𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞: 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖘𝖘𝖎𝖔𝖓

✦|46

I couldn't wait anymore for you all to read this chap, So here it goes!

Vencie POV:

As Harsh entered the living room, he heard Aarohi shouting, "I don't care what you say, Ajju! I will never let anyone hurt you! I will protect you no matter what, even if I have to face the devil himself!"

He sighed deeply as he watched her run upstairs to her room, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

Arjun's face remained expressionless, a mask of cold fury and hurt. Harsh stood there, torn between his loyalty to his friend and his unspoken feelings for Aarohi.

How could he explain the conflict inside him? He had no answers, not for Arjun, not for Aravindh, and not even for himself.

"Harsh, why did you let her?" he heard Aravindh ask, his voice tinged with disappointment.

Harsh swallowed hard, guilt gnawing at him. What could he say? That he would do anything she asked because seeing her happy was the only thing that mattered to him?

That he was willing to stand by her side, even if it meant risking his own life?

He had no answer that could justify his actions without exposing his deepest secrets.

For years, Harsh had loved Aarohi. It wasn't a love that could be easily dismissed or forgotten; it was a love that had settled deep in his bones, a quiet, consuming fire that burned within him.

He loved her laughter, her fierce loyalty, the way she looked at Arjun with stars in her eyes. He loved her so much that he'd gladly stay in her shadow, watching her love someone else, because that was enough for him.

But every smile she gave to Arjun was a dagger in his own heart, a reminder that he could never be the one to hold her, to comfort her, to be her world. He had come to terms with it, or so he thought.

He had told himself that being her best friend, her confidant, was enough.

But standing here now, seeing the pain in Arjun's eyes and the desperation in Aarohi's voice, he realized that his heart was far from accepting it.

He felt a lump in his throat, a weight in his chest that made it hard to breathe. "Chachu, I am sorry," he said softly, his voice breaking. Aravindh looked at him, his stern expression softening.

He couldn't stay mad at Harsh. He knew the boy's heart, knew that he was caught in a battle he never chose.

Harsh had always been a loyal friend, a protective brother figure to Aarohi. But asking him to stand aside, to be the guard to a love that was never his, was perhaps too much.

Arjun dragged Harsh to the garden, his eyes blazing with a mix of betrayal and hurt. "I fucking trusted you with her, Harsh!" he yelled, his voice breaking.

Harsh gave him a sad smile, his own heart breaking under the weight of Arjun's words. He felt like crying, like screaming, but instead, he just said, "Bhai, I am going abroad tomorrow."

Arjun froze, his world tilting on its axis. He knew Harsh wasn't at fault. He knew this poor boy would torment himself for something that wasn't his doing. And now, Arjun regretted scolding him.

He had seen the look on Harsh's face, the one that said he was serious, dead serious. Harsh was calling him Bhai, a term he only used when he was resolute, when he was making a decision that couldn't be undone.

"Harsh, I'm sorry," Arjun whispered, his anger dissipating into guilt and sorrow.

Harsh shook his head, a small, bittersweet smile tugging at his lips as he led Arjun toward the small pond in the garden.