Akanksha had decided that she would stay in the same building where Yogesh lived, along with Subhangi and his friends.

It wasn't a decision she had made hastily.

She had seen the flat herself. She liked it-the location, the space, the surroundings. It was exactly the kind of place she had been looking for. And, most importantly, no one had forced her into making that choice.

She had thought about it for days.

More than once, she had asked herself whether staying there was really a good idea.

What would people think?

What if someone noticed how close she was living to Yogesh?

What if the rumours started again?

And, perhaps the question that worried her the most-

How would things be between her and Yogesh?

After everything that had happened, she didn't know.

Yogesh hadn't asked her to stay.

He hadn't tried to convince her.

He hadn't even given her a reason to choose him.

In fact, that day when he had confronted her, he had made one thing very clear.

She was free to do whatever she wanted.

If she wanted to stay away from him, that was her choice.

And now, she was doing exactly what he had told her to do.

Choosing for herself.

Choosing what she wanted.

Or perhaps... what her heart wanted.

She hadn't told anyone the real reason behind her decision.

To everyone else, it was simply a good flat in a convenient location.

But Akanksha knew the truth.

Somewhere deep inside, Yogesh was a part of the reason she had chosen it.

She was worried about him.

She didn't know whether staying close to him would make things easier or more complicated. She didn't even know what would happen between them once they were living under the same roof-though not in the same flat.

But she couldn't ignore the thought of him either.

And she certainly couldn't tell anyone.

No one knew.

Except Sorab.

He was the only person who knew that her decision wasn't entirely about the flat.

Akanksha had chosen this place herself.

No one had pushed her.

No one had asked her to stay.

She had simply listened to the one thing she had been trying to ignore for days-

her heart.

Akanksha knew what everyone else saw.

Yogesh was getting better.

He was going out more. He was talking to people. He was trying to return to normal.

To everyone around him, it looked like things were finally improving.

But Akanksha knew better.

She had noticed the little things no one else seemed to notice.

The silence that came too suddenly.

The moments when his smile disappeared the second no one was looking.

The way he sometimes withdrew into himself.

He might tell everyone that he was fine.

He might even tell her that he didn't need anyone.

But Akanksha didn't believe him.

Not completely.

She knew he still needed someone.

And perhaps that was one of the reasons she had chosen to stay.

Not because Yogesh had asked her to.

He hadn't.

Not because she wanted to forget everything that had happened.

She had already forgiven him.

A long time ago.

She had simply never said it.

Not to Subhangi.

Not to Sorab.

Not to anyone.

Not even to Yogesh himself.

Somewhere along the way, the anger she had carried toward him had faded. The hurt was still there, the memories hadn't disappeared, but forgiveness had quietly found its place in her heart.

And now there was something else she couldn't quite explain.

A small, hidden part of her still needed him too.

Maybe she needed his presence.

Maybe she missed the person he had been before everything went wrong.

Or maybe she simply couldn't imagine completely removing him from her life anymore.

Whatever it was, she wasn't ready to put a name to it.

And she certainly wasn't ready to tell him.

Not yet.

She wanted to tell Yogesh that she had forgiven him.

She wanted him to know that he didn't have to keep believing that he had lost her forever.

But how?

How could she stand in front of him and say all of that after everything they had been through?

She needed time.

Time to understand her own feelings.

Time to find the right words.

And, most importantly, time to gather enough courage to say them.

So for now, she would stay.

Not as a promise.

Not as an answer to everything between them.

Just as a quiet choice.

A choice she had made for herself.

And perhaps, somewhere deep inside, for him too.

Akanksha pov

The coffee in my hand had gone cold.

I hadn't even noticed.

I was sitting on the balcony, staring at the sky for God knows how long.

There were so many stars tonight.

Strange...

The sky looked so peaceful.

And my mind?

A complete mess.

Sorab had gone out with Niharika.

For the first time in days, I was completely alone.

No one to talk to.

No one to interrupt my thoughts.

And maybe that was the problem.

Because when there was no one around...My thoughts always found their way back to him.

Yogesh.

I closed my eyes.

Na jaane kya ho raha hai mujhe...

Main khud hi nahi samajh paa rahi.

Main kyun baar-baar usi insaan ke baare mein soch rahi hoon jisse mujhe door rehna chahiye?

I opened my eyes and looked at the stars again.

