"Sometimes the people who never break us are the ones we break the most."
That night, I gave it another thought. And for once, I told myself—I wasn't ready for another heartbreak. I couldn't afford it. Maybe, just maybe, I could give it a chance. Maybe we could still be friends... or maybe it meant something more.
Because who even does that anymore? There was no reason for him to care. But he did. He showed up. He stood beside me. For someone who claimed to be "just a friend", Shresth made me feel safe in a way not everyone could.
Later that night, we were discussing how both our schools had Teacher's Day programs the next day. It felt oddly exciting. He said he'd be in formals. I told him I'd wear something traditional. There was a childlike buzz in the air—the kind of joy that only the final year of school can bring. A rare mix of chaos, charm, and countdown.
But then, a thought struck me.
"There are people we leave behind even when they never hurt us. Raj was one of them. I broke the heart of the boy who never broke me."
Tomorrow, after school, all of us were planning to go out—to a club. A celebration. A moment of youth. But I couldn't shake the thought of Raj.
He wasn't just someone from my past. He was my sunshine guy. My best friend. The one whose laughter lit up corridors, the one I had this unnamed, undefined, unlabelled… situationship with.
And though I often said I don't believe in such ships—what else could I call it?
Back in 11th grade, Raj gave me flowers, chocolates, paper rings. He was soft, sweet—the kind of guy every girl secretly dreams of. The green flag. The gentle one. He wasn't loud or dominating. He didn't have that "alpha male" aura people romanticized. But he had care in his fingers. His love showed in the little things.
Was he serious? I never knew. Maybe sometimes he was. Maybe sometimes not. We had a friendship too strong to risk ruining with confessions. I believed that then. I still do now.
Because sometimes... love ruins friendship. And friendship, when it's rare and beautiful, is far too precious to gamble.
Raj never said much, but his actions? They screamed. The way he fed me lunch, the reels he sent, the letters he wrote when I was upset. The way he looked at me in some pictures—it said everything I pretended not to hear.
And then came the 5th of September.
I wore a yellow dress—sunshine matching the bittersweet tone of the day. A bracelet on one wrist, a watch on the other. Earrings. Open hair. A little makeup. Heels that clicked on the classroom floors. And in my hand? A clutch filled with flowers, a water bottle, and a small handkerchief.
When I walked into the school, the whole place was a vision. Everyone looked so beautiful—dressed up, glowing. Raj walked in holding a bouquet meant for the teachers, clad in a black shirt and pants. Out of nowhere, he handed me one.
"This one's for you," he said.
That moment froze.
I loved flowers. And he knew it. Of course, he knew.
We clicked pictures—outfits, bouquets, teachers, friends. Then came the programs. Songs. Felicitations. A football match where all of us huddled together. Raj and I sat side by side.
Someone teased us—"You guys looked so cute last year."
Another voice joked—"Almost kissed!" when I stumbled and nearly fell onto Raj.
Prem, who was always rooting for Raj, laughed out loud. "Oh shit! The kiss was almost missed!"
Ugh. Typical Prem. From the very beginning—even before Shresth—he always said Raj was the one who truly cared. That I was blind to it.
But I wasn't blind. Just… unsure.
Raj was the kind of guy I could have fallen for. But I didn't. I don't know why. Maybe I missed the spark. Maybe I wasn't ready. Or maybe, I was just waiting for someone who'd set me on fire without even touching me.
Still, Raj never left. He stayed. That loyalty—it meant something.
After the match, we all headed to a club. A school-safe kind of clubbing—minus the alcohol, plus a lot of music and laughter. Raj sat beside me the entire cab ride. When we reached, the place was stunning. Fancy. Almost too perfect.
But even amidst all the perfection, something was missing.
Him.
My moon.
I kept thinking about Shresth—what he was doing, what he was wearing, if he'd seen the speech I helped him write.
We had spoken the night before. He told me about his school's celebration plans, how rarely he attended school—but how involved he'd be this time. I felt happy for him.
Back at the club, Raj sat beside me again. The food was great. The ambience better. And when he leaned onto my shoulder, I felt... odd.
"Your perfume smells good," he whispered.
But I didn't feel butterflies. Not even moths. Just stillness.
I gently nudged him off and smiled, but something inside me knew: this wasn't it.
Soon, I had to rush to my maths coaching class. Priyanka and Vidya had programs at their schools too, and we planned a tiny celebration there as well. Around 5 PM, we wrapped up and left.
I knew Shresth might be home by then. I saw his stories—malls, Starbucks, his car. I didn't want to call. He had kept me on delivered for too long.
But it started raining—bad. We were in our finest clothes, stranded. Priyanka insisted I call. I hesitated, pride choking my throat. Still, I dialled. He answered.
"I'm already parking," he said. Just missed us.
Priyanka asked if he could still come. He said, "If you had told me earlier, I would've come. Now it's a bit late."
I said, "Let's just walk fast," and we did. We caught the bus.
And somewhere I smiled to myself, If he had come, he would have seen me in this dress.
Another time, perhaps.
Teaser:
This chapter reflects how things were before.
What happens after—
That's a whole different story.
Back then, when I met Shresth, I never thought we'd build something so... complicated. It wasn't a friendship I chased. It was a connection that found me.
Raj and Shresth—two people. Two poles. Two ways of seeing me.
For Raj, I was someone to treasure from the past. A warm chapter he never wanted to close.
For Shresth… you'll figure that out soon.
Because in the next chapter?
He apologizes.
For not showing up.
For making me wait.
And maybe… for more than that.