"You were a beautiful time in my life, and if that's all you'll ever be, then that's okay. Not all art is destined to hang on the same walls forever."

~K. Towne Jr.

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Around Seven Years Ago:

Avni's gaze drifted to people rushing in and out of the airport. Some had tears in their eyes. Some had smiles on their faces. Few dreaded to say goodbye, while few promised to unite. She shook her head, focusing on him, her restless eyes sneaking glimpses of him while Samarth stared back at her, and she shifted on her feet, feeling uncomfortable in his scrutinizing gaze.

"Sammy." She muttered, peering into his eyes that were so enigmatically in-depth as usual. "So this is it then?"

"Yes, it is," Samarth said with a loud, anguished groan as he nodded a yes, gazing at her teary face, "I never said this to anyone, but as we part ways, I think you should know this." He leaned toward her, brushing her dark strands out of her face as he said. "I remember when I first saw you."

"You do?" Avni whispered.

He nodded a yes. His voice dipped even lower, so soft. "Amidst the chaos on the campus, you stood there like a souvenir of composure. The bright daylight kissed your countenance in the softest caress dazzling a radiant glow. My eyes unhurriedly wandered, drowning into the depth of your brown stares as they dribbled with honey, and I knew I would never make it out fine. The steady winds soared, teasing your hair strands, but simultaneously my heart too as it skipped a beat, and I felt the tingles in every ounce of my soul. Finally, the dried parch was no more thirsty."

She couldn't talk. Her throat clogged as her heart thumped like a jackhammer with constricting emotions as Samarth continued. "I didn't know how the sparks flew, but I shook my head, reprimanding myself to even think about you, trying to brush off the sensations I felt in your presence because you seemed unapproachable. Somewhere I believed someone like you would never like someone like me."

Avni looked down, fresh tears gathering in her eyes. Something wrenched painfully inside of her at his last words. "Sammy, you know that's not true."

Samarth gazed at her for a beat before looking away. He pressed his lips together as if debating what he was about to say next. "One fine day, you were striding aimlessly like a lost child, slaying that black outfit." A throaty laugh escaped his mouth at his last words, and she smiled reluctantly despite herself. "I didn't have much time to admire you because we both tripped into each other, bedazzling me how the gentle touch of your fingers sent shivers down my spine, propelling me to draw back immediately."

She flushed, realizing the impact of his words, and a sad smile lifted on her lips. "Ohh, Sammy."

His gaze dawdled on Avni's face, a soft smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I expected you to shove me away as everyone in school did, but you didn't. You stood there. It wasn't until I saw your face. Your cheeks were blotchy red, eyes shadowed, smearing with tears, amid sorrow as the sun ignited them."

The light in the boy's eyes dimmed as he took a breath as if steeling himself back to the memories, evading pain. "My heart ached, agonizing in pain, seeing you like that. I had nothing to offer you except a creased handkerchief. It took no longer for you to calm down and stare at me, driving me nervous under your frenzied gaze, until I heard your voice, picking it. Instantly." He briefly closed his eyes. "We became friends unknowingly, but it always felt that a tie hooked us together."

Avni's stomach twisted in a knot at the sorrow gleaming in the boy's dark eyes that was a chill and warmth at once. She pursed her lips shut, miserably failing to find the right words as she lifted her heavy, wet lashes to peek at him.

"I fell in love with you at the beginning," His words pierced her heart, leaving it in little chunks of misery, making her feel more blameworthy. "You were one of the reasons why I wanted to come to school every day. I didn't realize when I began yearning for your presence, just like a lost child longing for the warmness of his home though you never saw me as anything more than a friend. Your gaze remained fixed on him. Even though it felt like my soul got torn apart, I stayed because, for me, your friendship was enough until-"

"Until I decided to use you to get him." She completed his sentence as more emotions swept up and lodged in her throat. "I wish I, for once, would've kept my selfishness aside so that they wouldn't have drawn me to betray you," she said in a voice filled with an aching sadness.

"Your knife of treachery carved a deep wound, piercing my heart, and it took me a while to gather the shattered pieces of the heart, setting them back to relieve the ache." Samarth continued, his voice rising as his accusations piled up like heads on a pike in front of her. Avni briefly closed her eyes to stop the tears that washed over her at the pang in his voice. "It unsettled me comprehending that you would never look at me like you the way you used to look at him. It took me days to muster the courage and confess my love. I was late, besides you chose him again. Seeing you in his arms shattered me, but it was easier to abode the defeat, and I left."

She looked at him with what she hoped was a glacial smile. "I didn't make it easy on you, did I? I kept hurting you at every chance I got." Her chin trembled.

"Yes. You did." Samarth said bluntly and deliberately. "After everything that happened" His jaw clenched as his eyes sought hers. "After everything that happened. I felt angrier than I've felt in a long time. I was angry and hurt that you took unfair advantage of me and loved him, not me, that you chose him, not me."

She stumbled back at the sheer volume and the agitation of his last sentence. "I overlooked your love. I wish I would've held your hands when you needed me the most."

