Aradhya Mourya didn't remember her dreams.
Not usually, anyway.
She'd wake up with vague impressions sometimes. A feeling. A color. The sense that something had happened while she slept. But the details always slipped away before she could catch them.
This morning was no different.
September 1st. She woke up to sunlight streaming through her window, the distant sound of traffic, the smell of chai brewing in the kitchen.
She looked at the three outfits she'd laid out the night before, draped carefully over her chair. One casual, one slightly dressy, one somewhere in between.
She'd been trying to decide which one said "competent botany student" without looking like she was trying too hard.
In the end, she grabbed the simplest option. Jeans and a cotton kurta. Comfortable. Unremarkable.
She always did that. Overthought the decision, then picked the safest choice.
Aradhya shook her head at herself and got dressed.
By the time Aradhya met Ananya at the metro station, she'd pushed the strange morning feeling aside.
Ananya was bright and bubbly, the kind of person who made friends instantly. They'd met at orientation last week, and somehow Ananya had decided they were going to be best friends.
Aradhya didn't mind. It was nice to have someone who talked enough for both of them.
"So my boyfriend wants to introduce you to his friend," Ananya said as they walked toward campus. "He's a psych student. Final year. I think you two would get along."
Aradhya raised an eyebrow. "You're setting me up?"
"No! God, no. Just... you know. Friends. He's nice. A little intense, maybe, but nice."
"Intense how?"
Ananya shrugged. "He's been kind of off lately. Distracted. Like he's looking for something. Or someone. I don't know. But Rishi says he's a good guy."
"Sure," Aradhya said. "Why not."
It didn't matter much to her. She was here for the botany program, not to make friends with Rishi's intense, distracted psych-student friend.
But she'd be polite.
They turned onto the street leading to the Botany Department.
The campus was beautiful. Old trees lining the walkways, ivy creeping up brick buildings, students scattered on benches and lawns.
Aradhya felt a small flutter of excitement. This was it. Her new life.
"There's Rishi," Ananya said, waving.
Aradhya looked up.
A guy was waving back. Tall, easygoing smile, casual clothes. That must be Rishi.
And beside him...
Aradhya's breath caught.
The other guy.
Rishi's friend.
He was standing a little behind Rishi, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly tense. Like he was trying to look relaxed but couldn't quite manage it.
He was tall. Taller than her, anyway. Dark hair that looked like he'd run his hands through it too many times that morning. A faded blue shirt and jeans. Beard, neatly trimmed. Skin the same warm wheat tone as hers, maybe a little more tanned.
And his eyes.
Deep brown. Fixed on her.
Not in a creepy way. Not leering or invasive.
Just... watching. Like he'd been waiting for her.
Something in Aradhya's chest tightened.
She'd never met this person before.
She was sure of it.
But her body didn't seem to agree.
Her hands went cold. Her heart sped up.
And somewhere in the back of her mind, a voice whispered:
I know him.
"Aradhya, this is my friend Shant," Rishi said, grinning. "Shant, Aradhya."
Aradhya smiled. Extended her hand. "Hi."
Normal. Polite.
But she was watching him.
Shant's hand reached for hers. His grip was firm but trembling slightly.
"Hi," he said quietly.
His voice.
God, his voice.
It was familiar. Too familiar.
And then they were just... standing there.
Hands clasped.
Neither of them letting go.
Aradhya's smile faltered.
And before she could stop herself, the words were out.
"Have we met before?"
Silence.
Their hands were still joined. Shant's grip tightened slightly, like he'd forgotten they were holding on.
Rishi's eyebrows shot up. Ananya looked at her, surprised.
And Shant...
Shant froze.
His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
He looked like he'd been struck.
Aradhya's heart was pounding now. She didn't know why she'd asked. It had just... come out. Like her mouth knew something her brain didn't.
Shant swallowed hard. His eyes searched hers, like he was trying to decide something.
"I..." His voice was rough. "I've seen you once. But we've never met. Not in reality."
Aradhya stared at him.
Not in reality.
What the hell did that mean?
Dreams? Imagination? Past lives?
The words hung in the air, impossible and unexplainable.
And yet, looking at him, at those deep brown eyes that felt like home, she almost believed him.
Which was insane.
She didn't believe in past lives or prophecy or any of that.
But standing here, hand still in his, she felt like she was forgetting something important. Something just out of reach.
Rishi cleared his throat loudly. "Uh, guys? You're still holding hands. And people are staring."
Aradhya looked down.
Oh.
She let go quickly, heat flooding her cheeks.
Shant pulled his hand back too, looking equally flustered.
