प्यार की वापसी
The campus buzzed with the unbridled energy of youth - laughter bouncing off sunlit corridors, hurried footsteps echoing down stone pathways, and the murmurs of friendships in the making.
HE strode through the crowd, his presence like a storm that demanded attention. He was an enigma of poise and quiet arrogance, the kind of man who knew the weight of his name before anyone spoke it. His sharp eyes, dark and intense, skimmed over the sea of unfamiliar faces until...
A whirlwind of colors crashed into him.
Books tumbled.
Papers scattered like fallen autumn leaves.
And in the midst of the chaos, a pair of honey-brown eyes met his own - wide, startled, and frustratingly mesmerizing.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going?” SHE huffed, brushing strands of hair away from her face. She crouched down to gather her books, pointedly ignoring the way his gaze lingered.
He arched a brow, amusement flickering across his features. “I believe you were the one running without looking”
She scowled. “Oh, so now it’s my fault?”
He smirked, crouching to hand her a stray notebook. “Entirely.”
She snatched the book from his hands, standing up with all the defiance of a girl who refused to be intimidated. “You must be new here. Let me give you a tip - don’t walk around as if you own the place.”
He chuckled, low and deep. “Noted. But I don’t need to pretend...I usually do.”
With that, he walked away, leaving her fuming. And for the first time in her life, she found herself utterly, maddeningly intrigued.
~~
The night sky stretched endlessly above them, the silver moon casting a soft glow over the secluded garden where they stood. A gentle breeze whispered through the trees, carrying with it the distant hum of laughter from the college festival.
She turned to face him, her brows furrowed in playful suspicion. “Why did you drag me away from the celebrations? If you wanted to talk, you could’ve done it there.”
He exhaled slowly, his gaze steady, unwavering. “Because this isn’t something I wanted to share with the world first.”
Her heartbeat quickened as he reached into his pocket, fingers tightening around something unseen. Time stretched between them, fragile and unspoken, before he finally took a step forward.
“I never believed in destiny” he murmured. “Never thought there was a force that could pull two people together, no matter how much they resisted.” He held her gaze, his voice dipped in quiet reverence. “Until YOU”
Her breath hitched as he sank down on one knee, revealing a delicate ring, the soft gleam of silver reflecting in his deep, determined eyes.
“I never knew love could be this maddening, this consuming. That someone’s absence could feel like a wound, their laughter like a song I’d spend a lifetime chasing. But you… you changed everything.”
She blinked rapidly, her vision blurring as emotion clawed at her throat. The world faded around them, the distant music, the flickering festival lights - all inconsequential in the wake of this moment.
“Marry me” he whispered. “Not because it’s practical, not because it makes sense… but because without you, nothing does.”
For a heartbeat, she could do nothing but stare at him...this man who had once been a stranger, now the very core of her existence.
And then, with a trembling smile and eyes full of unshed tears, she whispered the only answer her soul had ever known.
“YES!”
~~
The wedding was not just a ceremony; it was the unfolding of a dream stitched together with whispered confessions and unspoken vows. The air shimmered with the fragrance of marigolds, their golden petals woven into intricate garlands that adorned every corner of the grand hall. Soft flickering diyas cast a warm glow, their trembling flames mirroring the emotions brimming in her heart.
She stood draped in red, a vision of quiet beauty. The weight of her bridal lehenga was nothing compared to the emotions surging within her. Henna-stained hands trembled as she lifted her gaze, searching - needing to see HIM.
And there he was.
Dressed to kill in a sherwani embroidered with threads of gold, he looked every bit the regal man she had fallen for. Yet, beneath the layers of tradition and grandeur, it was his eyes that held her captive - the same eyes that once met hers over scattered books, that had traced her every movement in silent reverence. Today, they were filled with something deeper. A promise.
As she stepped towards him, time seemed to blur, the crowd fading into insignificance. When he extended his hand, she placed hers within his, the warmth of his touch grounding her amidst the whirlwind of emotions.
