Anvi POV:
My alarm rang at 6:30. Of course, I hit snooze. Twice. By the time I finally dragged myself out of bed, I was already behind schedule-as usual. Mornings were always chaos for me. One hand held a half-burnt toast, the other tried to stuff notebooks into my bag. I rushed out of the house, barely locking the door behind me.
By 7:45 sharp, I was always at the metro station. Same time. Same crowd. Same sigh of relief when the train finally screeched in.
The metro had become my little pause before the world started demanding things from me. Sometimes I'd lose myself in music, sometimes in a book, and sometimes I'd just sit there, staring out at the blur of the city, wondering if life was destined to stay this... predictable.
I always chose the same spot-third row from the door, by the window. It was mine, at least in my head. And almost every day, without fail, someone slid into the seat beside me.
At first, I didn't notice him. Just another regular passenger, another face in the rush. But routines have a strange way of weaving people into your life. Day after day, his quiet presence next to me started feeling less like coincidence and more like... inevitability.
Until one day, the silence cracked.
A frustrated voice broke through my thoughts.
"Nooo!! How can you do this to me? I trusted you so much!"
I froze. For a second, I thought he was talking to me. But then I noticed his phone in his hand, screen glowing. He was texting someone. Aditi-that was the name at the top of the chat.
Curiosity got the better of me, and my eyes flicked over the screen. The messages were raw, like paper cuts:
"I have to tell you something."
"I actually like someone else. I've been dating him for two years now. I'm sorry I cheated on you by double-dating."
"You were good as my best friend. But now... we should just be strangers."
He had typed back:
"I always had doubts. You never gave me time. Honestly, it never even felt like we were dating-it was hardly a month."
Her last reply blinked back:
"I'm sorry. I think we should stop texting and just be strangers."
He slipped the phone into his pocket, expression unreadable.
Without thinking, I blurted, "Don't be sad because of that. If she likes someone else, you should let her go."
He turned his head, eyes locking with mine for the first time. They weren't sad like I expected. Just... tired.
"I'm not upset about losing her," he said quietly. "I didn't even take that relationship seriously. What hurts is losing a friend I was once close to."
That hit me in a strange way. I shrugged and said, "Sometimes you just have to let people go. They enter your life with a purpose, and when that's done... they leave. Whether you're ready or not."
He studied me for a second, almost like he was trying to read my thoughts.
"You sound like someone who's been through a lot," he said. "I want to know your story. What happened with you?"
I blinked. My story? From a stranger? "You wouldn't like it. It's too long."
He smiled-genuinely. "Try me. But wait, what's your name first?"
I hesitated, then gave in. "Anvi. Anvi Verma. And you?"
"Aarhan," he replied, extending a hand as if we weren't sitting on a crowded metro. "Aarhan Malhotra."
For some reason, I shook it. "Nice to meet you."
"Now," he said, leaning back, "tell me this story you're hiding."
I laughed nervously. "Seriously? It's embarrassing. You'll regret asking."
"I won't. Trust me." His tone was calm but persistent.
I exhaled, surrendering. "Fine. It all started in third grade-my first love, before I even understood what the word meant. By sixth grade, I realized it wasn't just a silly crush... I really liked him. I used to watch him in school, hoping for eye contact. We never actually spoke. Not once. And the funny part? I didn't even know his name."
He raised his eyebrows. "Wait... you liked him for years without knowing his name?"
Heat rushed to my cheeks. "Yeah, I did. Until one of my friends-who also liked him-told me. She had no idea about my feelings. And then..." I groaned, covering my face with my hands. "This is the most embarrassing part. She pushed me into talking to him. So one day, I went up and asked if he liked her."
"And?" Aarhan leaned forward, grinning like a kid hearing gossip.
"He just said no. That's it. End of the world for me, 30 seconds of conversation, and I went home replaying it like it meant something."
He laughed softly. "So... did you give up after that?"
"Of course not!" I shot back, dropping my hands. "How could I? He was my first love. You don't just give up like that."
Before I could continue, the metro slowed down at my stop. "Okay, I'll continue tomorrow. My station's here." I slung my bag over my shoulder.
"I'll be waiting," Aarhan said with a small smile.
As I stepped off the train, I couldn't help but glance back at him through the crowd. For some reason, talking to him felt... good. Strange, but good.
Why was a stranger so interested in my story? And how could someone just brush off a breakup like it was nothing? He was... different. Weird. But in a way that made me curious.
I checked my watch. "Oh no, I'm late!"
I broke into a run, caught a bus, and reached my college just in time. Dropping into my usual seat by the window, I let out a breath. As always, I was alone. My own company had become my routine.
I didn't know why I was smiling the whole day. It was the first time in a long time that I had spoken so much to a stranger... or maybe not a stranger anymore?
That evening, when I entered the metro, I instinctively glanced at my spot. And yes, he was already there, looking out the window, earphones in.
I sat down beside him. He looked at me and smirked.
"You're late. I thought you ditched me."
"Excuse me? This is not a date." I raised an eyebrow, pretending to be offended.
"Not yet," he mumbled under his breath.
"What?"
"Nothing. So... ready to continue your story?" he asked, leaning slightly toward me.
I sighed, pretending to be annoyed but secretly enjoying his interest. "Why are you so curious? It's not like my life is some Bollywood movie."
He chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe it is. Maybe you'll surprise me."
I shook my head. "Fine... so where was I? Oh yes, I didn't give up on my first love. I kept liking him silently for years, even though we barely spoke. I think it wasn't really him I loved... it was the idea of him."
"Classic," Aarhan said. "You were in love with your imagination more than the person."
I looked at him, amused. "Wow. Look who suddenly became a love guru. Didn't you just get dumped yesterday?"
He laughed, scratching the back of his neck. "Touché. But you have to admit, I'm right."
"Maybe you are," I said softly, almost to myself.
For a moment, there was silence. The train hummed in the background, people chattered around us, but between us, it felt... different. Comfortable.
"So..." he broke the silence. "When did that story end?"
I hesitated, biting my lip. "That's the thing. It never really ended. I mean, I don't even know where he is now. He was just a chapter I never closed."
"Maybe you don't need to," Aarhan said. "Some stories aren't meant to have an ending. They just teach you something and stay with you."
I looked at him, surprised. His eyes were serious, thoughtful. For someone who had just been through a messy breakup, he sure knew how to sound... wise.
"You talk too much," I said, trying to brush off the strange feeling in my chest.
"And you like it," he shot back with a grin.
Before I could reply, the announcement for my station came. I stood up quickly, adjusting my bag.
"Same time tomorrow?" he asked casually, as if it was already a routine.
I paused, then nodded. "Same time tomorrow."
And just like that, the train doors opened, and I walked out - but this time, it felt like I was leaving behind a conversation I couldn't wait to return to.
I couldn't sleep at night thinking about what would happen tomorrow
This was the first chapter hope you liked it!!!
The next chapter will be shortly uploaded