Chapter 13 : "Words Lost in the Wind"
It was already getting quite late on their side.
Praveen let out a sigh. "Everything got delayed today because of that Poorvi."
Swathi looked puzzled. "Delayed? Why? We're just heading home now. Relax, go home, and take some rest."
Praveen seemed a little agitated. " Swathi, today JK..."
Before he could finish, JK walked in with an innocent expression.
Karthik immediately interrupted, "Just keep quiet for a moment, man! Swathi, the thing is, today was our college Annual Day. Since it ended on a happy note, we four decided to celebrate nearby at the Green House Resort. That’s the plan.”
Then he leaned toward Surya and whispered, “I don’t know what to say next to her. You speak.”
Surya chuckeld and stepped forward said gently, “Swathi, we wanted to give you a surprise. But this Praveen, he can't keep surprises a surprise! My boy just spills everything!” he said, lightly hitting Praveen, and Karthik joined in, playfully holding him as if about to beat him up.
JK chuckled. “Enough, you guys. We knew he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. That’s our fault for trusting him.”
Swathi smiled at JK. “JK, I thought you’d be feeling really upset today about what happened... but you seem rather happy.”
JK shook his head. “Why feel bad over something that doesn’t matter, Swathi?” But in his heart, he thought, Today is a very important day for me. I won’t let anything ruin it.
He looked at her and added, “Swathi, you look very different in this saree today.” His eyes lingered on her, admiring.
The moment didn’t go unnoticed.
Seeing the opportunity, the boys jumped on it.
“Oh... oh... even the weather seems different today, doesn’t it?” Surya teased while Karthik and Praveen smirked at JK who hadn’t stopped staring.
Praveen nudged Surya. “Look at him… JK has totally zoned out looking at Swathi. Let him be, poor guy is too excited.”
Swathi raised her voice playfully, “Hello... JK sir, enough staring! You’re looking at me like you’re about to eat me up. Don’t stare too much—I might get an evil eye.”
JK shot back, "What? you want me to look at you? Have you even checked your face in the mirror? You look like a monkey that just escaped from the zoo!"
Swathi narrowed her eyes. “Really? In that case, you four go have your party. I’ll head back home.”
Surya jumped in nervously, “ahh!, JK, don’t tease her too much. Swathi, please don’t say that. If you don’t come, everything will get ruined. Don’t stress about him… just come.”
Swathi crossed her arms. “Okay fine, I’ll come only because you’re asking. But JK still hasn’t said sorry to me.”
JK refused, “I’m not saying sorry.”
Swathi turned away. “Fine. I’ll go book a cab and leave. You all go enjoy.”
Karthik groaned. “No swati wait, Just apologize, man! If you don’t...”
JK smirked. “If I don’t, then what?”
Praveen chimed in, “Then I’ll tell her everything!”
JK panicked. “No! Okay, okay! Swathi, I’m sorry. Let’s go now, please?”
Swathi grinned. “Did you all see that? This guy finally apologized out of guilt. Hence, Her Highness forgives him.”
JK rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, Your Majesty. You’ve done me a great favor. Now let’s go before our Highness changes her mind.”
Everyone laughed and began to walk toward the resort.
---
A little while later, they all reached the resort.
Swathi looked around in awe. “Wow... you needed a whole resort just for one party? But I must admit, it’s beautiful. So peaceful and elegant. I love it, JK.”
JK smiled. “Then let’s stay here forever.”
Surya quickly interrupted, “Hello! If you two want to stay, fine. But we’ve got other things to do Mr JK.”
JK laughed and said, “Swathi, enjoy the climate here. We’ll check on the private area we booked and be back soon.”
Swathi nodded. “Alright, come back quickly.”
They all headed to the manager’s office.
“Hello sir, welcome to our resort,” the manager greeted them warmly.
JK asked, “Thank you. Is everything arranged properly?”
“Of course, sir,” the manager replied. “Everything’s exactly as you requested. But… there’s a small issue. You had asked for the private garden area, but sir... please don’t be angry. There was a small mistake by one of our team members. It will be ready in just 15–20 minutes. Until then, could you please wait in the lounge area?”
JK frowned. “What are you saying? We didn’t come here to rest. You said everything was arranged. Now this?”
“Please, sir. We apologize. Just give us a little time. It’s almost ready.”
JK sighed. “Tch... nothing is going right for me today.”
Surya put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t stress, JK. Praveen and I will handle this. You both go with Swathi and Karthik. We’ll call you once it’s ready.”
Meanwhile, Karthik and jk came to swathi
Swathi complained, “Why are you guys taking so long? I’m so tired.”
JK looked at her with concern. “I’m really sorry, Swathi. Just 15–20 more minutes. Let’s enjoy the view until then, okay?”
Swathi pouted. “I feel like having ice cream.”
JK frowned. “Ice cream? No way, you'll catch a cold.”
Swathi gave him her cutest expression. “Please... just one… please?”
JK melted inside. Don’t react too much. If you do, your heart will melt like ice cream too… “Okay okay, I’ll get it. Wait here.”
