The Rawat Brides[Complete]

Chapter 49

Wish everyone celebrating a very happy holi!

Author's note: I know I haven't been as consistent as I promised I would be and I promise it's not because I am not trying. With that being said, there won't be an update for The Rawat Brides till the 20th of April. I realize that it will be very disheartening and frustrating for several readers, but I promise it is for a crucial reason. We only have 13 more chapters after this one, so please please stick with me. Once I am back, I'll update every 2-3 days so we can wrap up this story early May.

Hope you all like the new chapter!❤

Also, how cute is this character board that @rose_new has created for Soumya. Thank you so much for such a lovely gift.

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Rudra pushed through the crowd of youngsters who had gathered on the outskirts of the city to watch the bike race. Ignoring the looks he received from a few attendees, he tried to find his brother, Soumya and Dhara.

After 20 minutes of trying to weave through the crowd, he finally found the ladies at a stall that allowed people to shoot at balloons for a prize. He felt a sudden sense of relief when he noticed Soumya laughing as she tried to aim her gun and failed miserably. He didn't know why or what seemed to be bothering her for the past two days because she didn't seem like herself. There were so many possibilities for her behaviour. Some made him happy and some didn't. The obvious solution to put his speculations at rest was to talk to her, but that was also the hardest solution and put him in the most vulnerable spot. He knew he was overthinking this and at some point, he would have to talk to her. However, he didn't know how to begin this conversation. He hoped the idea that he cooked up in his head last night would help break the sudden barrier that had seemingly developed between them.

"Rudra bhaiya," Dhara yelled his name and waved him down when she noticed his presence.

Rudra shook off his worries and inhibitions and approached them. It was subtle, but he saw the way Soumya's smile switched from genuine to a distant formality. Suddenly, his inhibitions reared their ugly head and he wasn't all too sure whether he should confess his feelings to her.

"You finally made it!" Dhara's voice cut through the argument his emotional heart and intelligent brain were having.

He cleared his throat and offered her a small smile. "I was trying to reach you guys but there was no network."

Dhara checked her phone and nodded. "Seems like it." she shrugged. "Let's go find Akash now. Di said we needed to wait for you. They announced the race will be starting soon. Let's go!"

"I wanted to apologize for today's mess," he said to them as they were walking around the vicinity to find Akash. "The meeting came up suddenly and it just got over. I-"

"It's alright." Soumya interrupted softly. "Work comes first."

He smiled, but before he could respond, Dhara announced, "I see Akash."