ch 57 Its Burn
As soon as the door slammed shut behind Ashiana, silence filled the cabin heavy, tense, suffocating.
Then, Arushi broke down.
She rushed into Aarav's arms, clutching his shirt as tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Aarav... she— she pushed me... it hurts,"
she whimpered, pressing her head lightly against his chest.
He stiffened,
still fuming from the meeting and now from what just happened.
His hands hovered uncertainly before he placed one on her shoulder, more out of reflex than comfort.
"Arushi, calm down... just sit," he said tersely, guiding her to the chair.
But she shook her head, still holding onto him.
"She could've really hurt me, Aarav... you saw that, right?"
Arushi said between sobs, her voice trembling just enough to sound delicate, innocent.
"I was only trying to calm you down..."
Aarav's jaw flexed. His mind replayed the image Ashiana's expression, the shock, the regret in her eyes just before she left.
Something twisted inside him, but his anger at the chaos of the day refused to soften.
"Stop crying," he muttered finally, his tone softening slightly but his eyes distant.
"I'll handle it."
Arushi nodded, still leaning into him as she whispered,
"You really should, Aarav... she's becoming unpredictable."
He didn't answer.
His gaze drifted toward the closed door where Ashiana had just disappeared,
a flicker of something unreadable crossing his eyes guilt, maybe... or confusion.
I stumbled into the washroom, my vision already blurred with tears.
The heavy door shut behind me with a dull thud, echoing in the empty space.
I pressed a hand against my chest it hurt, everything hurt.
Before I knew it, I slid down the cold wall,
my knees folding close to my chest as I sat on the tiled floor, trembling.
My sobs broke out, raw and uncontrollable.
"It's... my fault..." I whispered, my voice barely escaping my lips.
"It's my fault... she—she got hurt because of me..."
I buried my face in my palms, shaking my head again and again.
"Ashiana... what did you do..." I cried harder, clutching my knees.
"He was already angry... and now he must... he must hate me..."
The words tumbled out between sobs, muffled and broken.
The scene kept flashing in my mind her cry, his yell, the way his eyes looked at me... not with love, but disappointment.
I let out a strangled laugh between tears, bitter and aching.
"You ruined it, Ashiana... everything. Every single thing..."
My hands trembled as I wiped my tears, smearing mascara across my skin.
I pressed my head back against the wall, whispering to the empty room,
Ashiana's sobs tore through the tiled silence.
"Now... now he'll leave me too," she choked. "Like everyone. I'll be alone again."
Her palms hit the floor with a dull smack.
"My father... he died because of me," she whispered, the words ripping out of her throat.
"If... if I hadn't asked him to come shopping that day, he would still be here... right now."
She pressed her forehead to the cold ground, tears spilling fast.
"I do everything wrong. Every time. Every time. It's all my fault..."
In Aarav's cabin,
the air smelled faintly of antiseptic and worry.
The doctor bent over Arushi, wrapping a light bandage around her head.
She sat on the couch, wincing every now and then one hand clutching Aarav's like a lifeline.
Aarav stood beside her, jaw tight,
silent, the storm in his eyes carefully hidden behind restraint.
He'd told himself he was only there to make sure she was fine,
but the weight of his own anger from minutes ago still burned low in his chest.
The door opened suddenly.
Aditya, Kabir, and Raghav stepped in,
their expressions shifting when they saw the scene the doctor,
the gauze, and Arushi's trembling hand in Aarav's.
"What happened?"
Raghav asked sharply, looking from Arushi to Aarav.
The doctor straightened. "She hit her head nothing serious, just a minor bruise. She needs rest."
Arushi nodded weakly and, as if for effect,
leaned a little more against Aarav's arm.
Aarav didn't move, though his gaze flicked briefly toward the door,
toward the empty space where Ashiana should've been.
Kabir exchanged a knowing look with Aditya, the room thick with unspoken things.
Aditya stepped forward, his voice firm but laced with concern.
"Aarav... how did this happen?"
For a second, Aarav didn't answer his eyes were still fixed on the faint red mark near Arushi's temple.
Then he exhaled slowly, the muscle in his jaw tightening.
"She slipped," he said flatly, the lie coming too easily.
"Hit the wall behind the couch."
Arushi, catching on, nodded weakly, squeezing his hand a little tighter.
"Y-yes... it was just an accident," she said softly,
glancing up at him as if seeking approval.
Raghav frowned. "You sure?"
The doctor had already packed his kit. "It looks accidental," he said simply, gathering his things.
As the door closed behind the doctor, the silence in the cabin grew heavier.
Kabir's gaze shifted from Arushi's hand still clinging to Aarav's, to Aarav's unreadable face.
Aditya sighed. "Be careful next time. We already have too much going on."
Aarav only gave a curt nod, his mind far away to the image of Ashiana's face when he'd shouted at her.
The guilt stung sharper than he wanted to admit.
Arushi leaned lightly against the couch, her voice soft and trembled just enough to sound fragile.
"Aarav... let's go home,"
she murmured, fingers still curled around his. "I'm not feeling well."
Aarav looked down at her perfectly composed face,
the faint dramatized pain in her eyes.
For a moment, he said nothing.
The room had gone quiet, the others exchanging glances.
Raghav nodded toward her. "She should rest, Aarav. Let her go home."
Arushi gave a small pout, pressing his hand a little tighter. "No, I meant we should go," she whispered.
"You'll be distracted here, and I... I just need you."
That word — need — hit him wrong.
Aarav's eyes flicked toward the glass wall of his cabin, where he could see the faint reflection of the corridor outside.
His jaw tightened.
The thought of Ashiana her expression, the tears he'd glimpsed before she ran burned at the edge of his mind.
He slowly pulled his hand from Arushi's grip.
"You go," he said quietly, reaching for his coat. "The driver will drop you."
Arushi blinked, her lips parting slightly. "Aarav, I—"
He didn't let her finish. "I've got something to take care of," he said, tone clipped, unreadable.
Then he turned toward the door, his stride quick, purpose sharp
meanwhie
OFFICE CANTEEN
Ashiana found the quietest corner of the canteen, the one no one usually bothered with.
The tray in front of her looked like a disaster pasta drowned in red sauce and an absurd amount of crushed chillies.
Ashiana sniffled, shoving another forkful into her mouth.
The heat burned, made her eyes water even more, but she just kept eating.
Her lips were trembling, eyes puffed red, nose pink, yet she forced a shaky laugh between sobs.
"Perfect... now even the food hates me," she muttered under her breath, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Burn me more... I deserve it."
Every bite stung her tongue, her throat, her chest. The spice hurt but it hurt less than the ache sitting in her heart.
Around her, a few employees glanced her way but quickly looked down, unsure what to do.
She looked too fragile, too broken to approach.
Her fork clinked against the plate as she whispered to herself,
"He'll never talk to me again... he must hate me now... everyone does."
Her vision blurred again.
She didn't even notice when someone's shadow fell over her table tall, still,
blocking he light until a familiar voice, low and careful, cut through the quiet.