The distance between us (Impossible Love #1)✔️

chapter 27

AAKASH

I can't believe she had the guts to talk to me like that. Most people wouldn't dare, but Ananya? She stood there, eyes blazing with defiance, throwing my own words back at me. And damn it, I liked it. She was freaking hot when she was angry, her cheeks flushed with irritation, and those fiery eyes piercing into mine. That moment, I couldn't help but think about last night—how stunning she looked in that green lehenga. The memory of her is seared into my mind.

She's no longer the chubby, nerdy girl from our past. Ananya has grown into a beautiful, smart, and sophisticated woman. It’s like a metamorphosis that happened right before my eyes, and I can’t shake off the effect she has on me. But it’s not just admiration; it’s something darker, something more intense. The thought of other men looking at her with lust in their eyes filled me with rage. I wanted to tear them apart for daring to even glance at her.

And that blouse she wore—so deep, so revealing. It drove me mad. I’ve never cared about how other women dress, but with Ananya, it’s different. I hated seeing her flaunt her beauty like that, hated how oblivious she was to the attention she was drawing. If we hadn’t been in public, I might have taught those men a lesson they wouldn’t forget.

But what shocked me most was the realization that these possessive thoughts, these fierce feelings of jealousy, are centered on her. Ananya. The girl who, somewhere along the way, stopped being just a memory and became an obsession. A part of me that I didn’t even know was so vulnerable, so possessive, has awakened. And it terrifies me.

Yet, there's something else gnawing at me—a fear that’s been growing inside me ever since I decided to approach her. What will she do when she finds out the truth? The real reason why I sought her out again? I’m not sure I can bear to see the disappointment and anger in her eyes. She’ll hate me, that much I’m certain of. And she has every right to.

I know I’m using her, manipulating her feelings to get what I want. But the truth is, I was dying to talk to her, to hear her voice, to be near her again. Even if it meant lying, even if it meant breaking her heart. Because I know she has feelings for me—feelings she’s probably too afraid to fully acknowledge. But once she realizes the truth, she’ll be heartbroken, and I can’t stand the thought of hurting her like that.

But even with all this turmoil, I don’t regret it. I had to approach her. I had to get close to her, no matter the cost. And once I’ve solved the mess I’m in, I’ll do everything in my power to make things right. She has to forgive me, because if she doesn’t, I’ll never let her go. I’ll chase her, beg her, do whatever it takes until she accepts my apology.

But what if she doesn’t forgive me? What if she rejects me, leaves me to drown in the mess I’ve made? The thought of losing her, of never seeing her again, is more than I can bear. And that’s when I realize something that scares the hell out of me: I’m falling for her. Hard. And I’m terrified of what that means.

I don’t want to drag her into the darkness that surrounds me, the chaos and destruction that follows me wherever I go. I’m a devil in disguise, and everything I touch turns to ashes. I can’t let that happen to her. I need to pull back, to keep her at a distance, before it’s too late—before I destroy the one person who makes me feel human again. But even as I think this, I know it’s already too late. She’s already too deep in my heart, and there’s no going back.

ANANYA

I can't believe how much I hate my life right now. Of all the things that could go wrong, running out of cake because of my brother's idiotic mistake has to be the absolute worst. If we don’t sort this out, Mom will lose her mind, and that's the last thing I need. Not to mention, those vultures disguised as journalists will jump at the chance to print all kinds of garbage about our family.