Radhika's POV:

As I settled into my new workspace, I couldn't shake the feeling of being on edge. The day had barely begun, and I already felt exhausted.

My eyes wandered around the office, taking in the sights and sounds of my new environment, but no matter how hard I tried to focus, my thoughts kept drifting back to Samar.

I had spent two years trying to forget him, trying to move on from the pain of our last fight, but here he was again, right in front of me, and it felt like no time had passed at all.

The clattering of keyboards and the hum of conversation buzzed around me, but all I could hear was the echo of our last argument, the words we threw at each other like weapons.

I could still see the look on his face, the way his eyes had darkened with anger, the way his voice had trembled when he told me I was suffocating him.

“Radhika, it's suffocating me! I need space!"

The words cut through me like a knife, the memory of that moment so vivid it felt like I was reliving it all over again.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the memory. But the harder I tried to push it away, the more insistent it became.

It was like a broken record, playing over and over in my mind, reminding me of the pain, the betrayal, the heartache that had driven us apart.

It was a beautiful evening, the sun setting in shades of pink and orange, casting a warm glow over the city.

Samar and I were sitting in a cafeteria, sipping on coffee, just like we had done a thousand times before.

But this time was different. I had planned to confess my feelings.

"Samar, I need to tell you something," I had said, my heart pounding in my chest. "I... I think I'm in love with you."

He had looked at me then, his eyes softening, and for a moment, I had thought that maybe, just maybe, he felt the same way.

"Radhika," he had said, his voice gentle. "I care about you more than anyone else. You're my best friend, and yes, there is something more than friendship between us. But... I'm not sure if it's love. Not the kind of love you're talking about."

His words had been like a punch to the gut. I had tried to hold back my tears, tried to be strong, but it was no use.

I had poured my heart out to him, and he had basically told me that he wasn't sure if he loved me the way I loved him.

But he hadn’t just left it at that. No, Samar, being the kind and considerate person he was, had tried to comfort me, had tried to explain that he needed time to figure out his own feelings.

He had promised that nothing would change between us, that he would still be there for me, that we could still be friends.

And for a while, it had worked. He had continued to be the same caring, attentive Samar, always there to listen, always there to make me smile.

I had tried to be patient, tried to give him the space he needed to sort through his feelings. But the more time passed, the more my insecurities grew.

I couldn’t help but wonder if he was just stringing me along, if he was only keeping me around out of pity.

The doubts gnawed at me, eating away at the foundation of our friendship until it all came crashing down.

"Why do you keep doing this?" I had yelled at him one day, unable to hold back my frustration any longer.

"Why do you keep giving me hope when you know how I feel? Why do you keep acting like everything is fine when it’s not?"

He had looked at me, startled by my outburst, and for a moment, I had seen something flicker in his eyes—guilt, maybe, or regret.

"Radhika, I... I never meant to hurt you," he had said, his voice strained.

"I care about you, but I need space. It's suffocating when you’re always around, always asking for more than I can give."

“Suffocating?” I repeated, the word hitting me like a punch to the gut. “You think I’m suffocating you?” He ran a hand through his hair, clearly agitated.

“I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I need space, Radhika. This is why I was hesitant to take things further between us. I didn’t want to lose our friendship, and now look at us. We’re arguing over nothing.”

“Nothing?” My voice broke, tears stinging my eyes. “This isn’t nothing to me, Samar. You’re everything to me, and it hurts to see you drifting away.”

"Radhika behave like a mature person for once please" He said running his hand through his hair.

"Then I think we should end this friendship. It's suffocating you and it's hurting me, it's best for both of us"

And just like that, he walked out the door, leaving me standing there, heartbroken and shattered.That night was the beginning of the end for us.

The next day, Samar didn’t reach out, and I was too proud and too hurt to be the one to make the first move.

Days turned into weeks, and eventually, we just— stopped talking altogether. The silence between us grew, becoming this unspoken barrier that neither of us was willing to cross.

I blinked, coming back to the present, feeling a lump in my throat. How had we gone from being inseparable best friends to this—awkward roommate and a coworkers barely holding it together?

The memories of our last fight, the way he had walked away from me, were still so raw, still so painful.

I had spent the past two years trying to forget, trying to move on, but now that he was back in my life, it was like all those wounds had been ripped open again.

I glanced over at Samar, who was sitting a few desks away, engrossed in his work. He looked so calm, so composed, as if nothing had ever happened between us.

I wondered if he even remembered that day, if he ever thought about it, or if he had moved on completely, leaving me behind in the past where I apparently belonged.

A sudden pang of bitterness surged through me. I couldn’t help but feel resentful, not just at him, but at myself for still caring so much.

I had spent two years trying to put my life back together, trying to forget about him, but here I was, back at square one, my heart still tangled up in emotions I couldn’t control.

Why was he being so nice now? Why was he doing all these little things—bringing me tea, making breakfast, offering to go to work together? Was he trying to make up for the past? Or was he just trying to ease his own guilt?

Either way, it didn’t change anything. The past was still there, between us, a gaping chasm that couldn’t be crossed with just a few kind gestures.

But even as I thought that, I couldn’t help but feel a tiny flicker of hope—a dangerous, foolish hope that maybe, just maybe, this was a chance for us to rebuild what we had lost.

But no. I couldn’t allow myself to fall into that trap again. I had to protect myself, had to keep my guard up, no matter how hard it was.

The hours dragged on, each minute feeling like an eternity. I tried to focus on my work, tried to immerse myself in the tasks at hand, but it was no use.

My mind kept wandering back to Samar, to the way he had smiled at me this morning, to the way he had looked at me when we were younger, back when everything was so much simpler.

I bit my lip, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill over.

How had everything gone so wrong? How had we gone from being so close to being so distant?

The memories of those carefree days felt like a cruel joke now, a reminder of everything I had lost.

Lunch came and went in a blur. I had planned to eat alone, maybe find a quiet corner in the cafeteria where I could gather my thoughts, but Samar found me before I could escape.

“Hey,” he said, appearing at my side just as I was about to leave the office.

“Hey,” I replied, trying to keep my voice neutral, though my heart was racing.

“Do you want to grab lunch together?” he asked, his tone casual, as if we were still the friends we once were.

I hesitated, torn between the desire to distance myself and the pull of familiarity. In the end, I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

We ended up at a small café near the office, everything seems simple, back when we were just best friends.

We placed our orders and found a table near the window. The silence between us was heavy, laden with all the things left unsaid.

“So,” Samar began, breaking the silence as he unwrapped his sandwich. “How’s your first day going?”

“It’s fine,” I said, keeping my answer short, not wanting to delve into the turmoil of emotions I was feeling.

He nodded, taking a bite of his food. For a moment, it seemed like he might leave it at that, but then he looked at me, really looked at me, and I saw the concern in his eyes.

“Radhika, I know things are… complicated between us,” he said, his voice softer.

“But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable. If working together is too much, I can talk to HR and see if we can be assigned to different teams.”

I shook my head quickly, not wanting to cause any more drama. “No, it’s fine. We’re adults, right? We can handle it.”

Samar nodded but didn’t seem convinced, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.

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