What after That?

Ch 95.

The camp had finally fallen quiet.

Beyond the thin canvas of the tent, the sound of the river mixed with the occasional crackle of the dying campfire. The fairy lights from Simran's tent glowed faintly outside, making the whole campsite feel strangely peaceful.

Inside their tent, Mayank and Abhi lay side by side in their sleeping bags.

After a long silence, Abhi spoke.

"Ab poochh sakta hoon?"

Mayank looked at him.

"Kya?"

"Ishman wali bhasad to sort ho gayi..."

"...ab mera answer?"

Mayank sighed knowingly. "Tereko jawab mil bhi gaya hai."

" haan par.. "

Abhi smiled sheepishly.

"uss time situation alag thi. Ab dobara bol de."

Mayank stared at the tent ceiling for a few seconds before replying with a perfectly serious face,

"Nahi jaunga tere saath date pe."

Abhi immediately sat halfway up. "Hein ji? Kyun?"

Mayank calmly plugged his phone into the power bank.

"Ek aur trip ke alawa..."

"...kahin bhi nahi jaunga."

For a second...

Abhi simply blinked. Then the meaning finally reached him.

A grin spread across his face so quickly that he couldn't hide it.

"Achha..."

Mayank chuckled as Abhi scooted closer on instinct.

Without thinking much, he slipped an arm around Abhi, pulling him comfortably against himself not to hurt his leg.

Outside, the mountains stood silent.

Inside, neither of them seemed to be in any hurry to speak. Mayank looked at him for a long moment before smiling softly.

"Mujhe nahi pata tha..."

"...ki meri love marriage hone ke chances bhi hain."

Abhi's eyes curved into crescents.

"Try karke dekh le. Kya pata... love ho hi jaaye."

Mayank shook his head gently.

"Thoda to ho gaya hai."

The distance between them disappeared naturally. The kiss was slow, almost shy, lasting only a few heartbeats.

It felt like a quiet promise—that after all the running, hiding, and chaos, they could finally pause. When they pulled away, both of them were smiling without realizing it.

Abhi laughed first.

"Lagta hai... trip successful hone wali hai."

Mayank rested his forehead lightly against his and smiled.

"Abhi bhi hone wali hai..?"

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Ishan and Shubman's tent was... surprisingly normal.

Both of them were sitting in their sleeping bags, talking in low voices about the day, the photos they had taken, and how Rahul had nearly fallen off a rock while trying to pose dramatically.

Ishan was laughing softly at something Shubman had said, and Shubman was smiling in that quiet, easy way he always did when he was with him.

The conversation was relaxed.