ONE SHOT BOOK

I LOVE YOU MORE THAN MY LIFE

This story is specifically dedicated to my dear friend @dwarkaratna. If you read this, I'll be glad 😊❤
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Third Person's POV:

                                        Shaheer spent a lot of time being in love with a girl who couldn't love him back. A girl with big doe eyes and black hair, which was too long. Who he could tell anything to, except that he couldn't tell her about his feelings, because in the end, despite all the kisses on the cheek and the brushing of fingers and the hand holding, Pooja was in love with another boy.

Shaheer could remember standing there in his flat the June night when it had all fallen apart. He was drunk, but not really drunk enough to warrant his actions. A  sober Pooja had walked him to his door, a steadying hand on his lower back as she guided the stumbling boy into his apartment, smiling indulgently as Shaheer slurred nonsense at her.

"You going to be alright by yourself, Heer?" Pooja asked, arms crossed over her chest.

"I don't know, you might have to tuck me in." Shaheer replied with a smile, slipping his dark blue jacket off and letting it fell to the floor.

"I'm sure you'll manage." Pooja replied, her muscles flexing as she stretched her arms above her head, yawning widely. She'd looked really beautiful then, the lamplight casting shadows across her slim body. Her eyes caught Shaheer's wide and glassy and filled with a sincerity that made the words tumbled from Shaheer's mouth before he could stop them.

"I'm in love with you." And Shaheer wanted to take them back, to push them down his throat and locked them away forever. But it was too late and Pooja's eyes were widening first with surprise and then deep sympathetic sadness. And that was what hurted the most. Because Pooja wasn't horrified or disgusted with Shaheer. That would have been easier.

"Oh Shaheer." She whispered softly and suddenly. Shaheer could feel the tears prick at the back of his eyes but damnit he was not going to cry, not in front of Pooja. He opened his mouth, denials on his lips, but it was pointless. Pooja could see through him, could see the truth in his eyes and he knew how much this was killing him and it killed Pooja too, because she'd never be able to love Shaheer back, not matter how much she wanted to.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered, holding her arms out to the dark haired boy. "I'm so so sorry."

And it was so typical Pooja, so stupidly caring and sweet and accepting that Shaheer fell into her arms and squeezed his eyes shut as his eyelashes grew wet with tears he wouldn't let spilled. His hands balled up in the soft cotton of Pooja's tee shirt, his head resting in the crook of Pooja's shoulder as he clung to her, feeling the low rumbling of Pooja's voice as she apologized over and over for something that was never her fault.

Pooja never told their friends about that night. After she left, leaving Shaheer to lay on his kitchen floor and thought about all the things he should have done differently. She never spoke of it again. Shaheer knew she remembered, he'd see it in her eyes sometimes when Pooja looked at him, accompanied by a worry that made him want to rip his insides out, but she never spoke a word.

It had been a bad interview. Pooja had cheerfully talked about the boy she loves. Shaheer got up and left. It was stupid, it was probably going to get him yelled at by his director, but he didn't care. It was a radio interview, and he couldn't be bothered to sit there and listen to Pooja talked about her love life.