Swathi shook her head. “No, not here. Let’s go out and get it.”
Karthik tried to stop her. “Swathi, everything’s almost ready. Why go out now?”
But Swathi was firm. “I don’t care. I want ice cream now.”
JK sighed. “Fine… there’s a park nearby. Let’s walk there.”
Karthik hesitated. “You two go. I’ll wait here.” But they dragged him along anyway.
---
At the park...
Swathi looked around and frowned. “Ugh, it’s full of couples.”
JK and Karthik looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“What? Why are you laughing? Did I say something wrong?”
JK teased, “You’re such a kid. You won’t understand even if we explain. God gave you a head but forgot to put in brain. Why does God do this to such girls?”
Karthik grinned. “Swathi, just focus on your ice cream. Let grown-ups talk.”
Swathi shot back, “Hello! I’m not that childish. I understand everything. Now stop teasing me and go get me the ice cream.”
“I’ll go,” Karthik said and walked off, leaving JK and Swathi sitting on the bench.
JK hesitated, then began softly, “Swathi… do you believe in love? What’s your opinion about it?”
Swathi raised an eyebrow. “Love? Why are you suddenly asking that? Did you fall for someone?”
JK quickly said, “No! Just asking casually.”
Swathi eyed him suspiciously. “You’ve been acting weird lately. Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for Poorvi or something?”
JK got serious. “Swathi… don’t even mention her name. It ruins my mood. Just answer my question.”
Swathi sighed. “Oh god, how can I answer that? My brain is too small for such big things.”
JK mumbled, “You’re saying that to me?”
Just then Karthik returned with ice cream. “Swathi, here’s your ice cream.”
“Thank you, Karthik,” she said sweetly.
The three sat eating, laughing and chatting.
Suddenly Swathi pointed. “Look at those two. They’re lovers, I’m sure of it.”
JK looked. “How can you say that?”
“He’s about to propose,” Swathi said confidently.
JK scoffed. “He’s maintaining so much distance. Doesn’t look like that to me. Right, Karthik?”
Karthik agreed. “Even I don’t think so.”
“Just wait,” Swathi said. “He’s going to propose.”
And just then, the guy pulled out a ring and proposed. JK and Karthik were shocked.
JK whispered, “Great… I hope she says yes. Please don’t break his heart, god.”
Swathi muttered, “She shouldn’t accept. That would be the right decision.”
Both boys stared at her in disbelief.
JK asked, “Swathi! Why would you say that? You should support people in love!”
Karthik added, “Yes! How can you say such a thing?”
Swathi calmly explained, “Look at him closely. He’s not settled in life. He doesn’t have clarity. He can’t handle a relationship right now.”
Hearing that, JK’s face fell. The smile slowly faded from his lips. Karthik noticed the change in his friend's expression.
Karthik gently said, “Forget it, Swathi. Why bother about them? Let’s go. They’re waiting for us.”
JK asked, “Swathi… so you believe one should only love after settling in life?”
Swathi smiled. “Exactly. You said it right. That’s why I like you so much, JK. You’re so perfect.”
JK whispered, “Why do all girls expect this from boys?”
Swathi shrugged. “I don’t know about all girls. That’s just my opinion.”
JK was still confused. “So… what does that mean?”
Swathi thought for a moment. “I just said what I felt. But why do you two look so disturbed? My point is, first a girl should be independent. And love born in college is just attraction. It can’t be true love. Real love matters only after settling in life. Otherwise, it’s just time pass.”
Karthik, watching JK’s face, saw how crushed he looked. His mind was filled with thousands of thoughts. Oh no, this small opinion of hers just shattered JK’s dream. I have to get him out of here.
Just then, Surya called Karthik .“I’ll be back in a minute. You guys wait here,” he said, stepping away from the group.
“Hello? Karthik, send JK quickly, and you blindfold Swathi and bring her here.”
Karthik hesitated. “Surya… we’re not at the resort right now.”
“What do you mean you’re not at the resort?! Then where did you go?”
“Swathi insisted on eating ice cream. She wouldn’t give up. So we came to a nearby park. But…”
Before Karthik could finish, JK grabbed the phone from his hand and spoke firmly.
“Hello Surya, listen to me. Cancel all the arrangements right now.”
“What?! Are you out of your mind? You’ve been waiting for this moment for long time. Now that everything’s ready, what happened? Why did you go there?”
JK cut him off, his voice urgent. “Look, I don’t have time to explain. Swathi is right here. Just cancel everything and arrange a normal dinner instead.”
He disconnected the call without waiting for a response.
“Hello? Hello? What just happened?” Surya stared at the phone, stunned.
Praveen, standing nearby, asked, “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. JK just told me to cancel everything and prepare a normal dinner. I have no idea what’s happened—only he can explain.”
Meanwhile, back at the park…
Karthik turned to JK, confused. “Why did you do that?”
JK’s expression was hard. “What I did was right. Just stay quiet. Swathi is coming.”
He glanced toward her and then muttered, “So, this was your big surprise plan? You guys left me out and started planning everything behind my back? I’m done with this. And this saree is getting on my nerves too.”
