Hello guys... hope u are doing great.
So here is the chapter
>Pls do vote and give your feedbacks
to get an early update.
And for updates and spoilers follow me on Instagram and wattpad too.
__________________________________________
Aarohi was trying to process what she had seenâthe tattoo on Rudra's chest with her name and a heart. She wandered aimlessly, her mind racing, until she found herself in a secluded spot behind the building. Taking long breaths, she struggled to hold back her tears.
"Control, Aarohi, just control yourself," she whispered, pacing back and forth. "Keep it together, Aarohi. You have to control yourself."
The shock of the tattoo, a symbol of their past love, was overwhelming. She clenched her fists, her heart pounding, as she tried to steady her emotions. The weight of their history bore down on her, and she fought to keep from breaking down completely.
After finishing the checkup with Ravi, Rudra came out of the room, his mind racing with concern for Aarohi. He knew she wasn't okay; he could sense her turmoil. The mistrust that had festered over the past five years, compounded by the shock of seeing the tattoo, would leave her confused and in a dilemma. Desperate to find her, he looked around but couldn't see her anywhere.
Spotting Jiya, he hurried over to her. "Jiya, have you seen Aarohi?" he asked urgently.
Jiya gave a puzzled look. "I don't know. She must be with Ravi, I think."
"No, she left the room," Rudra said, his worry deepening.
"Why?" Jiya asked, now concerned.
"I'll explain later. I just need to find her right now. If you see her, please let me know," he said, turning to leave.
Jiya nodded, still confused, as Rudra set off again, determined to find Aarohi and explain everything to her.
It was lunchtime, and everyone gathered in the big hall except Aarohi and Rudra. After some time, Rudra entered, scanning the hall for Aarohi but not finding her. He approached Jiya, who was sitting with Vicky.
"Aarohi isn't here," Rudra said, his concern evident.
"I thought she was with you," Jiya replied. "But she isn't here."
Rudra sat down, clearly upset, his mind racing with thoughts of where Aarohi could be. A while later, Aarohi walked in, looking for a place to sit. Jiya spotted her and called out, "Aarohi, come here."
Aarohi joined their table, sitting beside Jiya. She didn't look up, though she knew Rudra was there, and ate silently without saying a word.
Aarohi was hardly eating, pushing her food around the plate. After a while, Vicky, noticing her discomfort, asked, "What happened, Dr. Aarohi?"
Aarohi replied, "Nothing."
"Please, don't be so formal with me. Just call me Aarohi," said aarohi.
"Okay, Aarohi," Vicky agreed.
Shortly after, Aarohi said she was done with her lunch and left, with Jiya following her. Rudra remained at the table, visibly troubled. Vicky, sensing something was off, commented, "What happened to you, Rudra? Is this a sad day or something?"
Rudra forced a smile. "Nothing. It's fine. All fine."
Vicky continued, "Oh, I think these two girls are good company. What do you think?"
Rudra nodded, "Yes, they are."
Vicky then mused, "Hmm, what do you think? Are they in a relationship, or are they single? What should be their age? Jiya told me she's in her fourth year, so approximately 21 or 22."
Rudra agreed, "I think 22."
"Oh, how do you know?" Vicky asked, intrigued.
Rudra shrugged, "Just a guess."
After a moment, Rudra asked, "How do you know they're in their fourth year?"
Vicky replied, "Jiya told me they're in their fourth year, and it will be done soon. So, they are going to be in their fifth year of medical college."
Rudra did some quick mental calculations and thought, "If it's been five years since she took the entrance exam, how can she still be in the fourth year? I don't think she failed any exams."
"Are you sure?" Rudra pressed.
Vicky nodded confidently, "Of course, that's what she told me."
Rudra couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't add up, but he kept his thoughts to himself, silently vowing to get to the bottom of it later.
After lunch, the medical team had no immediate tasks, so they were free to relax in the waiting hall or spend their time as they wished. Rudra and his teammates were on the ground, playing cricket and teaching some local children the game's rules. Despite being engaged in the activity, Rudra kept glancing at Aarohi, who was visible through a large mirror window from the ground. His mind was still preoccupied with how to bridge the gap between them.
After a while, Rudra noticed Aarohi standing by the window, talking with Ravi. This time, Aarohi didn't look as upset as before. Rudra told the other members he needed a water break and left the field, heading inside the hall where everyone else was sitting. He saw Aarohi standing beside Ravi, talking in a friendly manner. Rudra went to the water cooler, drinking while keeping an eye on them. Jiya was also nearby and noticed his continuous glances.
"Jealous?" Jiya teased.
Rudra laughed, "No, of course not."
Jiya raised an eyebrow, "Oh, okay."
Hesitantly, Rudra asked, "Are they together?"
Jiya shrugged, "I don't know, but Ravi proposed to Aarohi and he's been trying to convince her and flirting with her for the last two years."
Rudra's curiosity piqued, "You both are in the fourth year?"
Jiya nodded, "Yes, we are. Soon to be in the fifth year."
Rudra looked confused, "Didn't you and Aarohi pass the exam like five years ago?"
Jiya laughed, "No, it's just been four years. Aarohi and I joined the college at the same time, and we've been friends since then."
Rudra shook his head in disbelief, "It's impossible. How can that be?"
Jiya looked puzzled, "What happened?"
Rudra laughed it off and sat on a chair alone, deep in thought. "How can it be possible that Aarohi failed her first attempt at the exam? It couldn't be possible," he murmured to himself. He remembered how dedicated and hardworking she was during their preparation days. The thought of her failing seemed inconceivable. The more he pondered, the more perplexed he became, questioning the reality of the situation.
