Vaishnavi ka heartbeat abhi tak normal nahi hua tha.
Aarav ka grip uske wrist par tight tha,
uski aankhen uske face par locked—
"Then let me make one thing simple for you, Vaishnavi…"
His voice low. Dangerous.
"If he touches what's mine again—"
Vaishnavi ka saans atak gaya.
Usne seedha uski aankhon me dekh kar poocha—
"Then what am I to you?"
Silence.
Bas hawa chal rahi thi.
Aarav ka expression change hua.
Wahi. Hamesha wala.
Jaise uske paas jawab ho— Par woh bol nahi sakta.
Vaishnavi ke lips par ek chhoti si, hurt smile aayi.
"Exactly."
Usne apna wrist uski grip se chhuda liya.
"That's the problem, Aarav."
Ek step peeche.
"Tum feel sab kuch karte ho… bolte kuch nahi."
Aur woh chal di.
Iss baar bina mudhe.
Aarav bas dekhte reh gaya.
Next Morning —
Departure Day
Trip officially khatam ho raha tha.
Sab packing me busy the.
Rooms half-empty. Suitcases everywhere.
Atmosphere ajeeb sa heavy tha.
Like everyone knew—
Something had changed.
Naina bed par dramatic pose me leti thi.
"Main nahi jaa rahi. Mujhe yahi rehna hai."
Sumit zipped his bag.
"Perfect. Hum sab chain se ghar jayenge."
"Shut up."
Vaishnavi hansi.
And for the first time since last night—
It felt real.
Natural.
Easy.
Sumit noticed.
And smiled.
Breakfast Hall
Vaishnavi enter hui—
Aur uske steps thode slow ho gaye.
Rhea already table par thi.
Aarav ke side wali chair par.
Like it belonged to her.
"Oh good, you're here," Rhea sweetly smiled.
"Aarav was just saying the drive back is going to be so long."
Aarav immediately frowned.
"I didn't—"
"Relax," she interrupted with a laugh.
Vaishnavi ne bas casual nod diya.
"Morning.
Aur bina kuch kahe— Wo Sumit ke paas baith gayi.
No reaction. No hesitation.
Bas normal.
Aarav noticed that.
And hated it.
Breakfast ke beech Rhea casually Aarav ki plate se fruit utha leti hai.
"You still hate papaya, right?"
Like she knows him.
Like she always has.
Vaishnavi's chest tightened.
But face? Blank.
Tabhi Sumit uski plate me pancake slide karta hai.
"Eat before I steal this too."
"Tumhari khud ki plate me food hai."
"Par tumhari plate ka food emotionally better lagta hai."
Vaishnavi laughed.
Real laugh.
Aarav ka jaw clench hua.
Leaving The Resort
Sab luggage load kar rahe the.
Vaishnavi quietly apna bag utha rahi thi when suddenly—
Sumit ne uske haath se bag le liya.
"Princess treatment. Get used to it."
"Main khud kar sakti hoon."
"Pata hai. Still doing it."
Simple. Easy. No drama.
Aarav watched everything.
The Car Seating
Sab almost car me baith chuke the when—
Rhea suddenly dramatic voice me boli:
"Ugh, I get horrible motion sickness in the back. Aarav, I need front seat."
Without waiting—
Wo jaake directly uske side baith gayi.
Like it was obvious.
Like it was natural.
Aarav visibly irritated laga.
"Rhea—"
"Please, don't start. You know I'll throw up."
Everyone awkwardly silent.
Vaishnavi?
She just shrugged.
"No problem."
Aur jaake Sumit ke side backseat me baith gayi.
Smile ke saath.
As if she truly didn't care.
But inside—
Her heart cracked a little.
Again.
The Drive Begins
Music low volume me chal raha tha.
Rhea nonstop Aarav ke saath baat kar rahi thi.
Old memories. Inside jokes. References Vaishnavi didn't understand.
Every line another reminder:
There's history there. Complication there. A place for someone else there.
So maybe—
She had been stupid to think otherwise.
Next to her—
Sumit leaned closer.
"You okay?"
"Obviously."
"Liar."
She looked at him.
He smiled softly.
"But cute liar."
And somehow—
That made her breathe easier.
Midway Bonding
Road trip longer hoti gayi.
Naina do baar so ke uth chuki thi.
Sumit aur Vaishnavi slowly apni own world me shift ho gaye.
"Remember jab tum rope bridge pe almost gir gayi thi?"
"Main nahi gir rahi thi."
"Haan haan. Gravity tumse pyaar karti hai bas."
"Tum itna tease kyun karte ho?"
