WHEN FATE TOOK THE WHEEL

Chapter: "The Stories I Never Told"

The rain gently drummed against the windows, its rhythm soft yet constant. The evening light had dimmed, casting a cozy glow across the room, but something heavy lingered in the air between Naina and Arjun. Naina sat beside him on the bed, her sketchpad forgotten in her lap as she watched him. Arjun was unusually quiet, his gaze distant as he lay back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling.

"Arjun?" Naina asked softly, her brow furrowing in concern. She shifted closer, her hand instinctively reaching for his. "What's going on? You've been in your head all evening."

He sighed deeply, his chest rising and falling with the weight of unspoken thoughts. "It's just...I don't talk about this often," he started, his voice low, almost hesitant. "I guess tonight it all came rushing back."

Naina squeezed his hand, urging him to continue without saying a word.

"I think about where I was a few years ago," he said quietly, his voice tinged with a vulnerability she rarely heard. "You know some of it, but I never really told you everything."

Naina's eyes softened as she looked at him. "Tell me, Arjun. I want to know."

He glanced at her, and for a moment, he seemed to wrestle with his emotions. But then he let go, the words finally spilling out. "I had this idea in my head-graduate from college, get a good job, make my parents proud. It seemed so simple. But the reality was... much harder."

Naina stayed silent, her gaze steady, giving him the space he needed.

"I applied everywhere, Naina," he said, his voice breaking slightly. "I had a degree, I worked hard for it, but no one cared. It felt like no matter how much I tried, I wasn't good enough. Everywhere I turned, doors were closed."

He sat up, running a hand through his hair, frustration seeping into his tone. "I was losing hope. My parents-they kept asking when I'd find something, and I had to lie to them, telling them I was close to landing a job. But the truth was, I didn't even have an interview. I felt... useless."

Naina's heart clenched. She couldn't imagine how crushing that must've been for him. "Arjun... I'm so sorry you went through that," she whispered, her voice thick with empathy.

Arjun shook his head, his eyes clouded with old pain. "It was like this constant weight on my shoulders, and I couldn't shake it. I watched my friends move on, get jobs, start their lives, while I was stuck. I felt... small. Like I was failing at life. And then, when things got really bad, I took whatever work I could find."

He paused, his jaw tightening. "That's when I started driving the rickshaw. At first, I thought it would just be temporary, you know? Just something to get by. But weeks turned into months, and before I knew it, that became my reality. I'd drive people around the city, hoping no one from my past would see me. I was ashamed."

Naina's eyes brimmed with tears as she reached out to cup his face gently. "You shouldn't have been ashamed, Arjun. You did what you had to do. You survived."

"But it didn't feel like surviving," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I had dreams, Naina. Big ones. And instead, I was struggling just to make it through the day. My life... it felt like it was slipping away from me. Every time I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself."

Her thumb gently traced his cheek, her heart breaking for him. "Arjun, you're the strongest person I know. You've been through so much, and yet, here you are."

He smiled weakly, a mixture of gratitude and sorrow in his eyes. "It wasn't easy. Every day, I'd think about giving up. But then... then I met you."

Naina's breath caught in her throat, her hand stilling on his cheek. She saw the shift in his eyes-the way the darkness of his past gave way to something brighter, something softer.

"My life changed after meeting you, Naina," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, but the intensity in his words cut through the silence. "I don't know how to explain it, but everything that felt heavy suddenly seemed lighter. You brought hope back into my life. You made me believe in myself again."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she listened to him. She had always known she loved him deeply, but hearing how much she had meant to him, how much she had helped him heal-it was overwhelming.

"You have no idea what you did for me," he continued, his voice cracking with raw emotion. "When I was at my lowest, you were the light that pulled me out. You made me feel like I wasn't just a failure. You made me believe that maybe... just maybe, I was worth something."

A tear slipped down Naina's cheek, and she leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his, her breath shaky. "Arjun... you've always been worth everything. You were never a failure. You were just waiting for the right moment, for the world to see what I already knew-that you're extraordinary."

He closed his eyes, his hand gripping hers tightly as if holding on to her for strength. "I don't know how I got this lucky," he whispered, his voice fragile. "You've given me more than I ever thought I deserved."

"You deserve everything, Arjun," she whispered back, her voice filled with love. "And I'm here with you, through everything. We'll face it all together."

For a long moment, they sat there, holding each other in the dimly lit room, the sound of rain still tapping softly against the window. It was a moment of vulnerability, of unspoken pain and deep connection. Naina wrapped her arms around him, holding him close, as if to remind him that no matter what had come before, they were in this together now.

"Thank you," he murmured into her hair. "For everything. For believing in me when I couldn't."

She smiled softly against his skin. "I'll always believe in you, Arjun."

And in that moment, surrounded by the quiet rain and the warmth of each other's presence, everything felt right again.