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तुझको मैं रख लूं वहाँ
जहां पे कहीं है मेरा यकीन
मैं जो तेरा ना हुआ
किसी का नहीं, किसी का नहीं
ले जाए जाने कहाँ
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हवाएं, हवाएं
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The night had blanketed Rishikesh in a soft hush, the distant murmur of the Ganga blending with the occasional honk from a restless auto. The hotel was alive but quietly. Lights dimmed, footsteps faded, and somewhere in the distance, a hotel staff was still arguing with a tourist about no hot water after 10.
The group had returned from dinner full to their throats with spicy chole bhature, dahi bhallas, and oversized jalebis that had clearly been fried in devotion. Laughter had given way to lethargy. Everyone waddled into the lift like sleepy penguins.
The lift dinged open and the chaos followed “Arre Aditi, stop leaning on me na!” Samaira said removing aditi’s head from her shoulder.
“Shagun! Move a little, I need space to breathe!” Priya said
In the middle of the sleepy clamor, Prateek quietly slid behind Priya.It might’ve looked random to anyone else, but there was purpose in his stillness.
The lift whirred upward. Priya stood still, arms at her sides, her head resting gently against the mirrored wall, eyes half-lidded from the post-dinner haze. That’s when she felt it-a tug, soft as a whisper.Something brushed against her fingers.
A folded piece of paper. She blinked. Once. Twice. Then tilted her head just slightly-barely enough to see. It was Prateek. No words. No glances. Just the quiet offering of the note. Her fingers responded before her brain did.
Ding. The lift doors opened.
Everyone stumbled out-muttering goodnights, rubbing their eyes. Priya hesitated at the doorframe, casting one last glance behind her. Prateek was already looking at her. And for a heartbeat, the world paused. There was something in his gaze that something that made her pulse skip.
Back in her room, the madness of the girls room greeted her.
Samaira was buried under her blanket like she was bracing for war.Shagun had claimed Aditi like a long-lost teddy bear, arm flung across her.Aditi? Fast asleep-face mushed against the pillow, hair like a tornado, drooling like she hadn’t slept in weeks.
The chaos made Priya smile… then tiptoe to the bathroom with the note still pressed to her heart. Under the dim yellow bulb, she unfolded the paper, heart thudding.
” can we meet today? When everyone will sleep, meet me in the hotels garden.”
Her stomach flipped. Was it the bhature or the butterflies? Who knew.
She bit her lip, heart racing in a thousand directions. Then, slowly, carefully like a girl preserving her first secret she folded it again and tucked it into the pocket of her kurti.
The hotel was asleep or so it seemed. The girls’ room looked like a war zone of quilts, tangled limbs, and faint snores.
Priya slowly peeled off her blanket and tiptoed toward the door, dodging Shagun’s stray leg and Aditi’s deadweight arm. Samaira stirred once Priya froze but she turned the other way with a groan and muttered, “bgycshdifhbghgjtg” in her alien language
Priya suppressed a laugh, her nerves on edge. She opened the door slowly…And froze again.
Because there he was.Prateek.
Standing right outside, leaning casually against the wall, white T-shirt slightly crumpled, hair tousled, like he’d been waiting there the whole time or maybe since 9 PM, just in case.
Their eyes met. And in that moment, the echoes of all the noise inside disappeared. The world had dulled itself to a hush, like it was holding its breath for them.
Prateek turned, startled by the soft sound of footsteps. His eyes met Priya’s wrapped in the soft moonlight, she looked like the calmest part of a dream.
“Mujhe laga tum nahi aogi,” Prateek said softly, eyes lingering on her like he still couldn’t believe she was standing there.
“Aapne bulaya tha… toh main bhala kaise nahi aati?” she replied sweetly, a tiny smile tugging at her lips, making Prateek’s heart flip in his chest like a schoolboy.
“Aap yaha kab se khade hain?” she asked again, a slight concern knitting her brows.