He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he gazed at Avni with ineffable emotion swirling in those dark orbs. "When I laid in the bed at the hospital, I wondered why you always fight for his attention and love. For a fleeting moment, I forgot that falling in love isn't a choice. I fell in love with you and you with him." Avni stared at him, peeking at his face, not missing the flicker of numerous emotions dashing in his eyes. "While we were drowned in the same ocean together, you had the strength to reach the shore. You fought for the love you thought you deserved."

Avni shook her head, parting her mouth to say something but his frenzied yet tender gaze silenced her.

"I shouldn't even accuse you because I let my insecurities overrule my love. My greatest fear was I could never be the guy who would make you completely happy. I never found the courage to concede my love earlier."

She had to gasp out a breath at the hurt that flitted across his face that was so raw and potent. "If only I could go back in time and save you for this misery. She stepped nearer to him until she was close enough she could see the tears welling up in his eyes. "You were right. I don't deserve your forgiveness after everything I made you go through. But at least give me a chance to hold you, to heal you."

Samarth's gaze wavered at her as he shook his head. "While I'm saying this, I need you to know I forgive you. Not because you deserve it. Because when I leave this place, I want a clean slate and a new beginning." He placed his hands on her cheeks, cupping her face. Avni's eyes flickered on the fading bruise marks on his knuckles until he cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him. "All my life, I was feted as an unwanted growing weed in the flower beds, ghastly yanked up to preserve the magnificence of the garden." He clenched his hand into fists. "This time, I want to give myself a chance, Avni. I want to build a better life for my mom and for me. I don't want to be a fucking weed anymore."

Avni nodded. Her brown stares drifted to his left eye, specifically the fading scar that spanned a few inches to his cheek. Her hands unconsciously rose in the air, reaching his face, gently stroking it with her thumb as she said quietly. "You didn't deserve this, Sammy."

"Neither did you." His voice dropped low, gradually pulling away. He looked at her knowingly, both equally aware that they'd suddenly hit a sensitive topic in the conversation.

Avni's mouth set into a thin line and her expression hardened as she sputtered, "I kind of did." She nodded, glancing at his narrowed eyes and confusion tightening his features. "I knew he wasn't treating me right. I knew I deserved better, yet I stayed." Her lips quivered as she titled her head, looking straight into his dark orbs. "Sometimes when you love someone, you love them so much that you give them the power to hurt you."

"And no one would understand this better than me." He closed her eyes briefly, drawing a long, calming breath in his lungs. "But I never wanted you to go through that. God, not you. Never you."

She swallowed, attempting to alleviate the dryness in her throat that went parched suddenly, like the sand of the desert under the scorching sun. Her heart palpitated at the tenderness laced in his voice. Finally finding courage, she muttered, "A weed is a blessing of nature sprouted in every garden for us to distinguish the prestige of a beautiful blossom, but you are wrong. The weed here in the lawn of our novel is me, who accumulates beautiful flowers like you and destroys them." She took a deep breath to fill what was so empty inside her at the moment. "You were always good enough, Sammy. You were giving your best to someone who didn't deserve you."

If tears fled freely from her face, she didn't notice till he stepped closer, wiping them with the pad of his thumb before he lowered his forehead to hers, sniffling.

In the hustle-bustle of the airport, where the sound of wheels clattered the foyer, boarding passes were getting torn off, and passports were getting stamped, there was a stretched, agonizing silence between the two teens. Avni wrapped her arms around the nape of his neck, slightly raising her head to gaze at him. Nothing ever prepared her for this day, to say goodbye to him.

Samarth cleared his throat as they eventually pulled away. His attention shifted to his watch, taking note of the time. "It's time for me to leave." He smiled a little. "As much as it would crush us, I hope we never meet again. I don't want the resentment of my bad fate to overshadow yours."

"Life's a circle, Sammy. We'll meet again...one day," Avni said, dashing away her tears and mustering a smile. "Probably that day, we'll finally understand each other's decisions." She took both of Samarth's hands in hers, squeezing them. "Until then, I hope you live your best life, and I hope that you accomplish things you always wanted to."

"I'll go." He sucked in his breath audibly, kissing her forehead. He looked at her briefly afore pulling her into an embrace and whispered in her ear. "Take care, Avni."

She clasped him tightly and breathed him in, trying to memorize his scent. She had to tear herself away from him after the second announcement. Her lips tugged into a smile through an ache in her heart as she saw his gaze linger on her face for the briefest moment until he turned, striding toward the terminal gate.

Avni stood there, watching him pass through the terminal door, with a part of her packed into his luggage. She shut her eyes, recalling every moment they spent together, reminiscing the way he used to look at her. The way he would have a gentle smile adorned on his handsome countenance. She never understood why he came into her life. Maybe it's fate or the stars aligning perfectly to bring us together as friends.

In the same way, esthetical colors scattered behind the sky draped the azure in its beauty when the sun was gone. He was gone, too, unfurling memories to cherish. He barged into her life like a gust of arctic wind whooshing his way into her soul, and now, that soft breeze fled past the horizon, flaring his love.

Teaching her the real meaning of love. 

