So, I have a new plot in my mind. Thinking about the title. Hope you will help me. The titles are

1. Ceased Childhood

2. Unshed Tears

3. Unwiped Tears

It's mostly a 10 chapters short story. Don't know when I will start. Have to set priorities na. Let's see.

We hit 2k votes. Yippe.

Happy Reading.

Tanvi's POV:

"What just happened here?" I asked a moment after he went out. Did he just hug me? I pondered.

Why?

I looked at Jiya and Ajay, face who shared the same expression as mine. 

"Ajay...what's wrong with him?" I asked, hoping he would know the reason behind this sudden change. The last time I checked, he hated me. He shouted at me, taunted me and humiliated me. Now, out of blue, he came to see me, that too in shorts and hugged me. 

My heart throbbed like crazy when he was near to me. He hugged me so tight, yet delicate enough not to crush me. 

Who could think that suddenly, when you are saying something, someone will come to you and hug you just like that? I touched my cheeks, they felt very hot, so did my my ears and all my body. I felt some connection with him when he came that close. Actually, that has happened every time he has been near me.

" I.... I don't know. I'll go now. Rest well, and if you both need anything at any time, don't hesitate to call me. Bye," saying this Ajay left the room in a hurry. 

Before I could react, he left the room while I kept staring at the door for a moment and later felt, perhaps he is feeling awkward with me. I sighed upon seeing Jiya still rooted at the same place, with the same shocked expression on her face.

"Jiya!!!" I called her. She looked back at me and said, "What just happened here?" 

I glared at her and said, "It's all because of you. You told them I met with an accident, and they came here, and he hugged me."

I immediately wiped all my body with my palms to get rid of his touch. 

"Excuse me? How would I know that they will come so quickly and one of them would hug you out of blue? Had Ajay hugged you then I have would understand, but that Sarthak?" she raised her hands and shrugged her shoulders. I told her about Ajay's proposal and how I rejected him.

I remained mum and kept looking at her, feeling embarrassed. I hugged few boys in my life, like cousins and other friends. Never felt like this though. 

"And in my perspective, this was an accident. So don't talk anymore," she said after a moment. 

"Jiya!" I drawled. "An ankle sprain is not considered as an accident," I shouted. Who is the idiot who told her that all these small, small wounds are accidents?

"Ohh, really? Then come on. Walk and prove to me that you are fit and good. Come," she challenged me. 

She turned more insane then she was before, I concluded. Before I could say anything, my phone started buzzing. It was my mom. That was the fourth time she called me in the last two hours. 

My mood instantly lit up when I saw her name. She was hell a worried about me ever since Jiya told them that I had an ' accident' according to her. Both my parents became so worried about me and dialed every connection they had in Vizag as well as in the hospital to assist me. That's why I was lodged in a VIP room, with centralized AC and other posh amenities.

"Hi, Mom," I said with a smile. 

I was happy because ever since I came here, my parents seemed to miss me very much. They call me at least two times a day and talk a lot to me, apart from just asking how my day was, like before. Actually, the change started during last year itself. Though I didn't tell them the truth, they seemed to understand my emptiness and helped me to feel better. 

Maybe We get what we deserve at the right time and when God gives it to us.

"Hi, ra. How are you? Is your leg alright? Do you feel still painful? Did you take the medicines? Did the doctor say anything? Shall I come there or shall...." my mom bombarded me with all questions. 

"Ma, ma, maaa. Calm down, Mom. I am ok ma. And I will take my medicine after eating something and no need to come here, ma. I will come there soon, or you can come here on my birthday, alright?" I tried to pacify her slowly. I could feel her panic.

"Ohhh. Ok. Don't take any stress, Tanvi. Take rest. Your dad and I will definitely try to come visit you this week, and take help of Jiya. Eat on time and take medicines on time, Ok?" she asked me to which I just hummed as my voice was stuck in my throat only. I was afraid I will break into tears.

"Tanvi..." she called me and I hummed again. 

She continued, "I know I might have ignored you when you needed me the most, but you know what? I started to miss you and felt ignored when you left me. Not only me, your father too. We miss you a lot, child. I just want to say sorry. Am really sorry, ra. Forgive us, ra."

"Mom. There is nothing to forgive you or Dad for. Actually I am in no position to forgive you both. Yeah, I agree I felt neglected and ignored, but these last few months, your talks, your love and everything made up for everything. There is nothing in the world which would bring me more happiness then this. Thank you, ma. Thankyou so much."

