15th May, 2039
City X
Far from the restless heart of City X—away from honking horns, glowing billboards, and glass towers that never slept—stood a small mart.
It was tucked between aging residential buildings, the kind people passed daily without noticing. The city rushed forward without it, and somehow, it remained frozen in time.
The mart was modest. Four narrow aisles. Aging shelves that creaked faintly under the weight of daily necessities.
Flickering tube lights buzzed overhead, occasionally dimming as if struggling to stay awake.
Discount posters clung to the walls, their corners peeling, promises long expired—much like the hope they once advertised.
Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man.
His name, Felix Vedman.
Black hair streaked with premature grey framed his face. His eyes—once sharp, once ambitious—now looked tired, bored, and quietly defeated. He leaned back in his chair, posture slack, shoulders slightly hunched, as though the years had slowly pressed him downward. It wasn't age alone that bent him—it was time, regret, and a life that hadn't gone where it was supposed to.
His gaze was locked onto his phone.
The screen glowed softly in the dim mart, displaying a message he had already read dozens of times but couldn't bring himself to ignore.
City X High School – Batch 2023–24
Reunion Party
Below it were the details: the venue, the timing, the dress code. And then, the line that cut deepest—
"Let's relive the glory days."
Felix let out a quiet, humorless breath.
Glory days.
Back then, the future had felt wide open. Dreams were loud, confidence louder. he had believed success was inevitable, that time would bend in his favor simply because he wanted it to.
He stared at the screen until his vision blurred.
'Sigh.'
He wanted to go.
That truth sat heavily in his chest. He wanted to see familiar faces, to laugh at old jokes, to remember who he used to be before life trimmed him down into someone smaller.
But he also didn't want to go. Because he already knew how it would feel.
'How did I become this?' the thought slipped out uninvited.
He imagined the night vividly. Old classmates arriving in luxury cars—sleek sedans, imported SUVs, maybe even supercars. Expensive watches flashing under warm lights. Confident laughter. Conversations filled with promotions, startups, foreign trips, investments, and achievements.
Lives that had moved forward.
And sooner or later, someone would smile politely at him and ask the question everyone asked.
"So, what are you doing these days?"
Felix swallowed.
He had no answer worth giving.
Some of his friends were executives now. Some had built companies from scratch. Others had settled abroad, living the kind of lives people admired from a distance. They spoke of growth, momentum, progress.
And he?
He managed the counter of his family's small mart.
Sigh.
Felix locked the phone and placed it face down on the counter, as if hiding it could make the invitation disappear.
His eyes drifted to the cash register. Numbers flickered on its screen—money that came and went every day, enough to survive but never enough to feel alive.
Nothing ever really changed here.
Evening crept in slowly. Outside, the sky darkened, and the city's distant noise softened into a steady hum. The mart door chimed as someone entered.
"Good evening, Mr. Vedman."
Felix looked up to see Riya, one of the assistants. A university student. Sharp-eyed, confident. She balanced her studies with night shifts here, usually alongside another boy, Yash. The two of them worked late without complaint, often joking quietly while restocking shelves.
He nodded in response as she moved toward the changing room.
Noticing only one set of footsteps, he asked, "Where is Yash?"
Riya paused briefly before answering. "Umm… he has some work in the market. He'll come a little late," she said, emerging a moment later in her uniform. "You can leave, Mr. Vedman. I can handle things until he gets here."
Felix studied her for a second. She seemed confident, unfazed. And truthfully, this side of the city rarely saw many customers after sunset.
He stepped away from the counter.
Outside, the air felt cooler, brushing against his skin like a quiet reminder that the day was ending. He walked toward his scooter—old, worn, scratched in places, its paint faded by years of sun and neglect.
He mounted it.
KHRRR… KHRRR.
The engine coughed before settling into a rough rhythm.
The road stretched ahead—busy, loud, alive. Felix merged into traffic, the city swallowing him whole. Yet his mind wandered elsewhere, circling the same thought.
Should I go?
Maybe Nikhil will also be there… but…
Lost in his thought, he didn't know when he reached a familiar turn.
The road to his old school.
He slowed instinctively.
And then he saw them.
Luxury cars lined the roadside—shiny, polished, unmistakably expensive. Valets moved around efficiently.
Soft lights spilled from the venue ahead. Laughter echoed faintly through the evening air.
The reunion was already in full swing.
Felix's chest tightened.
They're all here.
As he watched from a distance, a Rolls-Royce pulled up. The door opened, and a man stepped out—confident, well-dressed. Beside him stood a woman, elegant and stunning.
The man paused, glancing around—and then his gaze shifted.
Toward Felix.
For a brief moment, confusion crossed the man's face, as though he were trying to recognize a memory that didn't quite fit the present.
Felix's heart skipped.
Without thinking, he switched on his indicator and turned away.
Running away felt easier than facing the past.
He merged onto the main road, traffic roaring louder now, lights blurring as vehicles rushed past him.
Then—
"Hey! Felix, bro, is that you?"
The voice cut through the noise.
Felix froze.
For half a second, the world seemed to hold its breath. He glanced back.
A familiar face stood there.
Nikhil Roy.
An old friend.
Panic surged through Felix like electricity. Before logic could intervene, instinct took over. He twisted the throttle and sped up.
He didn't want this.
Didn't want the conversation. The comparisons. The pity hidden behind friendly smiles.
He just wanted to escape.
But the road was crowded. His focus wavered.
"Brother, watch out!!"
Everything happened at once.
Horns blared. Tires screeched. A massive shadow loomed to his side.
SCREEECH—BANG.
A truck.
The impact was violent.
Metal screamed as it collided. Felix felt his body lift, twist, then slam onto the asphalt. Pain exploded through him—sharp, consuming—before dulling into something distant. The world spun. Sounds faded. Colors blurred.
Darkness crept in from the edges of his vision.
"Hey, Felix, stay with me! We're going to the hospital—just stay with me!"
Through the haze, Felix recognized the voice.
Nikhil.
Panicked.
"Ni… khil…" Felix whispered, barely audible.
His eyes fluttered open just enough to see Nikhil hovering over him, his shirt soaked in red.
"Bro, keep your eyes on me, okay?" Nikhil said desperately. "You're going to be alright."
But Felix knew.
As consciousness slipped away, one thought echoed louder than the rest—
'If only I had one more chance…
A chance to fix my mistakes.'
And then, everything went black.