Chapter 14 : Back to Reality

The next morning, Hazel forced herself out of bed. Her body felt heavy, her mind fogged from exhaustion, but she couldn’t afford to stay locked inside anymore.

She moved through the motions—shower, getting dressed in a cozy sweater and jeans, tying her hair up lazily. Dark circles lingered under her eyes, but she ignored them. College awaited, and she wasn’t about to give anyone a reason to ask questions.

As she stepped into the kitchen, Naina was already there, scrolling through her phone while munching on toast. She looked up when Hazel entered, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Look who finally decided to show up,” Naina teased, pushing an extra plate toward her. “Figured you’d need this.”

Hazel sat down, picking at her breakfast without much enthusiasm.

Naina studied her for a moment before speaking. “You gonna tell me what happened, or do I have to keep pretending you were off on some secret mission?”

Hazel let out a humorless chuckle. “Not much to say.”

Naina didn’t push. Instead, she casually dropped, “Arav was asking about you, by the way.”

Hazel’s hand paused mid-air. “…What?”

Naina took a sip of her juice, unfazed. “Yeah, he asked me if I knew where you were. I didn’t tell him anything, though. Figured if you wanted him to know, you’d have told him yourself.”

Hazel exhaled slowly, her grip tightening around her fork. She wasn’t sure why that affected her.

Maybe because she hadn’t expected him to.

Hazel pulled her jacket closer around her as she walked toward campus, the cold morning air biting at her skin. The streets were as busy as ever, filled with students rushing to their classes, but her mind was elsewhere.

With a deep breath, she finally pulled out her phone, unlocking it for the first time since she had landed back home. As expected, the notifications flooded in, but one thread of messages caught her attention immediately—Arav.

Her fingers hovered over the screen before she clicked on his chat.

> Arav: Hey, where are you?

Arav: You good? Haven’t seen you around.

Arav: Did I say something wrong? Is this about Meera?

Arav: If I did, just tell me.

Arav: Hazel, seriously. At least tell me you’re okay.

She stared at the texts, guilt twisting inside her. He had actually been worried. He thought she was upset about their last conversation, about him talking about Meera.

But the truth was so much heavier than that.

She sighed, locking her phone again without replying. She wasn’t ready to talk. Not yet

Hazel had made it through her lectures without running into Arav. A part of her was relieved, but another part—one she refused to acknowledge—felt uneasy about it.

She was heading toward the library, hoping to get some quiet time, when suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a secluded corner.

Her breath hitched as she looked up. Arav.

He looked exhausted—his usual sharp features clouded with fatigue, dark circles under his eyes. His hair was messier than usual, and his grip on her wrist was firm, as if he was afraid she’d slip away again.

"You’re back," he said, his voice low, rough.

Hazel swallowed. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" Arav let out a humorless chuckle, running a hand through his hair. "That’s all you have to say after disappearing for six days without a word?"

Hazel looked away, guilt creeping in. "I had things to deal with."

"I thought you were upset about Meera," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "I thought... I said something wrong that day."

Hazel’s eyes flickered back to his. "It wasn’t about you, Arav."

He scoffed. "Then why the hell did you ignore me?"

She bit her lip, unsure how to explain without unraveling everything she was barely holding together. She didn’t want to talk about her mother. She didn’t want to talk about the betrayal that still sat heavy on her chest.

But Arav wasn’t letting go—not this time.

Hazel didn’t say anything. She couldn’t.

Instead, she turned and walked straight into the library, her steps quick and purposeful. She wasn’t sure if she was running away from the conversation or just trying to buy herself some time to think.

Arav, of course, followed.

He wasn’t the type to let things go, not when he was this restless. Hazel could feel his presence behind her as she navigated through the quiet aisles, finding a secluded corner near the philosophy section.

When she finally sat down, pretending to flip through a random book, he pulled out the chair across from her and sat down too.

Silence stretched between them.

Hazel kept her eyes on the book, but she wasn’t reading a single word. Arav, on the other hand, was watching her. Studying her.

"You’re really not going to say anything?" His voice was quieter this time, but there was a sharp edge to it.

Hazel exhaled. "I just don’t know what to say, Arav."

"Try," he said simply.

She looked up, meeting his gaze. There was something raw in his brown eyes—something that made her chest tighten. He was tired, yes, but more than that, he looked... hurt.

Hazel sighed, closing the book. "I had to leave suddenly. It was personal. That’s all."

Arav leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You could’ve just told me that instead of disappearing."

"I wasn’t in the right state of mind," she admitted.

He scoffed. "Right. But you could text Naina?"

Hazel hesitated. "She’s different."

Arav’s jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair, his frustration evident. "I was worried, Hazel."

That made her pause.

She blinked at him, unsure how to respond to the sincerity in his tone. Arav wasn’t someone who admitted things like this easily.

Hazel swallowed. "I’m sorry."

For a moment, he didn’t say anything. Then, he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Did something happen?"

Hazel looked away. "I don’t want to talk about it

Hazel and Arav had been whispering, but in their frustration, their voices had risen just enough to catch unwanted attention.

The librarian, an older woman with stern glasses, appeared near their table, her arms crossed. "If you two want to argue, take it outside," she whispered sharply.

Hazel, already overwhelmed, stood up immediately, grabbing her bag. She didn’t want to be here anyway. Without looking at Arav, she walked out of the library, her steps hurried.

Arav followed right behind.

As soon as they stepped into the open hallway, Hazel exhaled heavily. Everything was too much. Her emotions, the past week, the conversation—it was all pressing on her chest like a weight she couldn’t lift.

Arav was silent for a moment, watching her. Then, before she could turn away, he spoke. "Your eyes are watery."

Hazel stilled.

She blinked a few times, feeling the burn behind her eyes, but she hadn’t realized she was on the verge of tears until he pointed it out.

Arav stepped closer, his voice softer now. "What happened, Hazel?"

She met his gaze, her emotions all over the place. "Why do you care so much?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Arav looked at her, his expression unreadable for a moment. Then, he said quietly, "Because I just do."

His words made something in her chest tighten, but she didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t ready to talk about it. Not now. Not here.

So she looked away. "I need to go."

She turned, ready to leave, but Arav caught her wrist gently. He didn’t pull her back—just held it, grounding her for a second.

"If you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you," he said. "But don’t push me away, Hazel."

Hazel swallowed hard. For a second, she considered saying something—anything—but in the end, she just nodded, pulling her wrist free and walking away.

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