Chapter 5: Breaking the Script

I originally wanted to prove the barrage wrong—to show them I wasn’t some villainous supporting character. Rohan was mine; he wouldn’t fall for anyone else.

I told myself I was the heroine of my own story, not some extra in someone else’s.

But I didn’t expect to get slapped in the face by the plot.

So the empathy was real.

Maybe Rohan really would slowly fall for Priya.

And I’d be forced to transfer, fail my exams, die in a car crash…

The thought made my hands tremble. Fear gripped me.

Sobbing pulled me out of my thoughts.

Rohan, a head taller than me, had red eyes and was pitifully clutching my arm.

He looked so lost, like a child who’d dropped his favourite toy. My heart ached at the sight.

I watched his lips form my name, the way he always did when he wanted to make up after a fight. My chest ached, but I forced myself to look away.

“Meera, what do you mean, ‘let’s forget about us’? You don’t want me anymore?”

His voice cracked, and I could see the tears welling up in his eyes.

“It was my first time—I don’t have any experience. Did I make you uncomfortable? Tell me, I can change, I can learn.”

He sounded so desperate, so vulnerable. I almost reached out to hug him, but stopped myself.

I’d wanted to make up an excuse to brush him off, but when the words reached my lips, I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to Rohan.

So I chose honesty.

“Because Priya is right. You and she have physical empathy. Just now, you weren’t sick. Priya got her period, and you felt her pain.”

Rohan looked stunned, but he believed me.

He said, panicked, “Even if I have this weird empathy with Priya, the one I like has always been you, only you, Meera.”

He reached for my hand again, but I pulled away, my heart breaking a little more with every second.

I sighed, pulling my arm from his grasp. “Rohan, when she hurts, you hurt. When she feels good, you feel good. When her heart flutters, yours will flutter too.”

“You two are physically in sync. How can you guarantee your heart won’t end up syncing with hers, too?”

The words came out sharper than I intended. I saw the hope drain from Rohan’s eyes.

Rohan hung his head like a lost puppy. He didn’t argue, just pleaded, “Meera, maybe there’s a way to break this damn empathy. Please, don’t give up on me yet…”

His voice was barely above a whisper, and I could see his shoulders shaking.

I steeled myself and cut him off. “The board exams are coming up. IIT is my dream. I don’t want your and Priya’s issues to affect me.”

“Rohan, between my future and you, I choose my future.”

I closed my eyes, fighting back tears. “And besides, having physical empathy with someone of the opposite sex—it’s just… disgusting.”

The word hung between us, heavy and unforgiving. Rohan’s eyes dropped, fat tears rolling down his chin.

I turned and left. If I didn’t, I was afraid I’d give in.

As I stepped outside his door, I paused. Rohan’s muffled sobs seeped through the wood. My own hand shook as I texted Amma that I’d be coming home early.

My chest tightened, but I forced myself not to look back.