Chapter 13

As she uttered the words, "Brother, why always me...?"

Tears cascaded down her cheeks, each one as evidence of the suffering she was experiencing. In that moment, she resembled a vulnerable child, robbed of her innocence by the cruelty of fate.

The atmosphere was filled with an overwhelming sense of shock, leaving everyone at a loss for how to respond.

Naksh and Mrunali were engulfed in an intense wave of guilt, feeling as though they had been struck by a truck for not placing trust in their partners.

Shivay and Janvi were weighed down by regret, wishing they had handled the situation with greater maturity.

Meanwhile, Sidharth observed the unfolding events with a stoic and unreadable expression.

In the midst of her sobs, she posed a question that pierced Aahan's heart: "What did I do to deserve this suffering?"

With a gentle whisper, he offered reassurance

"You did nothing wrong... It's just you're the right person at the wrong place."

Despite Aahan's continuous efforts to whisper words of comfort in her ear, Pihu remained inconsolable, unable to stop crying or shaking in fear.

Her body trembled with every sob, and the weight of distress seemed almost unbearable. Aahan held her close, providing a steady presence despite the torrent of emotions consuming her.

However, after a prolonged period and with great effort, she was able to gradually calm down.

Her sobs softened into quiet sniffles, and although she managed to stem the flow of tears, the distress was still evident in her demeanour.

She crumbled out of Aahan's embrace, curling into a small ball, and she held her knees tightly, her gaze fixed on the black wall.

"Are we going home?" A voice came from behind him, jolting him from the tender moment.

A sudden shift overcame Aahan as his eyes turned from pained to dark with anger, revealing the turmoil within him.

He strides purposefully toward Naksh and comes to a stop right in front of him, gripping him firmly by the collar.

With a jaw clenched in fury, Aahan locks eyes with Naksh, his gaze piercing through to his very soul.

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PLANNED ALL THIS, YOU FUCKING IDIOT." Aahan's tone is more of an accusation than a question.

As Naksh's elder brother hurls expletives at him in a fit of rage, Naksh averts his eyes, fully aware that he is indeed at fault.

Grabbing Naksh by the collar, Aahan continues, "You've caused her so much pain. Why? Who do you think you are, to toy with others' emotions like this?"

Naksh mutters, "We had some doubts, so I did it."

"Doubts?" Aahan scoffs incredulously. "What doubts?"

Naksh remains silent, bowing his head further.

"ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!" Aahan bellows in fury. The force of his outburst sends shivers down everyone's spine, leaving them frozen in place.

"We thought you guys had a relationship in the past," Naksh spoke slowly, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes.

He didn't specify the nature of the relationship, but the implication was clear.

"A relationship...?" Aahan chuckled mockingly, "Are you suggesting that we were once lovers?" He asked sarcastically, releasing his grip on Naksh's collar and bursting into laughter, pointing at the others, "And you all believed that too...?"

There was silence from the rest of the group as they averted their eyes, weighed down by guilt, which only fueled Aahan's laughter, the sound of his laugh taunted their guilt more, echoing through the room.

"So you guys are saying, that Pihu was my lover in past and I left her, and not only left but let her married to my younger brother...? Could it be more funny and stupid?" Aahan said, struggling to stifle his laughter.

Even hearing this, Pihu also turned her head with eyes screaming, "Are you guys dumb?" Or if she was not traumatized, she surely mockingly laughed at their stupidness.

The others felt a wave of embarrassment as they realized how ridiculous their theory sounded.

A sudden shift in Aahan's demeanour caught their attention.

"If I really loved someone, I burned the whole world for them instead of letting them go..." Aahan remarked, fixing his gaze on Mrunali, who visibly shrank under his stare.

"But you guys were suspicious..." Janvi tried to justify their speculation to cover up their foolishness.

"We surely had past secrets but we never hinted that we're in a relationship." Aahan asserted firmly.

Indeed, they had always treated each other with respect, never engaging in flirtatious or ex-lover-like conversations.

"I believe there is something called communication. If you had doubts, you could have asked, even if we might not have revealed our secret, we would have certainly denied any past relationships,"

Aahan continued. Pausing briefly, he added with authority, "Your selfishness should not subject anyone to unnecessary trauma."

"Just tell them..."

A profound silence gripped the room after the words were spoken. Aahan, wearing a look of shock, turned to Pihu and asked, "Are you certain? You've kept this to yourself for six long years..."

Pihu, her voice devoid of emotion, responded, "Hmm... They say curiosity killed the cat. Their curiosity only leads to partial truths, so let it be." The once vibrant traits of sassiness, confidence, and happiness had all vanished, leaving a palpable sense of pain in Naksh's heart.

With a heavy sigh, Aahan inquired, "This is your story. Do you want me to tell them?"

Pihu simply nodded, not explaining.

Aahan took a deep breath and turned to face the curious eyes that harboured a tinge of guilt.

With a hint of sorrow in his eyes, he began to recount the tale, stealing a glance at Pihu and acknowledging that despite the painful memories, there were still many beautiful moments intertwined within.

"I never knew Pihu at the beginning. She's younger than me, but because of her exceptional intelligence and talent, she has moved up two classes, which made her my classmate. I first met Pihu just before we were admitted to Saint University, and our journey began from there."

"Back then, Pihu was just like her." Aahan looked at Mrunali, his voice filled with tender emotions. "Talkative, annoying, clingy, kind-hearted, and gentle... The only difference between Pihu and Mrunali is that Pihu is very confident and powerful."

