Lo! We come to you from the middle of a nice rainstorm with 5 assignments and 3 quizzes behind us with part 1 of what I consider the longest chapter written so far, beaten out only by next week's chapter. Here, Rey has a flashback about being an idiot and Sharon's stupid idea and words pretty much bring about the destruction of their lives as they know it. Enjoy! This is definitely non-canonical.

Rey

*Flashback*

"…What do I do Sharon? You tell me." I could see Taani behind the door of the rehearsal hall, but for the first time, I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact or let her know that I knew of her presence. It hurt me to do this and I regretted the moment I agreed to this plan. What have you forced me to do Sharon? What have I done? But if it was out, I had to see it through and then do what I could to lessen the pain Taani would feel.

My eyes focused back onto Sharon's face as I realized that she had started speaking. They were unrecognizable words that shook me and made me fear that maybe, just maybe, she had just caused irreparable damage. "Rey you have to break up with her. She's irritating. She irritates me so much. She takes up all of Swayam's attention all the time and he barely has time to focus on me. She's a little village girl, and you, my friend? You're deserving of so much more. I mean, look at you. You've got style, swag, people pay attention to you when you enter a room, you've got class. She? She's undeserving of you. I mean, have you seen any girl who's that attention-seeking? First, she acquired the assistant student body president to befriend you and then took your position as the president! The absolute nerve! And then she dared to order me around. ME! Sharon Rai Prakash! Even then, I was okay, because it was her duty you know, I could deal with it. Then she started to occupy Swayam's every thought! Constant worry! Taani this, Taani that, Taani's not doing well, Taani's stressed. Taani, Taani, Taani. That's all I would hear from him all the time. And then that's all I would hear from you too when I called. This girl has ruined all of our lives by coming here. I honestly wish we'd never met her!" As she continued, my horror mounted, and I knew that I had lost Taani as those damning words continued to spill.

I glanced towards the door where a girl had once stood. Empty. Fingers snapped in front of my face, "Hey Rey! Listen to me! I'm talking here!"

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT SHARON? WHERE DID ALL THAT COME FROM?" burst out from me as soon as my eyes snapped back to her face. I knew the fury in my voice was taking it octaves higher, but I was beyond care. Yes, the plan was to make Taani break up with me, but with the words Sharon had just said? I had no idea what to do next.

"You told me to make it convincing Rey. I just exaggerated a bit and added a few made-up details. Why? Something wrong? Did I say too much?"

"YES SHARON. YES, YOU SAID TOO MUCH. What were you thinking? You know what Taani's like. You know she takes everything she hears and compartmentalizes it and twists it until it eats her up. You shouldn't have said all that Sharon. You took it too far. I just wanted her to think that we needed a break from each other. Not to push her away from me forever! She's my LIFE, Sharon. I am who I am because of her. You remember what I was like after Kriya left right? You saw me. Did you like what you saw? Because what you've done might- what you have done will break me. I can't live without her, Sharon. I have to fix this."

*End Flashback*

'I have to fix this.' It became my mantra for the next few days. I had to fix this rift- this canyon that had opened up between you and me, which had swallowed up everything and pushed us insurmountable distances apart.

When I finally got the chance to corner you one day, I have no idea what came over me. You were in the study lounge, checking over the files when I saw you. You hadn't spoken a word to any of us in the four days that had passed since. I stepped towards you and saw your head jerk up. Somehow, every time, you manage to feel my presence before I can announce it. You always knew when I was around you. Were you that attuned to me Taani?

You allowed me to speak that day, gave me the chance so gallantly to do what I had set out to do in the first place. But that's not what I wanted to do. I wanted to apologize, say it was a prank, anything to make you believe in me once again and let me take you in my arms, never to let you out again. Anything to make you believe that I never meant a single word of it, to make you see the disgust I felt at myself at uttering those worlds. I know you felt like your world ended that day because mine did too. All the things I wanted to say, but my mind blanked when you gave me a chance to talk. On autopilot, I said the stupid words that I would come to regret the rest of my life.

I don't know why Taani. I couldn't tell you why. My mind was blanking when I finally saw that you'd given me a chance to talk. I couldn't form words. And then, Sharon passed by and the only words that entered my mind were the ones she had fed me two days ago when she made this stupid plan.

But you've taught me the real value of love Taani. I thought I knew what love was before you. I kept looking for love in the world and I had the perfect image for a life partner, and Kriya fit the profile perfectly. She was a dancer, she had the fire and passion to make dance her career and she challenged me, defied me, and tested who I was at every turn. We had a fire burning defiantly, dividing the two of us until one day, we leaped into those flames and surrendered. But I forgot that the fire of passion could burn too.

And burn me it did. After a while, it became exhausting, all that arguing, fighting over every single thing. The smoke from that fire rose, wrapped around me, suffocating me until one day I couldn't breathe.

A relationship shouldn't be exhausting. When she confessed that she used me for my talent, for my love and to win the dance competition, I realized that the fire that I once thought to be passion was my path to ruin. I ignored the smoke that could kill me in favor of the fire that would extinguish as soon as the air to fuel it ran out. All my friends always believed that my perfect life partner should be a dancer, who understands my passion and has the same ideals as I do, but you showed me that passions and ideals don't have to be the same. Once Kriya left, I didn't want a new relationship. I had given up. Because, if after 3 years of giving my everything to a relationship, all I was destined for was betrayal, heartache, and pain, I didn't want it anymore. I wanted nothing to do with it. I was happy to be the Rey who was always happy for his friends, who lived for them, his family, and his dance. I was happy as that Rey, but I was still broken. I once told you that if you hadn't entered my life, I would've lost trust in all this love, affection, and everything that went with it. You brought me back. I meant every word then, I still do, and I always will. You fixed me Taani.