BRIDGING HEARTS

{16}

AUTHOR'S POV

As Vihaan was leaving his study, he couldn't help but think about jeia and why she had been crying. His feet carried him, almost unconsciously, toward her room. Standing there, he heard the sound of sobs coming from within. She was crying.

He found himself debating whether he should knock or not. In the end, he slowly backed away, deciding to give her space.

AARAV'S POV

But what did I do?" I asked, bewildered.

Saniya dragged me into the classroom. The students were all staring at their phones, whispering and passing comments. She pulled her phone from her pocket and shoved it in my face.

"EXPLAIN THIS," she demanded.

The message read, "Hahahahaha, look at this ugly hippo. FYI, she is still ugly. Eww 🤮🤢." It was sent from my number and accompanied by the childhood picture of Jeia that I had with 'ugly bitch' written on it

I quickly pulled out my own phone and saw that the message had indeed been sent from my account. In a panic, I deleted it.

"Ab delete karne se kuch nahi badalne wala,"Saniya said,her disappointment and anger cutting through me. "The whole class has seen it. I never thought you'd stoop so low."
(Deleting it won't change anything.)

"I swear, Saniya, this isn't me. Someone must have hacked my number or something. Maine nahi bheja ye," I pleaded.
(I didn't send this)

"Save it, Aarav," she said coldly. "You messed up. Your hatred for Jeia has turned you into a cruel person. Are you even aware that she was bullied in school? She faced relentless body shaming back then. After all these years, she finally managed to put it behind and Live her life. But now, here we are, you reopening those old wounds and hurting her all over again." She walked away, leaving me standing there, struggling with how to prove my innocence and repair the damage done.

AUTHOR'S POV

He swiftly stepped forward into the classroom and shouted, demanding, "I want every single one of you to delete that damn picture right now. If I find anyone still has it on their phone or is making fun of Jeia, there will be serious consequences." His voice carried a growl of authority and determination, leaving no room for doubt about the gravity of his warning.

He quickly sprinted out of the classroom, brushing past the professor who was just entering. Without wasting a moment, he made his way to his bike, started the engine, and sped off.

Upon reaching home, he wasted no time and rushed towards Jeia's room.

Her sobs echoed.

"Jeia, darwaza kholo," aarav said, knocking gently at first.
(Jeia opened the door)

No response

"Open the door, damn it!" He yelled.

"Jeia, please, let me explain," he pleaded, his voice softening, hoping she would open the door and hear him out

Soon he heard footsteps approaching, and the door opened. Revealing jeia, her face was stained with tears' marks, and her eyes were swollen.

"Jeia, please listen to me," he pleaded again, looking down at her.

"Ab kehne ko kuch bacha hai? I never knew you hated me that much," she said, her eyes weary.
(Is there anything left to say now?)

"Please, Jeia, for God's sake, I don't hate you. And about that picture, I didn't-" he began speaking but was interrupted by her.

"Kya farak padta hai? Tumhe jo karna tha wo tumne kiya. So now leave me alone," she yelled trying her best to not cry.
(What difference does it make? You've done what you had to do)

Just as she was about to close the door, aarav held her hand,drawing her towards him. "Not so easily, Jeia. Listen to me first," he demanded and stared in her eyes silently pleading for her to listen

She looked up into his eyes and yanked her hand from his grip,stepping back.

"Go to hell, Singhania," she spat, staring dead into aarav's eyes, and shut the door in his face.

Aarav stood there, battling with the thought of how to prove my innocence to her. He went away

JEIA'S POV

I shut the door as I couldn't stand to see Aarav anymore. It hurt so much-I promised myself I wouldn't cry over my past, but here I was, a mess of tears again.

My phone lit up with Saniya's name calling, but I didn't want to talk to anyone.

I sat on the floor, replaying everything that happened today. I felt so pathetic, so miserable. I hated feeling this way.This self-loathing consumed me.

Eventually exhaustion overcame me, pulling me into a restless sleep.

In the evening..

I woke up to a gentle knock on the door, realizing I had slept on the floor. Feeling tired, I walked over and opened it.

There stood Grandma. "Jeia beta kya hua tujhe?",She asked, cupping my face. "I went to the temple and when I came back, the servant said you had come home early from college. I knocked on your door several times, but you were asleep. Are you ill?" Her concern was evident.
(Jeia beta what happened to you?)

I hugged her tightly, finding comfort in her embrace. Tears threatened to fall, but I held them back.

After a moment, I broke the hug.

Kuch hua hai kya beta ? She asked me
(Has anything happened dear?)

"Kuch nahi dadi wo bas tabiyat kharab hogayi thi.", I said, not wanting her to worry.
(Nothing's wrong, grandma. Just feeling a bit under the weather)

She touched my forehead. "Thank God you don't have a fever."

"Okay beta, now go freshen up. It's already past evening, and dinner is ready," she said kindly.

I nodded and closed the door behind her. Checking the clock, I saw it was 8 PM-I'd slept almost the whole day.

Saniya had left 49 missed calls. "She must be really worried," I thought, deciding to call her back to let her know I was okay.

To be continued

Is aarav saying the truth??

If not aarav then who pulled such stunt??

Will jeia hear his plea?