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She raised an eyebrow, her gaze observant. “Something’s been off with you lately. I can see it. I won’t push you to explain, but these last few weeks… we saw a different version of you. Softer. More grounded. Ever since the Raichands became more than just the neighbours. Don’t lose that now. Don’t slip back into being the man who shuts everyone out.”

He didn’t reply. What could he say? That he missed someone who might not even want to see his face anymore? That he’d ruined something beautiful because he didn’t have the courage to try again?

He hadn’t seen Nandini even once since that night. And with each passing hour, his restraint slipped away, bit by bit.

She hadn’t stepped out, hadn’t crossed the garden, hadn’t even come near the French doors of Raichand Villa. And as much as he tried to convince himself that this distance was for the best, that it was what he wanted, he knew it wasn’t. Every day without her chipped away at the edges of his peace, leaving behind an ache that refused to subside.

He had to force himself not to look at Raichand Villa and yet every time he failed.

Just like today, as he sat by the poolside lounger, pretending to read on a document, he looked up and saw the curtains of her living room move. His heart skipped a beat. Maybe it was her. Maybe he could get one tiny glimpse, just enough to know how she was holding up.

But the moment the curtains parted, he saw it wasn’t her. It was Lakshmi, dusting the windows. Alone.

The disappointment settled like a stone in his chest.

Later that evening, against his better judgment, he casually asked Meera to check why Nandini hadn’t been around lately.

Meera, ever perceptive, didn’t miss the tension in his voice. She made a call to Lakshmi and came back with a quiet answer.

“She’s been running a fever for the past three days. Although she is better now.”

That gutted him. He hadn’t even known. He hadn’t been there. And yet… deep inside, he knew he was the one who’d caused it.

Both Meera and Lakshmi sensed something had gone terribly wrong between the two, but neither woman dared toask. They watched. Waited. And silently hoped the storm would pass… and that these two lost people would finally find their way back to each other.

By the evening of the seventh day, the wind had picked up, and the temperature had dipped again. Shaurya sat outside in his garden, under the sky that had grown cloudy and grey. A few mango leaves drifted towards him, brushing against his arm. He caught one, staring at it like it held an answer he so desperately sought.

His gaze lifted to the old mango tree standing tall between their homes. He exhaled slowly and stood up, walking towards it like he had no other choice.

Placing a hand gently on its bark, he whispered, “I’ve seen Grandpa and Nandini talk to you. Sharing their pain, their joy... everything they feel… with you. I never understood it. I don’t know what satisfaction they get, venting to something that can’t even talk back. Can’t even offer advice or guidance. And yet... here I am. Because right now, you’re the only one who knows it all.”

He swallowed the feeling of pain in his throat but continued.

“You were the first one to notice something brewing between me and her. You watched us grow close... and then watched it fall apart, like it was never meant to be.”

The tree remained silent, of course. But the wind rustled its leaves, and for a second, it felt like it was listening.

He leaned fully against the trunk now, his eyes shut, lost in the memories of Nandini. “I love her. God, I love her more than I’ve ever loved anyone. And that’s why I can’t hurt her. I had no choice but to walk away. She’s precious. She’s too good for a man like me, someone who’s made too many mistakes already. I know she’s hurting. She probably hates me for pulling away. But I don’t have the answers for the questions she might ask.”

He breathed in deeply, and when he spoke again, it came out as a broken sob. “I miss her. I just… I want her to know that I’m doing this for her sake, even if it’s tearing us apart. I want her to know it wasn’t fleeting for me. It was real. It is real. I love her, and I want her to be happy. But if she stays with me, I can’t promise her the kind of future she dreams of... the kind she deserves.”

He pulled back slightly, staring up at the twisted branches. “If you’re listening... just give me a sign. Something. Anything. Tell me I’m doing the right thing.”

“The tree only talks and gives signs to me and Nandini. Not to outsiders.”

Shaurya froze.

He turned slowly to find Grandpa standing a few feet away, leaning lightly on his stick.

Shaurya’s heart pounded. He quickly wiped his face and looked away, unsure about how much the older man had overheard. But Grandpa walked toward him calmly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You’d gone missing, my boy,” he said softly. “For a whole week now, and I started to wonder what was really going on. Nandu said you were probably catching up on work. After all, you’d put so much on hold to take care of me, so we didn’t want to bother you. But now, from what I am seeing, it wasn’t just work keeping you away. I see it in your eyes... it’s not work. It’s something else. Something heavier.”

Shaurya was at a loss for words. He couldn’t come up with an excuse. And Grandpa didn’t’ wait for one. He continued.

“From what I heard you say to that tree,” he began, “I figured it out. You’ve fallen in love again, haven’t you? And now you’re scared to commit… because you think you can’t give her the life or the love she deserves. You are scared to give it a name. Scaredthat it’ll hurt her. Scared that you’ll fail her the way you failed in the past relationship.”

Shaurya froze again, startled that Grandpa had heard him, but at the same time, he was also relieved. He hadn’t mentioned Nandini by name, and it seemed Grandpa was still in the dark aboutwhohe was talking about. He gave a small nod, unsure whether it was to confirm or deflect.