For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

The room was painfully quiet.

Yogesh sat on the floor with his back against the side of the bed, his knees slightly bent. Akanksha sat opposite him, leaning against the wall. There was a small distance between them-enough to remind them of everything that had happened, but not enough to make either of them feel completely like strangers.

Yogesh had been looking down for a long time.His fingers kept moving restlessly, as if even now he was trying to gather the courage to say what he had been avoiding for months.

Finally, he took a deep breath.

"There are a lot of things I need to tell you, Akanksha."

She didn't say anything.

"Things I should have told you a long time ago... but I couldn't."

He paused.

"And I know that whatever I say today won't change what happened. I know it won't erase anything."

His eyes met hers for a second.

"But I think you deserve to know the whole truth. After that... whatever you decide, I'll accept it. I won't force you to forgive me. I won't even ask you to understand me."

He swallowed.

"Bas... ek baar meri baat poori sun lena."

Akanksha quietly nodded.

Yogesh took another breath.

"When I got the offer for Splitsvilla... our first show had ended two or three months before that. I couldn't make it to the finale."

A faint smile appeared on his face, but it disappeared almost immediately.

"And i have told you about this in the villa...You know how much Roadies meant to me. Bachpan se TV pe dekhta tha aur sochta tha... ek din main bhi wahan jaunga. I'll compete, I'll reach the end... maybe I'll win."

He looked down.

"But I lost."

There was a small pause.

"And honestly, I was very upset about it. More than I showed people."

Akanksha watched him silently.

"So when Splitsvilla offer came, I didn't look at it as just another show. Mere dimaag mein bas ek hi cheez thi... I had another chance."

"Toh maine accept kar liya."

He rubbed his palms together.

"At that time, Ruru and I weren't together. We had never officially been in a relationship. There was no commitment between us."

"Things were complicated. We weren't even talking properly when the Splitsvilla offer came because of some issues between us."

Akanksha's eyebrows slightly tightened.

"But I still thought... I should tell her once."

"I called her."

"Bas ek baar."

"I told her that I was going to Splitsvilla. Aur casually maine bas itna kaha tha... agar tujhe offer aaye toh aa jaiyo."

He looked at Akanksha.

"That's honestly all it was at that point. And i had attended her birthday party..even then things are to too simple between us"

Akanksha remained quiet.

"Uske baad humari koi proper conversation nahi hui thi."

He took a breath.

"Then came the form."

"You remember, right? The form we had to fill before entering the show."

Akanksha nodded.

"There was a question about our past relationships. Maine casually uska naam likh diya."

He gave a helpless smile.

"Sach bolun toh mujhe apne sapne mein bhi nahi laga tha ki woh actually show mein aa jayegi."

"She had already done Splitsvilla before. I genuinely didn't think they would bring her back just because I mentioned her name."

He paused.

"Then we entered the show."

His voice became softer.

"And then I met you."

For the first time, there was a slight change in Akanksha's expression.

Yogesh noticed it but continued.

"First day... mujhe bilkul idea nahi tha ki hum dono ke beech kuch genuine banega."

"Honestly, maine socha bhi nahi tha ki main kisi ke itne close aaunga."

He smiled faintly.

"But then I started spending time with you."

"Tere saath baithna... baat karna... mujhe achha lagne laga tha."

"Pata hi nahi chalta tha time kaise nikal jaata tha."

"The little things started mattering."

"Your stupid jokes... the way you laughed... our late-night conversations... sometimes we'd be talking about absolutely nothing, and still I didn't want the conversation to end."

Akanksha looked down.

Yogesh's voice became quieter.

"And somewhere between all of that... I started falling for you."

He immediately corrected himself.

"Not because of the show."

"Not because cameras were around."

"Not because it was convenient."

"Sach mein, Akanksha... mujhe tu pasand aane lagi thi."

His eyes became wet.

"And what I felt for you was never fake."

Akanksha finally spoke.

"Tumhe kabhi nahi laga ki jo ho raha tha... woh sirf show ki wajah se tha?"

Yogesh shook his head immediately.

"Nahi."

He looked directly at her.

"Ek baar bhi nahi."

"If it was fake, then I wouldn't have missed you when you weren't around."

"I wouldn't have thought about you when cameras weren't there."

"And I definitely wouldn't have carried all of this for so long."

Akanksha looked away.

Yogesh continued.

"Then the Himanshu incident happened."

"I didn't take your stand."

His face changed.

"I knew even then that I should have said something. I knew you were hurt."

"Lekin main chup raha."

"And I regretted it."

"Then we didn't really get a chance to talk. The swap happened."

He took a deep breath.

"And those days away from you... that's when I realised how badly I had started getting attached to you."

"I missed you."

"Bahut."

"I kept thinking about you."

"And when we came back, you had waited for me."

"You didn't make another connection. You stayed loyal. And then that task about confessing your feelings and blindfold"

He shook his head slightly.

"Us waqt mujhe samajh aa gaya tha ki tu mere liye sirf show ki ek connection nahi thi."

