Chapter 6 – The Hidden Past!

‘Promise me, Kavya. That you’ll breakup if you can’t bear it. You won’t force yourself into this relationship because of me or my happiness. Promise me!’

‘What rubbish is this? Can’t you just ‘say’ what’s your secret? Why are you forcing me to make these stupid promises?’

‘That’s because, the past, the secret, is related to me.’

‘Go on, Ishan. I’m ready to hear everything tonight.’

‘Fine. Here it goes…’

Ishan tells Kavya about his past, which is nothing but his previous relationship with a girl, when he was in college. Although his relationship was purely emotional, and not physical, but the girl left a deep scar on Ishan’s heart, which was healed by Kavya in the past three months. Ishan was happy for he found a girl like Kavya. She made him forget his past, but he couldn’t hide it anymore from her, so he told her, everything.

‘Her name was Tanika, and sometimes, I still find myself wandering into my past. Not because I have feelings for her, but because I lied to you. I hid everything from you, because I wanted to see you happy. I never wanted to hurt you, and I always wanted to put a smile on your face, and I knew that knowing the truth wouldn’t help it much!’

‘Hmmm…’ tears started flowing from Kavya’s eyes. But Ishan continued.

‘She was beautiful, but not more than you. She was decent, but definitely not more than you. And above all, she was a cheater! She cheated on me with my best friend, and I never came to know her real side, until one day, when my own friend revealed everything to me. Since that day, I was a broken soul, but then you came.

You changed my life in a way I never thought it would change. You made me fall in love again. I love you Kavya, and I really love you a lot. I can’t tolerate even a single drop of tear in your eyes, and if I am the reason, then I simply don’t deserve you.

Tonight, when you came into my room, and kissed me, I was suddenly reminded of Tanika, and the way I shared my first kiss with her. The kiss that we shared, may be the first kiss of your life, Kavya. But it wasn’t my first kiss, because I’ve had my first kiss, in my past. But that relationship ended at a kiss only, we never went beyond that.

And today when I kissed you, Tanika’s thought reminded me that you don’t know about her yet. And it forced me to stop right there! I don’t want myself to hurt you, so I stopped. I wanted you to know everything before you can decide what ‘you’ want, and what you think about me and this relationship. Every further decision is upon you, Kavya. I won’t force you into anything now. I’m already too guilty of hiding the truth from you. Please, if possible, please forgive me. I’m sorry!’

‘So, this was what you were hiding?’

‘Yes…and even if you want to leave me, you’re allowed to. As I said, don’t force yourself into anything because of me, or my happiness!’

‘Hold on! Ishan…!’

‘Sorry. Say…’

‘You are a liar!’

‘But Kavya…’

‘You are a LIAR!’

Kavya said out loud, and Ishan’s heart stopped for a while. What if she breaks up? What if this night, ends their relationship? With so many questions in his mind, he somehow focussed himself to hear what Kavya had to say.

‘I never thought you would hide your previous relationship from me, Ishan’

‘But try to understand, Kavya. I never wanted to hurt you…’

‘A liar is a liar, no matter the lie is small or big!’

‘But, Kavya…’