"Sorry," she muttered.
"It's okay," he said.
But his eyes didn't leave hers.
They moved to a bench under a tree, away from the foot traffic and the curious stares.
Ananya sat beside Aradhya. Rishi beside Shant.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Shant said, "So. Botany."
Aradhya blinked. "What?"
"You're a botany major, right? Ananya mentioned it."
"Oh. Yeah." She relaxed slightly. Safe topic. Normal conversation. "I start next week."
"What made you choose botany?"
Aradhya shrugged. "I've always loved plants. Flowers, especially. My grandmother used to have a garden. She'd spend hours out there, talking to the roses like they were people."
Shant smiled. A real smile. Not polite. Genuine.
"That sounds nice," he said.
"It was." Aradhya found herself smiling back. "She used to say flowers were the most honest living things. They don't pretend to be something they're not."
Shant's smile faded slightly. But his eyes didn't leave hers.
"That's beautiful," he said quietly.
And Aradhya felt it again.
That pull. That sense of familiarity.
Like she'd said those exact words to him before.
But she hadn't.
Had she?
The conversation flowed easier after that.
Shant asked about her grandmother. About her favorite flowers. About why she thought plants were worth studying.
And Aradhya talked.
More than she usually did with strangers.
Because he wasn't really a stranger, was he?
He listened. Really listened. Didn't interrupt, didn't try to one-up her stories with his own.
Just... absorbed everything she said.
But there was something else.
Something she couldn't quite put her finger on.
He looked happy enough to talk to her. His questions were genuine, his interest real.
But underneath it, there was something he was hiding.
An emotion. A weight.
She could see it in the way his jaw tightened sometimes when she spoke. In the way his eyes would flicker with something, sadness maybe, or longing, before he covered it with another smile.
Like he was holding something back.
Something too big to name.
At some point, Rishi and Ananya exchanged a look.
"We're going to grab lunch," Rishi said, standing. "You two should talk. Ananya says you're both into plants and psychology and stuff. You'll have lots to discuss."
Ananya gave Aradhya a pointed look. You okay?
Aradhya nodded.
And then it was just her and Shant.
The silence wasn't awkward.
It should have been. Two strangers, left alone, expected to make conversation.
But it wasn't.
And that was strange.
Because Aradhya was usually careful with new people. Polite. Friendly. But measured.
She knew how to act nice. How to smile and nod and say the right things.
But with Shant, she wasn't acting.
She was just... herself.
Her real self.
The curious, playful part of her that she usually kept tucked away until she knew someone better.
It surprised her.
But not in a bad way.
Shant looked at her, then away, then back.
"Can I ask you something?" he said.
"Sure."
"Do you believe in... I don't know. Fate? Coincidence? Things happening for a reason?"
Aradhya frowned. "That's a big question."
"I know. You don't have to answer."
But she wanted to.
"I don't know," she said honestly. "I used to think everything was random. Just... chance. But lately..." She trailed off.
"Lately?"
She looked at him. At those deep brown eyes that felt like home even though she'd never seen them before today.
"Lately I'm not so sure," she said softly.
Shant nodded. Like he understood.
And maybe he did.
They talked for what felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes.
About flowers. About her grandmother's philosophy. About college and psych and the weird overlap between studying plants and studying people.
At one point, she mentioned white roses.
"My grandmother used to say they meant new beginnings," Aradhya said. "Like starting over. A second chance."
Shant leaned forward slightly. "And yellow? What do yellow flowers mean?"
"Friendship. Joy." She tilted her head. "Why do you ask?"
"Just curious."
But he looked like he already knew the answer.
Like he was testing her.
And for a second, Aradhya felt like she was in a dream.
A dream she'd had before but couldn't quite remember.
Her phone buzzed.
Aradhya glanced at it. A reminder. Paperwork. Office. Due fifteen minutes ago.
"Shit," she muttered, standing quickly. "I'm so sorry. I completely lost track of time. I was supposed to be at the office..."
"It's okay," Shant said, standing too. "I didn't mean to keep you."
But he looked disappointed.
Or maybe sad.
She couldn't tell.
Aradhya turned to leave, then stopped.
Turned back.
At the exact same moment, Shant opened his mouth.
"Can I get your number?" they both said at once.
They stared at each other.
Then laughed.
Real, genuine laughter that broke whatever tension had been building.
"Yeah," Aradhya said, pulling out her phone. "That would be good."
"Yeah," Shant echoed, doing the same.
They exchanged phones. Typed in their numbers.
When she handed his phone back, their fingers brushed.
