The classroom is quieter than usual. Even Raj and Rajiv sensed that Rishi wasn't his normal self. His laughter was missing, his replies were short, and his eyes were often lost somewhere far beyond the four walls of the college.
Ever since he had found out about Niharika Tiwari's family background, a strange quilt had started burning inside him. She wasn't just another junior. She belonged to a reputed family, respected by many, but Rishi remembered only the bitterness between them the arguments, the harsh words. the hatred. Somewhere deep down, he knew he had gone too far,
That afternoon, Rishi tried approaching her. She was standing outside the library, holding a stack of books.
"Niharika," he said softly.
She turned, her expression cold, her eyes sharp as knives.
"What now?"
just... wanted to talk. I know I've been-"
"You don't need to explain anything." she cut him off. "Whatever you're trying to do now, don't. I don't want your apologies."
Her tone was steady, unshaken. Before he could say anything else, she walked away, leaving him frozen in place. For the first time. Rishi felt that his words had no power.
Later that evening. Raj pulled him aside near the canteen.
" Bro , you can't just sit and sulk like this. If she's not melting, then we'll have to do something smart. Listen, I have an idea...."
But before he could finish. Rishi raised his hand. "Stop. Raj."
"What?" Raj looked surprised.
"I don't want to show her fake gestures. I don't want to pretend like I regret it just to prove a point. If what I feel is true. it should reflect without me staging anything. Emotions don't need decorations."
Raj frowned. " O hello , philosophy ke lecture mat de. I'm just saying, do something so she sees your side-"
"Raj." Rishi interrupted, his voice firmer now, "If my feelings are deep and genuine, they'll speak for themselves. I don't need to create drama to show regret."
Rajiv, who had been silently watching, smiled faintly. "Wow . Rishi. Since when did you start talking about feelings like this?"
Rishi didn't reply. He just sighed and stared at the empty ground. Something inside him was shifting, and it was heavier than he could carry.
That night at home, his mother noticed the difference immediately. Rishi wasn't eating properly. He wasn't laughing at Raj's silly stories. He sat in silence. lost in his thoughts.
"Rishi," she said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder, "is something troubling you?"
He forced a smile. "No. Maa, just a little tired."
But she wasn't convinced. Later, she whispered to Rishi's father. "He's not himself these days. Something is bothering him deeply."
His father nodded slowly. "I'll talk to him."
It was late night when his father knocked on his door. Rishi was sitting by the window, staring at the moon, lost in the chaos of his own thoughts.
"Beta." his father said, entering the room, "can I sit?"
Rishi nodded silently.
For a few moments, both sat in silence. Then, Rishi's father asked. "Do you want to tell me what's weighing on you?"
Rishi hesitated, but then he began speaking. He repeated the same words he had told Raj and Rajiv earlier about how he didn't believe in fake gestures, how true emotions didn't need to be proved, how regret should show naturally without display.
When he finished, his father listened carefully, then smiled softly. "You're right. Rishi. What you said is absolutely true. Emotions don't need showpieces. If they're real, they carry their own strength."
Rishi felt a small relief hearing that. But his father didn't stop there. He leaned forward and said gently, "But beta, remember one thing in this world. people don't always look deep. They see only what is shown to them. You may be right
in your heart, but if you never express it, how will the other person know? People can't read your silence."
Rishi frowned. "But Papa, won't saying it out loud feel like forcing it? If it's true, shouldn't she understand without telling her?"
His father shook his head with a smile. "No. Rishi. This is not force. This is clarity. There's a difference. Forcing is when you demand someone to accept your feelings. Clarity is when you simply express them, honestly, without
expectations. The rest is their choice."
Those words hit Rishi deeper than he expected. He leaned. back, his mind turning over the difference between force and clarity.
His father placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't keep your feelings locked up, beta. Sometimes, the weight of unspoken words hurts more than rejection. If you truly care, say it-not to prove, not to demand, but just to let her know."
Rishi looked down, silent. Inside him. a war raged. He didn't want to be pretentious, but he also couldn't deny that his father's words made sense.
Later that night. Rishi lay awake on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Rajiv's leasing. Raj's frustrated ideas, his mother's concern, his father's wise words everything circled in his head.
"Clarity, not force," he repeated under his breath.
He wasn't sure how he would do it. He wasn't even sure if Niharika would ever listen. But for the first time, he realized silence wouldn't solve anything.
The guilt was still there. The misunderstandings were still sharp. But maybe, just maybe, a little clarity could open the door he had closed himself.
And as the night stretched into dawn. Rishi made a quiel promise to himself he would no longer run from expressing what truly lay in his heart .
To be continued....