ʜᴇᴀʀᴛʙᴇᴀᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴀʟʟᴡᴀʏꜱ

.Disconnect༊˚

AUTHOR'S POV:

Avni's father said, "Good then. We will take five days off, and you two will join us. Let's go out and enjoy some family time together."

Avni replied, "Sounds good!"

Her father added, "Alright, let's get going then. You two pack your bags, and I'll book a place asap."

Her mother suggested, "How about we head to the mountains? Somewhere peaceful and far from any network?"

Avni smiled. "That sounds perfect."

Her father nodded. "Okay then, it's settled."

Excitement built as Avni and her mother hurriedly packed their luggage. Everything happened so quickly that Avni didn't even realize she had forgotten her phone and neglected to inform her friends or teachers about the trip.

With their bags loaded into the car, they set off for their destination-a quiet escape in the mountains.

Meanwhile, at school, Ishan stood at the gate, waiting for Avni to arrive, but she never showed up. After a long wait, he reluctantly headed inside the classroom.

As soon as the first class ended, Nidhi approached him, concern etched on her face. "Where's Avni? She didn't come today. Did she say anything to you?"

Ishan shook his head. "No, she didn't."

Nidhi furrowed her brows. "That's strange. I messaged her yesterday, but she didn't reply. When I called, her phone was switched off."

Ishan's eyes widened slightly. "Switched off?"

Nidhi nodded. "Yes. Don't tell me you two had a fight or something. Did something happen between you two?"

Ishan hesitated. "No... but..."

"But what?" Nidhi pressed.

Ishan sighed. "I kind of... indirectly confessed my feelings to her yesterday."

Nidhi's eyes lit up, and she nearly shouted, "What? And you didn't tell us? That's huge! What did she say? I knew you two were meant to be together!"

Ishan rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy. "I don't even know if she realized what I was saying... She didn't really respond."

Nidhi frowned. "Wait, are you saying she's not coming because of that?"

"I don't know," Ishan admitted, running a hand through his hair.

Nidhi thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Avni's not the type of girl to avoid something like that. There must be another reason."

"I know," Ishan said quietly. His mind drifted back to Avni's family situation. He wanted to ask her if things had improved, but now her phone was switched off, and he had no way to reach her.

Nidhi chimed in, trying to ease the tension. "Maybe she's just sick. It rained a lot yesterday-maybe she caught a cold."

"Maybe," Ishan muttered, though he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that something bigger was going on.

As the day passed, Ishan found it harder to focus on his classes. His mind kept drifting back to Avni. The worry gnawed at him, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

After the final bell rang, he gathered his belongings and headed for basketball practice, hoping to find some peace. But his thoughts were still too loud. Pulling out his phone once more, he tried calling Avni again, but her phone was still off.

He sighed and put his phone away, taking a shot at the basket, which missed. Nidhi and Aaron approached him.

Nidhi spoke up first. "Still no news?"