𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐇 : ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴄʜᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ʟᴏᴠᴇ

4. SHATTERED TRUST !

Just as Anya was about to start the car, two familiar voices rang out from behind.

“STOP! STOP, GUYS!”

*ROOH's POV*

I glanced at the side mirror, my heart pounding as I recognized the voices. It was Rahul and Vihaan. My chest tightened, and for a second, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Seeing his face again… it felt like the ground had shifted beneath me.

Anya noticed the shift in my expression immediately. Without a word, she understood what was running through my mind. Calmly, she pressed down on the accelerator, easing the car forward, pretending we hadn’t heard them. We drove away in silence, leaving the past in the rearview mirror. Neither of us talked about it.

"Ruhi, where do you want to go? Today’s your day, so it’s all up to you," Anya said, flashing me a warm smile.

I tried to shake off the lingering thoughts of him, but they clung to me. "I don’t know, girl. Anywhere you choose, I’ll follow," I replied, my voice distant.

Sensing my distraction, Anya suggested, "How about we hit the mall? Do some shopping, grab some food after? How does that sound?"

A small smile tugged at my lips. "That sounds perfect," I said.

RAHUL'S POV:

What was wrong with these girls? Didn’t they hear us? Confusion clouded my mind as I watched them drive away, completely oblivious to our voices.

“Maybe they didn’t hear us,” Vihaan said softly.

“Maybe... or maybe not,” I muttered. Deep down, I knew they had heard us, but I couldn’t understand why they didn’t stop the car. Still, I brushed it off, not wanting to overthink it.

“Come on, let’s take our car and head to the mall, Rahul. I need to do some shopping,” Vihaan suggested.

As he spoke, I was about to call Inu, my phone already in hand. But I dropped the idea and decided to go with Vihaan instead.

ROOH'S POV:

“You told me we were going shopping. So, why are we headed to this park?” I asked Anu, surprised, as she steered the car toward the nearest park. Her response was nothing but silence.

“Come on, Ruhi, let’s go grab some ice cream,” Anya said cheerfully, breaking the quiet, though I was still confused. Reluctantly, I got out of the car and settled on a bench while Anu went to buy us ice cream.

Even as I sat there, my mind was elsewhere—drenched in thoughts of Rahul. His words echoed in my head: "Inu, you're my best friend... my bestest friend."The memory brought a warmth to my heart, yet a lingering ache followed.

“Rooh! Come sit over here!” Anu’s voice snapped me back to reality. She was waving me over to another bench.

“Here you go, girl, your favorite—chocolate flavor,” she said with a grin. I was already licking the ice cream before she even finished her sentence.

“Thanks, kiddo,” I said, smiling, though my mind was still a whirl of emotions..

"I’ve done a little digging into your love life," Anu said suddenly, her voice slicing through the quiet, catching me completely off guard.

I blinked, startled. "What?"

She leaned closer, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of sharing a secret. "It’s about Rahul. He had a crush on Shreya when she first transferred to our school. You know, the new girl with the designer clothes and perfect hair? Maybe it was that, or just her whole vibe, but he was really into her. He even proposed to her after a few months."