The sacred fire crackled between them, bearing witness to the vows they uttered - not just words, but the unshaken truths of their love. With each step around the flames, she felt the past dissolve, the future shape itself into something luminous, something unbreakable.
When the sindoor graced her forehead, when the mangalsutra nestled against her skin, she knew - this moment was eternal.
He leaned in, voice barely above a whisper. “You are mine.”
And with a soft, trembling smile, she whispered back.
“ALWAYS!!”
~~
The papers lay on the table, pristine, untouched, yet screaming of finality. The ink bore her name, a cruel reminder of the love she had once sworn would last.
She had thought this moment would bring relief. That severing the last thread tying her to him would finally let her breathe again. But then why did her fingers hesitate? Why did her chest feel hollow, as if something vital had been ripped away?
She closed her eyes, but memories clawed their way back - the ones she had buried beneath layers of hurt and pride.
The rain lashed against the windows of their modern bunglow, the city drowning in monsoon’s fury. Inside, the storm had already settled between them.
“You can’t keep doing this!” she had cried, voice thick with frustration, with something dangerously close to despair.
He stood by the window, his back to her, shoulders tense, as if bracing himself for a blow. “And you can’t keep questioning me” he said, his voice measured, but cold.
She took a step forward, her heart pounding. “I am your wife. How can I not question when you come home late every night, when your words are becoming fewer, when you look at me like I’m a stranger...is your work more important than me haan?”
He turned then, dark eyes unreadable. “I am doing this for us.”
She let out a hollow laugh. “No. You’re doing this for yourself. You’ve buried yourself in work, in responsibilities, and I...” Her voice broke, but she forced herself to continue. “I have no place in your life anymore.”
Silence.
It stretched, suffocated, until it was unbearable.
Then, he whispered, “You don’t understand.”
She clenched her fists. “Then make me understand.”
But he didn’t.
He never did.
And that night, as she lay on her side of the bed, staring at the ceiling while the rain wept against the glass, she knew.
Something had shifted. Something had begun to crack.
She inhaled sharply, forcing herself back to the present. The past no longer mattered. What mattered was that she had made her decision.
With trembling hands, she picked up the envelope and held it out to the man standing before her - her lawyer, the last bridge between what was and what would be.
“Send it to him” she said, voice barely above a whisper.
And just like that, forever was reduced to a signature on a page.
~~
The papers lay untouched on the table. She had expected a response, a swift signature that would sever the last thread between them. But days passed, and there was nothing. No courier, no call, not even the silence of acceptance.
Frustration clawed at her as she gripped the edges of her shawl, standing outside his home...the home that was once hers too. She hadn’t wanted to come. Had told herself she wouldn’t care. But here she was, heart pounding, breath uneven, waiting for him to open the door.
When he did, the sight of him sent a tremor through her. He looked the same and yet… different. The sharp lines of his face were shadowed with something unreadable. His eyes...those eyes that once held the warmth of sunlit afternoons - were darker, burdened.
“You didn’t sign” she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
He leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, gaze unwavering. “No, I didn’t.”
A lump formed in her throat. “Kyu?”
A pause. A silence so heavy, she thought it might crush her.
Then, in a voice rough with restraint, he said, “Because I don’t want to.”
Her breath caught. She clenched her fists, willing herself to stay unmoved. “That’s not how this works.”
He tilted his head slightly, studying her with an intensity that made her shiver. “Then tell me. Is this what you really want?”
She opened her mouth, ready to say yes...to end this once and for all. But the words tangled in her throat.
Because it wasn’t what she wanted.
It was what she had convinced herself she needed.
Angry at herself, at him, at the way he could still unravel her, she took a step back. “You’re being unfair.”
His lips curved, but there was no humor in his smile. “And what about you? Leaving without fighting for us...was that fair?”
The accusation hit harder than she expected. She swallowed, turning away. “I fought until I couldn’t anymore.”
