POV: Split – Priyanka & Aarav
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🩷 Priyanka
"What if… I love you?" he said.
The words echoed in my chest like the ocean had swallowed them and returned them to me, softened by the waves.
I stood frozen, not from fear… but from how right it felt.
Aarav.
My best friend.
The boy I told everything to — except this.
> "You idiot," I whispered.
"I was scared you'd say something stupid. But now I'm the stupid one."
His eyes widened. My fingers reached for his hand.
Our palms touched — just barely.
"I love you too."
Just then, thunder cracked somewhere far behind the horizon.
We looked up.
Rain. Soft at first. Like a warning.
He laughed gently, running his free hand through his hair. "Great timing, huh?"
I shook my head, smiling.
"No. Perfect timing."
We turned and started walking. His hoodie was slowly getting soaked. I pulled mine up like a tiny tent. The sand was heavy beneath our feet.
"Bus station?" he asked.
I nodded.
Falling in love in the rain. Was that on my bucket list? Probably not. But it just got checked anyway.
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💙 Aarav
She said it.
She actually said it.
> "I love you too."
I don't think I could ever describe that moment without comparing it to something cheesy like… fireworks in a thunderstorm.
Because that's what it felt like.
And then — RAIN.
Of course.
Mother Nature must've been up there like, "Oh y'all confessing? Time to drown."
We walked toward the bus station, sharing the same silence, but it wasn't awkward.
It was ours.
Sacred.
She'd sneak glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking. I caught every single one.
I gave her my hoodie halfway. She looked like a marshmallow burrito.
10/10. Would date again.
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🩷 Priyanka
We reached the small shelter where the buses waited. We were both dripping, shivering, and laughing for no reason.
"You still look cute, by the way," he said.
I swatted his arm and tried not to melt on the spot.
I dried my hair with a tissue.
He used his sleeve.
God, boys.
The bus pulled in — clunky and tired, just like usual.
We got in. Side by side. He offered the window seat.
Of course he did.
Of course he would.
My heart was full.
I leaned my head on his shoulder.
He didn't flinch this time.
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💙 Aarav
If someone asked me where happiness ends, I would've said:
> Right here.
Right now.
The bus moved.
The rain tapped on the windows.
We watched the city blur past us.
And then—
The tire screamed.
The road curved.
The driver shouted something we didn't catch.
The bus—
Slipped.
Twisted.
Flipped.
Everything spun like a torn photograph.
Metal groaned.
Glass shattered.
The world became white.
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🩷 Priyanka
I remember his hand reaching for mine.
I remember the bus hitting something. A building? Maybe.
I remember thinking...
> So this is it? This is how it ends?
No. Not fair.
We just started...
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💙 Aarav
I didn't let go.
Even when everything else fell apart —
I held her hand.
And in those last seconds...
I wasn't afraid.
Because she was there.
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📜 Narration
Later, the sky cleared.
The rain stopped.
And the world returned to normal — almost.
But two hearts…
Didn't get to see the sunrise.
The news said,
> "Fatal accident. Bus flips near east highway. Two among the dead: a boy and a girl, both students. Names withheld."
But for the beach, for the waves, for August 1st —
Their names were written in the sky.
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END.