Hey! Hi! Helloooo! Your author is alive. She has survived her first exams in college. So, without further ado, go on, get to the chapter!

Leave your comments too! 🥺💕

***

Aarohi got out of bed even before the first rays of sun could strike. As she came back to her senses, she was overwhelmed with a burning feeling in her chest. She was covered in sweat, her knees were trembling and her heart was pounding heavily. Anxiety bubbled up in her, tormenting thoughts scratched the back of her skull and ate away all the little light she had left.

She did not remember how she ended up back in her bedroom, she did not even remember who'd helped her there. All she could remember was that she had to run.

Feeling as though her senses would drive her mad, she moved forward in the dimly lit room. Unsteady on her feet she searched for a glass of water to soothe her nerves, when a hand rests on her shoulder, almost making her scream and stumble into whoever that was. "Ahh-"

"Shh... shh... it's alright..." Arjun kept her from falling, his strong hands caught her under her arms. He felt sorry for Aarohi and worried about her health. He eased her down on the bed as he attempted to pacify her erratic breaths, rubbing the cold skin of her shaky hands. His copper eyes glistening in the lamp lights were filled with concern and something more elusive that his mind couldn't quite comprehend. Seeing her like this, so disturbed, troubled him more than he could ever imagine. He just wanted to know what had happened.

He turned over her arm to see the bright red scratches and bruises, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. Who could have done this? He ran his fingers through her smooth hair, his movements were hesitant, going through a quiet agony that he could neither describe, nor show.

"Aarohi... tell me what happened." He asked a bit sternly. It wasn't a question, it was a need, a necessity. But Aarohi remained silent as she breathed heavily, looking away from his authoritative eyes who demanded the truth. What would she even say? That her so called best friend did this? Or that bloody man, who added more pain and just seemed to have a problem with her simply existing?

"Arjun, it's late... you should go get some sleep. And y-you must be tired after the long journey- -" She tried to draw his attention towards other subjects but the he didn't even let her finish the sentence. Instead he softly wiped away some stray tears she didn't know had escaped from her otherwise dismissive eyes. He had never seen her cry.

"I won't be leaving until you tell me." Arjun stated, his voice clear and firm of his purpose, but nothing could conceal his distress.

"There's nothing much to tell..." Aarohi muttered numbly, but Arjun remained stern. It was as if he saw right through it her futile attempts to conceal the hurt she was feeling. Aarohi herself couldn't figure out why she just wouldn't tell him and get it all over with, but something scratched the back of her mind warning her it would do more harm to her than good.

Vrikasura seemed deranged and mad, a kind of person who would go to any lengths to make her miserable if she tried anything. Normally, that would not stop her from claiming an eye for an eye, but this wasn't her turf and she knew her actions would have consequences. So, as much as she wanted to watch his entire existence crumble into tiny meaningless pieces of rubble, she needed to tread carefully and she understood that.

But what she did not understand was that, why was this mighty warrior kneeling in front of her bed so worried? Arjun was emotional right now, she could see the rage simmering behind his eyes. But why? Just why?

"Why do you even care?" Aarohi shrugged, frustrated, abruptly yanking herself free from the comforting weight of Arjun's hands. "And why do you assume you have the right to know everything about me whether I want it or not?" She scoffed, folding her hands on her lap. The more she wanted to talk about something, the more stubbornly she would remain silent. She bit her lip hard, trying not to tear up in front of him.

"Aarohi, I just- -"

"For god's sake- - why do you care about me anyway?! I don't need your pity! Just go away!!!" She hissed. There were tears in her hollow eyes and her voice was shaking. There was a storm of emotions swirling inside her and she felt like she would black out any moment if Arjun kept staring at her like that with that piercing gaze.

But instead of taking offence to her harsh words, Arjun pulled Aarohi into the secure embrace of his arms. He suddenly held her against his broad chest, not saying a word. No words of reassurance... no attempts to comfort her... he knew it was all useless at this point. And he knew that all her bitter words were actually a hidden plea for help.

Aarohi didn't hug him back, but she couldn't bring herself to push him away either. Face buried in his chest, the warmth of his arms around her, unexpectedly felt a safe haven. She needed something just like this and he was aware of that.

Arjun bent down and pulled her up to him, allowing Aarohi to rest her head on his shoulder as he whispered tenderly, "It's going to be alright, my dear..."

And all of a sudden, poor Aarohi couldn't hold back anymore. She nuzzled her face in the fabric covering Arjun's shoulder and broke down into silent tears. Her lips quivered and her heart was beating like that of a caged animal, but Arjun remained silent, gently rocking her as he tightened his grip, as if afraid to lose the girl in his arms to this cruel world.

Her small hand came around to the back of his strong shoulder, holding on for dear life. Her sharp nails dug into the skin of his back, but he payed no mind to it, instead he waited for her to let it all out, until nothing but a damp spot on his clothes remained. His sincere concern and attentiveness when she needed it the most, broke down her every wall, even if it was only to be for a few moments.

