Rudra's Dilemma — The Offer That Changed Everything
It started with an email.Subject: "Shortlisted — National Sports Internship, Spain"
Rudra stared at the screen for a full minute before the weight of the words settled in.
Spain.
Three months.Full scholarship.Training under international coaches.The dream.
And yet…All he could think of was Ruhi.
How could he leave now?
She had just said yes — not with a mandap or mehendi, but with her eyes, her words, her quiet loyalty.
🧠 Conflicted Heart, Torn Mind
He met Aarav that evening, tossing pebbles into the college garden fountain like he used to do in their first year.
"You've always dreamed of this," Aarav said. "Why does it sound like bad news?"
"Because Ruhi is here. Our life is here."
Aarav looked at him steadily."And what will you bring back for her — a regret or a fulfilled dream?"
Silence.
Then Rudra spoke softly."I just don't want her to feel like she's second."
"She won't," Aarav said. "Not if she knows why you're doing it."
📝 Ruhi's Big Opportunity — A Page That Could Change Her Life
The same week, Ruhi got a message from her professor.
"The editor at InkFrame Magazine loved your poem.They want you to submit a full column every fortnight.National print. Paid. Are you ready?"
Ruhi stared at her diary — the place that once held her loneliness — now becoming the reason she'd be heard by thousands.
She texted Simran:
"They want me. Not just my words. Me."
Simran called instantly, shouting through the phone,"YOU ARE THE VOICE, RUHI. This is just the beginning!"
🧳 The Goodbye — Almost
That Saturday evening, Ruhi and Rudra walked around campus, hands brushing but not quite holding.
The sky was pink-orange, the kind Delhi only offered before a storm.
"I need to go," Rudra finally said.
"I know," Ruhi whispered.
Neither tried to pretend it didn't hurt.
"But I'll be back," he added, stopping to face her. "Not with flowers or chocolates… but with purpose. And a plane ticket with your name next."
Ruhi took out a folded page from her diary and handed it to him.
"This isn't goodbye, Rudra.It's just a comma.And we're not done writing."
📓 Beyond the Buzzer – Page 171
"Sometimes love isn't tested by someone leaving.It's tested by whether you wait — and grow — until they return."
🧥 Simran's Fear — A Dream She Almost Denied
Simran received an unexpected call from a TEDx curator.
"We want you to speak at our next event in Pune. Topic: 'How Women Write to Survive.'"
She laughed nervously.
Then panicked.
"What would I even say?" she confessed to Ruhi.
Ruhi raised an eyebrow."You'd say what you wrote in every poem."
"And what's that?"
"That being emotional doesn't mean you're weak. That being honest doesn't mean you'll break. That girls who write aren't escaping — they're choosing to feel everything and survive anyway."
Simran smiled."Will you sit in the front row?"
Ruhi nodded."Always."
🏫 Aarav's Moment — Mentor to Role Model
Aarav's coaching program was officially selected by the state sports board.
He was invited to the capital's Youth Mentor Summit to represent the voice of underprivileged students in competitive sports.
For someone who once doubted if he'd ever make it past his own school failures — this was redemption.
He stood backstage, nervous, scanning the crowd.
Then his eyes landed on Simran — just arrived, notebook in hand, ready to scribble every word.
He walked up to the podium.
Took a breath.
And said:
"They call me coach.But I'm just someone who refused to sit in the audience of his own life."
💑 The Distance Begins
At the airport, Ruhi didn't cry.
She hugged Rudra tightly, tucked a letter into his jacket, and said:
"Come back with stories I haven't read yet."
He whispered into her hair,"And you, write ones that make missing me worth it."
They didn't say goodbye.
They just walked away in opposite directions —Knowing they were still walking the same path.
📓 Beyond the Buzzer – Page 173
"Some love stories aren't paused by distance.They're deepened by it."
💫 End of Chapter 34