The city felt colder that week~~even though it was the middle of summer.
Aarav barely slept, barely ate. Every place he passed reminded him of her. Every corner felt like a rewind of something they'd just begun to build~~again.
He called once.
She didn't pick up.
He texted.
She replied with one word. *"I'm sorry."*
He didn't respond after that.
Because what was there to say?
How do you argue with fate?
~~
Anaya stood on the balcony of her parent's house, watching the sun fall behind the rooftops. Her engagement ring sparkled dully on her finger. It didn't feel right. It didn't feel hers.
Everyone said he was perfect~~the man her parents had chosen. Educated. Stable. Gentle.
But he wasn't Aarav.
And she couldn't say that out loud.
She was the good daughter. the one who didn't fight. The one who smiled at family dinners and said "yes" when her heart whispered "no."
~~
They met one last time.
Aarav messaged her out of nowhere.
*"One coffee. No fights. No begging. Just goodbye."*
She agreed.
They sat across from each other in a quiet cafe~~two people pretending they weren't breaking inside.
"You look tired," she said softly.
"You look beautiful," he replied, like it was the last truth he'd never say.
Neither of them touched their drinks.
"I wanted to marry you," he admitted.
"I wanted to say yes," she whispered.
"But you didn't."
"I couldn't."
A pause.
"Then I won't wait anymore," he said, not as a threat, but as a fact. A man slowly choosing to protect what was left of himself.
She nodded. "I wouldn't want you to."
He stood up.
She didn't.
For a second, it felt like they'd both stay seated forever, locked in the comfort of "almost."
But then he leaned in and kissed her forehead gently.
"Take care, Anaya."
She swallowed her tears. "You too."
And just like that, he walked out.
Of the cafe.
Of her life.
Of their second chance.
~~
Outside, the rain began.
Inside, her coffee turned cold.
And in her chest, something shattered~~quietly, like glass muffled by velvet.