Chapter 5: The First Wall

The morning mist rolled off the Himachal hills as the wedding celebration came to an end. The sun hung low, casting a soft, golden light across the lush valley. Everything about the setting felt perfect—too perfect, Rhea thought as she gazed out at the horizon from the balcony of her room. Yet, a knot had formed in her chest, tightening with each passing hour.

Her suitcase was nearly packed, clothes folded neatly inside, a few gifts from the wedding tucked into the corners. The thought of leaving weighed heavily on her. Her flight back to the city was scheduled for the evening, and as much as she tried to focus on the next steps of her influencer life—brand deals, content shoots, sponsorships—her thoughts kept drifting back to Karan.

Karan. The conservationist with his quiet wisdom and grounded presence. The man who seemed to exist in a world so far from her own, yet had managed to reach a part of her that had been buried beneath layers of filters and curated images. Their conversations, brief though they had been, had stirred something within her—something raw and real.

Her phone buzzed on the bed, snapping her out of her thoughts. Another notification, another reminder of the world waiting for her beyond the mountains. She picked it up and glanced at the screen: hundreds of likes and comments flooded her latest post—a perfectly staged shot of her in one of her designer outfits against the backdrop of the wedding venue. People were gushing over her look, her style, her presence.

Rhea sighed. Normally, this would have thrilled her. The validation, the engagement, the attention—it was what she had worked so hard for. But now, it all felt hollow. Empty. Fleeting.

A knock on the door jolted her back to the present. "Come in," she called, slipping her phone into her bag.

Her friend Meera stepped inside, her arms full of flowers from the wedding. "Hey, you all packed?" she asked cheerily, placing the bouquet on the table. "I can't believe it's already over. The wedding was amazing, wasn't it?"

Rhea forced a smile. "Yeah, it was beautiful."

Meera flopped onto the bed, grinning. "I saw you and Karan talking last night. What was that about? He's cute, isn't he? All mysterious and brooding."

Rhea's heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "It was nothing. We just talked about his work here."

Meera raised an eyebrow. "Really? Just work? I saw the way you two were looking at each other. There was definitely something there."

Rhea shook her head, her smile fading. "It doesn't matter. He's… not interested in my world, and I have to get back to the city. We're from completely different places."

Meera sat up, her expression softening. "But do you like him?"

Rhea hesitated. Did she? It was more complicated than just liking him. There was something deeper, something that went beyond attraction. It was as if Karan had awakened a part of her that she hadn't realized was asleep. But at the same time, she couldn't ignore the reality of their situation. He belonged here, in these mountains, far away from the digital chaos she called home.

"I don't know," Rhea admitted quietly. "It doesn't matter, though. Our lives are too different. He's not into the whole social media thing, and that's literally my job. He made it pretty clear that he's not interested in people like me."

Meera looked at her sympathetically. "Maybe he just doesn't understand your world. But if there's something there, isn't it worth trying to figure it out?"

Rhea gave a small, bitter laugh. "I don't think he wants to. And honestly, I don't know if I can leave everything I've built behind. It's my life."

Meera nodded, understanding in her eyes. "Well, whatever happens, just remember that you deserve to be happy. Whether it's with Karan or someone else, or even just with yourself. Don't let anyone make you feel like your life isn't valuable just because it's different."

Rhea smiled faintly, appreciating Meera's words but still feeling the weight of her own conflict. "Thanks," she said, her voice soft.

Later that afternoon, Rhea stood by the entrance of the hotel, her suitcase beside her. The wedding guests were beginning to disperse, and the air was filled with the hum of goodbyes and the rustling of luggage. Her taxi to the airport would arrive any minute now. She glanced around the courtyard, hoping—though she wasn't sure why—that she might see Karan one last time.

She hadn't seen him all day. In a way, it felt like he had already pulled away, like he had made his decision without needing to say the words aloud. He had been kind and sincere, but there had always been a distance in his demeanor, an unspoken wall between them. It was as if he knew, from the moment they met, that they were too different for anything real to come of it.