"Because tum react funny karti ho."
"Tum impossible ho."
"Aur tum obsessed ho."
They laughed.
Again. And again.
Natural rhythm.
No force.
No confusion.
Just comfort.
Aarav rear-view mirror se baar-baar dekh raha tha.
Every laugh. Every smile. Every time she leaned toward Sumit.
And slowly—
Jealousy started becoming panic.
Stop At A Café
Lunch break ke liye sab utare.
Vaishnavi coffee order karne line me khadi thi when Sumit suddenly uske saamne cup rakh deta hai.
Exactly her usual order.
She blinked.
"Tumhe yaad tha?"
He shrugged.
"Tum teen baar same order kar chuki ho. Main attentive hoon."
That hit her unexpectedly.
Because he noticed things.
Little things.
Without making it a big deal.
She smiled softly.
"Thanks."
He looked at her for a second longer than usual.
"Anytime."
Across the café—
Aarav saw it.
Saw her smiling that way.
And something twisted in his chest.
Rhea's Manipulation
Rhea deliberately looped her arm through Aarav's while walking back.
"Come help me with something."
He immediately pulled away.
"Walk yourself."
She smirked.
Low voice me boli—
"Then stop staring at her every five seconds.
His glare sharpened.
"You're doing this on purpose."
"And it's working."
Back In The Car
This time—
Vaishnavi was quieter.
Not sad.
Just thinking.
She glanced at front seat—
At Rhea beside Aarav.
Then at Sumit beside her.
And for the first time—
She let herself accept something painful:
Maybe whatever existed between her and Aarav… Would never become anything real.
Because real things weren't this complicated.
Right?
Quiet Conversation
Halfway through the drive—
Everyone else distracted tha.
Sumit leaned toward her slightly.
Softer tone me poocha—
"Can I ask something?"
"Depends."
"Why do you always act like you're fine even when you're clearly not?"
That caught her off guard.
She stared ahead.
Then whispered—
"Because sometimes accepting reality is easier than hoping for something impossible."
Sumit looked at her carefully.
Like he understood more than she intended.
Then quietly said—
"Impossible cheezein sirf tab impossible hoti hain jab dono sides give up kar dein."
Her eyes shifted to him.
His expression playful nahi tha for once.
Just honest.
Warm.
There
Before she could answer—
Naina shouted from behind:
"Photo break! Sunset view!"
Moment gone.
But not forgotten.
Sunset Stop —
The Final Memory
They stopped at a scenic highway point.
Golden sunset. Open sky. Wind everywher
Beautiful.
The kind of ending people remember.
Photos. Laughs. Videos. Chaos.
Then Naina dragged Rhea for solo pictures.
Leaving Aarav momentarily free.
He instantly moved toward Vaishnavi.
But Sumit reached her first.
"Come. Best sunset spot wahan hai."
And took her hand.
Casually. Naturally.
Pulled her toward edge railing.
Aarav stopped dead.
His eyes dropped to their joined hands.
Something dark flashed across his face.
Sunset Scene —
Emotional Shift
Vaishnavi and Sumit stood side by side
Watching sky turn orange.
"Pretty view," she whispered.
"Hmm."
She looked at him.
"Tum sunset dekh rahe ho ya mujhe?"
He smirked.
"Confidential information."
She laughed.
Then quietly said—
"You always make things easy."
His teasing expression softened.
"Because people complicate enough already."
That line hit harder than he knew.
She looked away toward the sunset.
And thought:
Maybe peace feels like this. Easy. Warm. Safe.
Not like Aarav.
Never like Aarav.
Cliffhanger
Night.
Everyone finally reached home.
Cars parked. Luggage unloading. Goodbyes beginning.
Vaishnavi stepped away to grab her bag—
And suddenly a hand caught her wrist.
Aarav.
Again.
He pulled her aside behind the parked car
Eyes blazing.
Voice low and shaking with restrained anger—
"Are you done pretending now?"
Vaishnavi frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"All day." "The smiling." "The laughing." "The acting like none of this affects you."
He stepped closer.
"Are you done pretending you don't care?"
Vaishnavi's chest tightened.
But her face stayed calm.
"Maybe I'm not pretending anymore."
That hit.
Hard.
His expression darkened.
"Don't do that."
"Do what"
"Move on from me because I was too slow to say something."
Her breath caught.
His voice dropped lower.
More raw than ever.
"Because if you keep looking at him the way you looked at me—"
He stopped.
Jaw tight
.
Eyes burning.
Then whispered—
"I won't survive watching that."
To be continued...