“Jyada nahi… bas 5 minute pehle hi aaya tha,” he lied quickly.
But Priya understood. She didn’t say anything-just looked at him with a soft gaze and smiled to herself.
“Ohh accha… waise kya kaam tha aapko?” she asked, trying to ease the faint awkwardness with a change of topic.
“Oh haan… yahan nahi, neeche chalte hain,” Prateek said, motioning toward the staircase. She nodded and they quietly began walking.
“Should we take the lift?” he asked out of habit.
“We can… but I guess we’ll walk through it,” Priya said casually, already planning to steal some more time with him. Prateek’s lips curled into a smile, catching her intention. Her cheeks flushed a light pink when she noticed it.
As they descended the stairs, a spark of mischief lit up Priya’s eyes. “Aap yaha se waha tak kud jaayenge?” she asked, pointing at a wide six-step gap between landings.
Prateek paused, looked at the gap, then at her, and back again.”Yeh to thoda zyada hai…” his brain whispered.
But his heart? His heart wanted to impress her.With a deep breath and slightly exaggerated confidence, he jumped.Wobbled.Nearly slipped.But, miraculously, landed it.
He stood there in a small moment of stunned victory.
“Aap hataiye samne se… ab main koodungi!” Priya declared, stepping a stair higher, making it a 7-step gap now.
“Arey itna upar se gir jaogi… thoda neeche se koodo,” Prateek tried stopping her.
But she didn’t listen. With a gleam in her eyes and wind in her hair, she leapt-and landed perfectly like it was nothing. Prateek stood there with his mouth open, dramatically clapping.
“Wow! Tum toh expert nikli!”
Before Priya could reply, a voice thundered from a room above. “Arre baccho! Yeh khelne ki jagah nahi hai!” an uncle shouted, clearly annoyed by their little stunt.
“Sorry uncle…” they both chorused and sprinted down the rest of the stairs, laughter trailing behind them like the echo of a perfect moment.
They finally reached the garden and collapsed onto a quiet bench, still chuckling-shoulders brushing slightly, eyes meeting often, comfort blooming between them like shy flowers.
After a moment, Prateek fumbled in his pocket and placed something on the bench between them. Glass bangles-soft pastel yellow, glimmering under moonlight with jiggles of ghoongroos.
Priya’s smile paused. She looked at the bangles. Then slowly up at Prateek. He wasn’t looking at her now. His ears, however, were burning red.
“Ye… aap laaye hain?” she asked softly.
“Huh… umm haan… voh main actually…” he started but trailed off, stumbling over his words.
“Mere liye?” Priya asked again, lifting the bangles delicately with her fingers, her voice a whisper of disbelief.
Prateek only nodded, still looking ahead, too shy to meet her gaze.Priya smiled then, her voice calm but teasing “Mere liye laaye hain toh… pehna bhi dijiye.”
The words hit him like a soft thunder. Prateek’s eyes shot to hers-wide, unsure.
“Can I really… do that?” he asked, to make sure she meant it. Priya simply nodded and extended her right hand, palm open.
Gently, carefully as if she might vanish Prateek took her hand. His fingers brushed hers as he slipped the bangles on, one by one. His hands trembled slightly.
Priya felt a jolt a tiny, beautiful electric hum shoot up her arm. But she didn’t pull away. She was too busy watching him blush like a sunrise. And between moonlight, laughter still hanging in the air, and glass bangles softly clinking, something delicate bloomed.
“I wasn’t sure about the colour… but yellow really suits you.”
Prateek said softly, his voice barely above a whisper, his fingers brushing her wrist as he finished sliding the last bangle on. His eyes locked with hers for a second intense, honest, and unflinching.
Priya’s breath hitched. She tried to hold his gaze but failed, her eyes dropping down as a rosy hue climbed to her cheeks.
“You looked so beautiful today…” he added, this time more surely, more vulnerably, as if every word was a piece of courage.
She smiled shyly, eyes still lowered, and murmured, “Thank you.”
