Maybe in next life

chapter 18

Mihir 🌻🌸

The college was silent, wrapped in the embrace of the evening, its usual chaos replaced by a deafening stillness. Everyone had left hours ago, but I stayed back. My feet were planted firmly outside her classroom, where she lay asleep, her head resting on the desk, exhausted.

Ruhi.

Her name felt like a prayer I didn’t deserve to utter, yet it consumed every corner of my mind. I had watched her break today—watched the spark in her eyes dim under the weight of everything she carried. And I stood helpless, unable to take any of it away.

I leaned against the wall, running a hand through my hair. All I wanted was to hold her, shield her from the world that seemed intent on breaking her. She didn’t deserve this—this constant battle, this loneliness.

The door creaked softly, and I straightened instantly.

She stepped out, her movements sluggish, her eyes half-closed from sleep. Her cheeks were stained with dried tears, her face pale, and her hair was an unkempt mess. She looked fragile, like a porcelain doll someone had carelessly tossed aside.

“Mihir?” she murmured, her voice soft and hoarse.

I pushed off the wall and straightened. “You’re awake.”

She blinked, her confusion evident. “Why are you here? Where is everyone?”

“They’ve gone home,” I replied, keeping my tone calm.

Her eyes widened in panic as she glanced at her watch. “What? It’s so late! I didn’t realize—”

She turned to run, but I reached out instinctively, wrapping my fingers around her wrist. “Ruhi, wait,” I said firmly.

She froze, looking back at me with startled eyes. “Mihir, I’m already late. I have to—”

“Stop,” I said, cutting her off. “You don’t need to rush. I’ll take you home.”

Her lips parted as if she wanted to argue, but something in my gaze must have stopped her. She nodded reluctantly, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

As she stepped toward me, her foot stumbled slightly, and I caught her arm to steady her. For a moment, she looked up at me, and something broke inside me wrapping my arms around her tightly. She gripped my shirt with trembling hands, burying her face in my chest as sobs wracked her body.

“M..ihir,” she choked out between gasps, her voice trembling with pain, “I can’t—I can’t do...this anymore. I hate my life. I h..h..hate____everything about it.”

Her words cut through me like a blade, sharp and unrelenting.

“No one...understands me!” she cried, her voice rising in desperation. “No one cares what....I want. Everyone just expects me to do what they say. I’m tired,..I’m....so tired.”

Her sobs grew louder, her breaths shallow and uneven.

“Ruhi,” I whispered, holding her tighter as if I could shield her from her own pain. “Breathe. Just breathe.”

“I can’t,” she whimpered, shaking her head against me. “I’m suffocating, Mihir. I feel like I’m drowning, and no one even notices.”

Her words shattered me.

“You deserve better than this,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “You deserve the world,And it kills me to see you like this.”

“No, I don’t,” she whispered, her fingers clutching me tighter. “I’m just... broken. I’m not enough for anyone. I’m not even enough for myself.”