Tomorrow I was moving into that apartment.

One floor above Subhangi.

One floor closer to him.

I had told everyone that I chose the apartment because I liked it.

And I wasn't lying.

I did like it.

But...

Was that the whole truth?

No.

My heart knew better.

Sach bata, Akanksha...

Tune woh flat kyun choose kiya?

I didn't answer myself.

Because I already knew the answer.

Yogesh ki wajah se.

My fingers tightened around the mug.

Why?

Why him?

After everything?

After all the things that had happened between us?

I should have hated him.

Maybe I had every right to.

There were days when even hearing his name used to hurt.

There were moments when I had thought that I never wanted to see him again.

Then why...Why does seeing him in pain still hurt me?

Tumhe dard mein dekhti hoon toh mujhe kyun takleef hoti hai, Yogesh?

Tumhari aankhon mein woh thakan dekhti hoon toh mera mann kyun karta hai tumse poochun ki tum theek ho ya nahi?

Tum chup ho jaate ho toh mujhe kyun lagta hai ki tumhare paas jaakar bas baith jaun?

I laughed quietly at myself.

Pagal ho gayi hoon kya main?

Maybe I was.

Because I knew he wasn't completely okay.Everyone thought he was getting better.

And maybe he was.

But I knew those little things.

The things he never said.

The silence.

The way he sometimes looked like he was somewhere else even when he was sitting right in front of everyone.

The way he tried to convince people that he is oky

Especially me.

And maybe that was what hurt the most.

Because I knew he needed someone.

And still...

He kept pushing everyone away.

Tum kehte ho na ki tumhe meri zaroorat nahi hai.

Theek hai.

Main maan leti hoon.

Lekin kya mera dil maanega?

I looked down at my coffee.

A bitter smile touched my lips.

Tumne mujhe kaha tha na...

"Jo tumhe sahi lage, woh karo."

Aur maine wahi kiya.

Main door ja sakti thi.

Main koi aur apartment choose kar sakti thi.

Main tumse bilkul alag reh sakti thi.

Lekin maine nahi kiya.

Why?

Because somewhere inside me...

I didn't want to.And admitting that scared me.Because what did it mean?

Did I still like him?

Did some part of me still care about him in the same way?

Or was it just concern?

I didn't know.

Maybe it was all of it.

Maybe I still liked him.

Maybe I never stopped.

I just became too hurt to admit it.

I looked toward the empty chair beside me.

For a second, I imagined him sitting there.And immediately shook my head.Akanksha... stop.

But my heart didn't listen.

Tumhe pata hai na ki tum kya kar rahi ho?

Tum phir se uske kareeb ja rahi ho.

Phir se usse apni life mein jagah de rahi ho.

Aur agar phir se hurt hui toh?

That question silenced me.

I didn't have an answer.

I was scared.

Of getting hurt again.

Of trusting him again.

Of caring too much.

Of people talking.

Of rumours.

Of what everyone would think.

But strangely...

I wasn't scared of him anymore.

Because somewhere along the way, something inside me had changed.

The anger wasn't there anymore.

The hatred I had once carried...

It was gone.

Completely.

I had forgiven him.

I don't even know when it happened.

Maybe slowly.

Maybe on one of those nights when I found myself worrying about him instead of remembering what he had done.

Maybe when I realised that I could remember the past without wanting to punish him for it.

Or maybe...

I had forgiven him the moment I realised that he was hurting too.

Main tumhe maaf kar chuki hoon, Yogesh.

The words felt strange even inside my own head.

I had never said them aloud.

Not to anyone.

Not even to him.

Tumhe pata bhi nahi hai na?

Tum abhi bhi shayad yehi sochte ho ki main tumse nafrat karti hoon.

I looked up at the sky again.

Aur shayad isi liye tum mujhse kuch expect bhi nahi karte.

Tumne mujhe choice di.

Tumne mujhe kabhi roka nahi.

Kabhi force nahi kiya.

Kabhi nahi kaha ki mere paas raho.

And maybe that was why I wanted to stay.

Because this time...

The choice was mine.

No one had asked me to stay.

No one had forced me.

I had chosen it.

For him.

And perhaps...

For myself too.

I took a slow breath.

Lekin main tumhe ye sab kaise bataungi?

Kaise kahungi ki main tumse nafrat nahi karti?

