AUTHOR NOTE:

So basically itna bda kch hein nhi....

It's just that if you see chapters titled like (12.1, 13.1, 14.1...N)

those are basically flashback parts. If you're interested in them, go ahead and read them.

I just don't want to suddenly throw in something like "Once upon a time, there was a king..." in the middle of the story.

Basically, I don't like when flashbacks are inserted abruptly like "un dino ki baat h"

so I separate them into their own chapters.

..........

After this hectic schedule, finally the weekend came.

A tiny window where I could breathe again.

Usually, work doesn't exhaust me.

Long meetings, endless approvals, traveling between venues it's part of the game.

I'm built for this.

But this time, it was different.

I was tired.

Bone-deep tired.

Not because of the work.

But because of her.

Because of that little butterfly effect she left behind in my chest every time I caught a glimpse of her.

The way my stomach flickered the way my heart tripped over itself like some lovesick teenager.

It was exhausting.

This stupid, constant reminder of her presence.

The way her existence had somehow glued itself to my mind uninvited, unstoppable.

I don't even know why.

Or maybe...

maybe I do.

And I'm just too much of a coward to admit it yet.

It's Friday night.

The city hums quietly in the distance a different kind of noise from the chaos of work.

I'm standing on my balcony, the cool breeze brushing against my skin.

And in my hand, that old, worn cash note.

The same note she once gave me.

The one with a message that I thought was just a cute, passing moment at first.

"If fate is real, this 1€ will find you again."

I ran my thumb over the faded ink, tracing her words without even realizing it.

How many days had it been since then?

And yet, somehow, this stupid little piece of paper still had weight.

Still managed to pull my thoughts back to her, like gravity.

I leaned against the railing, looking up at the sky.

Cloudy. No stars tonight.

Just the heavy, invisible presence of things unsaid. Unfelt.

"What are you doing to me, butterfly?"

I whispered it into the night to the wind, to the stars hidden behind clouds to a girl who probably had no idea how much space she had taken up inside me.

And the worst part?

I wasn't even sure I wanted her to leave.

I looked down at the note again, smiling to myself like a fool.

And without even meaning to, my mind drifted back....To the day I first met her.

FLASHBACK (START)

I was coming back from the last project in So France, the last session had been fun, sure, but I didn't have time to really enjoy it.

I was headed back to London, the pressure mounting with every passing hour.

The deadline for this fashion show was looming over me like a dark cloud, and I could already feel the weight of the work ahead.

This wasn't just any show.

This was my chance to redeem myself after the last one.

The last show had been a disaster.

Things were unorganized, models were late, and half the designs didn't even make it to the runway.

And me?

I lost points. Big ones.

But in this business, you can't afford to make mistakes.

I just kept praying I wouldn't get another group of lazy, ungrateful, unorganized beings like last time.

I needed perfection.

And after a hectic flight and little sleep, the thought of facing another chaotic situation made my head spin.

.

.

.

After landing i was waiting for my assistant to pick me up but My assistant was late, and I was done with waiting around, so I decided to grab a coffee for myself.

I went to the café and ordered an Americano.

As luck would have it, the café wasn't accepting online payments that day due to some technical issues.

I don't usually carry cash, and I didn't want to bother anyone by asking for help.

So, I decided to wait for my assistant to show up and handle the bill.

But before he could, a random girl stepped in and paid for my coffee without even asking for my name or contact info.

When I tried to repay her, she showed me her phone to scan the QR code, but of course, my phone had died just as I was about to make the transfer.

Well, that's my luck, I guess.

She smiled and said, "It's okay. No need to pay me back. It's just a few euros. Think of it as... a little gift from God."

I replied, "I don't like accepting favors from strangers. For that reason, I have to meet you again. So, it's better if you wait here. Once my assistant arrives, I'll pay you back."

But then her phone rang. She picked it up and spoke in Hindi.

