𝙊𝙗𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚

Chapter 3 - Hurt

❝Ve main saare dukh sehna,
tainu nahi dassna.

o lagiyaan ishq di baajiyan
jeetiyaan na haariyaan
jaan se lag gayeen
jaan ki yaariyaan❞

5 years back (from present)
1 year later (from the previous chapter)

Shruti's Pov

I was already running late for college when Maa called me to the puja room. I hurried towards it, anxious about the time. Upon reaching, Maa asked, "Can you bring me some things from the market when you come back from college?" I nodded with a quick "Yes" and paused for a brief prayer. She gives me a list.

As I was leaving, Maa stopped me with another question, "How is Tiara?" I smiled at the mention of my best friend and replied, "She's good. She's moving to her new apartment soon." Maa smiled and said, "That's great. Now, can you go by yourself, or should I call Baba or Dhruv? Or Aarav can drop you."

My smile faded at the mention of that traitor. I quickly responded, "No, I can go by myself. Bye!" I rushed towards the exit and waited for my cab. Ever since my elder brother Akshit left for London, everyone has been overly concerned about my ability to manage on my own. I love them all, but sometimes their worry is frustrating. My cab arrived, and I finally headed to college.

Upon reaching college, I immediately started looking for my best friend, Tiara sharma. It's still surprising to me how close we've become in such a short time. We met online through our sisters, and over time, our bond grew stronger. Eventually, we even decided to try to get into the same college-and luckily, we did. I still remember how my brother used to warn me about getting too close to an online friend, but look at us now.

I never really thought much about having a best friend, someone who truly understands me and helps me see things more clearly. Tiara has had her own share of rough days, and my trust and respect for her have only grown because of that. I spotted her in the distance, wearing a yellow short kurti with black jeans. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she was engrossed in a book, as usual. Probably a new mystery thriller.

I walked towards her, and she looked up with a smile. She's mostly an uptight and introverted person, a total opposite to me. When I reached her, she said, "You look great in this. Lavender is your color, Shri." I was wearing a lavender short kurti with beautiful designs, something I'm obsessed with. I laughed and replied, "You look beautiful too. And yes, I absolutely love this. Plus, I have a date with Abhi this evening, so I thought I'd wear it."

She nodded in understanding. Abhishek Mishra, or Abhi, is my boyfriend. We've been together since high school-friends turned lovers-and I love him, or at least I think I do. Tiara took my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts, and we started walking towards the building. We chatted a bit with each other and caught up with our other friends before heading to our classes.

⋆.˚✮🎧✮˚.⋆

During the break, we all gather around the sitting area to chat and gossip a little. Tiara, as usual, is nonchalant about going out during the break, but honestly, I'm not too keen on it either. Still, I suggest we head to a pani puri stall, and everyone agrees. We gather around the stall, enjoying the treat and our conversation, when suddenly my phone rings. It's Bhai. I excuse myself and pick up the call.