After finishing his packing, Raghav went to Raj Ji's room.
Seeing him at that hour, Raj Ji said, "Raghav beta...? At this time...? Is everything alright?"
Raghav ran a hand through his hair and said, "Yes, Babuji… actually… I'm leaving for hostel tonight."
Yamuna Ji, startled, said, "Hostel...? Why...?"
Raghav replied, "Babuji, all my friends are going... and I want to live my life on my own terms too…"
Just as Yamuna Ji was about to say something, Raj Ji said, "My blessings are always with you, son… May you achieve great success..."
Yamuna Ji looked at Raj Ji questioningly, and he gave her a reassuring look with his eyes.
Raghav stepped out and glanced toward Siya's room—the lights were off, which meant she was already asleep.
He touched everyone's feet, hugged Kabir, and left with Aadit in the car.
Everyone bid Raghav farewell.
Raghav had stepped into a new life—a life where he could soar toward his dreams.
The next day, when Siya came to Raghav's room to apologize, she didn't have the courage to go inside. She kept standing at the door, raising her hand again and again to knock, only to pull it back each time…
Siya was caught in her own turmoil when Janhvi arrived with Raghav's green tea and walked straight into the room without knocking.
Siya was so furious she felt like going in and smashing Janhvi's face."Does she even have any manners? Who walks into a decent young boy's room without asking!"
Siya followed Janhvi into the room.Janhvi placed the cup on the table and began dusting the bookshelf. Siya looked around the room, but there was no sign of Raghav—maybe he was in the bathroom or out on a walk.
Just as Siya was about to leave the room, Kabir entered. Seeing Janhvi inside, he flared up and shouted,"Hey! Maid's daughter! What are you doing here? And who gave you permission to come inside?"
Janhvi calmly replied, "I don't need anyone's permission to come here. Dadu has already given me permission to enter any room in the house."
Kabir, fuming, retorted, "So just because Dadu gave you permission, you'll barge into anyone's room without asking? You're a maid—stay in your limits. Don't dream of becoming a queen. Get out of here now and don't show your face near this room again, got it?"
Janhvi, swallowing her anger, walked out silently.Kabir then turned to Siya and said, "Come on, lizard! I've got something important to give you."
He grabbed Siya's hand and dragged her to his room, handed her a box, and said, "Bhaiya gave this for you."
Siya, making a face, said, "He could've given it himself, no?"
Kabir replied, "How would he give it? He's already left…"
Siya, surprised, asked, "Left? Where? When?"
Kabir casually said, "To the hostel. Last night. Didn't you know?"
Siya stared at Kabir, mouth wide open. Kabir chuckled,"Close your mouth, lizard, or a mosquito will find a place to rest in there."
Siya went to hit him, but Kabir stuck out his tongue and ran off.
Siya chased him a bit but eventually gave up and sat down to open the gift from Raghav.
Inside was a beautiful diary, and on the first page, there was a note.
Siya began reading it:
Dear Siya,
I couldn't really talk to you properly even after meeting you after so long, and for that, I'm sorry... but the situation was such that even if I wanted to, I couldn't say much. And today, I'm leaving without saying anything—don't blame yourself for that. I'm not upset about anything you said or did. I'm just going to chase my dreams…
You know Siya, everyone has a dream, a goal, something they want to achieve before they die—so they don't have regrets later. That's why I'm going to turn my dreams into reality. I'm giving you this diary because, at this delicate age, there are feelings and confusions we can't always share with someone. So you can write them here… I hope you like it.
Your friend,Raghav
After reading the note, a soft smile spread across Siya's face. She took the diary with her and went back to her room.
A few days later, everyone returned to Rishikesh, while Janhvi and her mother stayed back at the Kolkata mansion to take care of it.
Time flew by with wings, and Raghav was thoroughly enjoying his life—bike riding, trekking, traveling to different places. He was genuinely happy with Aadit's company. He also began researching flowers under the guidance of a renowned researcher and professor.
Meanwhile, Siya and Kabir returned to their usual school life. Other than entering 11th grade, nothing much had changed. They still sat on the same bench, shared lunch, and continued their pranks.
But one day, an unknown person's arrival slightly disrupted their bond.
That person... was a girl.
It was a Monday, and a boring Maths class was going on. Half the students had their heads down on the desks, barely controlling their sleep. Some were even playing pen fights. Siya and Kabir were also struggling to keep themselves awake.
Suddenly, a girl entered the class.
In the school uniform, with a slightly chubby body, and two braids, her cat-like green eyes scanned the entire class. Her skin was fair and her lips red like rose petals, which she kept nervously biting.
Everyone stared at her and began whispering rude comments like "fat buffalo". Her eyes welled up.
The Maths teacher slammed his stick on the desk and yelled,"Silence! Complete silence!"
There was instant quiet. The teacher asked her to introduce herself. The girl gave a slight smile and said,"Hello everyone, myself Shreyansi Rathore…"
Just like everyone else, Kabir and Siya ignored her. Shreyansi walked past all the seats, but no one offered her one, so she went and sat sadly on the last bench.
This wasn't new for her—she'd faced this kind of rejection all her life because of her weight. She was used to it now.
During lunch, Siya and Kabir were sitting together with their friends, making jokes about the Maths teacher.
Kabir had a habit of drinking water before lunch, but he'd forgotten his bottle in the classroom. He rushed to grab it, and just as he was about to leave the room again, he noticed Shreyansi sitting in the garden... talking to someone—but there was no one in front of her.
Kabir whispered to himself,"Is this girl crazy or what? Or is she possessed by a ghost? God, protect me…"
He ran toward the canteen, reciting Hanuman Chalisa in panic.
Seeing him panicked, Siya asked,"What happened, Kabir? Did you see a ghost?"
Kabir, catching his breath, said, "Something like that… that new girl—Shreyansi—she was talking into thin air… no one was there… spooky…"
Siya laughed, "Oh please, maybe she's haunted! What did you eat this morning, still high or what? Idiot."
Kabir stomped away and said,"I'll complain to your mom!"
Siya stuck her tongue out and teased him.
That day, Kabir got so annoyed that he skipped school after lunch with some friends and went to watch a South Indian movie instead. He didn't enjoy the jokes people made at his expense.
Siya and Kabir knew all each other's secrets but never told anyone—because they both had enough dirt on each other. That's why Siya didn't mention to anyone that Kabir had bunked school.
Days passed like this. Siya and Kabir continued fighting and teasing each other—but now their fights had a new reason: Shreyansi.
Kabir kept telling Siya about her strange behavior, and Siya kept laughing it off, which led to arguments between them.
A few days later, Aman Ji had to travel to Australia for work. This time, he took Chandrika Ji and Kabir with him.One of Aman Ji's business partners was throwing a grand party to celebrate a successful project, and also his son's engagement—the family was invited.
Kabir had no complaints—great food, good clothes—he was born to live a royal life, after all.
He wore a grey suit to the party. Aman Ji was in black, and Chandrika Ji wore a black saree—she looked stunning.
Kabir stood in a corner, happily munching on gulab jamun, when his eyes fell on a girl who was also secretly enjoying gulab jamuns like him. She wore a black frock and a matching hairband, her hair open.
A mischievous thought crossed Kabir's mind. He sneaked up behind her and shouted,"Caught you!"
The girl got startled and fell to the ground. Kabir laughed loudly,"Scaredy cat! You fell down!"
The girl looked at him with tear-filled eyes and quietly walked away.
In that moment, Kabir suddenly saw Shreyansi's face in hers. He remembered her first day at school—how badly everyone had treated her.
Kabir's mood turned gloomy. He walked away quietly, no longer interested in eating anything.