I sigh deeply and nod sternly. "Yes, I am happy without you."

'Don't lie.'

My subconscious mind tells me.

'Shut the fuck up!'

I can't believe I am arguing with my subconscious mind.

"Don't cross paths with me ever." I tell her. "Let me live in peace without any troubles."

She twitches her jaw while staring me with tears in her eyes.

I sigh and break our eye contact. "I don't love you anymore." I mutter while looking at the floor.

'You are lying again.'

'Shut up you fool! I know what I am feeling.' I shout at my thoughts.

I slowly lift my gaze to take a look of her facial expression. There I see her eyes welled up with tears. A sad frown on her face as she looks down at the floor too.

I gulp hard and turn around to walk out of the building.

I guess she has lost her mind after hearing what she never expected to hear in her life. Well, even I never expected to see what I saw that day.

So we both are equal now.

Tit for tat.

And I am seriously done with this shit.

I sigh again and stop near the main door. Should I just take a quick look at her?

Wait! Why am I thinking this?

Just one last time maybe. I don't know when I'll see her again. Or will I ever see her again?

No! I can't do this.

I don't love her. So there's no point of checking on her. I don't care if she is crying about what I just told her.

She is a cry baby. Always cries for littlest things.

But I am not sensitive or an emotional fool. I am a strong man. My heart will never melt for anyone. Never ever!

I huff and walk out of the building. But my mind was still there, thinking about that particular girl inside whom I used to love.

Yeah! I used to. I don't love her now.

Because the day I saw her with that shit piece, I lost her forever.

~♡♡♡~

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