Arjun smiled sadly, the skin on his shoulder was wet with her tears, but he did not care. She smelled like an unsolvable mystery, with a slight hint of that melancholic mayhem that drove his senses crazy like he was a fanatic, he couldn't find another way to describe it. She was the perfect one to define chaos and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Aarohi had buried her face in his neck, her eyelids, which were swollen from crying started to feel heavy, she was tired and felt weak as the rush of emotions left her body all at once. She soon began falling asleep.

Arjun carefully brushed away a strand of hair from her face as he looked at her fondly. In that brief moment, Arjun slowly began to realise that his feelings for this cold girl went much deeper to simply be warded off as mere concern or liking. Her presence was becoming an infatuation for him, an attachment. A need... that he wouldn't mind. He knew he was treading into a dangerously unpredictable realm of no return, but all he wanted was to keep falling deeper and deeper into those endlessly raw emotions and passionate feelings.

And as for Aarohi, well, Arjun was strangely starting to seem more and more tolerable to her. His presence was almost... comforting? Maybe... maybe it was just all that medicine she had swallowed before but, she could finally see that maybe... just maybe... he really did care. Otherwise why would he leave the celebrations of a victory in which he had played such a crucial part? For her. He did it for her.

"Oh Aarohi... what are you doing to me...?" He shook his head smiling slightly, giving into the strong vehemence she had inspired within him. "I don't think I can stop myself..." He murmured quietly and Aarohi raised her head, looking up at him questioningly through her drowsy eyes, her nose crinkled as she let out a little 'huh?' of confusion.

At that very moment, she received an accidental kiss on her forehead. Her eyes widened just for a second and something entirely unfamiliar fluttered inside her chest as she met his irresistible eyes who would turn any other woman into a swooning mess, but she was too exhausted to respond and she quickly feel asleep, curled up against Arjun as he held her.

"Sleep well, Aarohi." Arjun laid her back down on her bed, covering her in warm blankets. Caressing her forehead, he left quietly, taking one last look at her peaceful face as she slept.

***

The dark blues of the night gave way to the relaxing pastels of the morning sky. Yet, one certain girl kept on sleeping, hugging her blankets closer and burrowing into them as her dasis tried to wake her up for breakfast. In the end, they were all defeated inspite of their constant attempts as Aarohi kept on dozing off like she was the resident Kumbhkaran of Hastinapur.

"What has gotten into kumari? Has someone given her a sleeping potion or something?" A maid exclaimed.

"How is she sleeping so peacefully...? We've tried everything by now." A second one sighed as they left her chambers.

She was right, Aarohi had the most peaceful of rests last night. She felt warm and cared for... loved even. A soft touch still lingered on her forehead, she didn't know what exactly it was but she felt so safe and couldn't help but cuddle deeper into her bed. It was as if someone had held her the whole night and tucked her in bed as she was lulled into the most tranquil slumber. No terrifying nightmares... no overthinking... no rush to wake up and start her day, just a warm feeling enveloping her body like a cocoon.

Aarohi finally woke up late in the afternoon, feeling refreshed and a bit better despite of everything that had happened yesterday. She was now being able to make more sense of her emotions and the situations. "I'm going to distance myself from her." She muttered, taking a resilient decision, as she walked towards an empty courtyard. A good thing about Aarohi was that she would never beg for someone's love or sympathy, it was against her every principle. She and her ego were the best of friends and it didn't let her become anyone's tail and follow them around like a lost puppy. She was for sure going to distance herself from Aakriti.

'Distance is much better than the disrespect.' She was unwavering of her choice, even if it was going to be hard.

And as for Vrikasura, Aarohi had thought about it several times. Should she tell someone? Or should she stay quiet? She did want to talk to someone about it and vaguely remembered someone asking her too. Or was it a dream? Even if it was, who had asked her? He was so familiar...

"Aarohi! You're awake." Dushala's sweet voice chimed in, interrupting Aarohi's daily dose of overthinking her brain into slush. "Dushala! Good morning."

"Good morning? It's almost evening Aarohi." Dushala went on a bit sullenly, she had just come back from the Rajya Sabha and didn't look like she was in the best mood. Reading between the lines, Aarohi understood what it was about.

"So, has the Rajya Sabha concluded...?" Aarohi queried vaguely, letting Dushala reveal it all herself.

"Yes... they're almost done..."

"I take it you're brothers aren't happy with the inference or the result..." She trailed of, cleverly letting her friend assume whichever brothers she was talking about.

"They're not... Bhrata Duryodhan seemed furious that father made jyeshth bhrata Yudhishthir the rightful heir to the throne." Dushala sighed, the stress her family caused her suppressed her usually vibrant personality. "If you don't mind Aarohi, I'd like to return to my room... alone."

"It's alright Dushala. Take your time..." Aarohi nodded and let her go as she made an impulsive decision to pass by the hallway which passed the Sabha. She was only finding ways to distract herself as a feeling of anxiousness started to take over her once again.

