Avi's Pov:

I came to the flat that I bought two years ago. Whenever I felt alone, I used to come here. No one knows about this place, not even Veeru. A trusted person of mine maintains this flat. I unlocked the door and moved to the balcony that was attached to the master bedroom. I sat on the couch, lost in my thoughts. A lot of thoughts are running through my mind right now. I moved to the balcony and sat on the chair, thinking about the things that had happened in the past few years.

How happy we were as kids! But as the days passed, our responsibilities grew, and we were no longer the same as before. Though we used to manage to pull out some time for ourselves, a thin line had formed between us, increasing the distance between our hearts.

I miss that naughty Arjun, who used to fight with me over everything and play pranks on me. Everything was fine in his life until the arrival of that b***. I know it's bad to speak about a girl, but I can't help it. She broke him to such an extent that it took some months for us to bring him out of that trauma. He didn't step out of the house for two months. I'm glad that he accepted Diya into his life. Diya is just perfect for him.

And I miss my cute and bubbly bunny, who used to roam around me and Arjun. I miss her non-stop talking and her cute complaints about Arjun. Since her childhood, she has shared everything with me and Arjun. But as the years passed, things started to change. Though she was with us, she used to be lost somewhere else. She started to drift apart from everyone. I didn't know what happened that changed her so badly. But I'm afraid that if I ask her, she will have to recall everything that has happened in the past and go through the pain, which is not good for her health. I can't see her in that condition. But she has to let it out. I sighed.

I closed my eyes and leaned back, enjoying the cool breeze. I didn't realize when sleep took over until my sleep was broken because of a phone call.

Phone conversation:

Avi: Hello!

Surya: Will you open the door? I'm waiting outside.

Avi: Yeah! I'm coming.

*********************

Author's POV:

"Is everything okay? Why did you call me here?" Surya asked Avi.

"Everything is good. I want to talk to you about something important. That's why I called you here. And nobody should know about your visit," Avi told Surya.

"Okay!" said Surya.

Surya was working on a project in his room when he got a call from Avinav asking him to meet him. Avinav sent him the location and told him not to tell anyone about his visit. He was confused at first because he had only met him a few times in the past and they had only exchanged a few words.

"Do you love anyone?" Avi asked Surya, making him look at him with shock.

"What?" said Surya.

"Do you love anyone? And I want a genuine answer," Avi asked, looking at Surya.

Surya got tense and gulped, not knowing what to say. Yes, he loved her and still loves her. His best friend and buddy, Mia, who is now the wife of the man sitting in front of him. He has hidden his love in his heart all these years. No one knows about his love for her except his best friend Pranav and his sister Taara. Though Taara knew that his brother was in love with someone, she doesn't know that girl's name.

"Yes!" Surya said, looking down.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Surya. Loving a person is not a crime," said Avi.

Surya just sat there, with a lot of thoughts running through his mind. He came out of his thoughts when Avi asked him the name of the girl. He didn't understand what to say to the man in front of him, who is none other than the husband of the girl he loves. He didn't want any problems in her life because of him. He knew how much she had suffered in the past. Now, when she started the new journey of her life, he didn't want her to face any problems because of him.

"Surya?" Avi called him.

"Yes!" Surya said, coming out of his thoughts.

"I have asked you something. What is the name of the girl you love?" Avi asked him.

Why does this man want to know about his love life in the first place? Why was he so interested in knowing about him now? He had just met him a few times in the past, and who might have told him about his love? Surya thought to himself.

"Who told you that I love someone?" Surya asked Avi.

"Taara!" He lied.

"Akka?" Surya questioned him.

He mentally thanked God, as she didn't know the girl's name. He told his sister that he was in love with someone but did not tell her the girl's name.

"Yeah! Now tell me for how many years you have been in love with Mia. Oops, Maya, right?" Avi said, looking at Surya's face keenly.

Surya gulped hard, listening to him, and asked him, "How do you know?"

"So, I guessed it right," said Avi.

"You knew!" Surya asked him.

"I don't know the name, but I think I guessed it right. So, Mr. Sunny is madly in love with his Mia," Avi explained.

Surya looked down. He was getting tense now.

"Do you feel guilty for loving her?" Avi asked him.

"No," said Surya.

"Then why did you lower your head?" Avi asked him.

"Don't you have any problem with that?" Surya asked Avi.

"That you love my wife," said Avi.

Surya nodded his head.

"No. You loved her from the time she was not my wife. You didn't force your love on her. You respected her feelings, gave her space, and protected her all this time. So, why would I have a problem? Yeah! But I do feel jealous and hurt that I was not there with her when she needed me, but you were there with her all this time. She separated me from her, and now, when I read the letters that she wrote, I feel as if she is an entirely new person. Moreover, I trust my bunny," said Avi.

"Her intention was not to hurt you. She didn't want you to get hurt. That's why she hid some things from you," Surya explained to him.

"But it did hurt me, Surya. She hid many things from me. I don't know that she gets nightmares. I don't know that she is having health issues. I don't know why Chytra is accusing Maya. I don't know why she distanced herself from everyone and mainly me," Avinav said, getting frustrated.

Surya understood where this was going. Though he knew her entire past, it was not his place to tell Avinav everything. He is in a dilemma now. He is the only person who knows everything about Maya's past. How would Avinav react after learning about her past? What would Mia think if she found out that he had told Avi things that she should have shared with him?