"You mattered to me."

"Bohot zyada."

Akanksha's eyes filled with tears.

"I had started thinking that after the show... I wanted to be with you."

A long silence followed.

Then Akanksha quietly asked,

"Phir mujhe kyun nahi bataya?"

Yogesh knew exactly what she meant.

"Ruru ke baare mein?"

She nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me that there had been something between you two?"

Her voice trembled.

"Sorab ko pata tha. Baaki logon ko pata tha. Mujhe us waqt pata chala jab woh dome mein aayi."

She wiped a tear.

"Mujhe ye tak nahi pata tha ki tera koi past tha uske saath."

Yogesh's eyes dropped.

"I know."

"Mujhe batana chahiye tha."

"Then why didn't you?"

Yogesh was silent for a few seconds..

"Because I was scared."

Akanksha gave him a hurt look.

"Kis baat se?"

"That you'd leave."

He swallowed.

"Main jaanta tha ki agar tujhe sab pata chalega toh tu mujhse sawaal karegi. And I didn't have the courage to answer those questions."

"Main already tere close aa chuka tha."

"I didn't want to lose that."

Akanksha's voice broke.

"Tumne phir bhi mujhe lose kar diya, Yogesh."

He closed his eyes.

"Haan."

A tear rolled down his cheek.

"Maine hi kiya."

He didn't try to defend himself.

"Uska koi excuse nahi hai."

He took a shaky breath.

"Then Ruru came."

"And everything changed."

"The dance... the arguments... everything that happened."

He paused.

"Lekin us waqt bhi... mere mind mein tu hi thi."

"I had already decided that I wanted to choose you."

"I had even told Ruru that."

Akanksha looked at him.

"I told her that whatever existed between us in the past was over. That I had feelings for you now."

"And those feelings were strong."

"I was going to tell you."

Yogesh's voice became unsteady.

"Sach mein, Akanksha... I was going to."

"Lekin tab uski aur meri fight ho gayi."

"She threatened me."

Akanksha frowned.

"Kis baat ki?"

"She said she'd tell everyone about the pre-planning."

"She said she had recordings of our calls."

Yogesh looked down at the floor.

"And I panicked."

His voice became almost a whisper.

"I was scared."

"Not just about my image."

"I was scared that if everyone found out, you'd leave me."

"I kept thinking... tu sochegi ki jo kuch bhi humare beech tha, woh bhi fake tha."

"And that thought terrified me."

Akanksha stared at him.

"So you chose her?"

Yogesh's eyes filled again.

"Haan."

The answer came without hesitation.

"Usi dar mein."

"I chose her."

"I even told her I loved her."

Akanksha looked away.

Yogesh's voice broke.

"And today, I know that wasn't love."

"Because love shouldn't make you betray the person you actually care about just because you're afraid"

"I was confused. I was scared. I was selfish."

"But whatever the reason was... I hurt you."

"And that's on me."

Akanksha wiped her tears.

"Phir baad mein tujhe realize kab hua?"

Yogesh took a long breath.

"Slowly."

"Har baar jab tujhe koi kuch bolta tha... mujhe andar se bura lagta tha."

"But I still didn't speak."

"Main tujhe defend karna chahta tha, but I kept stopping myself."

"Then the fight with Diksha happened."

He looked at her.

"And you said..."

His voice faltered.

"'Mere paas toh koi hai hi nahi stand lene ke liye... main akeli hoon.'"

Akanksha's eyes lowered.

"That sentence... I couldn't forget it."

"Because I knew you weren't actually alone."

"I was there."

"But I had made you feel like you were."

He wiped his face.

"And that hurt me more than anything."

Akanksha looked at him.

"Phir kuch kiya kyun nahi?"

"I tried."

"Main sach mein try kar raha tha."

"Lekin phir meri Ruru se fight ho gayi. She threatened me again."

"She said she'd reveal everything."

"I got scared again."

He shook his head.

"And every time I got scared, I chose myself."

His voice became heavy.

"That's the truth."

"I kept choosing my image, my fear, my comfort... over you."

He looked at Akanksha.

"And that's why I call myself a coward."

"I was so busy protecting the person everyone thought I was... that I destroyed the one thing that was actually making me happy."

His tears were falling freely now.

"I lost you."

"Not because someone took you away from me."

"Because I didn't have the courage to stand beside you."

A long silence filled the room.

"Today I have neither that relationship... nor that image."

"But strangely... I don't think losing those things hurts me as much as losing you does."

"I still remember seeing you standing alone."

"Seeing you fight everything by yourself."

"And knowing that I could have stood beside you."

"But I didn't."

His voice cracked.

"I keep thinking... agar uss din maine himmat ki hoti... agar maine sabke saamne sach accept kar liya hota..."

"Maybe things would've been different."

"Maybe we'd still be together."

"Maybe today... you wouldn't be sitting this far away from me."

He looked at her through tears.

"But I didn't do it."

"And I have to live with that."

"I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for it."