"Haan, bol, kya hua? 10 minute mein aa rahi hoon. Bahaar aa rahi hoon. Bahaar ruk tu.... C-14, terminal. Peh aa jaa. Waan jaldii aaaa.... Okay, boss."

She ended the call and looked at me.

"Hey," she said, "Actually, I don't have time to wait for your assistant. Just think of this as a gift. I don't mind."

"And if you really want to repay me, just do one thing do some charity or give the same amount to someone who needs it. Okay? Just donate it, that's all."

I hesitated. "Umm... No, I don't... I don't like any of this."

She mumbled something under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm sorry."

She rolled her eyes arrogantly and turned over to the cashier.

She asked the cashier for a pen and scribbled something on a note.

She handed me the note, and I looked at what was written on it:

"If fate is real, this 10€ will find you again. - M.O."

She take it back from me paid for the coffee.

"And that's it," she said, looking at me.

"If destiny wants us to meet again and for you to repay me this favor, that cash will find its way back to you, and I'll be somewhere around or maybe right in front of you."

She left the cafe, and I stood there, watching her disappear from my sight.

I couldn't help but smile, thinking about her reckless act of helping someone she barely knew.

The luggage trolley was bigger than her, almost blocking her entire sight. It made me chuckle, looking like a tiny butterfly behind a mountain of bags.

From her behavior and the luggage she had with her, it seemed like she had just returned from somewhere or maybe it was her first time here.

There was so much luggage for such a small little butterfly.

I wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with strangers.

But then she happened.

Bright smile.

Messy hair.

Purple hoodie that was way too big for her.

Carrying a coffee cup and two shopping bags like she was on some secret mission.

I snapped back to reality, smiling stupidly as I thought about her. I just sighed, thinking to myself, That's it, I can't handle this anymore.

FLASHBACK (END)

I smiled again, thinking about how small she is yet her attitude is something else entirely. It's not that I can't handle her, it's that my heart can't.

.

.

.

At the office, I was waiting for the elevator when I noticed someone rushing toward it.

Messy curly hair, a hair tie wrapped around her wrist, her bag swinging on one shoulder, and an artist's sketchbook in her hand.

She looked like she had just returned from sketching something.

She reached and sighed dramatically,

"Hey Bhagwan! Thodi si aur wait kar leta toh kya jaata tera elevator?"

Still catching her breath, she looked up and saw me.

"Good morning, Mr. Khanna," she said with a hint of annoyance, like greeting me was some painful formality she had to get through.

Interesting.

I nodded with a polite smile.

"Good morning, Miss Oberoi."

She gave me a forced smile and pulled her hair into a quick ponytail.

Ting.

The elevator arrived.

"Wanna join my elevator?" I asked, raising a brow. "You're already late enough not worth waiting longer, right?"

She glanced at the screen. It showed 34th floor and crawling down slowly.

"Thank you so much for your generous offer," she replied with sarcasm laced in politeness, stepping inside.

"Which floor?" I asked, reaching out to press the button. But at the same moment, she leaned forward and accidentally pressed her finger over mine.

"Sorry, Mr. Khanna," she said quickly, eyes wide in mild panic.

I smirked, watching her expression.

God, I was enjoying this more than I should.

To be countinued.....

_______

Reb: Kaisi lgi chapter let me know....i know itna vibey nhi tha i promise next ch dhmakedar laungi inshallah 😭😭

Adjust with this ch for now🥺☁️

I'm really sorry for late update this time🥺

__________

After seeing her today, it felt like my heart forgot how to beat.

Just one second of walking away and I felt something inside me collapse. Something I wasn't ready to name.

Now, back in my room, I sit by the window side.

The sky is quiet tonight too quiet. or I'm feeling like that.

Too quiet for me.

Almost like it remembers too.

the wind doesn't hum the way it did when she was mine. And all I can do is replay the memory of the day we truly fell apart.

Her voice still rings in my head, especially the part where it cracked.

The way her eyes didn't cry, but carried everything unsaid. The weight of it presses against my chest like astorm that never ends.

