A Surprise Return — Simran's Homecoming
Simran stepped out of the cab just outside the college gate, her suitcase in one hand, her eyes brimming with memories.
She had said she would visit after the publishing cycle.But she couldn't wait any longer.
Ruhi was the first to spot her — sitting near the college fountain with Rudra and Aarav.
"SIMRAN!" she yelled, sprinting forward, nearly tripping over a crack in the pavement.
They hugged like the months apart were a dream.
Even Aarav, usually reserved, smiled wider than the Delhi sky.
"You should've told us you were coming!" Ruhi exclaimed.
Simran winked. "What fun is a plan, when life's already improvising?"
🏞️ The Trip — A Spontaneous Escape
That weekend, the four of them decided to take a trip to Lansdowne, a quiet hill station tucked in Uttarakhand's pine-covered arms.
No tourist traps. No crowds.
Just winding roads, forest silence, and the freedom to breathe.
Ruhi and Rudra hiked ahead one morning, leaving Simran and Aarav behind.
They reached a high ledge overlooking the misty valley.
There, under the open sky, Rudra pulled out a tiny velvet pouch.
Not a ring this time.But a thread — red and gold.
He wrapped it around Ruhi's wrist.
"No rituals. No priests. Just us," he said.
Her lips parted in surprise.
"You're tying me a rakhi?" she teased.
He laughed. "No. I'm tying a vow. That you can see. Feel. Wear. Until we stand under a real mandap someday."
Ruhi looked down at the thread — shimmering, warm, familiar.
"I don't need the mandap," she whispered.
He cupped her cheek. "But you'll have it one day. In front of everyone. This… is just ours."
📓 Beyond the Buzzer – Page 167
"Some weddings don't need music.Just a vow whispered into skin —And a silence that never leaves."
🌌 Simran and Aarav — Beneath a Different Sky
That night, sitting near the bonfire, Simran and Aarav spoke quietly while the stars blinked overhead.
"You look more sure of yourself now," Simran said, watching him sip from a thermos.
"Maybe I am," Aarav said. "Or maybe I've stopped pretending to be someone else."
"You were never someone else," she whispered. "You were just… hiding the best parts."
He looked into her eyes.
"I want to build something with you, Simran. Not just memories, but a life. One I'm not afraid to own."
She reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a folded page — one of her unpublished poems.
"If we ever live under the same roof,Let it leak sometimes —So we remember we can fix things together."
He didn't need to say anything.
He just held her hand.
🎧 Back in Delhi — Normal Days, But Not Ordinary
The trip ended. College resumed. Assignments returned.
But something had changed.
Ruhi and Rudra still fought over chai versus coffee.Simran still mocked Aarav's sense of fashion.Rudra still teased Ruhi about her obsession with bookmarks.And Aarav still brought extra snacks "just in case."
But now, every interaction carried weight.
Love didn't announce itself.
It simply… settled in.
Like the way Rudra always reached for Ruhi's hand during boring seminars.Or how Simran added Aarav's name in her acknowledgments — before the book was even out.
💌 A Letter from a Stranger
One morning, Ruhi received a letter in the hostel.
No sender name. No stamp.
Just a single line on the envelope:
"For the girl who wears words like armor."
Inside:
*"I've seen you walk through silence like it owed you an apology.
You remind people that not every strong woman is loud.
I don't know you. But I hope you keep loving —Even when it's terrifying."*
She didn't recognize the handwriting.
But it didn't matter.
Sometimes, the universe sends affirmations just when you're about to doubt yourself again.
📓 Beyond the Buzzer – Page 169
"Weddings are made of rituals.Commitments are made of choices —Small, consistent, breathtakingly quiet choices."
📸 A Photo That Said It All
On the last day of their trip, Aarav clicked a photo on his phone.
The four of them — sitting on a stone wall. Laughing. Wind in their hair. Tea in their hands.
No filters.No poses.
Just the raw joy of peoplewho had fallen, failed, healed, and held on.
He later uploaded it with a caption:
"We didn't plan this chapter.But it became our favorite one."
💫 End of Chapter 33