Authors Pov
The hospital corridor smelled of antiseptic and fear.
Ruhi burst through the sliding doors, her breath uneven, her hands trembling as her eyes frantically searched every face she passed. Panic clung to her like a second skin. Every second felt too slow, every step too heavy.
She spotted Riya standing near the reception desk.
Her face was pale, eyes swollen and red, as if she had been crying for hours.
“Bhabhi,” Ruhi called out, her voice cracking.
Riya turned instantly and hurried toward her, gripping Ruhi’s shoulders firmly, steadying her before she could collapse.
“He’s inside,” Riya said softly. “They’re treating him.”
Ruhi nodded, though the words barely registered.
Inside.
The word echoed painfully in her mind.
Aayansh was behind those walls.
And she hadn’t been there.
She hadn’t been there when he needed her.
“H.. how did this happen?” Ruhi asked shakily. “Is he hurt badly?”
Before Riya could answer, the door to the emergency room opened and the doctor stepped out.
Ruhi rushed forward, her questions spilling over one another.
“He’s okay, right? It’s nothing serious? He’ll be fine, won’t he?”
The doctor looked at both of them calmly.
“He’s stable,” he said. “You can go meet him.”
That was all Ruhi needed to hear.
She rushed past him without waiting for another word.
The doctor blinked, momentarily stunned, before turning to Riya.
“You really don’t need to worry,” he added. “Just a few stitches on his leg and some minor scratches on his head. He can go home today.”
He handed her the list of medicines.
Riya scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. “Thank you, doctor.”
Inside her mind, however, she was laughing.
She had exaggerated everything. Completely.
And as expected, Ruhi had come running.
Now just confess, Riya thought hopefully.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice the doctor still standing there until he cleared his throat.
“Everything alright?” he asked.
“Yes yes!” Riya replied quickly. “I’ll just… get the medicines and pay the bill.”
She rushed away, embarrassed but smiling to herself like a proud matchmaker.
The doctor watched her go, utterly confused.
Inside the room, everything felt too quiet.
Ruhi stood frozen just inside the doorway.
Her eyes locked onto the figure lying on the hospital bed.
Aayansh looked… normal.
Too normal for the terror that had driven her here.
A light bandage wrapped around his leg, a small strip of gauze near his temple but nothing like the horrifying images her mind had created on the way.
Her breath left her in a shaky exhale.
Alive.
Awake.
“Aayansh?” she whispered, barely trusting her voice.
He turned his head slowly, confusion flickering across his face then recognition.
“Ruhi?” he said, surprised. “What are you ”
Before he could finish, she crossed the room in three quick steps and hugged him.
Tightly.
So tightly that he froze for a second, completely caught off guard.
Her arms trembled around him. Her forehead pressed into his shoulder, fingers clutching his hospital gown as if letting go would make him disappear.
“You idiot,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Do you have any idea how scared I was?”
Aayansh blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, not questioning, not teasing. Just holding.
“Ruhi,” he said gently. “I’m okay.”
She pulled back just enough to look at him. Her eyes were red, lashes wet.
“Is this ‘okay’ to you?” she snapped, gesturing helplessly at the bandages. “Do you know how fast I drove here? Riya said” She stopped suddenly. “…She said you were badly hurt.”
“Badly?” Aayansh frowned.
Before he could ask more, Ruhi let out a shaky laugh that sounded dangerously close to a sob.
“She exaggerated,” Ruhi muttered, angrily wiping her tears. “She terrified me.”
Aayansh stared at her.
Terrified her.
“You came… because you were scared?” he asked carefully.
She went quiet.
Too quiet.
Her gaze dropped to his hands, to the steady rise and fall of his chest. All the fear, jealousy, and unsaid words crashed into her now that the danger had passed.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I was scared.”
Of losing him.
Aayansh’s expression softened completely.
Ignoring the twinge in his leg, he shifted closer and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“You didn’t have to run like that,” he said warmly. “I told you I’m not going anywhere.”