He let out a sharp breath. “Thik hai. I'll sign...will you do me a favor?"
She nodded.
"Spend a day with me..please?”
She froze.
“Ek hi din” he repeated. “I'll sign the papers then”
She hated him in that moment. Hated how easily he pulled her back into his orbit.
But she nodded.
And just like that, fate rewrote itself.
~~
The day felt stolen...something fragile, suspended between what was and what could never be again. They walked through old streets, silent ghosts in a world that once belonged to them.
At one point, he took her to the bookstore she loved, fingers brushing against hers as he handed her a copy of a novel she had once raved about. Later, they found themselves in a quiet cafe, the very place where he used to watch her sip chai while she scribbled notes into a journal.
Everything was the same. And yet, nothing was.
By evening, they found themselves by the lake, where the sky bled gold into the water. She closed her eyes, letting the cool breeze calm the storm within her.
Then, out of nowhere, he whispered, “Tell me you don’t love me anymore, and I’ll sign the papers....”
Her heart stopped.
She turned to face him, words trapped between pride and truth. But before she could speak, the screech of tires shattered the moment.
She didn’t see the car. Only felt a rough tug as he pulled her back, his arms a cage of warmth and fear. They tumbled onto the pavement, his body shielding hers, his breath ragged against her hair.
It took a moment for reality to sink in.
~~
The screech of tires. A desperate pull. A sharp gasp.
Then - impact!!
She didn’t register the world tilting until she felt the harsh scrape of pavement against her hands, the dull ache of falling. But it wasn’t her pain that made her breath hitch...it was his.
He had shielded her.
She heard the sickening sound of his head hitting the ground, saw the way his body went still, and suddenly, the air in her lungs turned to stone.
“No…” Her voice was a whisper, a plea, as she scrambled closer, hands trembling as they cupped his face. “No, no, no… please...”
There was blood. A thin crimson trail against his temple. His lashes fluttered, his breath uneven.
And then...nothing.
She didn’t know how she got to the hospital. Only that she did. That she sat outside the emergency room, her fingers numb, her heart hammering against her ribs. The white walls suffocated her, the sharp scent of antiseptic clogging her throat.
She should not have been here.
They were NO longer THEM.
And yet, where else could she have been?
Tears clung to her lashes, silent and unrelenting. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold together the pieces of a love she had spent months trying to break.
Because love had never left.
Because no matter how much she tried to bury it, it remained - waiting, unwavering, unbreakable.
The doctor finally walked out, giving her a small nod. "He's stable. A mild concussion, but he’ll be fine. He’s conscious now...you can see him if you’d like."
She nearly collapsed in relief.
And before she could stop herself, she was walking, then running, until she reached his room.
He looked pale against the stark white sheets, the bandage on his forehead too cruel a contrast against his strong features.
She stood at the threshold of his hospital room, her heart clutched in her chest as she gazed at him. The lights in the room flickered faintly, casting fleeting shadows across his face, as if even time itself hesitated in his presence.
Her legs shook as she stepped forward, her hands trembling so fiercely she could barely steady them. The moment her eyes traced the lines of his face, all the walls she had spent months building around herself crumbled to dust. The sharp edge of anger, the bitter weight of pride - they dissolved like mist in the warmth of the truth that slammed into her chest.
She reached him, her fingers hovering above him for just a second, almost as if she feared he might vanish again. And then, unable to hold herself back any longer, she collapsed onto his chest, her face pressed against the cool fabric of his hospital gown, her tears spilling unchecked.
The room seemed to constrict around them as she cried - soft, ragged sobs that trembled through her frame. The flood of emotions she had kept hidden for so long now broke free with the force of a torrent. Love, regret, longing, and guilt swirled within her in an aching dance. Her heart was a battlefield, torn between the devastation of everything that had come before and the undeniable truth that what had always been between them still lingered, stubborn and unyielding.
