Destiny: Time To Fall In Love

Chapter 31 - The Most Beautiful Chapter

The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by the hum of the engine and Aryan's shallow, shaky breathing. Veer kept his eyes fixed on the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles white.

"Think, Aryan," Veer spoke suddenly, his voice cutting through the tension. "Does she have any friends here? Colleagues? Someone she's close with where she might stay?"

Aryan stared out the window, the passing streetlights blurring into streaks of yellow. "We're new to this neighborhood," he whispered, the realization of how little he knew about her daily life hitting him like a physical blow. "I... I don't know many people she talks to."

Veer glanced at him, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes, before looking back at the road.

"Wait!" Aryan sat up straight, a spark of hope igniting in his chest. "There's Jiya. A colleague. She lives nearby, maybe she's there."

Without a word, Veer swerved the car, following Aryan's frantic directions. They reached the apartment complex in minutes. Aryan practically flew out of the car and pounded on the door. When Jiya opened it, her face was a mask of confusion.

"Hey, Jiya! What's up?" Aryan blurted out, his voice high and strained. "By any chance... is Aashi here?"

Jiya shook her head, her brow furrowing. "No, Aryan. Actually, I was about to call you. She hasn't been to the office in three days, and she isn't picking up her phone. Is everything okay? Where is she?"

Aryan felt the world tilt. She wasn't at work. She wasn't with her friends. He felt Veer's heavy gaze on the back of his neck.

"Yeah... she's fine," Aryan lied, a hollow, awkward smile stretching across his face. "I've been ill, and she's been nursing me. She just went out for groceries and took longer than expected... I got a little worried, that's all. Hehe."

Jiya laughed, oblivious to the storm. "Oh God, have some patience, lover boy! She'll be back soon."

She closed the door, and the "lover boy" felt his mask crumble. Back in the car, the hope was gone.

"Should we file a police complaint?" Veer asked, his voice low. "It's been three days. What if something bad—"

"NO!" Aryan shouted, cutting him off. He couldn't say the word accident. He couldn't think the word death. "Nothing is going to happen to her. I know my Aashi. She's a strong girl. She'll be okay."

Aryan turned to Veer, his eyes pleading, begging for a lie that he could believe. "She'll be alright... right?"

Veer reached out, patting Aryan's shoulder with a firm, steady hand. "She's a warrior, Aryan. Don't worry. We're going to find her. No matter what it takes."

The car was crossing the bridge over the river when the moonlight hitting the water triggered a memory in Aryan's mind. It was a fragment of a conversation from years ago, a small detail he had almost buried under his jealousy.

"I know," Aryan breathed, his voice suddenly steady. "I know exactly where she is."

Veer slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching as the car came to a sudden halt. He turned to Aryan, his eyes wide. "Where?"

"The beach," Aryan said, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "Whenever she was sad... whenever the world felt too heavy for her, she always went to the sea. She used to tell me that looking at the ocean made her feel calm. Like the water was absorbing all her negative emotions, pulling the pain out of her and dragging it into the depths."

A spark of genuine hope lit up Veer's face, and for the first time in three days, a small, involuntary smile appeared. "Okay. Tell me how to get there."