Very Short stories

4

"Hetal, I have something to say to you," Harsh said, staring at the woman before him.

"We can talk later, Harsh. You need to eat first, and then we can chat, okay?" the woman said, smiling at him. She pecked his cheek and had turned to go back when she was stopped, by a hold on her arm.

"This is important, Hetal," Harsh sighed deeply.

Hetal looked back at him with a curious gaze, "What...Did something happen? What is it?"

"I am in love...I love with someone."

"Love?" she raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Yes, love. We got in touch through a dating app, and we have been talking for a while now. She...we just clicked. I haven't met her yet..."

"You are in love with someone you haven't even seen or talked to?" Hetal asked in disbelief. "Wow, I didn't know your type was the mysterious ones."

"It is not like we haven't spoken at all...we have been chatting for a while now and she is just...she is perfect...Will you please give me a chance to explain?"

"Explain?" she scoffed, "Seriously? What about me? What about us? Are we going to break up just because of your mysterious fantasies?"

"Hetal! I know this sounds wrong in so many ways. I didn't plan all of this. I didn't seek out anyone on purpose, it just happened..."

"The fact that you had a dating app in the first place doesn't support your statement, you know."

Harsh sighed. "I am...I don't know what to say to you, but please know that keeping this from you was weighing on my heart, and hence, I decided to tell you everything. I know it won't make sense, but the truth is that I still have feelings for you. I ...I just found a place in my heart for her alongside you."

Hetal shook her head before saying, "That is the most...you know what? Let's just stop here. I don't want to say something that I would regret later. Even though I wish that regret is something that you should be feeling right now. I am done!"

She turned her back and walked away.

After some hours,

"Harsh," Hetal softly called out, shaking him awake from his thoughts. He sat up straight on his chair, gazing expectantly at her as she sat down on the ground beside him.

Hetal looked up at him and said, " I'm sorry."

"Sorry? You are sorry for what, love?"

Both of them paused for a moment as if in a daze on hearing that endearment. Harsh looked away. "I am the one who should be sorry. I just sprung this up on you from nowhere. I swear I didn't have any intention to hurt you ...I "

"Don't," Hetal interrupted him, "Please don't say it."

She knew that tone, she knew what was coming, and she didn't want to hear it. Not right now. That must the first time she didn't want to hear those three words from his mouth.

Her shoulders sagged down as she continued, "I have a confession too. And I wanted to say sorry before I confess. Sorry, that was a hypocrite. It wasn't completely you... the reason that I got so angry... it was me."

"I didn't get what are you saying, Hetal?"

"I...I was angry at you, but I was angrier at myself. I, too, did the same. I met someone on a dating app, and we have been talking for a long time. I...he says that he is in love with me," she finished, hurriedly as if hoping that he wouldn't hear the last part.

"What?" Harsh asked, the disbelief clear on his face, "And you have been...wow, this is just great! You got out all your anger on me, and I want to do the same, but now I am not able to! It is just not fair. You...you have been talking to someone...? What is happening?!"

Hetal just chuckled in reply.

"You think this is funny?" he asked, getting angrier.

"What have we done, Harsh? What have we done? We just destroyed everything that we built up until now," Hetal said as tears started to build up in her eyes, "...with our own hands."

Harsh's hand moved to her face on reflex but stopped mid-air in realization as she moved her face away. It was the realization of what all have they lost and how much have they hurt each other.

He just stood up and walked into their room. As he was trying to make sense of his emotions, his gaze fell on Hetal's phone that was kept on the table. His gaze moved towards the closed door once before he picked up the phone and unlocked it. 'Who is he anyway?'

'Who is she?' Hetal wasn't any different from him as she questioned with his phone in her hand.

After a minute, Harsh hurriedly opened the door of the room only to find Hetal standing right outside with the same expression as him on her face. They looked at each other in utter surprise, not able to say a word. Then their gazes fell on the phones in each other's hands.

"You..."

"You..."

Hetal dropped the phone in her hand at the realization of what happened. But, thankfully, Harsh had quick reflexes as he caught his phone with his free hand.

They stared at each other for a moment, before the house filled with the sound of their laughs.

Hetal couldn't help herself as she wrapped her hands around Harsh's neck and took him in a tight hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered after their laughter died down.

"I'm sorry, too," came the reply.

"You know what this means?" Harsh asked, moving to have a look at her face.

"That we are stupid?"

He chuckled before replying, "No, this means that we are made for each other."

Hetal smiled brightly on hearing those words.

"What were the odds that we both got each other on a dating app?"