There was a moment of silence between them, gentle, golden, warm the kind that made hearts race but the world pause.
Then came the words that changed the air around them “Priya… I don’t know how to explain it, but you feel special to me. Like… I can’t name it yet, but it feels special. You feel special.”
She blinked. Once.Twice.
Her breath caught in her throat, lips parted, but no words came out. Her eyes searched his face for sincerity-and all she found was honesty and nervous hope.
“Please don’t take me as a weird person but-” he started, the edge of hesitation back in his voice.
But just before he could finish, a loud, dramatic voice shattered the delicate bubble of emotion between them,”KAUN BATAAMEEZ HAI JO AISI HARKATEIN KAR RAHA HAI?”
Samaira.From her balcony.Loud.Judgmental.And terrifying. Both Priya and Prateek jumped like guilty kids caught stealing cookies.Prateek’s expression? A mix of horror, disbelief, and impending doom.
He whispered urgently, wide-eyed “gaya aaj to mai kaam se.”
Samaira’s loud voice shrieked into the night air, echoing through the silence of the resort gardens.Priya and Prateek jolted like they’d just been caught stealing the Kohinoor.
Prateek gulped. “Aaj toh gaya main kaam se…”
“Itni jaldi nahi,” Priya whispered, fire lighting up her eyes as she grabbed his hand tight. Without a second thought, she pulled him toward the garden bushes.
In the panic, neither of them noticed how firmly her fingers were laced into his or how he never once tried to pull away.
Prateek, still wide-eyed with fear, suddenly felt that fear melt into something else entirely. Something electric. Her hand in his felt like a promise. Like she was saying, “Even if we get caught, I’m not letting go.”
So he didn’t either. In fact, he held her hand tighter.Like he was the promise.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted above them as Samaira stormed out into the garden of the hotel, eyes blazing.
“Himmat hai toh saamne aao, batameez insaan!” she yelled into the darkness.
One by one, the sleepy crew began stumbling down the stairs in a mess of yawns, half-open eyes, and mismatched slippers.Shagun trailed behind Aditi, who was still half-asleep, squinting at the moonlight like it offended her.
Vivaan came barefoot, dragging a blanket and mumbling something about “sapne mein chocolate milkshake tha” before plopping cross-legged into the grass and promptly resuming his sleep.
Ansh looked annoyingly flawless in tousled hair and a sleepy hoodie, even while trying to hold up a yawning Ruhaan who had somehow managed to sleepwalk downstairs.
“Hai kaun ye batameez?! Aise harkatein kar raha hai, meri neend kharab kardi!” Samaira was still fuming, waving around crumpled paper balls in her hand like evidence at a crime scene.
Aditi rubbed her eyes. “Didi, hua kya hai?”
“Koi neeche se hamare kamre mein ye paper balls fek raha tha!” Samaira snapped. “Aur likh ke gaya hai ‘Meet me early morning.”
Ruhaan, still draped dramatically across Ansh’s back like a sleep-deprived shawl, muttered, “How do you know it was ‘he’? It could be a she too… Gender equality, didi.”
Shagun rolled her eyes. “Koi she kyun Samaira didi ko milne bulayegi? Obviously, he hi hoga.”
“Point toh valid hai,” Ruhaan agreed, finally lifting his head and blinking.
Vivaan yawned from the grass. “Jab she ya he mil jaaye… mujhe jaga dena please.”
“Pehle woh darpok batameez toh saamne aaye!” Samaira growled. “Chhupke baitha hai kahin… mil gaya na toh haddiyan tod dungi uski!”
“Yahi chhupa hoga didi, kahin… bushes ke peeche maybe,” Ansh suggested, beginning to scan the area logically.
Suddenly everyone turned Sherlock Holmes, scanning behind benches, trees, and even under the garden swing.
By this time, Priya and Prateek had quietly separated, slipping out from behind the bushes and joining the search party like they’d been there all along.
