Parallels That Never Met

Nimish and Gautami dropped Kaaya at her aunt's place. Since they all had to prepare for Kaaya's birthday surprise, they had to lie to her. Samartha was tasked with keeping Kaaya busy at home, and she succeeded. Meanwhile, Gautami and Nimish arrived at Kriya's place.
Akaay was busy with his work while Kriya, Nimish, and Gautami were gossiping. Gautami and Kriya didn’t get along well, as they envied each other’s closeness with Kaaya. However, they pretended to be cordial.

The doorbell rang—it was Aaji and Aajoba returning from their trip. They needed help with their luggage, so Nimish and Kriya went to assist them. Unfortunately, Gautami was left alone with Akaay.

She roamed around the house while Akaay finished his work and came out, shocked to find Gautami alone.

“Oh, I’m left with the other side chick. How come Kaaya has so many side chicks around her?” he remarked.

Gautami smirked. They were forced to spend time together, and after a while, their conversation drifted toward the situation between Akaay and Kaaya.

“Gautami, do you want to listen to a song?” Akaay broke the silence.

“If you’re going to play one, then yes. If you’re going to sing, then no. But either way, your music taste is distressing,” she replied.
“Oh please, my music taste is heavenly. People like you wouldn’t understand. Anyway, listen to this. Given the situation, it’ll be amazing.”
Akaay played Finding Her by Bharath and Kushagra and began singing along. 

"Tu aata nahin 
Sapnon se jaata nahin
Mil jaaye, kya hi baat thi
Kaamil ho jaata wahin
Jo bhi ho raaz tera
Mujhko bataata nahin
Mil jaaye, kya hi baat thi
Kaamil ho jaata wahin
Sambhaal ke rakha wo phool mera tu
Meri shaayari mein zaroor raha tu
Jo aankhon mein pyaari si duniya basaayi
Wo duniya bhi tha tu, wo lamha bhi tha tu"

Gautami stopped the music midway.

“I’m not giving you validation, Akaay,” she said. 

“But as a fellow Scorpio, let me tell you this: the hardest thing she ever did was walk away from you when she was too invested in love. I know how you love—wild, unfiltered, intense, obsessive. Your devotion is unwavering, your passion intoxicating, and you protect the person you love fiercely. But with such love, you also awaken the deepest emotions of betrayal, vulnerability, and loss.

“When you were unwell, unsafe, or frustrated, you withdrew into secrecy and consumed yourself with it. For Kaaya to hold on to you, she would have had to love your raw, primal self—but given her past, she couldn’t. She always reserved herself. For people like Kaaya, we are ‘too much.’

“The reason she returned to you twice was because she felt safe in your love, but the reason she left was your lust—it scared her, resurfaced her trauma. She told you once that she feared you might force yourself on her, and you were hurt by her lack of trust. But can you blame her? How could she see strength in love when she grew up seeing the opposite?

“Her parents’ marriage was a love marriage. Her mom ignored everyone’s warnings not to marry her father. She believed in love and thought she could change him, but he never changed. He loved her, yes, but at the cost of uncertainty, lies, and false hopes. Then came Deep, her ex, who used and betrayed her. And still, she believed in love.

“I know it wasn’t your burden to carry, Akaay. You gave her unconditional love. But I can’t forgive you for the moments when you treated her poorly. She wasn’t perfect; she caused damage, too, but don’t you think you should take responsibility for suddenly withdrawing the love you had once wrapped her in? She only wanted reassurance.”

Akaay looked down. “I didn’t know so much about her childhood. She never opened up fully, only bits and pieces. I thought her fears were about her ex, not her father. I wanted to hold her inner child, to heal her. And about reassurance… wasn’t I enough? Settling in a new city was stressful. I gave her what I could. Yes, maybe it wasn’t much, but even I’m human. What about my fears and insecurities? I scared her because I was being myself.”

He paused, and Gautami gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “Go on. I’ve always heard her side. Now, you speak.”

Akaay broke down. “She once told me I was no different from him. I don’t even know who she meant. And then she blocked me without hearing me out. I wasn’t wrong! I kept ignoring her because she was my weakness, but I still loved her. With her, I was always proving my worth. That last conversation… it haunted me. I felt judged, framed as a villain. Was she even affected?”

“She was,” Gautami said softly. “She cried for you every day. She carried guilt for ending things badly, for not being more patient. She loved you, Akaay. But maybe not the way you wanted her to.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Kriya called them. As they walked out, Gautami said, “You and Kaaya were unloading each other’s traumas. You were both the mystery and the answer; danger and escape. But you stood on opposite sides, moving in different directions. You were parallels that never met. Nimish is good for her—let her have him. And you, Akaay, have Kriya. Be with her. I know it’s devastating to lose someone you loved so deeply, but you already have the girl you once longed for.”

She walked ahead. Inside, everyone gathered for tea. Soon, the group began planning Kaaya’s 25th birthday. But arguments broke out between her hometown friends and Kriya during a video call. Gautami and Sapna dismissed all of Kriya’s ideas as boring. Frustrated, Kriya left everything on Gautami’s shoulders and went to her room.
Alone, she vented, “Who do you think you are, Gautami? Yes, you’re her childhood friend, but I’m her best friend too. I’m just as excited!” On the call, Sapna supported Gautami, while Dodo tried to calm everyone, reminding them to focus on Kaaya’s happiness. Prayag, reclining on the couch, remarked, “The catfight may bring the best—or the worst.” His comment made Kunal, Dodo, and Ana hang up angrily. Gautami smirked and ended the call too.

From behind, Akaay teased, “He’s still the same, isn’t he?” Gautami shot him a glare, and he mimed zipping his lips shut.
Eventually, Gautami, Nimish, and Aaji planned everything on their own.

Let’s see how it all turns out…

12/03/2025
23/03/2025