Please guys vote(⭐️) kiya karo. I am putting a lot of effort in creating this world and these votes are my fuel that motivates me to write more.

__________________________________________

Failure doesn't come from a rejection letter; it only happens when we let our setbacks convince us that we are unworthy of our dreams.

​The air inside Akshat's living room was thick with a nervous, collective silence. The whole gang had gathered, crowding around the dining table where Purvi and Riya sat like pilots at their consoles, their faces illuminated by the harsh glow of their laptop screens.

​The digital clock on the wall ticked closer to the deadline. 10:29 AM.

​No one spoke. Yash was pacing a tight circle near the window, while the others watched the glowing screens as if they could force the servers to load through sheer willpower.

​Then, the clock struck 10:30.

​Purvi's fingers flew across the keyboard, refreshing the page. For a fraction of a second, the browser went white. Then, the portal loaded. Her eyes scanned the text, freezing on the bold letters at the top of the page.

​She had made it. Indian Institute of Management Mumbai.

​An involuntary, ecstatic scream tore from Purvi's throat, shattering the tension in the room.

Before she could even stand up, Akshat was there. Driven by pure, unadulterated joy, he caught her by the waist and lifted her straight off her feet, spinning her around in a dizzying swirl.

Purvi laughed, her hands instinctively flying to his shoulders to steady herself, the momentum tracing a perfect circle in the center of the room.

​And then, the spinning stopped.

​But he didn't put her down right away. For a suspended beat, Akshat held her there, her weight light against his chest. When he finally lowered her, his movements were deliberate, agonizingly slow.

As Purvi's feet touched the floor, her hands remained anchored to his shoulders, and his grip lingered on her waist.

​The room around them, filled with the cheers of their friends, simply faded into background noise.

​Their eyes met. It wasn't the teasing, familiar gaze they usually shared; it was something raw, heavy, and intensely quiet.

Akshat's eyes darkened with a pride so fierce it caught her breath, his gaze dropping to her face as if seeing her clearly for the very first time.

A sudden, deep warmth rushed to Purvi's cheeks. Feeling the intense heat of his stare, she looked down, a soft blush coloring her skin, her fingers curling slightly into the fabric of his shirt before she gently stepped back.

​"Alright, my turn! It's loading!" Riya's voice broke the spell, drawing everyone's attention to the second screen.

​The placement portal for the company website was spinning its loading wheel.

Yash immediately stopped his pacing and sank into the chair right beside Riya, leaning in so close their shoulders almost brushed. His chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, his eyes fixed on the progress bar.

​The screen flashed. Status: Selected.
​"Yes! I got the offer from Redcliffe" Riya gasped.

​Without a second thought, she turned in her seat and threw her arm over Yash's shoulder, pulling him into a fierce side hug. Yash didn't hesitate; his arm wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her in tight to reciprocate the embrace.

​Holding onto him, Riya felt a sudden, overwhelming wave of emotion that had very little to do with the job offer.

Against her shoulder, she could feel the steady, reassuring thrum of his heartbeat. In that brief, crowded moment, a profound sense of safety wrapped around her.

It was the feeling of being entirely understood, of knowing that no matter how chaotic the world outside became, this specific embrace was an anchor she never wanted to let go of. When she finally pulled back, her heart was beating a completely different rhythm.

​The days were passing by,the transition from courtship to commitment had been a quiet, beautiful evolution for Arohi and Sandeep. They had taken their time, realizing step by step that their values aligned, their quirks matched, and that they were entirely compatible.

Slowly, fondness had deepened into something unshakable. When they finally announced their decision to their families, the celebration was instantaneous.

​The wedding bells had officially started ringing.

​On the day of the wedding, the venue was a vibrant blur of colors, laughter, and music. The sacred vows were taken under a canopy of flowers, cementing Arohi and Sandeep's future together.

Yash had personally invited the entire gang, ensuring they were all there to witness the milestone.