Shagun narrowed her eyes. “Tu yaha kya kar rahi hai, Priya?”
Priya, still brushing invisible leaves from her sleeves, stuttered, “H-huh? Main toh chor ko dhoondh rahi thi… socha is bush ke andar bhi ho sakta hai vo…”
Shagun raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious.But it was Aditi whose sharp eyes locked on Priya’s wrist and the soft yellow bangles now adorning it. A smirk bloomed on her sleepy face.
“Haan sahi keh rahi hai ye… kya pata chor yahin ho…” Aditi said loudly, her voice laced with playful mischief. “Theek se dekhiyo Priya… especially is bush ke aas-paas.”
She subtly tilted her head toward the bangles making Priya go deep red.
Meanwhile, behind the hotel under the shade of a neem tree The real culprit was fighting for his life.
Aman crouched behind the thick trunk, peeking cautiously toward the balcony he had just bombed with a harmless paper ball, obviously. Sweat lined his forehead despite the cool Rishikesh air. His target had not reacted well. And now, the predator,Samaira Mishra,was loose.
He scanned the lawn.There. Vivaan. Blissfully unaware. Fast asleep on the grass like a discarded potato sack.Aman sprinted and shook him violently.
“Oye chuhe! Uth!” Aman hissed, glancing around like a fugitive.
“Huh… mila kya vo batameez?” Vivaan mumbled, eyes still half-shut, blinking into the sun.
“Vo batameez main hi hoon!” Aman whispered urgently.
Vivaan sat up with a jolt, his sleep vanishing like chuski in May.
“Hein! Ruko… main sabko bulata hoon… AAP JANA MAT KAHIN-DIDIIIII-“
“Nalayak bachhe!” Aman nearly tackled him, clamping a hand over his mouth. “Mujhe ulta phasa raha hai? Mujhe kya pata tha vo ball waha jaake Cold War chalu kar degi! Main to bas sorry bolne jaa raha tha!”
But damage done.Even before Aman could finish his rambling excuse, everyone came rushing to the lawn.
“Kya hua, Vivaan?” Samaira asked, a flicker of hope in her voice and a visible firestorm behind her eyes.
Vivaan blinked. He glanced at Aman, who shot him a death glare that said “Ek lafz bola toh tujhe Ganga mein uda dunga. So he cleared his throat dramatically. “Didi… main ye soch raha tha… ki kya pata… vo kisi aur ke liye phekha gaya ho?”
A collective silence followed.
“Hain? Matlab?” Prateek frowned.
“Are… kya pata… kisi aur ko bulane ke liye kiya gaya ho, aur galti se Samaira ke kamre mein chala gaya ho… vo paper ball,” Aman said quickly, trying to look as innocent as possible.
Everyone stared.
“Hmm… ho bhi sakta hai.” Priya said hesitantly.
But Ansh, suspicious and quiet, narrowed his eyes.”Par bhaiya… agar vo Samaira didi ke liye hi hua ho toh?”
Aman’s soul left his body for a second. “Yeh mera bhai hi marvayega mujhe ab…” he muttered under his breath.
“Kuch bola, bhaiya?” Ansh asked, eyes sharp.
“Nahi-nahi… matlab haan… bas keh raha tha… itne saare log hain hotel mein. Aur bhala koi is Jhansi ki Rani ko hi kyun target karega?” Aman tried to laugh it off, adding a smirk in Samaira’s direction.
Samaira rolled her eyes.”Ha! Aur jaise tumhi ko toh jaise sab kuch pata hai?” she snapped.
“Nahi but… guess toh kar sakta hoon.” Aman raised his hands in defense.
Samaira mimicked him under her breath,”bshdgcvhfsgvbkis”and stormed inside.
The rest followed, leaving Aman and Vivaan behind, who high-fived for surviving the moment.
Inside the hotel corridor, As they were heading to their respective rooms, Aditi tugged Priya’s hand, walking beside her like a suspicious elder sister.