I should've stopped her.

But I didn't.

And now, even in a crowd, the silence she left behind is louder than anything else.

She has no idea.

No idea how many nights I lay awake, staring at the same ceiling, waiting for a message that never came.

No idea how many times I unlocked my phone hoping her name would flash across the screen.

"She doesn't have any idea how much I missed her in all these years... how much I longed for her text."

That day...

I bet she doesn't have any idea that day I followed her until she reached home safely.

But I followed her.

Quietly.

Step by step, turn after turn, until I saw her safely unlock the gate of her house.

I never meant to invade her space. I just... couldn't stay away.

I tried to keep an eye on her from a distance.

Watching out for her like some ghost of the past, haunting the edges of her present.

"I tried to keep eyes on her... all these times."

Luckily, Alia di and Mannat di her constants, her protectors never shut me out completely.

They helped me, without saying it out loud. Maybe they knew I wasn't ready to let go.

And I'm grateful... at least someone stayed close to her when I couldn't.

"Alia di, Mannat di both helped me to keep eyes on her in these days.

I'm glad they're with her.

......

But the truth is... after a month we broke apart, they pulled away from me too.

They chose her.

They chose Ruhi.

And honestly... I can't even blame them. If I were in their place, maybe I would've done the same.

Because if anyone deserved to be chosen it was her.

I'm assured she had them, but it's long distance again for her friendship.

Just like everything else in her life always slipping a little out of reach.

.

.

.

Days passed.

Quietly.

And I stopped expecting updates.

I stopped checking stories, scrolling through old texts, listening for her name in random conversations.

Then one day, Aditiya casually told me he was heading to the airport.

"Ruhi ja rahi hai," he said. ("Ruhi's leaving.")

I froze.

I didn't even think I just said

"I'd come along"

He didn't question it. He knew better than to ask.

But when we got there, I stayed in the shadows. She didn't see me... and maybe it was better that way.

She didn't need a ghost showing up at her goodbye.

So I stood back.

Maybe she'll never know I was there, she doesn't need to.

But that was my way of letting her go.

With silence.

And love.

.

.

.

"Roz yaad karta hoon... bohot." (I think about her every day... a lot.)

I said it quietly, covering my eyes as if that would stop the ache from showing.

"Ek raat nahi guzra hoga uske khayalon ke bina..."

(Not a single night has passed without her thoughts.)

It's embarrassing how someone can be gone this long and still take up so much space in your head.

I shook my head, like that would reset something inside me.

But it didn't.

It never does.

"Kya... usko bhi yaad aata hoon?" (Does she... miss me too?)

The question slipped out before I could stop it pathetic, really.

"Kya uska bhi kabhi mere bina mann nahi lagta hoga?" (Does she also struggle to settle without me sometimes?)

I'll never know. And maybe that's the part that hurts the most.... Not the missing.

But the not knowing if I'm missed back.

My phone buzzed somewhere on the bed.

I ignored it.

Instead, I walked into the washroom and splashed cold water on my face hoping it would snap me out of this constant daze I'd been floating in.

By the time I came out, the call had already gone to missed.

Of course.

Then it rang again. Same name. I picked it up.

"Haan bol," I said flatly, rubbing the water off my face with the towel.

(Yeah, speak.)

"Phone toh utha liya kar ek baar mein!" he snapped. (At least pick up your phone in one go, man!)

"Silent pe tha... pata nahi chala." (It was on silent... I didn't notice.)

There was a pause before he asked, "Kaam ho gaya tera? Kab aa raha hai wapas?" (You done with work? When are you coming back?)

I glanced at the ceiling flopped on my bed. "Hmm... 5 din mein aata hoon wapas." (Yeah... I'll be back in five days.)

His voice softened, just a bit.

"Kya hua? Sab theek hai?" (What happened? Everything okay?)

"Haan sab theek hai... thak gaya hoon bas." (Yeah, all good... just tired.)

