Chapter 1: A Familiar Stranger
The bustling city of Mumbai had always been a backdrop to their story. The humid air, the relentless honking of taxis, and the aroma of street food blended into a symphony of nostalgia. It was here, amidst the chaos, that Babbu and Mehak had written their love story—one that now only existed in faded memories and unanswered texts.
Mehak never thought she would see him again. After three years of silence, their chapter was supposed to be closed. Yet, there he was—standing in the same bookstore where they had spent countless evenings, his fingers gently skimming the spines of novels as if searching for a piece of the past.
She felt a lump in her throat as she watched him. He looked the same yet different—more mature, his once-boyish charm replaced by a quiet intensity. Their eyes met, and for a moment, time paused.
"Mehak..." he said, his voice hesitant.
She swallowed hard and forced a smile. "Babbu. It’s been a while."
Chapter 2: The Ghosts of Yesterday
They sat at the café across from the bookstore, the same place where they had built their relationship over coffee and stolen glances. But today, the air between them was different—uncertain and laced with things left unsaid.
"How have you been?" he asked, stirring his coffee as if searching for answers in the swirling liquid.
"Good. Work keeps me busy," she replied, keeping it vague. "And you?"
"Same. Life moves on, I guess."
But had it? Mehak wondered. If life had truly moved on, why did her heart race sitting across from him? Why did the familiar scent of his cologne stir something buried deep within her?
They spoke of everything and nothing. The weather, books, mutual friends—but they both knew they were skirting around the real question: Why did it all fall apart?
Chapter 3: Love in Hindsight
The breakup had been inevitable, or so they had told themselves. Careers, different dreams, the stress of long-distance—it had all piled up until love wasn't enough to hold them together.
"Do you ever wonder... what would have happened if we had fought harder for us?" Babbu finally asked, breaking the façade.
Mehak exhaled slowly. "All the time. But wondering doesn’t change anything, does it?"
"No, it doesn’t. But seeing you here makes me think... maybe we weren’t meant to be over. Maybe we were just meant to find our way back to each other."
His words hit her like a wave, washing over the carefully built walls she had put up. Could they rewrite their ending? Could they start over?
Chapter 4: The Weight of the Past
As the weeks passed, they fell into a rhythm again. Long conversations, late-night texts, and hesitant laughter. But with familiarity came the weight of their history.
"What if we make the same mistakes?" Mehak asked one evening as they walked along the Marine Drive promenade, the salty breeze tangling in her hair.
"Then we learn from them," Babbu said simply. "But tell me honestly—do you regret us?"
She shook her head. "Never. I just don’t know if we can go back to being the people we once were."
"Then maybe we don’t go back. Maybe we start fresh. As if we’re meeting for the first time. Can we be strangers again?"
Chapter 5: A New Beginning
Mehak thought about his words long after he had left that night. Was it possible to love someone again, as if the past didn’t exist? Could they erase the pain and hold onto only the good?
One evening, she sent him a message.
Hi, I’m Mehak. I love old bookstores and coffee on rainy days. Tell me about yourself.
Babbu replied almost instantly.
Nice to meet you, Mehak. I’m Babbu. I have a habit of falling in love with the past, but I’m learning to embrace the present. Would you like to grab coffee sometime?
She smiled at her screen, feeling something she hadn’t in a long time—hope.
Maybe, just maybe, they could be strangers again. And maybe this time, they would get it right.
0 Comments