“Bata kar jaati kam se kam… sambhaal to leti main kuch.” she whispered, voice loaded with fake disappointment.
“Hein?! Kis cheez ke liye?” Priya asked, eyes wide playing dumb girl caught cheating on a test.
Aditi narrowed her eyes. “Acha toh lag raha hai haan… par agli baar bata ke jaio. Warna phasegi tu… aur fir rona mat.”
She subtly pointed to Priya’s wrists the delicate yellow glass bangles glittering under the corridor lights. Priya went red. Completely red. From ear to ear.
She glanced around to make sure no one heard, then hissed, “Aditi… shut up!”
But her blush didn’t go unnoticed. As they reached their rooms, the corridor echoed with casual laughter and thudding footsteps. Priya turned back one last time, just before stepping inside her door.
Across the corridor, Prateek was also about to enter his room. Their eyes met. A fleeting second. But the world slowed. Both of them smiled shy, silly, and glowing. Like two kids caught sharing a secret under the stars.
And in that moment… the bangles on her wrist clinked softly.And her heart? Well, it skipped a beat.
Meanwhile, Aman had barely stepped into the room when he dramatically threw himself face-first onto the bed beside Vivaan, letting out a muffled groan.
“Bach gaye aaj toh baal baal…” he muttered, face buried in the pillow like someone who had just escaped a wild tiger attack.
Vivaan, who had followed behind him, dropped his bag with a thud and crossed his arms, standing like a desi mom about to deliver a lecture. “Yeh itni wahiyaad harkat kyun kari bhaiya apne?” he asked, his voice laced with disappointment and exaggerated drama. “Note phenkne ki zarurat kya thi?”
Aman sat up slowly, folding his legs on the bed like a guilty kindergartener caught stealing chocolate. “Main toh bas… usse bulana chahta tha… taki sorry bol saku. Mujhe kya pata tha itna bada scene ho jaayega,” he said, eyes fixed on the floor as if the tiles held the solution to his problems.
Vivaan looked heavenward, groaning. “Toh text kar lete na directly didi ko… ye chindi sa idea kuch zyada hi bakwaas nahi laga aapko? Note phenkna? Public mein?”
Aman widened his eyes, the sheer horror flashing across his face making Vivaan pause. “Tab toh zinda chaba jaati mujhe vo! Public mein text kiya hota toh aaj main iss room mein nahi ICU mein milta.”
Vivaan let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples. “Toh ab kya karoge?” he asked, already regretting asking that question.
Aman didn’t reply. He just turned towards Vivaan with the most innocent, sickeningly sweet smile he could manage the kind he used only when he was about to dump a disastrous plan onto someone else. Vivaan’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Mujhe aapse achhi feel nahi aa rahi bhaiya,” Vivaan said, backing away dramatically, like he was in a horror movie. “Aap aise muskurate ho toh kuch na kuch tabahi hone wali hoti hai. I’m getting trauma flashbacks.”
“Vivaan… tu toh kitna achha bhai hai na mera,” Aman crooned, crawling closer with fake love and overflowing manipulation. “Itna toh kar hi sakta hai… hai na?”
“NO no no no NOOOO-” Vivaan started fake crying and running around the room, but of course, it was pointless. Destiny had already chosen his fate.
And so, the next day…
Vivaan was standing awkwardly behind Samaira.
Who was peacefully sitting on a bench near the edge of the cliff at the end point of their trek. The view was nothing short of magical the hills dipped into clouds, the sunlight shimmering across the valley, a soft breeze lifting loose strands of her hair as she clicked pictures on her phone. She looked calm, lost in her own quiet world.
Vivaan, on the other hand, was anything but calm.
“Do I really have to do this?” Vivaan’s voice trembled with dread as he looked at Aman, who only nodded in return, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Vivaan gulped. “Agar didi ne mujhe maara na, to main aapko double marunga,” he muttered, already planning his death as if it were inevitable.
