As Long As I Live Thread 1 - Page 48

Aarti didn't know when she had snuggled up close to Yash in an effort to keep warm. She just knew that she was shaking, and he was holding her against him, allowing her to cry her heart out. She didn't know where she would be if Yash wasn't here to take care of her right now. She instinctively closed her eyes and drifted off, clutching on to him the whole time, not willing to let him go.

She almost opened her eyes when Yash had taken off his coat and wrapped her in it, but she was too numb to. She could feel Yash pick her up and lay her down on the sand. He slowly untangled his arm from her body and took a few steps away from her.

 

She wanted him to come back to her, to comfort her. She didn't want to stay here alone, but right now she didn't have the strength to move her lips and ask him to return to her. So she shivered under his coat and continued to close her eyes instead.

 

The next she heard of him, he was talking on the phone.

 

"Hey," he said to the person on the other end.

 

Aarti wondered who he was talking to. She listened intently to his conversation.  

 

"Yeah Arpita, she's with me. Don't worry. We're at the beach. She's sleeping."

 

Aarti pulled Yash's coat closer to her body. She wanted to feel all the warmth that she possibly could.

 

"Don't worry. I know. Yeah. I think she'd be glad to know that you're so concerned about her. Yeah Prashant's done with her. That jerk really needs to learn his lesson."

 

Aarti felt warm tears appear out of nowhere and roll down her cheeks when she heard him say that. 

 

"Yeah I know... you know that I wouldn't be here if you didn't tell me to stay with her. I did all this for you Arpita."

 

Aarti felt her eyes sting. She mustered up all the strength she possibly could and threw his coat on the sand beside her. She got up shakily, and stumbled all the way to the parking lot. Once she was there, she crumpled to a ball in the middle of the lot and cried. Of course Yash didn't care about her. Why should he? He didn't even know about her. It was all Arpita's doing. On one hand, she was glad that Arpita was worried about her. But on the other hand, it hurt that Yash had to pretend to be concerned. Why did he bother? She could take care of herself.

 

She got up and staggered across the lot to the road. She didn't know why, but she felt like she would lose her balance at anytime. She sniffled. Her heart ached, her eyes were swollen, her makeup had smudged underneath her eyes, and her hair was flying all over the place. She probably looked like a big mess right now.

 

"Aarti!" Yash called from somewhere behind her.

 

When she heard him, she started to run. She didn't know where, but she needed to get away. Away from Yash, away from the world. She needed to be alone. Nobody truly cared. Nobody. Everyone was fake.

 

She didn't know how much time had passed or how far she had been running when Yash caught up to her, grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, causing her head to hit his chest. She didn't bother removing it.

 

She felt like she was being suffocated right now. She didn't know why it was so hard for her to breathe. She had no idea why her heart was giving her such a hard time. She just knew that she didn't want to be in this world right now. She didn't want to feel this pain. She had made Prashant her world, now when he left, she had nothing. There was no point to her life.

 

"Aarti," he told her, wrapping his coat around her again. "Why did you go?"

 

Suddenly her vision blurred, and before she knew it, she was crying again.

 

"Yash," she whispered against his chest, "Yash... you don't care about me. Why are you here?"

 

"Aarti, I do. Let's go," he took her hand and lead her to the car. "I'll turn the heating on. It's way too cold for you out here."

 

"No Yash," she said, trying to take deep breaths. "You don't, I heard what you said to Arpita. You're doing this for her, only her. Why should you care about me anyways? After all, I'm a stranger who only ever wanted Prashant's attention."

 

She could hear him sigh.

 

"Come on Aarti," he told her, and opened the car door for her.

 

She got in without a fight.

 

He walked around and got into the driver's seat, turning up the heating immediately. Giving her a concerned look, he handed her a tissue box.

 

They drove around while Aarti sobbed uncontrollably.

 

"Aarti," Yash finally said, breaking the silence. "Please don't feel bad. It's true that I did all this because Arpita told me to, but it's also true that I'm concerned about you."

 

Aarti just ignored him and blew into a tissue.

 

"Aarti... I knew your name that day. I've known your name for a long time. I lied to you because I'm an ass. Since Arpita wanted to know your relationship with Prashant and I didn't want it to seem like I cared, I tried to be mean. I know, my logic is bad. But what could I have done? If I was polite to you and asked you straight up, you might have called me creepy and dashed off. If Arpita asked you herself, then it would have been equally as strange because you know, you two haven't been talking for a long time."

 

Aarti laughed sarcastically. "And to think, I was trying to find out about your relationship with her. No, I was ready to even go to Arpita... but she didn't have the guts to come and ask me?"

 

"Hey, don't talk about Arpita like that," Yash told Aarti sternly.

 

Aarti glared at him.

 

"I don't need your pity Yash. You don't need to get involved in my life, especially on Arpita's command. If she wanted, she could have done all of this herself. Why did she send you? Because she's a coward Yash, and you're a puppet in her hands."

 

Yash looked angry.

 

"Aarti, don't talk about things that you don't know about! God, what's going on between me and Arpita is none of your business. Don't talk about her like that. She isn't a coward and she certainly isn't manipulative!" he yelled.

 

"I thought the same about Prashant! I thought that he was perfect, that he would do me no wrong. I thought that he was angel in disguise. I trusted him more than my life Yash..."

 

"What are you trying to say? That Arpita would stoop to Prashant's level? Aarti, unlike you, I don't trust people blindly!"

 

"No. What if you're wronging her Yash? What if..."

 

Before she could finish her sentence, Yash slammed the brakes hard. The car came to an abrupt stop. He turned around to face her, anger etched on every inch of his face.

 

"I'm not wronging her. There's nothing to wrong anyways. We aren't together Aarti!" he yelled, his face red with anger.

 

Aarti dabbed at her tears with her tissue.

 

"What do you mean? Why would you even agree to anything she says if you aren't together?" she asked, curiously, momentarily forgetting about her own pain.

 

"Aarti," Yash sighed, "She's my best friend."

 

As soon as he said that, Aarti was reminded of her and Prashant again. They had been best friends, and they were supposed to tell each other everything. She had kept her side of their friendship... but had he?

 

"Do you like her? Does she like you?" Aarti asked him, trying to occupy herself with thoughts that weren't about her and Prashant.

 

Yash nodded. "Yes, we both like each other," he admitted.

 

So Mansi was right.

 

"Then?" Aarti questioned. "Why aren't you together?"

 

Yash looked at her, a painful expression flickering across his face.