​Amidst the joy, however, there were quiet undercurrents. Isha stood near the entrance, her smile faltering slightly as her eyes fell upon Vidyut.

A familiar discomfort tightened in her chest, a ghost of past tensions making her stiffen. She forced herself to maintain a neutral expression, swallowing the unease.

​Vidyut walked up to her, his expression unreadable but calm. He reached out, gently placing a hand on top of Isha's head. "Glad you listened," he said softly.

​Isha offered a small, somewhat awkward smile, nodding briefly before quietly slipping away into the crowd to find the others.

Nearby, Sunandha was gracefully receiving Sarala, their warm greetings embodying the union of two families.

​During the chaotic group photograph sessions, the photographer kept shouting directions, but Riya was entirely distracted.

Every time the camera flashed, her eyes slipped away from the lens, drawn like a magnet to Yash. She watched him laugh with the groom's side, saw the way his eyes crinkled at the corners, and simply admired him from a distance-a quiet, constant devotion hidden in plain sight.

​Then came the heavy, emotional hour of the bidaai.

​As the reality of leaving settled in, Arohi's tears finally broke. Yash stepped forward, cutting through the crowd to reach his sister.

He wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace, his hands resting solidly on her shoulders.

Leaning down so his forehead rested near hers, he spoke in a low, gentle voice meant only for her.

​"Mein tumhare saath hoon hamesha, thik hai? (I am with you always, okay?)"

​Arohi looked up at her brother through wet eyelashes, her lips trembling as she nodded, finding her strength in his words.

​A few days later, during a hectic afternoon break at work, Isha sat at her desk, scrolling through the digital wedding album link that Yash had shared with the gang.

​She paused on a candid group photo. Standing near the edge of the frame was Yash, laughing heartily. But it wasn't Yash who caught Isha's attention-it was Riya, who was standing just a step behind him in the photo.

The camera had captured the exact look in Riya's eyes: a gaze full of pure, unfiltered admiration, completely oblivious to everything else around her.

​Isha looked up from her phone. Riya was sitting right beside her.

​Setting her phone down, Isha turned to her and asked directly, "Do you like Yash?"

​Riya froze, nearly spilling her coffee. Her eyes widened in panic.

"Matlab... nahi. Matlab... haan.
(I mean... no. I mean... yes.)"
She stammered, her face turning a bright crimson.

​Isha's expression softened. She reached out, gently wrapping both of her hands around Riya's trembling one.

"You can share it with me," she murmured reassuringly.

​Riya squeezed her eyes shut for a long moment, taking a deep, stabilizing breath. When she opened them, the denial was gone, replaced by a vulnerability that ran deep.

​"Isha, I love him," Riya confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I love his goofy side. I love our banters. I love the man he is. I love the care he shows all of us. I love the way that, despite how incredibly hard life has been for him, he still chooses to make the world a better place by cracking funny-or sometimes not-so-funny-jokes."

She swallowed hard, looking down at their joined hands. "And I know he just sees me as a friend. Nothing more. But still, it happened. I didn't even realize when or how, but it just happened."

​Isha listened intently, absorbing every word, her heart aching for her friend. She brought her other hand up, cradling Riya's hand between both of hers.

​"Will you tell him?" Isha asked softly.

​Riya offered a bittersweet, helpless smile.

"I don't know. I still haven't figured out what I should do with my own feelings. And honestly, my life right now isn't that simple either. There's too much drama going on."

​A tender smile crept onto Isha's face. She lifted a hand, gently placing it against Riya's cheek, tilting her face up.

​"Meri jhalli dost... kitni badi badi baate kar rahi hai, (My crazy friend... talking about such big, mature things,)" Isha teased affectionately, her eyes shining with warmth.

Days were slowly passing and akshat got a call purvi was sitting on the sofa.

He sat frozen, the phone still pressed tightly against his ear long after the automated voice had cut off. The words echoed in his mind like a cruel rhythmic chant: 'We regret to inform you...'