“Theek hai… abhi le, aur jaa,” Aman said, handing over a small square box wrapped clumsily but with care.
Vivaan raised an eyebrow. “Isme kya hai?”
“Chocolate truffle cake,” Aman replied quietly.
Vivaan blinked. “Aapko to chocolate se allergy hai na… phir ye kyun?”
Aman hesitated but then smiled genuinely softly, like someone holding onto hope by a thread. “Mujhe hai… par Samaira ka favourite hai. Isliye.”
Vivaan opened the box slightly and frowned. “Yeh iska shape perfect kyun nahi hai? Thoda ajeeb sa lag raha hai…”
Aman scratched the back of his neck, suddenly unsure. “Pehli baar banaya hai… itna toh chalta hi hoga, hai na?” he muttered, almost to himself.
Vivaan looked at him truly looked and then, with the flair of a loyal soldier, gave him a crisp, mock-serious salute. “Kya baat hai… itni mehnat sirf ek sorry ke liye? Ab toh aapke liye chuhe ki jaan bhi haazir hai!” he declared before skipping off like a messenger on a secret mission, cake in hand.
Reaching Samaira’s bench, he placed the modest box carefully in front of her. Samaira eyed it suspiciously, her brows knitting together.
“Yeh kya hai?” she asked coolly.
“Didi… yeh Aman bhaiya ne bhejvaya hai,” Vivaan said, his tone softer than usual.
Samaira’s face hardened instantly. She didn’t even glance at the box. “Mujhe nahi chahiye. Wapas le jaa isse,” she said coldly.
But Vivaan didn’t back down. His voice, usually playful and filled with mischief, now carried a quiet weight. “Didi… agar aapko bhaiya pasand nahi, I understand. Koi bhi unko pasand nahi karta… because of the way he behaves. But he wasn’t always like this.”
Samaira’s gaze flickered toward him, curiosity softening the edge in her voice. “Matlab?”
Vivaan sighed, his eyes distant. “Bhaiya used to be really cool, funny… full of life. But after the accident, everything changed. Everyone started blaming him. Sab kehne lage ki woh accident sirf unki wajah se hua. Aur bhaiya… bhaiya ne maan liya.” His voice faltered slightly. “He began to believe that he was a problem. That anyone who gets close to him ends up suffering. So, he started pushing people away.”
Samaira’s expression was unreadable now, but her silence invited him to continue.
“Isiliye woh itne saalon se akele hi raha karte the. Until bade papa decided to bring him back… to give him people again,” Vivaan said quietly. “Mujhe nahi pata ki aap dono ki ladai kyun hui thi. But when I saw him make this cake today early morning, chocolate se allergy hone ke bawajood I just thought… maybe he’s finally trying. Maybe he’s ready to trust again.”
Something in her chest stirred. Slowly, she reached out and opened the box. Inside was a small, oddly shaped chocolate truffle cake lopsided, uneven, clearly made by untrained hands. But it was heartfelt. Messily scribbled in icing were the words “Maan jaiye na, Ms. Jhansi ki Raani.”
Samaira blinked, a reluctant smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Vivaan added with a grin, “He made it himself. Despite his allergy. Just to apologise.”
She looked across the courtyard and spotted Aman awkwardly pretending to scroll through his phone, clearly sneaking glances their way. The moment their eyes met, he froze caught like a child stealing sweets. Her expression remained unreadable, but her voice was steady. “Okay… I’ll see. Tu ja… aur Aman ko bhej de.”
Vivaan grinned, bolted off, and reported to Aman. “Kaam kar diya chuhe ne. Ab sambhaal lena. Didi bula rahi hai.”
Aman’s panic was instant. “M-main kaise? Mujhe kyun bula rahi hai yeh?”
But before Vivaan could answer, Samaira’s voice rang out, sharp and familiar. “Oye… zinda statue… idhar aane ka kasht karo thoda!”
Aman inhaled like a man walking to his execution and stumbled forward. His shoulders were hunched, eyes cast down, hands fidgeting nervously.