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. “Fine. Let’s go right now.”
With that, the three of them headed to the resort.
At the resort garden, Surya and Praveen quickly arranged a simple dinner setup. Soon, Swathi, Karthik, and JK arrived.
Swathi walked in, looking around at everyone’s faces.
“Why are you looking at us like that?” Surya asked her. “Didn’t you like the arrangement?”
Swathi replied with disappointment, “You all took this much time for such a small party? Nothing feels special. I don’t even feel like this is a surprise…”
Surya tried to explain gently, “Actually, we had planned games and all. But since there wasn’t enough time, we decided to just have a simple dinner.”
Swathi looked at them with sharp eyes. “I don’t know… Something feels off. Everyone’s faces look so dull, like there’s no energy in the room. Even our smallest parties over the years were full of fun. But today…”
Praveen stepped in. “it’s nothing like that, Swathi. Everyone’s just a little upset about what happened this morning, that’s all.”
“Oh… I forgot about that,” Swathi said. “No problem. Next time, let’s do it with full energy. For now, let’s eat quickly and go home. JK, I’m really tired.”
As they sat down to eat, Surya kept wondering what had happened to make JK cancel the surprise. That question wouldn’t leave his mind.
After dinner, everyone started to leave.
“You all go ahead. I’ll drop Swathi home,” JK said calmly.I will also go home
Karthik interrupted, “JK, let’s all stay at our room tonight.drop Swathi at her home and come
Karthik looked at JK and said more sternly, “Just do as I say, JK.”
(He thought silently, Sorry, I just want you to make peace I know how you feeling now. That’s why I said it that way.)
Swathi added, “You all go wherever you want. I’m really tired. JK, please, let’s go quickly.”
Surya said, “JK, come to the room later. We’ll be waiting.”
JK nodded and left with Swathi.
As they rode on the bike, the silence between them felt heavy. JK, who was always chatty, was unusually quiet.
Swathi leaned forward slightly. “JK, why are you so silent? Usually, when I complain about riding on bikes, you keep talking. But today you seem really dull… is everything okay?”
JK smiled faintly. “It’s nothing. Go home and rest. You must be tired.”
Swathi agreed softly. “Yeah…”
And then, without warning, she wrapped her arms tightly around him from behind.
JK’s heart began to beat wildly, her hug igniting a storm of emotions inside him.
“Swathi… I wanted to ask you something.”
“Hmm? Ask. What is it?”
As her home neared, JK felt fear creeping into his heart. If I confess now, and she misunderstands, I might lose her forever. Can I really handle that?
No… I don’t want a life without Swathi. But why does fate always block my way? Why can’t she just see how much I love her? Even if God Himself stands in my way, I’ll still confess. Let her know, at least once…
He steeled himself and began, “Swathi, I’ve been wanting to tell you something very important. Can I say it now? Will you listen?”
“Yes. I’m listening. Go on.”
“It’s just that… I love you, Swathi. I really love you. You don’t have to give me your answer now. Take some time. I promise that once I’m settled in life, I’ll marry you. I’ve been in love with you for a long time—not just the way you think. Love… isn’t what you assume it is. Just say the word ‘yes’ and that’s enough. Please, Swathi… say something.”
But—
“JK… stop. I said stop the bike.”
Jk screared “Swathi, I—”
“I said STOP!” she snapped again.
JK brought the bike to a halt.
Swathi looked at him with what seemed like anger.
Jk :“Swathi… please don’t be upset. I—”
“Don’t be upset? Do you even know what you just did?!” she said, her tone intense. “Where have you brought me? Do you even know where we are? Just drop me near my house. I don’t want to talk anymore.”
JK was stunned. “So… that’s what you think I was talking about?”
“Yes. What else do you think I meant?”
“…Nothing. Just sit. I’ll drop you,” he said quietly.
He dropped her near her house.
“Thank you, dear,” she said suddenly with a smile. “You’re such a sweetheart. I was only pretending to be angry. You got scared, didn’t you?”
JK stared, confused.
Swathi with smile “Oh—and you were saying something earlier, right? Sorry… the wind was too strong. I couldn’t hear anything clearly.”
JK gave a weak smile. “It’s nothing. Exams are coming up. Stop wasting time and focus on your studies. And don’t start looking at your phone as soon as you go inside. Sleep early, or you’ll get a headache.”
Swathi nodded. “You care so much for me. I can only imagine how much you’ll care for your future girlfriend. She must’ve done some serious good deeds to deserve you. Anyway, go now. Don’t sit around gossiping. Go sleep. Okay? Good night.”
She turned and walked away.
Why don’t you understand my heart? You say your future girlfriend is lucky—but that girl is you. When will you realize that? JK thought, standing there as his eyes filled with tears.
The pain in his heart showed in those silent drops at the corner of his eyes. Without saying a word, JK turned and made his way to Karthik’s room.
To be continued…
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🌸Author’s Note🌸:
Some words are so delicate that even the wind can carry them away… and sometimes, love stays hidden in the silence. What happens when JK’s truth finally reaches Swathi? Stay with me to find out in the next chapter.
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