Kaise kahungi ki maine tumhe maaf kar diya?

Kaise kahungi ki tumhari fikr hoti hai?

Aur sabse mushkil...

Kaise kahungi ki shayad... mujhe tum abhi bhi pasand ho?

My heart started beating faster just thinking about it.

I immediately looked away, almost embarrassed by my own thoughts.

Pagal.

I whispered the word to myself.

Then smiled faintly.

But the smile didn't last.

Because I knew there was something else.Something I hadn't wanted to admit even to myself.

I didn't just want Yogesh to be okay.

I wanted to be there when he became okay.

I wanted to see him smile without forcing it.

I wanted him to laugh without pretending.

I wanted him to stop carrying everything alone.

And maybe...

I wanted to be someone he could come to.

Someone he could trust.

Someone he wouldn't be afraid to need.

I closed my eyes.

Yogesh...

Tumhe shayad kabhi pata nahi chalega ki tum mere liye kitne important ho.

At least abhi nahi.

Kyuki mujhe khud nahi pata ki main tumhe kya naam doon.

Pyaar?

Care?

Ya sirf woh rishta jo hum dono ke beech kabhi tha... aur jo kahin na kahin abhi bhi zinda hai?

I didn't know.

And maybe I didn't need to know tonight.

Tomorrow I would move into that apartment.

Tomorrow I would be closer to him.

And someday...When I found enough courage...

I would tell him everything.

That I had forgiven him.

That I still cared.

That I had never really stopped caring.

And maybe...

That despite everything...

A small part of my heart still chose him.

But not tonight.

Tonight, I just sat beneath the stars with my cold coffee...And finally admitted the truth to myself.

Main tumse nafrat nahi karti, Yogesh.

Shayad... main kabhi kar hi nahi paayi.

The night had become quieter.

I rested my arms on the balcony railing, looking at the lights scattered across the city.

Tomorrow...

I'll be here.

I don't know why that thought feels so strange.Maybe because this isn't just another apartment anymore.

It's one floor above Subhangi.

And somewhere in this same building...

Yogesh.

I let out a slow breath.

"Ajeeb hai na..."

I had spent so much time trying to keep a distance from him.And now, when I finally had the choice to live anywhere I wanted...

I chose that place.

I still don't completely understand myself.

But maybe I don't have to.

Because there is something I do understand.

I don't want to make things difficult for him.

If I see him, I don't want every conversation to become about what happened.

I don't want him to feel like he has to explain himself to me.And I don't want my presence to become another thing he has to think about.

Maybe that's what I have been trying to figure out these past few days.

How to be around him...

without making him uncomfortable.

How to care...

without making him feel like he's being taken care of.

Because I know Yogesh.

If I ask him ten times whether he's okay, he'll say yes ten times.

If I tell him to rest, he'll probably tell me he knows.

If I worry too much, he'll probably start worrying about why I'm worrying.

I smiled to myself.

"Tum na... bahut difficult ho."

But then I thought about something else.

Maybe I don't need to do anything.

Maybe sometimes caring for someone doesn't mean constantly asking if they're okay.Sometimes it can be much smaller.

Leaving things unsaid.

Giving them space.

Remembering the little things.

Being normal with them.

Not looking at them with pity.

Not reminding them of the worst moments of their life.

Just...

letting them feel like themselves again.

I think that's what I want for him.

I want people to stop looking at him and seeing only what happened.

I want him to have ordinary days again.

Days where nothing important happens.

Days where he complains about stupid things.

Gets annoyed over something meaningless.

Laughs at something ridiculous.

Forgets his worries for a few hours.

Maybe that sounds like such a small thing.

But for him...

perhaps small things are enough right now.

I looked at the coffee in my hand and realised I had barely drunk any of it.

"Aur main?"

I asked myself quietly.

"Main kya chahti hoon?"

For a moment, I had no answer.

Then I smiled.

Maybe I don't need one yet.

I don't need to decide what our relationship is.

I don't need to decide what tomorrow will look like.

I don't need to give my feelings a name.

I just know that when it comes to him...I have become softer than I expected.

And strangely, I don't regret it.

I looked toward the building again.

"Kal milenge, Yogesh..."

Maybe I'll see you.

Maybe I won't.

Maybe we'll simply pass each other in the hallway and pretend it's completely normal.

And that's okay.

For now...

normal is enough.

To be continue.....