What after That?

Ch 79.

Shubman sat on the edge of the bench, his leg bouncing restlessly as if trying to shake off the heavy thoughts weighing him down.

Beside him were Gulati and Aarav, quietly watching him—worried, but unsure what to say. It had been two weeks.

Two full weeks since Ishan disappeared from his life. No calls. No texts. No closure.

Shubman chewed on his bottom lip, fingers twitching at the hem of his shirt.

“I just... I don’t know what else to do,” he finally muttered, breaking the silence. His voice cracked halfway.

Gulati placed a hand on his shoulder. “Shubman… maybe his family’s just being strict, you know how it is—”

“tu smajhta kyun nahi... Yahi to dikkat hai!!,” Shubman snapped, then immediately softened.

“Sorry.

But wo akela hai udhar..
Main nahi hoon uske paas..

Wo kitna bhi syrong banne ki koshish kare but he so soft for this world. Wo.. wo to kabhi kisi se unchiawaaz tak mrin baat nahi kartaapni family mein...

Pata nahi uski family ne use kya bola hoga..

.”

Aarav exchanged a glance with Gulati, then asked gently, “toh ab?”

Shubman looked down, jaw clenched. “ mujhe nahi pata ki main kya karun...”

He let out a bitter laugh. “kyunki na main uske paas ja sakta hoon na uske bina reh sakta hoon...”

They sat in silence for a while. The air between them heavy.

Aarav was lazily brushing his teeth in the dorm hallway when he froze mid-motion. His eyes widened as he blinked hard—was that really…?

“Ishan?” he whispered.

Yes. Walking slowly through the corridor, head bowed, shoulders stiff—there he was. But not alone. A stern-looking man walked beside him, gripping Ishan's wrist with a firmness that didn’t go unnoticed.

Without wasting another second, Aarav spat the foam out, wiped his mouth, and ran straight to Shubman’s room.

“Shubman bhai!” he banged on the door, panting. “Shubman bhai—open fast! He’s here. Ishan’s here!”

The door flung open. Shubman didn’t even wait for another word. He shot past Aarav and down the hallway, heart pounding, eyes scanning every corner. And then… he saw him.

Ishan.

Their eyes locked across the corridor—one pair red-rimmed and broken, the other stunned and breathless. Shubman stopped in his tracks, lips parted, hands trembling.

Ishan’s heart screamed. His soul wanted to rush forward, throw himself into Shubman’s arms, to feel safe again—finally, finally safe.

But his body stayed rooted. His brother’s fingers clenched tighter around his wrist, a silent warning: Don’t you dare.

Ishan bit back the sob clawing at his throat. His gaze trembled, but he didn’t move. Couldn’t.

Shubman saw it. All of it. The silent pain. The restrained scream. The way Ishan’s fingers twitched, aching to reach out. So did his own.

As the two passed each other, their hands brushed for a fleeting second—warm, familiar, aching with longing.

But neither of them turned.