Chapter 20
An hour later
For more than an hour Ruhaan had locked himself up in this room wondering how to face Naina and Neil again.
It was too late now to go back and change the past. He couldn’t undo what had been done, or worse, what hadn’t been done.
All he cared about now was seeing Naina and Neil, ensuring that they were okay.
He knew they wouldn’t be, not after his failure to act, but at the very least, he had to try.
He had to face them, even if he didn’t have an answer to Neil’s question.
He had to make sure they were fine, even if he wasn’t sure how to fix things yet.
Just as he reached for the doorknob, his mother appeared in the doorway.
“Ruhaan, what’s the matter with you? You haven’t even showered yet!” she scolded, glancing at his disheveled state. “You’re supposed to take Poonam and her family to the railway station. Their train leaves in an hour!”
He had completely forgotten his mother had mentioned it yesterday.
But he had no intention of dropping Poonam’s family at the station, not when his heart was set on seeing Naina and Neil.
Yesterday, he had agreed, just to get his mother off his back, but now?
Now, he couldn’t think of anything else but getting to them.
“Mom,” Ruhaan said, “ask someone else to drop them or book a cab. I can’t go. I have to go... somewhere.”
Kaushalya’s eyes narrowed.
“Somewhere? What do you mean, ‘somewhere’? You promised me yesterday you’d drop them. They’re expecting you! How could you even think of backing out now? What do you expect me to tell them?”
Ruhaan rubbed his temples, feeling the pain, the awkwardness, the confrontation he needed to have with Naina and Neil. He just wanted to get there, to rip off the band-aid and face it head-on. But his mother’s persistent voice dragged him back to the present.
“Mom, please. This is important,” he said, edging toward the door. “I’ll make it up to you, but right now I can’t—”
Suddenly, Kaushalya grabbed his arm. Her grip was stronger than he expected, and the hurt in her eyes made him pause.
“How can you let your mother down like this? I gave my word to Poonam’s family based on your promise.
Now, what am I supposed to tell them? That my son can’t keep his word?
That my son doesn’t care about my honor?
” Her voice wavered, but she wasn’t done.
“This morning… whatever happened… it’s already been enough embarrassment for me.
Don’t make it worse. Don’t make me beg.”
He hated seeing his mother pleading. Yes, his priority was Naina and Neil right now, but how could he turn his back on his mother?
“Fine,” he muttered, taking the car keys from the small table by the door. “I’ll drop them.”
Saying that he marched out, promising himself that as soon as this was done, he would go to Naina and Neil. He had to. There was no other option.
The ride to the station was agonizing. Poonam and her family were in high spirits, chatting away about their trip and plans, oblivious to the storm raging inside Ruhaan.
His mind was miles away, with Naina, wondering how she was feeling, how hurt she must be.
And Neil… Neil, who had trusted him, looked up to him.
How could he have let him down so badly?
He smiled politely at Poonam and her family, nodded when necessary, but his heart wasn’t in it. All he could think of was Naina’s face as she teared up this morning. Would she hate him? Would Neil?
The train, of course, was delayed. What should have been a quick drop-off turned into a two-hour ordeal.
Poonam’s family insisted that Ruhaan wait with them, and though he tried to excuse himself, they wouldn’t hear of it.
He was forced to stay, helping them with their luggage, enduring more small talk, all while the minutes slipped away.
By the time he finally left the station, his nerves were frayed.
The moment he got back in the car, he gripped the steering wheel tightly, as if holding onto it could somehow anchor his chaotic thoughts.
He was desperate to get to Naina and Neil, but then, of course, traffic.
A small accident had caused a backup, and the honking of impatient drivers around him only made his frustration worse.
He banged his fist on the steering wheel, cursing under his breath. Why was everything conspiring to keep him from getting there? Why couldn’t anything go right for him today?
He was late to drop Poonam, late to fix things, late to face the consequences of his inaction. And now all he wanted, all he needed, was to know that Naina and Neil were okay.
Slowly as the traffic began to ease, Ruhaan pressed his foot harder on the accelerator, weaving through the cars as if speeding could somehow make up for the time lost.
Almost twenty minutes after he stormed into the Kundra house, his heart pounding in his chest as if it might explode.
The front door slammed behind him but he didn’t care.
