RUNNER UP entry ( individual) for PyarkaTropeFest (entry #1)
Trope: Friends to lovers
Setting: Road-trip
Pairing: Major Vihaan Shergill from Uri x Sehmat Khan from Raazi
graphicer: oh_nakhrewaali
Shadows and Stars
The highway stretched ahead, endless and uncertain, much like the roads they had walked in life. Major Vihan Shergill glanced sideways at the woman beside him. Sehmat Khan sat quietly, her gaze fixed on the passing fields, her fingers tapping a silent rhythm against her knee.
They had been in each other’s orbits for years, both walking the fine line between duty and personal sacrifice. Vihan had always admired her resilience, the way she carried her past with silent grace. Sehmat, in turn, had always found solace in his steady presence, in the way he never asked her for more than she could give. Their friendship never crossed the threshold, because of duty, war and life.
The sky was painted in hues of purple and orange, a masterpiece unfolding before their eyes as the sun dipped below the horizon. The colors bled into each other, casting a soft glow on everything they touched. Sehmat leaned back against the seat, exhaling slowly as she took in the sight.
"It’s beautiful," she murmured, almost as if speaking too loudly would break the spell.
Vihan glanced at her before turning his gaze back to the sky. "Yeah… when was the last time we actually watched a sunset?"
She frowned slightly, thinking. "I don’t know. Feels like a lifetime ago. We’re always moving, always chasing something… we forget to look."
Vihan tapped the steering wheel thoughtfully. "Strange, isn’t it? We’ve seen places most people only read about, and yet, something as simple as this feels like a luxury."
Sehmat smiled faintly. "Maybe because war has a way of making you forget beauty exists."
The road stretched ahead of them, long and winding, cutting through vast fields of golden wheat and stretches of dense forest. The air smelled of earth, rain, and the faint traces of gasoline. A logistical mix-up had left them with no choice but to drive themselves back from their last debriefing.
She glanced at Vihan from the passenger seat, his profile illuminated by the last golden remnants of daylight. The sharp lines of his face, the furrow of his brows—he was always thinking, always calculating. Major Vihan Shergill, the man who had saved her life more than once, and the only person who truly understood what it meant to live in the shadows of war.
"I can take over, you know?" she offered.
"You? Driving?" Vihan smirked. "Last time you tried, you nearly drove us into a ditch."
Sehmat huffed. "That was a tactical maneuver."
"That was near-death experience."
She laughed, and for a brief moment, the weight they carried—the ghosts of the missions, the faces they had left behind—felt lighter.
They had met in the middle of chaos, two warriors molded by war, by duty, by the unrelenting demand of sacrifice. They had been deployed together once, years ago, and had watched each other bleed, fight, and endure. Their paths diverged, different operations, different wars, but somehow, the universe kept bringing them back to each other.
As the hours passed, the conversation drifted into memory-laden territory.
"Do you think it ever gets easier?" Sehmat mused, watching the stars begin to flicker into existence.
Vihan exhaled. "No. We just get used to the weight. We carry it differently. But it never really leaves."
Darkness descended, and with it, a cool breeze swept through the open windows. Somewhere along the way, they pulled over near a quiet clearing, stretching their legs, their weary bodies sinking onto the cool grass. The sky above them was an ocean of inky black, speckled with silver stars.
They lay on their backs, shoulders barely brushing, their gazes fixed on the endless sky. The cool night air whispered through the trees, and the faint rustling of leaves filled the silence between them.
"Remember our first mission together?" Sehmat murmured.
Vihan chuckled. "How could I forget? You nearly got us both court-martialed when you went off script."
She rolled her eyes. "I saved your life. That intel would have been useless if you’d bled out."
He turned his head, smiling softly. "I know. That was the moment I knew I could trust you. Even when things went to hell, you never left my side."
Sehmat sighed, her gaze tracing the constellations. "I think about it sometimes. The things we’ve done, the people we’ve lost. Itfeels like the stars know our secrets, like they’ve watched us from the beginning."
Vihan followed her gaze. "Maybe they do. Maybe we leave something behind in every place we’ve fought, every night we’ve spent under thesky, wondering if we’d see another dawn."
She turned to him, something aching in her chest. "Do you regret it? Choosing this life?"
Vihan shook his head. "No. Because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you. And if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that meeting you made all of this worth it."
He hesitated before continuing, his voice quieter now. "But you know, our tomorrows are never certain, Sehmat. Any day, we could be shipped back in a box, or worse cannot even be identified."
Sehmat sucked in a sharp breath, the reality of his words settling in her chest like a heavy weight. "Don’t say that."
Vihan turned to her, his expression softening. "It’s the truth. But that’s why we can’t waste the time we do have. We don’t get forever, Sehmat, but we can make the moments count."
She swallowed hard, blinking back the sting of tears. "Then let’s not wait."
He reached for her hand, his fingers brushing against hers, hesitant at first, then firmer. "Then let’s live, Sehmat. No more waiting. No matter where the next mission takes us, we find a way back to eachother."
She squeezed his hand, her voice steady. "What do you think the future looks like for us?"
Vihan let out a small breath, considering. "Maybe one day, we stop running. We find a quiet place, somewhere far from war. Maybe you have that library, and I teach kids how to play cricket instead of handling a rifle."
Sehmat chuckled softly. "And we watch sunsets like this every day."
He smiled. "Yes. And we don’t forget to look."
Neither of them spoke for a while. The air between them was charged, their proximity no longer just comforting, but something deeper and inevitable.
Vihan swallowed. "Sehmat…"
She didn’t let him finish. Instead, she closed the distance, her lips brushing his in the faintest of touches. It was unhurried and slow, testing, as if they were both still trying to believe this was real.
When she pulled away, her hands still resting lightly on his chest, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
"We’re really doing this, aren’t we?" he murmured.
She nodded and smiled. "I think we always have been”, and turned to face him fully.
"Do you ever think about having a family?"
Vihan hesitated, then nodded. "Sometimes. It always seemed impossible, but… with you, it doesn’t. What about you?"
Sehmat sighed. "I never let myself think about it. But if I had to picture it, I’d want a home full of laughter, not whispers of war .A place where we wouldn’t have to wonder if we’d make it back."
Vihan squeezed her hand. "Then let’s make that happen. One day."
The night air carried the distant scent of wildflowers, and the stars above them burned bright, eternal, even in the vast darkness.
Vihan exhaled softly, then shifted closer. With deliberate slowness, he lifted a hand and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from Sehmat’s forehead. His touch was warm, steady—just like him. And then, with a tenderness she hadn’t known he was capable of, he leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.
Sehmat closed her eyes, letting the moment settle deep within her. It was a promise in itself, unspoken yet profound.
A promise of forever.
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approximately 1310 words
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