Akanksha couldn't hold herself together anymore.Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Lekin ab uss guilt se kya hoga, Yogesh?"

Her voice was soft, but full of pain.

"Jo hona tha ho gaya.".

"Tumhara regret mera woh time wapas nahi la sakta."

"Mera pain... meri loneliness... jo kuch maine feel kiya... woh sab sirf isliye khatam nahi ho jayega kyunki aaj tum mujhe sach bata rahe ho."

"I know."

Yogesh nodded.

"I know it won't."

"I'm not expecting it to."

He reached for his phone.

"I just wanted you to know the truth."

"Tu chahe toh mera phone check kar sakti hai."

"The chats are there."

"Call history bhi."

"And the recordings."

Akanksha looked at him.

Yogesh unlocked his phone and placed it between them.

"I don't want you to believe me just because I'm saying it."

"Khud dekh le."

"Jo hua tha... jo baat hui thi... everything."

He showed her the conversations and the relevant recordings.

He didn't explain anything unnecessarily.

He let her see it herself.

Akanksha quietly looked through everything.

Yogesh sat there without saying a word.

When she finally put the phone down, he lowered his eyes.

"I know this doesn't fix anything."

"It doesn't make what I did right."

"But at least... you shouldn't have to live with the wrong version of the story."

For a few minutes, neither spoke.

Both were crying.

Months of anger, guilt, confusion and hurt seemed to have finally found a way out through their tears.

Yogesh covered his face with his hands.

"I'm sorry, Akanksha."

His shoulders began to shake.

"I'm really sorry."

And this time, he completely broke down.

Akanksha cried too.

She didn't move closer.

She didn't comfort him.

She simply sat there and cried.

Because she was hurt too.

After some time, when both had become a little calmer, Akanksha spoke.

"Main itni jaldi kuch nahi bhool sakti."

Yogesh nodded.

"I know."

"Main tujhe itni easily maaf bhi nahi kar sakti."

"You don't have to."

His answer was immediate.

"I'm not asking you to."

"I didn't tell you everything so that you'll forgive me."

"I told you because you deserved the truth."

He wiped his face.

"And if after knowing everything you still don't want to see me again... I'll accept that too."

"If you want to say something about me publicly, I won't stop you."

"Even if it's against me."

He took a breath.

"And if you want to tell people about the pre-planning... that's your choice too."

"Main tujhe rokunga nahi."

Akanksha looked at him for a long moment.

"Yogesh..."

"Haan?"

"I need time."

"To understand all this."

Yogesh nodded slowly.

"Jitna time chahiye, le."

"Okay."

Akanksha slowly pushed herself up from the wall.Yogesh immediately looked at her.

"Rukegi kya?"

She stopped.

"Kya?"

"Thodi der."

His voice was almost pleading.

"Zyada nahi... bas thodi der."

Akanksha looked at him.

She didn't answer.

But after a few seconds, she quietly sat back down.Neither spoke for a while.Then she looked at him.

"Yogesh."

"Haan?"

"Tu aise nahi reh sakta."

He looked confused.

"Chahe main tujhe maaf karun ya nahi... I don't want you to keep destroying yourself."

She took a breath.

"Tum aise nahi the."

"Tum har situation ke saamne khade rehte the."

"Ab khud se kyun bhaag rahe ho?"

Yogesh looked down.

"Try to get up."

He remained silent.

"Tum kab tak aise band rahoge?"

She glanced around the room.

"I think tumhe ek baar doctor se baat karni chahiye."

"Tum aise bhookhe nahi reh sakte."

"Tumhe ye sab face karna hoga."

Yogesh took a slow breath.

"Jaanta hoon."

"Bas... himmat nahi hoti."

He looked at her.

"But I'll try."

"Sachi mein."

"Main try karunga."

Akanksha nodded.

"Okay."

A few moments passed.

"I think ab mujhe jaana chahiye," she said.

Yogesh gave a faint, almost helpless smile.

"Rok bhi toh nahi sakta."

Akanksha frowned.

"Kya?"

"Nothing."

She stood up.

"Bahar nahi aaoge?"

Yogesh looked at her.

"Tum chahti ho main aaoon?"

"Haan."

She looked at him seriously.

"Tum aise andar nahi reh sakte."

He stayed quiet for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"Okay."

Yogesh slowly stood.

But the moment he straightened himself, he swayed slightly.Akanksha immediately reached out and held his arm.

"Careful."

"I'm okay."

"I know."

She steadied him anyway.

They began walking toward the door.

Neither said anything.

There was still anger between them.

There was still hurt.

There were still questions.

And forgiveness was nowhere close.

But something had changed.

For the first time, Yogesh had stopped hiding behind fear.

And for the first time, Akanksha had heard the truth directly from him-not as an explanation to save himself, but as an admission of the mistakes he knew he had to live with.

They reached the door.

Yogesh opened it.

And as they stepped outside, neither of them knew what would happen next.

But at least, this time, neither of them was walking away with unanswered questions.

To be continue ....