You Complete Me

#30: the surprise he prepared

"In the depths of our past, lies a tale untold, where their hearts once dared to unfold,
amidst the shadows of regret,
they stand,
wondering if love's lost dream could still find its hand."

__________☆__________☆_________☆_______

Aarohi hardly slept that night, thinking, "Why is this happening in my life? Why is Rudra here at this camp with me? Why are all these
problems being created in my life?"

As the sun began to rise, she woke up and looked around, seeing that Jiya was still sleeping. She got out of bed and looked out the window, taking in the beautiful view of the sunrise. She decided to take a walk around.

She walked out of the cottage and started down the road. After walking for about 10 minutes, she reached a point where many people had gathered. It was the end of the road, marked by a railing with a sign warning not to go beyond that point.

After a while, Aarohi noticed that Rudra was also there with some of his friends. She thought, since they were athletes, they must have come for a morning walk or jog. Trying to avoid being seen, she moved to the opposite side and stood by the railing, looking at the sunrise.

Then she heard a voice she could recognize among a million others. It was Rudra. He said, "Do you really think I couldn't recognize you "mai tumhe hazaaron ki bheed mai bhi ek pal mai pahchaan skta hu "

She turned around and saw him standing there, smiling. She didn't reply and turned back towards the sunrise. Rudra came and stood beside her. "Isn't it beautiful?" he asked.

"Huh," Aarohi replied.

"So, you're here for the camp?" Rudra asked.

"What do you think?" Aarohi responded.

"I think yes," Rudra said. "So, how are you doing?"

Fine," Aarohi answered.

Rudra was expecting her to ask the same question back, but she didn't. So he added, "I am doing fine too, just for your info."

Aarohi ignored him and tried to walk away. Rudra held her hand and said, "Where are you going?"

"Leave my hand," Aarohi demanded.

Rudra said, "Can you see the sunrise? It's the start of a new day. Lets also  mark it as a beginning of us."

Aarohi didn't understand what he meant. She just pulled her hand away and walked off.

After she left, one of Rudra's friends, Vicky, who was also a cricketer like Rudra, called out, "Who was she?"

Rudra replied, "Just someone from my past."

Another friend, Aman, who had noticed Aarohi the previous night at dinner, said, "Isn't she the one from last night when the plate fell off the table?"

Vicky added, "Oh yes, now I recognize her. She's the one whose plate fell."

Aman commented, "Isn't she beautiful?"

Rudra looked at him and said, "Just keep your eyes away from her, okay?"

Aman laughed, "Okay bro, why are you taking it so personally? Let's go."

And with that, they left.

✨️

Aarohi came back to her room just as Jiya was waking up. Aarohi looked visibly irritated. Jiya asked, "What happened? Where have you been?"

"I just went for a walk, and I met Rudra there. I don't know what he was talking about. He just irritates me a lot. I really don't know what he wants from me. I mean, how could he talk to me?" Aarohi replied, clearly frustrated.