"Wait, did he just say that he read letters?" thought Surya.

"Did you read every letter in that box?" Surya asked him.

"You know about them too!" Avi asked without any emotion.

"Yes!" he said, gulping down the lump in his throat.

"I just read three or four letters, while there are about fifty letters in that box," said Avi.

He isn't going to lie. It did hurt him badly.

Surya nodded his head and asked, "What do you want to know?"

"Everything you knew, and I didn't," Avi stated firmly. 

"Don't you think it's her place to tell you everything?" Surya asked him.

"I know. But what if something happens to her while she is recalling those incidents?" said Avi.

Surya understood his fear. But this is not his place to share things about her.

"I completely understand what you're going through. But give her some time, and she will come herself and share everything with you," said Surya.

Avinav sighed helplessly. He knew he should give her some time, but until when? He doesn't know. Only time can answer.

Surya looked at Avi, sighed, and said, "Rajesh."

"Rajesh"—he hates that name to the core. How much does he wish to kill that man for hurting his Mia?

"Rajesh?" Avi said, with a confused face.

"Chytra's brother, Rajesh, proposed to Mia four years ago, a few months after Adi uncle's death. Actually, he texted her that he had been in love with her from the time he had seen her. But she rejected him and told him that she was not ready for any relationship. She told him that it would be better if he just forgot about her and moved on. But he didn't stop sending her messages. She became irritated with everything and blocked his phone number. But he used to call and message her from another number. She used to tell him every day that she didn't love him and not to bother her. But, one day, he told her that he would go to her parents to ask for her hand. She started to fear that he would do that. At that time, Chytra's fiasco too didn't happen. So, she used to get panicked whenever he used to message her. He used to send her gifts and flowers, but she never took them and used to return them. He used to call her every night in his drunken state and speak nastily. So, I took his number from her and called him, but it just worsened the situation. He spoke some filthy words and started to demean us. He started sending her some creepy texts and started to comment on her body. I regret calling him on that day. Her health started to deteriorate. One day, there was a big fight between them. After that, for a few months, he didn't call or text her. She was happy and started to concentrate on her studies," Surya said, remembering the past.

Surya's eyes brimmed with tears thinking about the pain his best friend had gone through. Avi gritted his teeth, listening to all this. If Rajesh was there in front of him now, he could have killed him with his own hands.

"She tried to say everything to the family, but Anju aunty was mourning over Adi uncle's death. Rishi uncle was stressed with his office work and some other issues. Arjun Anna was battling with his own emotions. Yes, he asked her many times if everything was okay, but she had hidden it from him too. Everything was going well until she received a phone call from him. She didn't pick up the call, and he also didn't call her after that. But at the start of the third year, when everything was going smoothly, he called her again. I didn't know what happened that day, but I got a call from her roommate saying that she had fainted in her hostel room. I told her that I would take her to the hospital, but she didn't agree. So, I informed Arjun Anna, and he came there after two days. He made her understand, and then we took her to the hospital. We were shocked when the doctor told her about her BP levels. It was so low that the doctor told us to take care of her as she was weak. That's when we came to know about her dyspnea. The doctor said that her dyspnea was because of anxiety. We were both so mad at her. Especially, Arjun Anna, he felt guilty that he couldn't take care of her," said Surya. 

Avi shut his eyes as he listened to everything. This much had happened, and she didn't even bother to tell him anything, not even a single thing. Surya looked at Avi. He could understand his pain. He'd seen her faint in front of him numerous times. Avi gestured for Surya to continue.

"She was there in the hospital for two days as she was very weak. She started having nightmares, which had stopped for a while," Surya said, looking at Avi, who was thinking something deep.

"When did she start having nightmares?" Avi asked Surya.

"For the past 10 years," said Surya.

"Does Arjun know about this?" Avi asked him.

"Yes, but he doesn't know the reason why she is having them," said Surya.

A lone tear escaped Avinav's eyes.

He wiped off his tears and asked, "Did you ask her what he said before she fainted?"

"We asked her, but she didn't say anything," said Surya.

Avi just nodded his head.

"After that, one day, I got a call from Arjun Anna. He came to meet me and told me not to tell her about his visit. He told me that Rajesh's elder sister, Vyshali, came to meet him one day. She asked him to talk to Mia about Rajesh. She told him that she was worried for her little brother, as he was getting depressed. She thought Mia was not accepting Rajesh because of what Chytra did to Arjun Anna. She said sorry to him on behalf of Chytra and told him to talk to Mia as soon as possible. She told him that if he talked to Mia, then she would talk to their parents and make them agree to their marriage," said Surya.

Avi chuckled, listening to him.

"Why did you laugh now?" Surya asked confusedly.

"I think their whole family is defective. They just force their decisions on others," said Avi.

"I guess that's true," said Surya.

"Thank you, Surya, for being there with her," Avi said, with a smile.

"You do not need to thank me. She is my best friend. I told her many times to say everything in the house, but she denied it every time. I don't know what has stopped her. May be, it was because of the bond between her and her parents. But she has kept her every pain within herself. I just know one thing—she loves you immensely. The only thing that kept her sane through everything that happened in her life were her memories with you. There isn't a day where she hasn't thought about you," said Surya.

Avi just smiled sadly and leaned back, closing his eyes.

I'm a little bit messed up. So, I don't know how the chapter has ended. I'll try my best to update a better one next time.

Keep smiling and take care ❤