Chapter 18

Thanks everyone for your heartfelt wishes. I am posting one more chapter to thank all of you.

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Roohi's POV

Our friendship was the most important thing in my life, and confessing my feelings could destroy it. Vihan was the center of my world, and I couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.

So I stayed silent, caught between my desire for more and my fear of losing everything.

******

The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow across my room. I woke up with a quiet resolve, determined to be strong and to stop letting Vihan’s love life dictate my own. It was time to stop pretending I wasn’t a mess inside. I was going to move on, or at least try. I couldn’t keep doing this to myself—waiting for something that would never come.

But as I walked into the hospital, my heart betrayed me.

There he was.

Vihan.

Standing by the coffee machine like it was an ordinary day, looking like a damn dream. His dark hair was tousled in that effortlessly perfect way, and his shirt—just slightly wrinkled—somehow made him look even more handsome. And that smile. That grin was the one that made my heart stumble, even when I tried my hardest not to let it. He didn’t even know.

“Hey, Roohi,” he said, his voice rich with warmth. “Long night?”

Yes, I kept thinking of you.

I nodded, keeping my expression neutral. “Yeah, just the usual. You?”

He chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee, completely at ease. “I didn’t get much sleep. That date last night... it...went really well.”

And just like that, the floor seemed to drop beneath me. His words hit like a punch to the gut. I forced myself to breathe, to keep my face composed.

“Oh? That’s good,” I said, my voice thick with the weight of the lie I was telling.

His grin grew wider, pleased with himself. “Yeah, we’re going out again tonight.”

I felt it then—sharp and visceral. The stab of jealousy. It burned through me, but I swallowed it down, burying it where no one could see. Not even him. I couldn’t let him see. Not again. I had to keep pretending. I had to keep telling myself I was fine when I wasn’t.

“Well, have fun,” I said, smiling as brightly as I could. But my voice, I knew, gave it away. It was tight, strained, and I couldn’t hide the tremor that slipped through.

“Thanks, Roohi. You’re the best, you know that?”

And then, without thinking, he gave me a playful nudge. The warmth of his fingers brushed against my back for just a moment. It felt like a spark—those familiar circles. The ones he’d drawn on my back since we were kids, the ones that used to calm me, make me feel safe like nothing else in the world mattered.

It was such a simple gesture, but not today, today, those circles felt like a reminder of everything I couldn’t have. Maybe Mihir was right. Maybe it was time to stop waiting for Vihan to see me.

But the problem was, I didn’t want to stop. Not yet.

I forced my gaze elsewhere, but I could feel him still standing there, oblivious to the storm inside me. I heard Mihir approach before I saw him. His presence was like an anchor in the chaos of my emotions. He didn’t say anything at first; he just stood there, watching us with that knowing look in his eyes.

He didn’t need to say it. He didn’t need to repeat the words he’d texted me last night.

You need to decide, Roohi.

I was already standing at the crossroads, but I didn’t know how to make the decision. How could I? How could I choose between risking everything—my heart, my dignity—and staying in this painful limbo? How could I let go of something that had been a part of me for so long?

I couldn’t.

So I did what I always did.

I smiled at Vihan, made some small talk, and pretended like everything was fine. I let him walk away to his date, to his life. To everything I would never be. I let him go, knowing full well that I would stay on the sidelines, watching him live a life I could never have a part in.

And when he finally left, when it was just me and Mihir, the silence between us was loud. It was heavy.

“You deserve better than this; tell him about your feelings; he is a duffer if he can't see this,” Mihir said softly, his voice full of sympathy.

I nodded, but I couldn’t say anything. Because even though I knew he was right, I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to let go of Vihan.

And that was the real problem.

The rest of the day felt like a blur. I tried to focus on work, tried to throw myself into my patients, the procedures, and anything to distract myself from the overwhelming ache that had settled deep within me. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t stop thinking about him.

About Vihan.

I imagined him with her—laughing, flirting, being the charming, irresistible man he always was. And I hated it. Hated myself for caring so much. But I did. I couldn’t help it.

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Have a nice day 💗❤️