As she entered the hallway, her gaze fell on Karna's approaching figure. He looked no less tense than the Dushala.

"Angraj, how are you?" She asked, glancing at his face. His lips were pressed into a thin line, indicating his troubles.

"Oh Aarohi... I'm fine, well... as fine as I can be, given the situation... I'm sure you're aware about Maharaj Dhritarashtra's decision by now."

"Just the bare minimum... Duryodhan must not be satisfied." She spoke as she scanned the surroundings for more familiar faces leaving the grand hall.

"He is, in fact he's quite angry with his father..." Karna trailed off.

"What's the point anyway..." Aarohi shrugged desolately, bemused at Karna's straightforward answer, while he appeared confused with her response and waited for her to clarify. "The point of being friends... with anyone. Are friends really worth all the effort?" She muttered, eyes downcast, as all those feelings started to cloud her mind.

What was the point of friendship?

"The point? Of friendship?" To say that Karna was taken aback would be an understatement, still, as he peered at her, he noticed her eyes were swollen. So he entertained her silly question. "Well Aarohi, for starters, good friends give us a sense of belongingness and purpose. We can always count on their support in our bad times." He explained kindly and then hesitantly patted her shoulder.

"Oh? So... does this support go both ways?" Her eyebrows knitted together and she folded her arms, remembering every time she was the one to support Aakriti, without expecting anything in return. Karna wondered if she was commenting about his friendship with Duryodhan.

"Are you talking about the nature of my friendship with Duryodhan?" He asked, slightly irked by the vague questions.

"What made you think about that, Karn? I was thinking about something entirely different..." She quickly added, clearing up the misunderstanding, although if that particular question had arisen in his mind, it had to come from somewhere. Obviously, Duryodhan wasn't as supportive of Karna as Karna was for him.

Aarohi's careless questioning arose doubts in Karna's mind, that was for sure.

"You know Aarohi, sometimes the only reason we don't let go of what might be a mere delusion... is because it was the only thing that made us happy and feel wanted." Arjun joined in on the conversation, stepping out of the hall, only to end it with that statement. He looked over at Karna, lifting his chin and Karna passed him a glare. Not wanting to argue in front of Aarohi, he bid her a quick goodbye and went on his own way.

Aarohi started to walk away too, but she stopped as Arjun firmly held her wrist.

"Not so fast Aarohi. I need you to tell me what happened last night. Or at least tell me who did this." Arjun pointed out the bruises on her arm and immediately, some parts of the night before came back to her. Her eyes widened.

'So it really did happen... it was Arjun who asked. Wait... Does that mean I cried in front of- - a-and he- he held me- - and I-"

Aarohi suddenly became flustered, her eyes darted around for an escape as she avoided looking into Arjun's eyes, afraid she would utter something stupid. She consciously tucked the free strands of her hair away a flurry of thoughts overcame her. That warm touch on her forehead- - did he...? Oh good god... what took over her last night that she let him get so close?!

You know what the worst part was? She couldn't bring herself to regret it.

She just couldn't.

Her brain felt so light and refreshed after crying it all out that she just couldn't.

No, no, no, this wasn't right- - he wasn't meant to be with her.

Was he?

But- - but- she was solely here to watch this great epic unfold!

Or was she...?

"Aarohi? I am waiting." Arjun confidently, but gently, held the small of her back, his deep voice brought her out of her reverie. An unusual feeling swirled in Aarohi's stomach as she looked into his eyes, his warm touch sent an unanticipated shiver coursing through her veins.

"Uhh..." She looked around, not knowing what to say, her cheeks were heating up as she recalled everything. Wow, she had really let her restraints leave without a warning. Right at that moment, the double doors to the Sabha opened and Vrikasura stomped out. All her senses went numb, it was getting hard to breathe. All she felt was negative emotions roaring like a hurricane.

She took Arjun's other hand, lifting it, she slowly pointed it towards Vrikasura's direction, and he understood exactly what had happened and by the expression on Vrikasura's face and the genuine fear in his eyes as Arjun's fierce ones gave him a once over, he knew nothing good was going to happen for him.

***

A lot of fluff with Arjun... would you like more...? 😏💕✨ Is Aarohi starting to feeling something for Arjun too or was it just her sorrows who made her weak and seek some support and comfort?

Will Vrikasura stop bothering Aarohi now? Or does he have the guts to come face to face with Arjun's wrath?

Btw, favourite scene of Arjun&Aarohi??? Mine's when they met and also when Arjun gets jealous. 🤓

Also, I was busy in exams and on top of that, I kinda left a very toxic friend group I accidentally fell into. I'm okay, btw. I love leaving people when that think I won't. It all happened during the week of exams too, so I've been dealing a lot and I'm sorry for ghosting you all but I hope my schedule allows me to be regular here. 🤞

Please comment too, it helps a lot. 🥺💕

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