The only thing that mattered to him was finding Naina and Neil.
He rushed to the room where they had been staying, but when he pushed open the door, the room was empty.
He glanced around in confusion. The bed was made, their luggage gone.
Where were they? He stepped back into the hallway.
The house felt hollow. It was clear that most of the guests had left earlier that morning, following the conclusion of the event.
Even he and his mother had a flight to catch later this evening. But Naina… Where was she?
Panic began to creep into his mind as he turned around, his eyes darting across the quiet halls. That’s when he spotted Rohit in the foyer, speaking to the decorators who were dismantling the decorations from the event. Without thinking, Ruhaan marched straight toward him.
“Rohit!” he called out.
Rohit turned around, his expression darkening the moment he saw Ruhaan. The decorators, sensing the tension, stepped back, giving the two men space.
“What?” Rohit snapped.
“Where’s Naina?”
“What do you want from Naina now?” he asked, his tone biting. “I can’t believe you. After everything that happened this morning, you still want to see her? Haven’t you done enough damage?”
Ruhaan opened his mouth to respond, but Rohit didn’t give him a chance.
“Don’t think we didn’t notice,” Rohit continued.
“Everyone this morning realized that you and Naina were together last night. Subodh uncle, Malti aunty, Suman, me, we all. And I’m sure so did your mother.
Both you and Naina were in the same outfits of yesterday this morning. We can connect the dots.”
Ruhaan froze. He hadn’t thought about how it might look—Naina being with him last night, had draped the same saree that morning. He had been too consumed by everything else to realize the implications. But it wasn’t what they thought. It wasn’t like that.
“Rohit,” Ruhaan started, trying to keep his voice calm, though his insides felt like they were twisting into knots. “It’s not what you think. It didn’t happen like that—”
“Enough!” Rohit cut him off. “I cannot believe that even after everything between you and Naina, you didn’t say a single word this morning to defend her. Not one word! How could you, Ruhaan? How could you leave her and Neil like that, when they needed you?”
The accusation hit Ruhaan hard, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. Right now, his focus was Naina. He could deal with Rohit’s anger later.
“Not now, Rohit,” Ruhaan said through gritted teeth. His patience was wearing thin, his mind screaming at him to find Naina. “We can talk about this later. I need to know where she is. Where’s Naina?”
Rohit crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes blazing with anger.
“She’s gone. Naina and Neil left for the airport already.”
Ruhaan felt the ground shift beneath him, his breath catching in his throat.
“What? No, that’s not possible,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Her flight was tonight.”
“She booked the next available flight,” Rohit said. “Subodh uncle and Suman took her and Neil to the airport a while ago. She didn’t want to be here anymore. All because of you, Ruhaan.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ruhaan barked, anger and desperation flaring in his chest. “Why didn’t you tell me she was leaving?”
“Why would I?” Rohit shot back. “What difference would it make? It’s all over. You had every opportunity to talk, to clear things up, and you didn’t take it. Now she’s gone, and you’re too late,” Rohit scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
Ruhaan slammed his fist against the wall, the sound reverberating through the empty house.
“Damn it!” he cursed.
Rohit watched him with cold eyes, his arms still crossed, but there was no sympathy in his expression.
“This is on you. You could’ve stopped this. You could’ve spoken up on time.”
Ruhaan’s heart pounded in his chest, knowing Rohit was right. He had to get to Naina. He grabbed his phone, his fingers trembling as he dialed her number but she didn’t answer.
Ruhaan’s frustration surged as he held his phone tightly, his thumb hovering over Naina’s contact, dialing her again.
“Don’t bother,” Rohit said flatly. “There’s no use calling her now. She won’t answer your call that easily.”
“I have to reach her, Rohit. I can’t just leave it like this.”
Rohit sighed, shaking his head as if he’d expected this.
“And what exactly do you plan to do? Chase her all the way to Mumbai? Apologize?” His voice was dripping with skepticism.
“Yes, if that’s what it takes!” Ruhaan shot back, his voice rising.
“You really think you can just show up and fix everything? Are you that blind? She’s not going to let you back into her life that easily.”
“I don’t care!” Ruhaan snapped, stepping closer, his desperation evident. “I need her address in Mumbai. You have to give it to me.”
Rohit let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head as if Ruhaan had said something ridiculous.