Mrunali couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart upon hearing "Mrunali" instead of "little" from Aahan's mouth.

"And I was just the same as I am now – less talkative, rude, and cold."

"You already know about our relationship, but there was another connection between us – friendship. According to Pihu, we were besties at that time, and I always used to get annoyed by her," he chuckled. "But then, after that incident, she never referred to our relationship as best friends, and that's when I realized how important it was." His chuckle turned into a pained smile.

"As guys may or may not know, Pihu was very popular at the university due to her many talents, especially her singing, which earned her the title of 'Nightingale'..."

*Flashback*

"Hmm~~mmm~hmmm...."

A girl was joyfully humming as she strolled through the corridor, swinging her hands.

"Hey, Nightingale..." A voice made her pause. She responded with a bright smile, "Good morning, Karan."

"Good morning, Nightingale..." Karan smiled back.

"Come on, dude. I have a name," she playfully nudged him.

"I know, Pihu. But you're more famous with that name."

"By the way, I'm here to remind you that there's a music lesson this evening, so don't forget to come."

"Sure thing. I have a class now, so I'll catch you later."

She waved goodbye and resumed walking, her smile fading to a frown as she heard a commotion.

"YAH!!..." She shouted, "Stop beating him." She called out to the two boys who were attacking a thin boy on the ground.

As they noticed someone approaching, the boys halted their assault.

"Why don't you focus on your music instead of our business, you birdie girl?" one of the boys remarked.

"Just shut the fuck up, you cheapest copy of Jian..." she shot back, fixing her gaze on him as she walked toward the beaten boy.

"Ugh!" the boy groaned in frustration. "Do you actually like this nerdy—"

"And do you really like to show your shitty ass to Dean, so he can sue it..." Pihu retorted sharply.

"Are you okay?" she asked the beaten boy, whose face was hidden by a mask, glasses, and bangs. He nodded timidly, clearly in pain.

"Let's go," she said, helping the boy to his feet.

"Just because that so-called Aahan is your boyfriend, so you can do whatever you want..." the chubby boy snarled in exasperation.

"Even without Aahan's support, I'd still have the power to sue your nasty ass, Varun," she glared at him before leaving with the beaten boy.

"Can't you stand up for yourself, Samarth?" Pihu asked concern etched on her face as she settled the beaten boy into the nursing room.

"I can't..." he timidly admitted.

"Come on, dude. You've got to be brave... I can't always be here for you," Pihu scolded him gently.

"It will end soon, and then you're there until graduation," Samarth said with hopeful eyes.

Pihu looked at him for a moment, knowing how timid and afraid he was of the bullies.

"Okay, fine... I will be your protector until graduation," she declared proudly, flashing a smile and flexing her non-existing biceps. "See how strong I am..."

Samarth chuckled at her childish act and murmured a quiet 'yes' as Pihu's efforts brightened his gloomy day a little.

"Now you rest, and I'll go attend class," she said as she left the room, with Samarth nodding in agreement.

.

.

.

.

Aahan was seated comfortably in the canteen, engrossed in his book while sipping on his coffee.

Suddenly, someone covered his eyes from behind, and he let out a sigh.

"Isn't this a bit childish, Lavender?" A giggle came from behind him. "How did you know it was me?"

"I could smell your perfume from a mile away. No one else uses that weird scent in the entire university," he replied casually, returning to his book.

"It's not a weird scent, and I love the smell of lavender..." She pouted, taking a seat in front of Aahan.

"By the way, did you miss your bestie...?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows and grinning.

"Nope..."

"Rude..." She playfully threw a pen at him.

"I'm older than you, so show me some respect..." He glared at her.

"And I'm younger than you, so be a bit gentler with me..." She retorted with sass.

"Stop being sassy with me. I'm like a brother to you..."

"I know, I know, brother Aahan..." She said in defeat. But then, she suddenly remembered something and giggled, "Hey, you know, today one girl told me to stay away from you, and another girl told me to break up with you..."

"That's because you're a social butterfly..." Aahan responded without taking his eyes off his book.

"Nahh! It's because you're handsome and you only talk to me in the whole university, so people think you're my boyfriend," she corrected him.

"But there's nothing new, so forget it..."

"Hmm..."

"Lavender, I'm going to the library today. Will you come with me...?" Aahan asked.

Pihu smirked at his words. "I know you can't live without me..."

"It was a mistake to ask you..." he said with a resigned expression.

Pihu laughed at his reaction. "Just kidding... Of course, I'll come with you, bestie..."

"I'm older than you..."

"I know, bestie..." She ran out of the canteen, leaving Aahan dumbfounded, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

(Flashback end)

.

.

.

"That's our university life..."

The people listening to the story couldn't comprehend how this beautiful story turned into a traumatic experience.

Sensing their doubts, Aahan continued, "Everything was going well until Pihu accidentally started a fire in the chemistry lab, which unfortunately resulted in two people getting burned here..."

A sense of relief washed over everyone as they believed it was just an unfortunate accident. However, Pihu's next words shattered that relief,

"Do you still consider it an accident when the first place where the fire started is their live body?"

..................................................................................................

To be continued...

I hope you will like the chapter 💙

Complete the task and I will upload the next chapter...👇

Vote - 150+

Comment - 30+

Bye, love u and take care..🎀🫂