Her name was Aarohi. His name, Vivaan.
In the quiet corner of a bustling 12th-grade tuition class, Aarohi sat with a secret swelling in her heart. Every time she saw Vivaan walk in—books in hand, that calm smile on his lips—her world paused. He never knew. She never told.
After the boards, news spread: Vivaan had enrolled in a prestigious CA institute nearby. Aarohi didn't hesitate. She followed—not for the career, but for the chance to stay close to the boy she loved from afar.
College was different. Time moved faster. But the moments? Sweeter.
One day, in the mess hall, Aarohi—flustered and in a hurry—spilled steaming dal on Vivaan's right hand. Her voice rose in worry disguised as anger: "Are you blind?" Before he could respond, she grabbed his hand and rushed to the nearest tap, cooling his burn, fussing over him like he was hers.
Later, when she saw him trying to eat awkwardly with his left hand, she took his plate. "I'm fasting today, but you still need to eat," she said. Sitting beside him in an empty classroom, she began feeding him tenderly.
"I can manage," he whispered, shyly.
"Don't snatch my moment," she replied with a soft smile.
That was the moment Vivaan fell—not just for her gestures, but for her heart.
Their love unfolded like poetry: study breaks that turned into hand-holding, sneaking chocolates during lectures, and yes… secret kisses stolen in the washroom, hidden from the world, but burning bright in their hearts. The walls echoed their laughter, and their silence spoke more than words ever could.
But Aarohi had a secret buried deeper than her feelings—cancer. Diagnosed just before joining college, she chose not to tell Vivaan. She wanted love, not sympathy. Memories, not medicines.
One day, Vivaan found her medical reports in her bag. His hands trembled, his heart cracked.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, voice shaking.
She held his hand and said, "Because this... this right now, is all I wanted. Nothing in life is forever, Vivaan. But what we have—this feeling—will always be ours."
And so they lived. Every kiss, every laugh, every shared secret was a piece of a forever they built in borrowed time.
Then came their CA result day. Vivaan had ranked first. Aarohi, second.
He ran to tell her, heart pounding with joy. But what greeted him was silence... and a message he never wanted to hear—Aarohi had passed away in her sleep that morning.
Vivaan shattered.
Years passed. Vivaan became the country's most respected CA—just like Aarohi always dreamed for him. He never married. He didn't need to.
In his office, beside his awards, hung a photo: a classroom, a food plate, and a girl feeding a boy with eyes full of love.
And every year, on the day their results came out, he visited her favorite spot by the lake—where the stars whispered her name, and his heart still answered.