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2024
As Navya reached the door, her fingers grazing the handle, she paused for a moment.
The space between them felt impossibly large, despite the fact that they were standing just a few feet apart.
The silence lingered, thick and suffocating, and Shubman's chest tightened with every passing second.
"Navya..." His voice cracked, soft but desperate, catching her off guard.
She turned around slowly, a frown crossing her face as she looked at him. The weight of his gaze, filled with longing and regret, seemed to pierce her.
His eyes were glassy, and she could see the tremor in his hands as he stepped forward.
"I know I don't have the right to ask this, but..." he started, his throat dry, "Can I... Can I hug you?"
The words hung in the air, fragile and raw. Navya blinked, her heart pounding in her chest, unsure of what to say.
He looked at her like he was trying to apologize for every moment of silence, every moment of absence. She had no idea why he was asking, why it felt like he was so broken in that instant. But the intensity in his eyes, the vulnerability, made her hesitate.
She had never seen him like this before. Shubman had always been the confident, unshakable one—on the field, in front of cameras.
But here, now, standing before her, he was just a boy who had never truly moved on, who had never let go of what they once shared.
After what felt like an eternity, she took a breath, the tension in her shoulders easing, though her heart was still in turmoil.
"You..." She swallowed, struggling to find her voice. "You really want a hug from me?"
His lips trembled as he nodded, the raw emotion in his eyes unmistakable.
"Yeah. I need it... badly."
Navya's gaze softened, and for a moment, she saw the boy she had grown up with—the boy who used to sit next to her under the banyan tree, who would laugh with her until their bellies ached, who had never hesitated to comfort her when she needed it most.
Despite everything that had happened, despite the years of silence, that boy was still there.
Without saying another word, she stepped closer to him. Shubman's breath hitched, his hands trembling slightly as he reached out.
For a moment, they just stood there, close enough to feel the warmth of each other's presence but still so far apart emotionally.
Then, she wrapped her arms around him, and Shubman, almost instinctively, pulled her into a tight embrace.
It was everything he had been aching for.
The familiar scent of her hair, the soft fabric of her clothes, the way she fit perfectly in his arms—everything was just like it had been when they were kids.
He buried his face in her shoulder, the dam finally breaking, the tears he had been holding back for so long spilling out.
"I'm so sorry, Navya," he choked out, his voice muffled by her shoulder.
"I never should've left. I was a coward. I should've never let you go."
Navya stayed still in his arms, feeling his tears dampen her skin.
For a second, everything felt painfully perfect—the old, raw emotions surfacing in waves, crashing over them both.
She had missed him.
Missed him in ways she couldn't even put into words.
But she had learned to live without him, and now that he was here, holding her like he never wanted to let go, she wasn't sure what it meant anymore.
After a long moment, she pulled back slightly, just enough to look at him. Her hand gently cupped his cheek, wiping away the stray tears.
There was a softness in her eyes, a quiet understanding. But there was also the weight of all the unspoken things between them.
"You can't just disappear like that, Shubman," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You can't come back after all these years and act like nothing happened. It doesn't work like that."
He nodded slowly, his forehead resting against hers, eyes closed as he tried to steady his breath.
"I know. I know I screwed up. I don't expect you to forgive me right away. I just... I just wanted you to know how much I missed you. And how sorry I am for everything."
Navya closed her eyes for a brief moment, taking a deep breath.
She didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to reconcile everything that had been lost and everything that could never be the same again.
But for now, in this moment, the hug was all they had. It was the only thing that felt right.
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soup rants!!!
the sixteenth chapter is here! did we like it? do comment your favorite part what do you think will happen in the next chapter? until then yours lovingly,
