The next three days were… quiet Too quiet to notice
No car slowing near the gate because Krish refuses to do it
No familiar figure across the road pretending not to look
No simple message asking
“Reach home?”
Nothing
Vani told herself this was good but it was all weird for her This is what she wanted of course but she didn't want krish to just randomly vanish
But her eyes still searched unconsciously every time the final bell rang
And every time There was no one
No one leaning against his car
Mahesh noticed the pattern faster than she did
“Lagta hai hero busy ho gaya"
he said lightly while walking beside her after class
Vani kept her gaze forward feeling uneasy
“Please stop"
“Main toh bas observe kar raha hoon"
he shrugged
“Temporary log hamesha temporary hi hote hain"
That line landed heavier than it should have Temporary?
Was that what this was?
She didn’t reply She didn’t give him the satisfaction he was craving
But her steps slowed slightly
{MEANWHILE}
Krish had mastered a new routine Drive straight home without any detours or any excuses and specially No
“just passing by"
Sid watched him for two days before finally snapping
“Tu theek hai?”
Sid asked
“Haan"
Krish replies but both sid and krish knew it was a lie
“Jhoot"
Krish exhaled sharply
“Usne bola na stop meeting me so I stopped"
“Bas itna simple?”
Sid leaned back in his chair
Krish didn’t answer Because it wasn’t simple
He wasn’t angry at her He wasn’t even upset about the rumours
He was upset that she thought he was the problem
And maybe just Maybe he was
At lunch break, Ruhi finally returned to college
She hugged Vani tightly
“Kya drama miss kar diya maine?”
Vani forced a smile
“Kuch bhi nahi"
Ruhi looked at her for two seconds too long
“Woh aaya tha aaj?”
The question was casual but vani's reaction wasn’t
Her fingers tightened around her water bottle
“Nahi"
And that one word felt heavier than it should
Ruhi raised an eyebrow but didn’t tease
“Oh"
That “oh” carried understanding
That evening, Vani sat on her bed with her diary open again
She hadn’t written in two days ,She didn’t know what to write
Finally, she let the pen move
"Some people respect your words even when they hurt them"
She paused
"And somehow that hurts more"
Her breathing slowed
"If he was the problem, why does his absence feel louder than the rumours?"
She closed the diary abruptly
This was getting dangerous
{ACROSS THE CITY}
Krish was staring at her chat again
Last message was
"Yeah. Thank you"
He scrolled up
Small conversations Small moments Nothing dramatic and Nothing romantic
So why did it feel unfinished?
He opened the chat and his finger hovered the keyboard
Typed
"Are you okay?"
He stared at it for too long Then deleted it
Because she had been clear from that day
"Stop meeting me"
He would respect that because once he crossed the line, second time he couldn't
Even if it meant pretending he didn’t miss the five-minute walks to her gate
(The next day)
something unexpected happened
Mahesh walked beside Vani again But this time, he didn’t smirk He didn’t tease
He simply said
“See? Maine bola tha. Log chale jaate hain”
That was it No drama to it Just quiet manipulation
And for the first time Vani felt anger instead of fear
Because suddenly she understood something
Krish didn’t leave he didn't leave her halfway through
She told him to leave and just stop meeting her
And he listened
(Later that evening)
as Krish drove home, rain started pouring unexpectedly Delhi's rain is like those dramatic rains in movies
Delhi traffic slowed
He passed by her college road again Out of habit
But This time He saw her Standing alone near the gate ruhi and trisha wasn't there maybe they called out sick or some problem
She had No umbrella with her the Rain soaking her kurti her hand hovered over her eyes to see properly
And Mahesh nowhere in sight
For two full seconds Krish kept driving or forcing himself to drive away Respecting her words as usual
Then the signal turned red which he clearly didn't want
His hands tightened on the steering wheel
And the only Choice he had was to Respect her distance respect her words and respect her boundaries
Or
He could just make sure she’s safe
He was deep in dilemma
The rain got heavier he could practically feel the heavy rain drops falling onto the Sid's car but sid wasn't there because he left earlier that day
And she didn’t move because in this rain she couldn't she didn't look like she was waiting for someone
The light was still red And Krish was still deciding
But before he could do something he catches her eyes for the first time in weeks they met eyes again
She froze in her way just looking at him, her hands dropped to her sides
Krish didn't overthink this time and unlocked the car and sprinted towards her and covered her with his jacket
"I'm sorry I know you told me to stop meeting and I know I should've respected your words but I couldn't help but I can't see you lik-"
He got cut once vani wrapped her arms around him just hugging him
He froze his words didn't make any sense
"I should've explained you better"
They just stood there rain soaking them entirely the signal turned green but he didn't move because she didn't pull away
__________________________________________
I'm sorry ik the chapter is bit late but hey I'm trying to keep up now do vote and comment and tell me what part did you liked