Rhea's heart ached at the thought. She didn't want to admit it, but a part of her had hoped for something more. Something beyond the fleeting moments they had shared. But now, it seemed that hope had been in vain.

Just as she was about to give up and focus on the task of getting back to her life, she spotted him—Karan, standing by the edge of the courtyard, leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He was watching her, his expression unreadable.

Rhea's breath caught in her throat. For a moment, time seemed to freeze. She debated whether to go over to him, whether to say something, anything, to bridge the growing chasm between them. But before she could make a decision, he pushed himself off the tree and started walking toward her.

"Leaving already?" Karan's voice was calm, as always, but there was a hint of something else in his tone—something distant, resigned.

"Yeah," Rhea said, forcing a smile. "Back to the city, back to reality."

Karan nodded slowly, his eyes flickering with an emotion she couldn't quite place. "It must be a lot different from here."

Rhea bit her lip, unsure how to respond. "It is. But... I'll miss this place. It's beautiful. Peaceful."

"You could always come back," Karan said, his tone neutral, though there was a heaviness behind his words. "The mountains aren't going anywhere."

Rhea's heart sank. The mountains. Not him. "I don't think I'm the type of person who fits here," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Karan's gaze sharpened, his eyes locking onto hers. "You're right," he said bluntly, his words hitting her like a punch to the gut. "We're from different worlds. You have your life, and I have mine."

Rhea blinked, trying to mask the hurt that flickered across her face. "I know that," she said, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to stay composed.

Karan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that I don't like you, Rhea. I do. But I don't see how this—whatever this is—could work. You're tied to your world, and I'm tied to mine. And I'm not interested in being a part of the social media scene. I don't want to be a project or a story for your followers."

The bluntness of his words stung, and Rhea had to fight back the lump forming in her throat. "I'm not trying to make you a project, Karan," she said, her voice softer now. "I just… I don't know. I guess I thought maybe we could be something more. That maybe there's more to life than the things we're used to."

Karan's expression softened, but the distance in his eyes remained. "There is. But I've built a life here. A simple one. And I'm not looking for anything that could complicate that."

Rhea swallowed hard, nodding slowly. "I get it. I do." She glanced down at her feet, feeling the weight of the conversation pressing down on her. "I guess I should get going."

Karan said nothing, but his eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, as if he wanted to say something more but couldn't find the words. Finally, he gave a small nod. "Take care, Rhea."

"Yeah," she whispered. "You too."

The drive to the airport was a blur. Rhea stared out the window as the taxi wound its way down the mountain roads, the lush greenery and majestic peaks fading into the distance. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess, a swirl of emotions she couldn't quite untangle.

She knew Karan was right. Their lives were too different. He had made his choice, and in a way, she had too. But the pain of their parting was still fresh, and it gnawed at her in a way she hadn't expected. There had been something between them, something real, and now it was slipping away before it even had a chance to grow.

When she finally reached the airport, she checked in and made her way to the gate, her mind still spinning. She pulled out her phone, more out of habit than anything else, and opened her social media app. Instantly, she was bombarded with notifications—likes, comments, messages. Her followers had loved the content she had posted from the wedding, and brands were already reaching out with new collaboration offers.

Normally, this would have made her feel accomplished, fulfilled. But now, as she stared at the endless stream of validation, it all felt meaningless. 

She thought back to her conversations with Karan, to the way he had seen through the layers of her influencer persona, to the way he had made her feel—seen, understood, valued for something other than her online presence. For a brief moment, Rhea felt like she was standing on the edge of two worlds, unsure of which one to step into.

As her flight was called for boarding, she closed her phone, took a deep breath, and walked toward the gate. But even as she stepped onto the plane, she couldn't shake the feeling that part of her heart was still back in the mountains, with a man who had shown her what it meant to live life unfiltered.