With her face pressed against his chest, she could hear the faint, rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat - steady, alive. That sound, that pulse, anchored her to the reality she had been trying to escape. The feeling of his warmth beneath her, his breath stirring the air, was a balm for the wounds she’d inflicted on herself. She had let him go once, but here she was now, holding on to him as if he were the very air she needed to breathe.
In the quiet hum of the room, she felt something shift. His fingers twitched against her back, tentative at first, like a man waking from a dream too strange to fully understand. And then, slowly, they curled around her, drawing her closer, pulling her into the shelter of his arms.
Her breath hitched as his voice, rough and hoarse, broke the silence. "You... still care about me haina?" he whispered, his words thick with exhaustion but laced with something far deeper ... a quiet wonder, an acceptance of the very thing she had tried so hard to deny.
She lifted her head, her tear-streaked face meeting his eyes. They were bloodshot, but the familiar intensity still burned within them, the depth of his gaze never faltering even through the haze of pain.
“I never stopped caring...” she murmured, her voice trembling. “I just… I tried to forget. I thought I had to.”
He lifted a hand, his fingers brushing the tears that clung to her cheeks, the touch so gentle, so careful, as though she might break under the weight of his affection. “You’re here now...” he said, his voice a rasping whisper, “and that’s all that matters to me dear”
She shook her head, her forehead resting against his as her breath mingled with his. “I was so angry with you... and with myself. I thought I could move on, that I could let go of everything we built... but I couldn’t...” Her voice faltered, a sob caught in her throat. “I was scared. Scared that if I let myself love you again, I’d lose you...”
His fingers threaded through her hair, his touch grounding her, a silent promise in the way he held her. “You’ll never lose me...” The words, simple but profound, were a balm to the raw edges of her heart. "I’ve always been here. And I always will be."
She lifted her head slowly, meeting his gaze with a newfound clarity. The storm of their past ... the misunderstandings, the distance, the mistakes ... it all seemed so insignificant now, like leaves scattered in the wind. All that mattered was the stillness between them, the quiet space where their love remained untouched by time.
“I thought ... it was over” she whispered, her voice barely above a breath. “But I was wrong. I’m here, and I always will be. With you.”
His smile was slow, almost painful in its tenderness. “I know.” His voice was filled with awe, as if he, too, had been waiting for this moment .... for her, for them, to return to what they had never really lost.
And in that fragile, sacred silence, their hearts beat together, slowly, steadily. There were no more barriers between them. There were no more apologies left unsaid, no more questions left unanswered.
There was only love.
Love, not as an afterthought or a dream to chase, but as the steady foundation of everything they had been, and everything they would become.
And when he pulled her back down, his lips brushing against her forehead in a tender, almost reverent kiss, she realized that the storm inside her had finally stilled. All the broken pieces, all the moments of doubt and fear, had led her back to this - to HIM.
“I love you...” she whispered against his chest, her voice steady now, her heart free.
“I love you, too...” he murmured back.
In the stillness of the room, where time dared not move, they found themselves woven together once more ... not in the echoes of the past, but in the quiet promise of NOW.
Her head rested against his chest, and the world outside, with its noise and chaos, fell away. The only sound that mattered was the steady, rhythmic thrum of his heartbeat, like a lullaby that had always been hers to hear, hers to understand
In his arms, she realized that love was not a fire that consumed, nor a storm that swept you away. Love was a quiet river, carving its path through mountains, reshaping worlds not with force, but with patience.
And as the moonlight spilled through the window, casting soft shadows upon their faces, she whispered, as though confessing a secret only the universe could hear “We are forever!!!”
He didn’t answer with words, for none were needed. Instead, he pressed his lips to her hair, a silent vow, a promise spoken in the language of the heart.
And so, in the tender embrace of the night, amidst the whispers of the wind, they sealed their vows once more ... not in ink, not in ceremony, but in the simple truth of two souls, unbroken, entwined forever.
The end was but another beginning.
Hope you all enjoy
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