By time I was done, my tears had started flowing freely. I could faintly hear my mom's sniffles, and we relieved the burden from our hearts. 

We talked for a few more minutes before the doctor came in to check on me. He examined my leg and allowed me to go back to the hostel but warned me badly to take full bed rest for minimum one week, and after that visit hospital again.  More than me, Jiya agreed to everything the doctor said and promised him that she would make sure that I do and eat everything that is prescribed. God! I got two moms.

                                                                                         ****

By the time we reached the hostel it was 6. Our warden, cook, and other hostelers came to check me and bombarded me with many many questions. I answered some, and Jiya answered the rest. Finally, after giving 1000 suggestions, everyone dispersed to their dorms. I sighed and rested my head on the bed, but my phone started ringing.

"Oh My God!" I whined for a minute and decided not to answer the call. 

But Jiya took the call and said, "It's your friend, Sam." As soon as I heard her name, all my weariness faded away. 

"Hey, Sam," I squealed in happiness. It had been weeks since I had talked with her. Our friendship went back on track when she visited me on my birthday. After that, we never fought or had any other misunderstandings ever. To be more honest, overcoming that rift made our relationship more strong. 

"How is you leg?" she asked me dryly and all my excitement got vanished. Did the news reach her already?

"How you got to know?" I asked her, Then I noticed Jiya moving away from me, as though she had done something bad. When she saw that I was watching her, she smiled meekly, making me more suspicious.

"I called you in afternoon when you were inside the hospital room, and your friend picked up and told me that you met with an accident. So, I immediately called your parents, and they relieved me that it's an ankle sprain and not an complete accident. So...."

All the while she spoke I kept glaring at Jiya. First to Ajay, then my parents, and now Sam too. Has she left anyone in the world?

"Hey, Tan. How's your leg?" she asked me again.

"Am all good and returned back to room too. I just need some bed rest. That's it. Ok, forget about this. What about you? How are you doing?" I asked her with the mind of changing the topic.

"I am good. I actually wanted to talk to you about something. That's why I called you," she said.

"Ok. What's it?" I asked her curiously. By this time, Jiya moved her bed close to my and hopped on it, scrolling through her phone.

"I received our farewell photos today. At last," she said stressing the 'at last' words. 

I chuckled as soon as I heard that. "Woah. Finally, after our junior batch was about to leave, we got our farewell photos. Great!" Though the school management received one or two copies of photo from the photographer they didn't share them with us. At first, they said us to concentrate on our exams when we asked them, and after exams, none remembered us either and never gave us the pics. These school and college people like to make us students roam around them. 

"Yeah. Finally, Mom got them. And almost everyone is there in the pics. It felt so nostalgic, and I missed you so badly," Sam said. 

I smiled and said, "Me too. So when will you send me those pics?"

"Soon, but hear me out fully," she demanded and I hummed to her.

"So when I was going through the photos, an idea popped up in my mind. Listen carefully, maybe, that Rohan Sarthak must have been captured somewhere in one pic at least. So let's ask any seniors for their farewell pics and ask them to identify him. What say?" 

What should I say? Can I finally find him? Can I know him? I have tried all my ways to reach out to him, but nothing worked. I have always been met with an obstruction.

"Tanvi.." Jiya jerked me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, Sam..." my voice quivered. 

Jiya, who was sitting beside, seemed to understand what we were talking about. I told her everything the day when I was a mess when. She came back, and it took her all night to console me. We didn't go to college the following day and she helped me to get better.

"So I shall ask someone or the other, and we will find out who he is. Ok?" Sam said from the other side. 

I just don't know how grateful I should be to her. Since we found out the truth, she showed how guilty she was whenever she got a chance, and when I almost quit searching for him, she is again  helping me.

"Why, Sam?" I asked her swallowing all my pain. 

"It all started because of me. Let me end all this too," 

That's enough for me to revive my long lost hope. I agreed to her idea and wished to find him soon.

Hope I will get to know him at least now and atone my mistake.

Am personally not satisfied with this chapter. Don't know why? The conversation between Tanvi and her mother is a last minute touch up and I am fearing about that.

So what do you think? Liked it or not?

So a grand re-entry of Sam. So how's her idea? So she is all genuine now and I assure you that.

That's it for today.

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Stay Safe.