The last day of school always felt like a finish line. But for Anaya and Aarav, it felt more like a cliff.
Students ran through the halls, writing in yearbooks, shouting promises they'd never keep. Teachers smiled with tired relief. Friends hugged too tightly. Everything was loud~~except for the space between them.
They sat under the old gulmohar tree behind the sports block, where their relationship had quietly blossomed. Aarav's sketchbook lay open beside them, half a drawing of her face unfinished on the page.
"You're leaving tomorrow," he said softly, fingers pulling at the grass.
Anaya nodded, her eyes on the sky. "Singapore, full scholarship. Four years."
"And I'll be in Bangalore." He forced a smile. "Not exactly next door."
They had talked about this day~~planned for it, even. But words sounded different when they stood at the edge of goodbye.
She looked at him then, really looked. His usually messy hair was slightly tamed, his shirt half tucked, and his eyes~~God, his eyes held a storm of things he's never say aloud.
"Maybe we can try long-distance," she said, though it sounded like a question even to herself.
Aarav nodded. "Yeah. Maybe."
They both knew it wouldn't be easy. two different countries. Two demanding courses. Time zones. New lives.
And yet, it felt cruel to call it an end.
He pulled a small, folded note from his pocket. "Here," he said, pressing it into her palm. "Don't read it until you're on the plane."
"Aarav..."
"It's just thoughts. Stuff I didn't know how to say."
She closed her hand around the note and leaned into him, her head against his shoulder.
For a while, they sat in silence.
Not goodbye. Just a pause.
~~
The next morning, Anaya stood at the airport gate, her hands trembling as she unfolded the note.
It was short.
>"If I never find you again, I want you to know you were my favorite thing about being seventeen."
She bit her lip, folded it back, and tucked it into the book she brought for the flight.
Behind her, the world she knew was already fading.
Ahead of her, a new one waited.
And somewhere in between was Aarav~~with a heart full of what-ifs and a goodbye that didn't feel final.