"When Hearts Begin to Listen"

 Chapter 4: Whispers Beneath the Peepal Tree

Sometimes, fate doesn’t knock.

It gently nudges. Again and again.

Since that day at the temple, Vaanika and Arin had run into each other almost too often.

Near the riverbank. Outside the library. At the sweet shop.

Always unplanned. Always unexpected.

As if the whole village was quietly pushing them closer.

Their conversations grew longer. Softer. Sweeter.

Arin would tease her about her quiet nature.

“You always run like the wind. Are you scared of me?”

Vaanika smiled shyly. “Maybe… I just don’t trust strangers with fast bikes.”

He laughed. “Then let me earn that trust. Slowly.”

And slowly, he did.

He started walking her part of the way home. She began waiting a little longer at the temple, hoping he’d pass by.

Their words danced between laughter and silence. Their eyes spoke more than they realized.

But something else danced around them too.

One morning, at the weekly village bazaar, a little girl tripped and scraped her knee. Before anyone could reach her, Vaanika was there—kneeling beside her, softly singing an old lullaby and touching the wound with her palm.

The child stopped crying instantly. The wound faded… almost completely.

Arin saw it.

He didn’t blink. He couldn’t.

The soft golden shimmer around Vaanika’s hand vanished before she even stood up.

She didn’t notice it.

But Arin did.

Later that evening, he couldn’t stop sketching the moment. Not the wound, not the child—just her. Eyes closed. Hand glowing.

There was something more to her.

Something she didn’t know herself.

And yet… his time in Shivdara was nearing its end. His research was almost done. His flight was booked.

But his heart? It wasn’t ready to leave.

Neither was hers.

That night, beneath the peepal tree, they sat quietly. No words. Just wind and unspoken feelings.

“You’ll leave soon?” Vaanika finally asked.

He nodded, eyes on the sky. “Yes. But some part of me... wants to stay.”

She looked down, heart racing. She didn’t know what to say.

And just then—without a breeze—the tree leaves swayed above them.

A single flower from the tree fell softly into her lap.

Veer Baba, from afar, watched with a knowing smile.

“Pyaar ka beej bo diya gaya hai,” he whispered.

(The seed of love has been planted.)

Some stories don’t need loud promises.

Sometimes, the universe speaks in silence.

To be continued…

✨ New chapter every Friday. If this story touched your heart, do like it and share it with others who believe in magic and love... just like Vaanika.

— The Author (Kridha)