CHAPTER5 [AFTER 5 YEAR]
Aarohi and Sana were sitting together, lost in conversation.
Five years had passed, yet nothing between them felt distant.
“Seriously, you didn’t even tell me you were coming?” Sana complained.
Aarohi gave a faint smile. “I just… came.”
Before Sana could say anything more, the waiter arrived with their order.
But in a moment of carelessness—
The coffee slipped.
And the next second—
It spilled over Aarohi’s leg.
The liquid was hot.
A sharp burn spread instantly.
Sana stood up in anger.
“Can’t you see where you’re walking?!” she snapped.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” the waiter said repeatedly, panicking.
Aarohi slowly stood up, ignoring the pain.
“It’s okay,” she said calmly. “It was a mistake. Let it go.”
But Sana’s raised voice had already drawn attention.
Eyes turned.
Whispers followed.
---
Right behind them…
Vihaan and Karan had just taken their seats.
Karan glanced ahead, noticing the scene.
And then his eyes landed on someone.
“Vihaan… isn’t that Sana?” he said, slightly surprised. “Aarohi’s best friend?”
Aarohi was turned away, her face not visible.
Vihaan looked up.
His expression unreadable.
“Yes,” he said calmly. “But why is she arguing?”
Karan stood up immediately and walked toward them.
“What happened? Why are you shouting?” he asked Sana.
Sana turned, irritation still on her face.
But the moment she saw him—
She froze for a second.
“Karan?” she recognized him instantly.
Then her expression hardened.
“Just stay out of this and leave,” she said coldly.
She turned back and held Aarohi’s hand.
“Let’s go, Aarohi.”
---
That name.
The moment it reached him—
Vihaan’s gaze lifted.
Sharp.
Focused.
Still.
---
Aarohi turned.
She had to leave.
Her leg still burning, her steps slightly unsteady.
And then—
Her eyes met his.
Vihaan Singhania.
For a moment…
Time stopped.
Everything around them faded.
The noise. The people. The café.
Nothing existed.
Just them.
Standing there.
Looking at each other.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
---
“5 saal ki doori thi… par pehchaan aaj bhi wahi thi,
chehre badal gaye the… par nazron ki zubaan wahi thi,
na tum kuch bole… na hum kuch keh paaye,
par us ek pal me sab kuch ho gaya,
jo kabhi keh na paaye the hum,
aaj woh aankhon ne keh diya.”
---
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
But in that one silent moment…
Everything changed.