He didn't buy it but didn't push either.

"Ruhi se mila? Kaisi hai woh?" (Did you meet Ruhi? How is she?)

I looked away.

"Theek hai... woh... time nahi mila itna usse baat karne ka." (She's fine... just didn't get much time to talk to her.)

"Usko samaan de diya? Aunty ne jo bheja tha?" (Did you give her the stuff aunty sent?)

I paused a second too long.

"Haan... de diya tha pehle din hi."

(Yeah... gave it to her on the first day itself.) I lied without blinking.

He laughed.

"Gazab hai yaar... abhi tak ghar pe bataya nahi usne ki usko samaan mil gaya." (Wow man... she hasn't even told the family that she got the stuff.)

I nodded vaguely, though he couldn't see it.

"Hmmm... time nahi mila hoga. Class aur lab mein busy hai." (Hmm... maybe she didn't get the time. She's busy with class and lab.)

I didn't tell him I hadn't seen her properly.

That I'd only caught glimpses.

That I couldn't even gather the courage to say more than a few awkward words.

Some truths are easier to swallow when they stay unsaid.

"Kal usse milke aa... dekh kahin over exhausted toh nahi ho gayi ho," Aditiya said, worry woven lightly into his voice. (Go meet her tomorrow... just make sure she hasn't overworked herself.)

I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled.

"Woh theek hai... Alia aur Mannat hain na uske paas, ache se khayal rakhte hain uska." (She's fine... Alia and Mannat are with her, they take good care of her.)

They really do. Better than I ever could.

They show up, stay consistent... no half-hearted efforts like mine.

"Mujhe bhi ab usse dekhne ka mann kar raha hai," he said.

I smirked slightly. "Aaja phir." (Then come.)

"Next time jab tu dobara jaayega tab."

(Next time when you go again.)

"Theek hai phir."

(Alright then.)

He paused, then asked the inevitable:

"Aur bata..."

(What else's going on?)

I looked away from the ceiling.

My throat tightened with things I couldn't say.

So I laughed it off, quietly.

"Tujhe kuch bataunga toh India wapas nahi aa paunga."(If I tell you anything, I won't be allowed back in India.)

He chuckled not knowing how true that half-joke was.

Aditiya.

Ruhi's cousin.

My best friend.

He had no idea how complicated it all still was for me.

Or maybe... he did.

And he just waited till I was ready to admit it.

"Acha sun... rakhta hoon, call aa raha hai," I said, glancing at my screen.

(Okay listen... I'll hang up, someone's calling.)

"Kaun call kar raha hai itni raat ko, hmm hmm?" Aditiya teased.

(Who's calling you this late at night, hmm?)

I smirked, falling right into the joke.

"Teri bhabhi ka. Rakh ab."

(Your future sister-in-law. Now hang up.)

He laughed.

I did too.

But my heart had already skipped a beat.

I looked at the screen again.

Ruhi.

Of all people.

I hadn't expected her name to flash across my phone tonight... or any night, really.

It took me a second to breathe normally again before I hit 'call back.'

She picked up almost instantly.

"Haan ji," I said, with a smile I didn't even know I still had in me.

(Yes, ma'am?)

It came out softer than I meant it to.

Because no matter how many times I lie to myself her voice still undoes me.

"Kahan ho?" her voice came, steady but low.

(Where are you?)

"Room mein," I replied, adjusting my tone like it wasn't a big deal.

(In my room.)

She paused.

Then:

"Milne aa paoge... abhi?"

(Can you come see me... right now?)

I blinked.

"Abhi? Itni raat ko?"

(Now? This late?)

There was a tiny scoff on the other end.

"9 baj rahe hain sirf... aur yeh London hai. Shaam hua hai abhi yahaan ke liye." (It's just 9 PM... and this is London. It's basically evening here.)

Right.

Not like back home where this would be 'almost midnight rules apply'.

Here, the night was still young. And so were the ghosts between us.

I didn't hesitate.

