They finally reached home. The car ride was silent. Though it was short, to Rudra it felt long and never-ending. He could sense Radika's dilemma, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her. He waited, believing she would open up when she was ready.
Inside the house, they went to their room without exchanging a word. There were no glances, no changes in expression. They lay down in silence.
Rudra felt uneasy. His mind filled with questions. What had happened? What was she thinking?
He eventually fell asleep, his thoughts still unanswered.
In the morning,
Radika wanted to be normal. But a strange feeling kept haunting her. She couldn't explain it. Her inner voice kept questioning her again and again.I didn't do anything wrong… then why am I feeling like this? What's wrong with me?
In the kitchen, Radika was completely absent-minded. The milk on the stove started running out of the vessel. Rudra's mother noticed it in time and turned off the stove.
She looked at Radika and asked softly, "Is everything okay, Radika?"
Radika flinched slightly. "I'm sorry, aunty. I'm fine. Everything is good," she said quickly and walked out of the kitchen.
They left for college soon after.
Inside the car, silence returned. The road passed by, but neither of them spoke. Rudra was deeply affected by her quietness. He couldn't bear seeing her this sad and confused, yet he stayed silent.
After dropping her, he sat there for a moment, gripping the steering wheel.
"No… I can't wait anymore," he said to himself."I'll ask her tonight. I need to know what happened."
At college,
Radika avoided her friends and Rohan. They tried to talk to her, but she ignored them.
"Don't talk to me," she said and walked away.
In the afternoon, Radika was sitting alone in the canteen, a cup of coffee in her hand. Sara and Hima approached her. Seeing them, Radhika stood up to leave, but both of them held her hand.
"Radika, please," Sara said."Listen to us once. Let us explain what happened, please."
Radika sat back down slowly."Okay," she said. "Tell me."
Hima spoke first."I'm sorry. I shouldn't have helped him without knowing your feelings. I already told him that you wouldn't love him, but he didn't listen. He asked us to help him set up the proposal. At first, we refused. But you know Sara… she is curious about everything, and she convinced me."
Sara immediately said,"I'm really sorry, Radhika."
Both of them looked at her and said together,"We are really sorry. Please forgive us."
Radhika said softly,"I'm not angry with you girls. I just felt lonely when you did that."
Hima said,"We will never do that again. We will never leave you alone or make you feel lonely."
Sara nodded, agreeing with Hima's words.
Radhika pulled both of them into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry, girls. I shouldn't hide the truth. I'm sorry,"she said to herself.
Rohan approached Radika, but she didn't stop. She avoided his eyes and walked past him as if she hadn't noticed. Sara stayed back while Radhika left.
Sara looked at Rohan and said softly, "I'm sorry, Rohan. We can't help you anymore. We can't make her unhappy."
Rohan nodded. "It's okay. And… I'm sorry for disturbing your friendship because of me."
Sara replied, "It's okay," and walked away.
That night,
At home,
In their room,
the silence felt heavier than usual. Rudra couldn't hold himself back anymore. He looked at her and finally spoke.
"I didn't mean to interfere in your privacy," he said calmly, "but what happened at the restaurant? You've been so sad and confused. I can't see you like this. What happened, Radika?"
Radika slowly looked up at him. Her eyes filled with tears, and she tried hard to hold them back. Rudra continued gently, "You know, right… I'll always be here to listen to you. Don't keep everything to yourself. You can tell me everything."
Her voice trembled as she spoke. "I don't know, sir. Rohan proposed to me. I never expected it. I always saw him only as a friend. That's not what hurt me the most," she paused, her tears slipping out. "It hurt because my friends helped him… even after knowing about me. I felt so lonely."
She lowered her head, unable to say anything more.
Rudra gently approached her. He patted her head softly, then sat beside her and held her hand."I'm here," he said in a calm voice. "Don't take these things into your heart. Focus on what you should focus on… your studies, your career. Don't let all this disturb your mind. You have interviews in a few days. Think about that, not them."
Radhika wiped her tears and nodded. "Yes, sir. You're right. I should focus on the interview."
Rudra gave a small nod. "Now go to sleep."
They lay down in silence, and the room slowly settled into the night.
Next morning…