An Innocent Crush ✓

34 | First fight.

"How have you been?" Dhruv asked gently, sensing her unease. Kiara, gripping her notepad tightly, looked visibly upset.

"Excuse me, Miss, you should leave—" Sameer began, but Dhruv intervened firmly.

"I'm having a word with her, Mr. Sameer," Sameer halted in his tracks and glanced at Kiara before exiting the meeting room.

“Kiara—”

"Please don't... don't call me by my name. I don't know you," Kiara stammered, tears welling up.

Her tears moved Dhruv deeply, and he struggled with his own emotions. "Are you upset with me?" he asked gently.

"Upset? No! Dr. Sehgal, why would I be upset?" Kiara's voice cracked with emotion. "Do I even have the right to be upset with you? I should be grateful, shouldn't I? Grateful for all the pain and sleepless night you've caused me," she snapped, her pain evident.

Dhruv's heart sank at her words. He had no idea he had caused her this much pain, but hearing it from her was like a knife to his own heart.

"What... what pain?" he asked, feeling the weight of her emotions.

Kiara looked up, tears streaming down her face. "What pain? No calls! No messages! No nothing! I even thought you were dead!” Her voice trembled, making it hard for her to breathe.

Dhruv's heart shattered into a million pieces as he heard her every word. "I never meant to hurt you, Kiara. I thought... I thought it was for the best," he stammered, trying to explain himself.

"For the best? For whom? Certainly not for me," Kiara cried out, her voice filled with anguish. She threw the notepad at him; it hit his chest before falling on the floor with a thud.

Tears filled Dhruv's eyes as he reached out to console her, but she recoiled, the pain in her eyes cutting into his soul. Kiara shook her head, her tears continuing to fall.

"I tried to call you, but your fu… freaking number was not reachable!”

“+91 code doesn't work in the USA…” he whispered.

“Are you calling me dumb?” She snapped.

“I wouldn't dare… you're not dumb,” he said gently before closing the distance between them.

Kiara looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying. "I just... I couldn't handle not knowing if you were okay. I felt like I had lost you, and I… I missed you," she confessed, her voice shaky.

Dhruv softly reached out, brushing away Kiara's tears. "Shh... I missed you too, I'm truly sorry," he whispered. Looking into his eyes, Kiara sensed their hearts beating in sync, sharing a similar rhythm.

“C… congratulations on becoming a doctor.”

“See I kept my promise, I came back as soon as I become a doctor,” he said, a smile brightening through his tears.

Kiara nodded, she started rubbing her eyes to wipe the tears when Dhruv held her wrist, “Don’t rub too hard, you’ll hurt your eyes,” he whispered, offering his handkerchief.

Kiara glanced at the handkerchief, then at him. Slowly, she accepted it and began wiping her tear-stained cheeks. After a moment's pause, she rubbed it on her nose.

Dhruv chuckled softly, appreciating her attempt to tease him, though she didn’t realize it didn’t annoy him at all.

"Am I forgiven?" He inquired, his voice slightly strained. Kiara sniffed, shaking her head as she carefully folded his handkerchief and tucked it into his coat.

"Not yet," she replied with a glare, then briskly exited the meeting room, leaving Dhruv with a knowing smile.

"We'll work on that," he murmured to himself, ready to mend things.

⚕️

Shanvi opened the door to their apartment and frowned upon seeing the darkness within. Kiara usually got home around this hour. Was she not home yet? She thought before taking out her phone to use the flashlight.

She flashed the light around and let out a horrified scream, "Fuck! Oh my gosh! Kiara, stupid! Aisa kon karta hai?"

Kiara sat on the couch, wrapped in a white duvet that concealed her completely except for her face. Her expression contorted slightly before she burst into tears.

“What happened to your face? Were you crying?” Shanvi asked before walking to her, she gently held Kiara's face, noticing her distress. Kiara sniffed a little and nodded slowly.

“Why? Who made my baby cry? I'll take out all the guts out of that person!” Shanvi said, trying to lighten the mood, but Kiara continued to cry.

“Babe, please don't cry... Can you tell me what happened?”

Kiara sniffled, trying to compose herself between sobs. "It's nothing, really," she managed to say, her voice still shaky.

Shanvi sighed dramatically. "Oh, come on now, Kiara. If tears were currency, you'd be a millionaire by now! Spill the beans, what's the matter?" She nudged Kiara gently, trying to lighten the mood.

Kiara wiped her tears and tried to speak, but her sniffles interrupted her. "It's Dhruv Sir..."

Shanvi's eyebrows shot up. "Dhruv? Oh no, not again! Why don't you forget about him!"

"No, not that. He just...  He's now a surgeon in the hospital I'm doing my internship in."

"What?! Tell me everything!” She was getting interested now.

“He said sorry,..”

“Just sorry… and you forgave him?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Kiara hesitated for a moment. "Not yet. But I didn't say never!"

Shanvi clapped her hands. "That's the spirit! Keep him on his toes. You know, make him suffer a bit for ghosting you."

Kiara let out a small giggle. "Oh, I'm sure he's definitely feeling it."

Shanvi nodded approvingly. "Perfect. Now, how about we order some Chinese food and watch that ridiculous rom-com you secretly love but pretend to hate?"

"Sounds like a plan…." Kiara grinned.