"Address bhejo... aa raha hoon."

(Send me the address... I'm coming.)

The call ended. I stood frozen for two seconds.

Then moved.

I tossed off the sweatshirt I was in too dull, too... tired-looking.

I changed into a fitted black polo t-shirt, the one that didn't scream 'trying too hard' but still sat well on me.

Paired it with camel beige trousers and clean white sneakers.

Simple. Clean. Decent.

I didn't know what I was expecting or what she was. But the least I could do... was show up looking like I meant it.

She asked me to meet her near the river.

So I came.

The streets were quiet by then that slow London kind of quiet, where the breeze hummed against the water and the lights reflected like memories.

I spotted her from a distance.

She was sitting on the stone stairs that led down to the riverwalk wearing a loose shirt tucked half-heartedly into a pair of old jeans, hair tied up messily with a pencil like she didn't care how poetic she looked.

She was staring at the water, knees pulled close, fingers tapping against her phone, lost in thought.

For a second, I didn't move.

I just... watched her.

Like I was memorizing proof that she really existed outside of my head.

Then I walked over.

She looked up, her expression unreadable.

I didn't say anything.

Just reached out... and gently pulled the pencil out of her bun.

Her hair unraveled immediately, soft strands tumbling down and catching the breeze.

A few flew across her face, and she squinted against them, startled.

Still quiet.

Still her.

And God how many times had I imagined this?

Not the moment exactly, but her. Just... her.

"Hey... moon." My voice came out softer than I expected, barely louder than the wind off the water.

She turned her head slowly, brushing her hair away from her face a small smile playing on her lips.

"Here you are," she said, like I was late to something only she knew the time for.

I sat beside her, not too close, not too far. Just enough to breathe the same air again.

Then I reached intothe paper bag I'd nearly forgotten about the one her family had sent for her days ago.

I handed it to her wordlessly.

She frowned slightly, taking it from me.

"What's this?"

I gave her a crooked smirk, leaning back on my elbows.

"Hmmm... mere sasural waalon ne diya hai."

(My in-laws sent it for me.)

Her eyebrows shot up. "Matlab?"

(Meaning?)

I shrugged, pretending not to notice the way her voice slightly tightened.

"Matlab aapke ghar se aaya hai samaan... jo main dena bhool gaya tha."

(Meaning it's from your house... and I forgot to give it to you.)

She narrowed her eyes at me like she was trying to read between the lines and maybe she was.

Because the truth was, I hadn't just forgotten.

I'd held onto it.

For a reason to meet her again and again.

She held the bag in her lap but didn't open it fingers tracing the folded edge like it would tell her something I couldn't.

.

.

.

The silence between us stretched. Not awkward... just full.

So I broke it.

"Kaise yaad kiya aaj?" I asked quietly, eyes on the water.

(Why did you think of me today?)

She turned her face slightly, not meeting my gaze.

"Kya chahiye tumhe?"

(What do you want?)

Direct. No sugarcoat.But this time...

"Aap."

(You.)

The word left my mouth before my mind could stop it.

No sarcasm. No defense.

Just the truth, floating out into the night like it had been waiting years.

Her hand froze on the paper bag. She didn't look at me.

I didn't take it back.

.........

ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ

log jaise chale jaate hain na,

bas aise hi chali gayi wo bhi.

Par farq sirf itna hai...

main ab bhi wahi hoon

jahan usne mujhe chhoda tha

(People leave quietly, and she did too.

But the only difference is... I'm still stuck exactly where she left me.)

__________

To be countinued....

........

Reb: kaisa tha chapter let me know.... sorry for chapter delayed 😭🫂

Or i know chapter chote chote ho rhe h day by day😺

I will make it up for you later😪

THANK YOU SO MUCH💕

.............

Vote the chapter and

comments dher sara.

Follow me on instagram for Spoilers💗

Subscribe my YouTube channel glimpses of upcoming chapter🧿

Link in the bio and conversation board🤗

..............