"Maahi, you have no idea, Rehaan has no idea either. That day, I completely bombed my final exam. My dad was beyond furious with me. He even had the audacity to say that I don't deserve parents like them. He actually hit me. I didn't mean any harm when I told my parents that I helped Rehaan pass. I just wanted my dad to acknowledge that I did well. But I never expected him to explode like that and forget that I'm his own son. He couldn't control himself and started hitting me with whatever he could find in the room. He pushed me and I ended up falling on the table, hurting my back. My mom didn't even try to stop him. She just looked at me with shame in her eyes. All I needed that day was some comfort from my parents, but instead, they despised me for letting them down."

Tevin says, touching his heart. "It still hurts here, Maahi. I was trapped in the cage of my parents' expectations." He says.

Maahi sits beside him and gently holds his hand. "Tevin...brother." She calls out.

Tevin paused for a moment, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and regret. He took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts before continuing. "Maahi, you cannot imagine the anguish I felt when he uttered those words. He blamed Rehaan for my failure and vowed to prevent him from achieving success. I was taken aback, fear gripping my heart as his words echoed in my ears. I knew that if my father ever laid eyes on Rehaan, even though he had done nothing wrong, he would carry an immense burden of guilt on my behalf. That's why I said what I did to him that day. I wanted him to despise me, so that he wouldn't have to bear the weight of any wrongdoing. Even if he heard something from my father, he would believe that I was the one who influenced him to say those hurtful things."

Tevin paused again, his voice trembling slightly as he continued. "But Maahi, I never anticipated that on that very day, Rehaan would confess his feelings for me. Can you imagine the whirlwind of emotions I experienced? It felt as though I had finally arrived at a place where true happiness awaited me. However, I couldn't bring myself to reveal my own heartfelt emotions to him. I believed that he deserved someone far better than the flawed individual I saw myself as—a scumbag, unworthy of his love."

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As Tevin finished speaking, Maahi couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity. "Wait, so all those actions in the past were driven by your father's influence...you have no idea how deeply my brother cares for you," she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"I am aware of his love for me, his past love for me, but I couldn't reciprocate. Ever since I discovered Rehaan's feelings towards me, I made a conscious effort to avoid them. I even confided in my classmates about my secret, the one that only Rehaan knew, because I was afraid of developing feelings for a man. I was terrified of my parents. However, everything crumbled because of me".

"Wait, my brother mentioned that you went abroad. What happened with that?" Maahi inquires.

"Hmm... I did go, and it was the last time my parents laid eyes on me. However, I didn't go to Ireland to pursue studies; instead, I stayed with my uncle for a few months. My father couldn't bear to see me, so they sent me away. Initially, I felt isolated, but one day, I crossed paths with Sam. Eventually, he became a close friend of mine," he explains, glancing at Sam. "A true friend," Tevin adds, pausing. Sam smiles and nods in agreement.

Tevin continued, "Then one day I left my uncle's home without anyone knowing and returned to India with Sam. I started a new life by joining a band. Everything that followed felt like a dream to me. But one thing I knew for sure was that Rehaan was the reason I wanted to become brave. I longed to hold the person who loved me, the one I loved the most. The only memory I desired was with Rehaan. However, I lacked the courage to face him. So, I worked tirelessly to ensure he noticed me everywhere, watching him from a distance without his knowledge. I even went to the library where he studied and followed him wherever he went. I believed that if I could win the grand fest award one day, I could finally confront him and confess that he was the reason behind my success. But I was too self-absorbed to consider his feelings." Tevin bent down and wept.

Maahi remained silent.

"I love him, Maahi. I love him so much," he said.

To be continued