Present Time:

The lights adorning the lobby gleamed through his hair, catching a rare glint of copper and gold among thick, dark locks. The streaks of rays sculptured his chiseled features in perfection. He looked sharp and sophistic, with thick cords of muscles concealed by a black shirt and jeans. She noticed that his once smooth traits were now rough.

She tried not to squirm in her seat as she stared straight into his unlighted eyes, which emerged to be billowing clouds of volcanic ashes setting her life at a halt for a brief moment, the same as bringing an aerial traffic standstill. It was so overwhelming that she only realized she hadn't been breathing when her lungs began to seethe, demanding sustenance.

She sucked in a long breath, her gaze still pinned on him. She missed the faint smile tugged on his pink lips and the warmness flickering in his ebony orbs. She missed the innocent soul who treasured her even though her craziness for the devil destroyed him.

She missed him.

She missed her best friend.

She missed her Sammy.

"How have you been?" His voice trailed off, prompting Avni, who had said nothing in the last few minutes.

Avni blinked, breaking out of her reverie, catching Samarth staring at her unabashedly. She cleared her throat to ease the awkwardness. "I-"

The shrilling ringing of his phone cut her in the middle of her response. He offered her an apologetic smile and gave his full attention to the caller id. His face slowly broke into a wide grin as he answered the call. "Mom?"

Avni detected the change in his voice which wasn't like soft breath anymore, but rather, it was raspy and gravelly enhancing intimidating form.

In the past seven years, there were times when she dreamed about meeting him again. In her dreams, they would lay in the sloppy green grass, staring at the clear sky as the clouds would paint the vast azure with its intricate art, while he would express how gently time passed in France. He would narrate how he crossed the bridge and smiled, trying to peek at the tip of the Eiffel Tower that aviated over the rooftops. He would describe how he got enthralled by the artworks in Louvre and Musee D'Orsay. He would define the taste of his first sip of coffee at one of his favorite Parisian cafes.

The last thing she wanted was to encounter him in the same place they said goodbye.

She shook her head. Although she wished to scoot closer to hug him, to feel the warmth encasing her cold body, she knew she wasn't ready. She grimaced, suddenly recalling how she spent the last twenty hours of her life running away, trying to brush off the newfound memories made with Viransh and shedding the mask of pain she saw on his face from her mind. She placed her hands on her pounding head that ensued after being entangled in the turmoil of thoughts.

She broke out of her conscience, hearing Samarth's distant voice, who was almost yelling at the phone.

"Mom? I can't hear you." Samarth raked his hands over his hair as a sigh parted his mouth. "Maybe it's some network issue. Hold on." He turned his head and faced Avni, offering her a small smile and mouthed to be right back. The young woman nodded and clasped the bag's handle, watching him stride toward the large window.

"Mom," He greeted his mother as soon as the call connected. "Why didn't you pick up my call?"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart." The feminine voice on the other end sounded rueful. "I was assigned to tend one of the baby boys who fell sick. Is it fine if I see you directly at home?"

Samarth affirmed before asking her, "How's the baby now?"

"Handsome and growing healthier." She retorted. Her son's lips twitched upward slightly at the adoration and tenderness laced in her voice. No doubt his mother adored kids.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I have to go. I'll try to reach home early so we can spend some time together, and I'm looking forward to listening to all of your stories, okay?"

"Okay," Samarth said and heard the distinct sound of his mother asking to disconnect the call. His eyes widened as his mind reeled to a particular remembrance. He uttered suddenly. "By the way, you know I ran into someone."

"Ohh, and who is that someone?" His mother inquired after a brief pause.

Sucking in a calm breath, he calmly said. "Avni."

He heard a brief silence before hearing a shock paired with a tremble. "Avni?"

Samarth nodded a yes vigorously as if his mother was standing in front of him. "You know what, she's right beside me. Let me pass her the call." He said before hastily striding to where he sat a while ago, but a crease etched between his dark brows upon finding Avni nowhere in sight. He rushed a hand over his face, staring at the empty seat.

She was gone.

***

Author's Note:

Hey all! I hope you liked the chapter!

Wishing Happy Birthday to
Innzaghi6 🥳🎁 Zo, I hope you have a wonderful birthday and please stay away from sugar, you are scaring me with your sugar rush🤣♥️

Did you like the chapter?

Now, coming to Sammy's departure in a flashback scene, there wasn't only single emotion swarmed into his mind while he was leaving. He was hurt, angry, sad, remorseful, and hopeful(for his new life). This was one of the reasons why it took me a while to complete this chapter. By far, it was the most challenging chapter for me. But I liked the way it turned out to be.

I know many of you are wondering if Sammy came back as the third wheel between Avni and Viransh or not. So no, you won't see Sammy, Avni, and Viransh caught up in a love triangle. Avni doesn't love him anything more than a friend. She was too sightless(Metaphorically speaking) to see Sammy and his efforts. 

Again, Sammy and Avni have a sort of closure before he left. I just wanted to convey that sometimes, we can't undo the decision we made. People lose friends, best friends, lovers, and soulmates. But for Avni losing Sammy was more hurtful than losing Rudra. One of the reasons, why she wasn't ready for him to leave yet.

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