A rejection. From the one band he had poured his entire soul into. He had given this audition two hundred percent of his energy, sleepless nights, and bleeding fingertips, only for his career to suddenly turn into one massive, terrifying question mark.

Purvi, who had been holding her breath beside him, felt the shift in the air before he even spoke.

Slowly, she reached out, wrapping her fingers around his cold hand. She squeezed it gently, her voice a soft, comforting balm.

"Hey... koi nahi. Next time ho jayega
(It's okay. It'll happen next time)."

"When, Purvi? Kab?" Akshat snapped, the raw devastation finally breaking through his stoic exterior.

"Kitna intezaar karu? (How long do I wait?) It's not that easy."

He ripped his hand from her grasp and stood up abruptly, pacing the floor like a caged animal. He buried his face in his hands, his fingers gripping his hair in absolute frustration.

"I literally pushed my academics aside for this. I gambled everything on this music. And all I have to show for it is failure."

Purvi rose from her seat, her heart aching at the sight of him so broken. She stepped into his space, her movements gentle, and placed both of her palms against his warm cheeks, forcing him to look at her.

"I can understand what you're going through," she whispered, her eyes swimming with empathy. "I really can."

But Akshat shook his head, a bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaping his lips as he stepped backward, pulling out

"No, yaar. You don't understand. You can never understand."

He looked at her, his eyes clouded with a mix of awe and deep-seated vulnerability.

"You're perfect, Purvi. The moment you set your mind on something, you just go out and achieve it. You wanted IIM, you cracked the CAT, and you did it. But I'm not perfect like you. I am just imperfect. A failure. I don't have a backup plan. I am completely lost."

He swallowed a thick lump in his throat, his voice dropping to a fragile whisper as he raised his hand high above his head.

"I feel like you deserve so much better. You're up here..." He dropped his hand down, hovering it near his foot, "...and I'm all the way down here."

"Akshat!"
Purvi didn't hesitate. She closed the distance between them in two sharp strides, grabbing his hands with a fierce, unyielding grip. Her eyes blazed with a mixture of anger and fierce devotion.

"Khabardar if you ever talk to me like that again," she threatened softly, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Whatever you are-perfect, imperfect-I still love you. You are special to me, Akshat. You mean the entire world to me. And what is this nonsense about being a failure? We don't fail until we stop trying. And I am not letting you quit after coming this close."

She stepped even closer, her gaze locked onto his, demanding he believe every word.

"I know you will succeed. I know that one day, you'll be the one standing on a massive stage giving a successful speech, and I'll be sitting right there in the front row of the audience, looking up and admiring my man."

The raw intensity of her faith hit him like a physical wave. The heavy armor of his defeat began to crack, his eyes softening as he looked down at her.

A tiny, breathless smile tugged at the corner of Purvi's lips, breaking the heavy tension.

She looked up at his tall frame and murmured,
"Now... bend your head down."

Akshat blinked, caught entirely off guard.

"What?"

"Just do it," she nudged.

Defenseless against her command, Akshat kneeled forward slightly, lowering his head to her level. Purvi rose up on her tip-toes, her hands coming up to rest on his shoulders for balance.

She leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his cheek, pouring all her unspoken love and reassurance into the touch.

A breathless gasp escaped Akshat's lips. The lingering warmth of her lips on his skin shattered the last of his walls. Unable to resist her proximity, he shifted slightly, leaning into the curve of her neck and imprinting a deep, burning peck against her skin, making her shiver.

Before she could pull away, Akshat's arms wrapped securely around her waist, pulling her against his chest. Purvi collapsed into him, her arms winding tightly around his neck. They cuddled into each other right there in the middle of the room, holding on as if the rest of the world had ceased to exist, finding their sanctuary in each other's arms.

Please take two seconds to hit the Vote(⭐️) button and flood the Comments with all your emotions.

Your support gives me the absolute fuel to write more . See you all in next Chapter✨

Happy Reading!

Also you can follow me on instagram @shiningstarwrites