As evening approached, everyone prepared to return to their accommodations. They boarded the bus, with Rudra sitting beside Vicky, eagerly watching for Aarohi. After a while, he saw her step inside. Jiya had already found a seat with someone else, leaving Aarohi to sit with Ravi. Throughout the journey, Aarohi chatted with Ravi, while Rudra couldn't take his eyes off them. Only he knew the depth of his jealousy as he watched them interact, feeling an uncomfortable twist in his chest with every laugh and smile they shared.
When the bus arrived, everyone headed to their rooms. Aarohi went straight to take a shower. Afterward, noticing there was still time before dinner, she informed Jiya that she wanted to go for a little walk. As she left the cottage, Rudra, who was standing on the balcony, saw her and decided to follow.
Aarohi was unaware that Rudra was trailing her. He mimicked her movements playfully, stepping where she stepped and touching the trees she touched. Eventually, she reached a spot where the road ended with a railing, just as the sun was setting. She stood there silently, gazing at the sky.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice. "Aaruh." She turned and saw Rudra, who was smiling, just as she expected him to be. They exchanged a look before she turned away again. Rudra approached her and asked, "Can we please talk, Aaruh?"
Gripping the railing tightly, Aarohi responded, "Don't call me that, Mr. Sinha."
Rudra sighed, "What, Mr. Sinha? Just call me Rudra, aaruh. I am Rudra."
Aarohi, with a hardened expression, said, "No, I don't remember a person by that name. So you are just Mr. Sinha to me."
Rudra sighed again, trying to keep his composure. "Fine, Dr. Aarohi. Can we talk, please?"
Aarohi began to walk away, saying, "No, I don't want to."
But Rudra pleaded, "Just for five minutes."
She stopped and said, "Okay, say whatever you want to say."
Rudra began, "You know, I need to tell you about the tattoo. Because it's your name. It's always been your name. On my heart. In my heart."
Aarohi listened quietly as Rudra continued, "Do you remember the last day when I told you I needed to show you something? It was that tattoo. I had it carved on my heart that day. After the party, I wanted to show it to you. But you were so angry with me, and you left. I tried to call you."
Aarohi interrupted, "And when I didn't pick up your calls, and when I didn't reply to your messages, you found a girl and slept with her."
Rudra looked down at the ground. Aarohi pressed on, "Why are you so quiet? Admit it."
Rudra replied, "No, Aaruh, you're misunderstanding. I never cheated on you. Never. How could I? You were my life. You were my first love. How could I cheat on you?"
Aarohi retorted, "So you're telling me that what I saw that day was a lie? Or am I lying?"
Rudra said, "Okay, I'm not saying you're lying. I know what you saw that day. But when you saw that, why did you leave?"
Aarohi's voice rose, "What did you say? Why did I leave? Should I have just stayed there and watched you sleeping with that girl?"
Rudra responded, "I'm saying you should have come to me. You should have slapped me, shouted at me, asked me why I did that. But what you did was leave without talking to me, without giving me a chance to explain."
Aarohi scoffed, "Oh, so I should have listened to your explanation about why you slept with that girl?"
Rudra insisted, "I told you, I never cheated on you. There was nothing between me and that girl. If you had confronted me, you would have known the truth. But you left without a word, and I never got the chance to explain."
Aarohi said, "You know what? Everyone was right about you. I was just mad to love a person like you. Everyone told me you weren't good. That you change girls like clothes. Myra, Sanjana, and everyone else warned me about you. But I didn't listen because I was blindly in love with you. But now I understand. You don't deserve my love."
With that, Aarohi turned and walked away. Rudra called after her, "Just listen to me, Aaruh" But she kept walking, leaving him standing there, helpless and heartbroken.
Aarohi reached her room, her eyes brimming with tears. Jiya looked up, concerned. "What happened?" she asked, seeing Aarohi's distress.
Aarohi couldn't hold back any longer. She started crying, and Jiya quickly moved to hug her. "Please stop crying, Aarohi. What happened? Tell me."
Wiping her tears, Aarohi began, "You know, Rudra has a tattoo of my name over his heart."
Jiya looked surprised. "And?"
Aarohi continued, "He got it five years ago, right before I left him. That night, he was calling me to show it to me, but everything was ruined.
I remember when he was admitted to the hospital, he never wanted to change his bandages in front of me , and now i know why , bcoz He didn't want me to see that tattoo. And I remember how scared he was of injections. I wonder how much pain he felt while he got that tattoo."
Jiya asked, "So, are you feeling sorry for him now?"
Aarohi shook her head. "No, I'm just confused why he got that tattoo in the first place." She paused, lost in thought. "Oh, I remember something."
Jiya looked curious. "What is it?"
Aarohi recalled, "When we once went out for dinner. On the way back, we saw a couple, and the boy was getting his girlfriend's name tattooed on his hand. I remember saying how romantic and cute it was. Rudra commented on how painful it must be to get a tattoo. He told me it hurts a lot. If it's so painful, why did he get my name tattooed on his heart? Why, Jiya? Why did he do that?"
Jiya held her and tried to soothe her. "Calm down, Aarohi. As you just told me, he didn't want you to see that tattoo when he was in the hospital. So why did he come here now and want to show it to you? Why did he tell you about it now?"
Both of them sat there in silence, unable to answer that question.
*********