Unfinished Business

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The morning sun streamed through the curtains of Aashna’s small 2BHK apartment in Lower Parel, but she had been awake for a while, staring at the ceiling. Sleep had eluded her, just like it had for the past few nights. Ever since she had seen him again.

Dhruvin Deshmukh.

She sighed, rubbing her temples. The past was supposed to be behind her. She had built walls, thick and impenetrable, yet here she was, letting a ghost from her school days shake her composure.

A soft bark broke her thoughts. Shadow, her German Shepherd, stood by the bedside, wagging his tail impatiently.

“You’re hungry, aren’t you?” she muttered, forcing herself up. She fed him and quickly got ready for college, deliberately pushing all thoughts of Dhruvin aside. Or at least trying to.

Over breakfast, her mother noticed her silence. “Aashna, are you okay? You look tired.”

“I’m fine, Aai.” She forced a smile, rolling up her chapati stuffed with bhaji. Her father gave her a pointed look over his newspaper but didn’t press the issue.

With a quick goodbye, she rushed out, Shadow barking behind her as if calling her back. She wished she could stay home, curl up in bed, and read—but life didn’t work that way.

At St. Victoria University, Aashna barely made it to her lecture in time. As always, Advait had saved her a seat.

“You’re late.” He raised an eyebrow as she sat down next to him.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” she muttered, pulling out her notes.

Sia, sitting behind them, leaned forward with a smirk. “Oye, why do you look like a zombie? Did you finally pull an all-nighter reading or was it something else?”

Aashna hesitated. She hadn’t told them about seeing Dhruvin again. She wasn’t sure she wanted to.

“Just overthinking stuff,” she said vaguely.

Advait and Sia exchanged a look but didn’t push further. Instead, Sia changed the subject, launching into a story about how she had almost fought with a guy in the canteen who had taken the last samosa.

Aashna chuckled, grateful for the distraction.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus, Dhruvin sat in his Mass Media lecture, half-listening to his professor’s words. His mind was still stuck on the girl in white, the one who had looked at him like he was poison.

His fingers tapped restlessly against the desk.

Who was she? Why did she react that way? And why did it bother him so much?

“Dhruvin.”

He snapped out of his thoughts to find Professor Kapoor watching him intently. “Yes, sir?”

“Have you thought about my suggestion?” Kapoor asked, crossing his arms.

Dhruvin sighed. The short film competition. The one his professor insisted he participate in. He had talent, everyone told him that, but he never took it seriously. Storytelling, filmmaking—it had been an escape once, but now? It felt like work.

“I don’t know, sir.”

Kapoor exhaled in frustration. “You have potential, Dhruvin. Don’t waste it.”

Dhruvin only nodded, though his heart wasn’t in it. His mind was elsewhere.

By lunchtime, he found himself in the canteen, surrounded by his usual group—Manan, Raj, and Saumya. The table was loud with their banter, but Dhruvin remained unusually quiet, stirring his coffee absentmindedly.

Manan nudged him. “Bhai, you look lost.”

“Hmm?” Dhruvin blinked.

Saumya smirked. “What’s up with you? Got a secret crush?”

He scoffed. “No.”

Raj raised an eyebrow. “Then why do you keep looking around like you’re searching for someone?”

Dhruvin froze for a moment before shaking his head. “Just thinking.”

Manan leaned in with a teasing grin. “Thinking about that girl you asked me to find out about?”

Dhruvin sighed. He wasn’t going to hear the end of this. But the truth was, yes—he was looking for her.

The girl in the lift. The girl with jhumkas and long brown hair. The girl who hated him for reasons he couldn’t remember.

And somehow, he needed to know why.

❤️❤️❤️

Author’s Note

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