She pointed at the cake. “You made this?” she asked calmly.
He nodded, still not meeting her eyes.
“Why?”
He looked up, just for a moment. “To apologise,” he said softly.
Something flickered in her eyes confusion, curiosity, a crack in her stubborn wall. She stared at him, really stared. The tired eyes, flour-smudged shirt, and a faint rash on his neck betrayed the effort behind the messy cake. And behind all that was something else, guilt. Vulnerability. A silent plea.
“Tumhe toh chocolate se allergy hai,” she muttered, her voice gentler now.
“Pata hai,” he said, shrugging one shoulder like it didn’t matter.
“Still made it?”
He nodded again. A small, unwilling smile threatened her lips. She pushed it away quickly, not ready to surrender just yet.
“Aur likha kya hai?” she asked, squinting dramatically. “Maan jaiye na Ms. Jhansi ki Rani? Seriously? Yeh sorry hai ya flirt?”
Aman’s lips twitched. “Tumhe flirt samajhna hai toh wahi maal lo.”
She stared at him, half-amused. Then, with a casual sigh, she sat down beside the box, picked up the plastic spoon, and took a bite. She chewed. Paused. Blinked.
“Bakwaas taste hai. Aur shape toh pata nahi bomb phat gaya tha ya cake bana tha,” she said, shaking her head.
Aman winced. “Dekha! Maine kaha tha mat khana… zeher jaisa bana hoga.”
“Haan, toh deke kyun gaye? Maarna chaahte ho mujhe?” she raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled,soft, breathy. The kind of laugh you let out when you’re still nervous, but somehow, hope has snuck in.”Nahi. Mar jaogi toh ladunga kisse?”
Her spoon paused mid-air. The wind whispered through the trees. For a moment, the air shifted less teasing, more real.
She looked at him, eyes serious now. “Aman.”
He straightened slightly. The way she said his name no bite, no sarcasm. Just… his name.
“Hmm?”
“You really didn’t mean those words that day… right?”
Aman’s guilt returned instantly. He shook his head.
“So why did you say them…? Kisi ne kuch kaha tha kya?” she asked, her voice full of quiet concern.
He sighed, finally meeting her eyes. “You weren’t doing great in college those days… not the way you usually do. And people started saying it’s because of me. Ki main tumhara dhyan hata raha hoon. I thought… if I told you to stay away, you’d do the opposite. So I… blurted that out without thinking.”
She frowned. “So you blamed yourself… for that too?”
He nodded again. The same guilt. The same burden he had carried quietly for too long.
She stared at him for a moment, then stood up, brushing crumbs off her hands. “Okay, then promise me you’ll never do that again.”
He blinked, unsure. “Do what?”
“Blame yourself. For things that aren’t in your control.” She extended her pinky toward him.
He hesitated. Old habits, old guilt, old walls. Seeing that hesitation, she scoffed and turned dramatically. “Theek hai. Promise nahi karna toh bhaad mein jao. Main maafi nahi accept karongi.”
“Samaira, wait!” he called, panicked. She stopped, didn’t turn, just raised her pinky again without a word.
Aman took a moment, then slowly reached forward and intertwined his pinky with hers gently, like a promise not just between fingers but between hearts.
She looked at him and smiled, this time wide and genuine. “Good boy. Chalo, abhi maaf kiya zinda statue ko.”
He couldn’t help it his lips curved upward into a smile that reached his eyes. He watched her laugh, and for the first time in a long time, felt like maybe just maybe something was finally healing.
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That’s all for this chapter, Bubbles! ✨
I truly hope you enjoyed it and more than anything, I really hope it made you feel something.
If any scene touched your heart, made you smile, or even gave you tiny butterflies…Don’t forget to vote and drop your thoughts in the comments
See you in the next chapter!
Till then, be healthy, stay safe, keep smiling, and always keep reading.
With love,
Prachi 💌
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I’D – pixiee_wrts
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