Unexpected love

Ch 57- The Silence

"Karan, are you listening?"

"KARAN!"

Aditi called out to Karan, who remained lost in his thoughts, staring at her, not listening to a word she spoke, having her wave hands in front of his eyes, finally breaking through his trance. As her face, which had kept him captivated, became blurry, he was quickly snapped back to reality, causing him to finally avert his gaze blinking away, not meeting her face as he muttered absent-mindedly

"Ummmm, Sorry? What did you say again?"

"Never mind that. But is everything alright?"

Aditi asked, her concerned eyes searching his for an answer, which looked down momentarily trying to get rid of the relentless train of heavy-hearted thoughts running through his mind, each thought heavier than the last as the sadness inside seemed endless.

"Yeah, Everything's alright!", he replied, his voice sounding affirming but his eyes conveyed a different story, a melancholic spark flickering within them, despite his efforts to hide it with a half hearted smile having her ask almost immediately

"You sure? You seem to be looking at me quite a bit today, but you haven't spoken a single word. It makes me wonder if something's wrong"

Her words struck a chord within Karan's heart, awakening an ache as he realized how often he had been glancing at her today, each one a desperate attempt to capture her essence, to hold onto her presence a moment longer, a silent try to etch her image deep within his heart. The weight of his unspoken emotions pressed heavily on him, but he held back each controlling his heart, taking a deep breath before trying to look up at her, only to manage a nonchalant smile, once again falling for how beautiful she looked today, as the words escaped his lips

"Could it be because you're looking so beautiful today?" his voice mere whispers, veiling the turmoil within by a playful tone, yet his sincerity gleamed through his smile. Despite the ache in his heart, he couldn't help but capture in every detail of her beauty, etching them into his memory for the umpteenth time, as a genuine smile played on his face following her gaze which dropped immediately at his words, a blush rushing to her cheeks having her mutter shy not looing up to him

"STOP IT. Stop changing the topic"

Her words only bringing a wide smile on Karan's lips, who now grinned teasing

"Okay, then why are you smiling?"

"I'm not", she protested, trying to conceal her smile, only to let out a wider one at Karan whose own lips parted into a grin as he admired her beaming face, which was even more beautiful when she smiled, having him draw closer to her, leaning towards her seat whispering softly against her face

"You really look beautiful today"

The sincerity in his voice caused Aditi to lift her head slightly, meeting his gaze. His smile reached her heart,and when their eyes met, the words involuntarily escaped her lips

"You too."

Karan's eyes locked onto hers, his heart racing as her words replayed themselves over and over again in his mind. The look in her eyes revealed the emotions he had been yearning for, fueling a deep urge within him to finally open up his own heart and voice out his feelings.

A small smile began to spread across his face for a brief second before it quickly faded, replaced almost instantly by an emotionless facade, as the realization that he would be leaving her and everyone else in a month's time dawned heavily on him, bringing him back to the harsh reality of their imminent separation.

"Sorry," he whispered to himself in his mind, before pulling his gaze away, blinking back the tears on the verge of escaping his eyes. The abrupt change in his expression had Aditi pulling out of her trance, watching him with a perplexed look, not understanding what had just happened. But before she could ask, a voice from the front seats interrupted.