Her lips trembled.
“That’s the problem,” she whispered. “You keep saying that… and I keep pretending I don’t care.”
Silence filled the room again but this time, it was fragile, not heavy.
“I saw the pictures,” she confessed suddenly. “With that actress. Everyone was talking about it. I even read the comments people were telling you look good together And I thought… maybe you were moving on.”
Aayansh froze then laughed softly in disbelief.
“Ruhi,” he said gently, “she’s just a colleague. We attended an event together.” and about those comments i dont care about what people say. I know what my heart wants.
“Really?” she asked quickly.
“Really,” he assured her. “And even if she wasn’t…” He paused. “I wouldn’t move on without knowing where we stand.”
Her breath hitched.
“And where do we stand?” she asked softly.
He met her gaze, patient and steady.
“That,” he said quietly, “is something only you can answer.”
Tears filled her eyes again but this time, they weren’t from fear.
They were from the truth.
She hugged him tightly and finally said the words he had been waiting for.
She told him how she didn’t know when she started falling for him. How it was the little things his patience, his presence, the way he stayed when she was at her lowest. How he drove to her place in the middle of the night just because she had a nightmare.
“Thank you for being there,” she sobbed. “Thank you for waiting.”
Aayansh’s eyes filled with tears too.
“I like you, Aayansh,” she whispered. “Will you give us a chance? Will you be my boyfriend?”
He was over the moon.
Tears slipped down his cheeks as he wiped hers gently.
“That’s not fair,” he said softly.
She looked at him, confused. “Why? You don’t want to”
He flicked her nose gently. “My stupid Ruuh. I’m very happy. I just wanted to be the one to ask you.”
“You stole my lines.”
She stared at him. “Seriously?”
He nodded, pouting like someone whose chocolate had been stolen.
They both laughed.
He pulled her into his arms, and for a moment, the world felt perfectly still.
Outside the room, Riya paused, watching quietly.
One look at Ruhi and Aayansh closer, softer, undeniably together and she smiled.
Mission successful.
Aayansh glanced up and caught her standing there with a smug expression. He mouthed a silent thank you.
Riya winked, flipped her hair dramatically, and walked away, giving the new couple the space they deserved.
Some accidents, it seemed, happened for all the right reasons.
A soft knock interrupted them.
“Excuse me,” a nurse said gently.. We’ll need to complete the discharge paperwork.”
Ruhi startled, suddenly aware of how close she was sitting.
“Sorry,” she murmured.
The nurse smiled knowingly. “He’s all set. You can take him home after the formalities.”
After she left, Ruhi turned to Aayansh. “Can you stand?” she asked, already reaching for him.
“Wow,” he teased. “I just became your responsibility?”
“Don’t test me,” she said firmly. “You’re injured.”
“Barely,” he laughed.
Riya returned with the medicines and file, clapping lightly. “All done. He’s free to go.”
Ruhi looked at Riya and said you lied to me. Why did you do that? Do you know what kind of thoughts were coming into my mind?
Then she checked her phone dramatically.
Riya ignored what Ruhi said and spoke innocently, whispering
“Oh! Something urgent came up. I need to leave right now.”
“Right now?” Ruhi frowned.
“Yes. So… you take him home,” “Take care of him,” before disappearing.
“That was suspicious,” Aayansh said.
“She planned this,” Ruhi sighed.
“But you’re not complaining.”
She smiled. “Come on.”
Outside, the evening air was cool.
Ruhi walked beside him, one arm firmly around his waist.
“I can walk,” he protested.
“No,” she said. “You don’t get opinions today.”
He chuckled.
At the car, she buckled his seatbelt carefully.
“You’re very serious about this,” he said.
“I almost lost you,” she replied softly. “Let me.”
“Okay.” he replied softly
The drive was calm. Comfortable.
At a signal, he caught her smiling.
“What?” she asked.
“You look happier.”
“So do you,” she replied.
And for the first time, the future didn’t feel uncertain at all.
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