And Aradhya felt it again.
That electric familiarity.
Like she'd touched his hand a thousand times before.
Aradhya finished her paperwork in a daze.
Signed forms. Collected materials. Nodded at things the office staff said without really hearing them.
Her mind was elsewhere.
On deep brown eyes and a voice that felt like home.
On the way he'd looked at her. Like she was the answer to a question he'd been asking for a long time.
On the strange, unsettling certainty that she knew him.
Even though she didn't.
By the time she left the Botany Department, it was late afternoon. The sun was lower now, casting long shadows across campus.
She didn't want to go home yet.
Her mind was too full. Too restless.
She needed to think.
Without really deciding to, her feet carried her toward a café she'd passed on the walk from the metro. A small place with outdoor seating and the smell of coffee drifting through the open door.
She stepped inside.
And froze.
The café was cozy. Warm lighting. Wooden tables. Mismatched chairs. Plants hanging in the corners.
But that wasn't what stopped her.
It was the feeling.
The overwhelming, impossible sense that she'd been here before.
Not just once.
Many times.
Aradhya's eyes scanned the room, and landed on a table in the corner. Near the window. Two chairs. A small potted succulent in the center.
That table.
She'd sat at that table.
She didn't know how she knew. But she did.
And she hadn't been alone.
Someone had been sitting across from her.
Laughing.
Talking.
Holding her hand across the wooden surface.
If she closed her eyes, she could almost see it. Almost see him sitting there. Dark hair catching the afternoon light. Deep brown eyes warm and smiling. His hand reaching across the table, fingers intertwining with hers. The feeling of safety. Of belonging. Of home.
Her heart was pounding now.
This is insane. I've never been here before.
But her body knew better.
She was about to leave, to get out before the feeling swallowed her whole, when she saw him.
Shant.
Sitting at that exact table.
By the window.
Alone.
Staring at his phone.
Aradhya's breath caught.
What are the odds?
She should leave. Turn around. Pretend she hadn't seen him.
But her feet were already moving.
Toward him.
Toward that table.
She was halfway across the café when his phone rang.
Shant answered, pressing it to his ear.
"Yeah, Ma?"
His expression changed immediately.
The easy, relaxed posture gone. Shoulders tensing. Jaw tightening.
"What? When?"
A pause.
Aradhya slowed. She was close enough now to hear his side of the conversation, but far enough that he hadn't noticed her.
"Okay. Okay, I'll try. Just... just stay calm, okay?"
His voice was strained. Tight.
He hung up and stood abruptly, grabbing his bag.
Aradhya ducked behind a tall plant in the corner, her heart racing.
Close. That was too close.
If he'd seen her, he'd think she was following him. Stalking him.
Which, technically, she kind of was.
Even if it was by accident.
Shant didn't look around. He just left, moving quickly toward the door.
Aradhya watched him go, then let out a breath.
Phew. That was close.
She stepped out from behind the plant and moved toward the corner table.
Not the one by the window where Shant had been sitting.
She couldn't sit there.
Not alone.
But close enough to see it.
For a moment, she just sat, staring at the empty chairs. The succulent. The way the light fell through the window.
Who had been on the phone? His mother, obviously. But what had made him leave so quickly?
The look on his face had been... urgent. Worried.
Scared, maybe.
Aradhya pulled out her phone, staring at his contact.
Should she text him? Ask if he was okay?
No. That would be weird. They'd just met.
She set her phone down and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.
Today had been... a lot.
Meeting him.
That strange, overwhelming familiarity.
The way her heart had raced when their hands touched.
The way he'd looked at her like he already knew her.
The way she'd felt like herself, her real self, for the first time in a long time.
And now this.
This café.
This table.
This impossible, inexplicable sense that she'd been here with him before.
Not in reality.
Not in reality.
His words echoed in her mind.
What had he meant?
Aradhya opened her eyes and looked around.
The barista behind the counter. The couple in the corner. The student with headphones, typing furiously on a laptop.
Normal. All of it.
But nothing felt normal anymore.
She picked up her phone again.
Opened WhatsApp.
Found his contact.
His profile picture was simple. Just him, standing somewhere outdoors, sunlight catching his face.
She stared at it.
He wasn't bad looking.
Actually, he was...
Aradhya groaned and set her phone face-down on the table.
Get your thoughts out of the gutter, Aradhya. You just met him.
But her brain didn't seem to care.
Because somewhere, underneath the confusion and the curiosity and the inexplicable familiarity, there was something else.
Attraction.
And that scared her more than anything.
By the time Aradhya got on the metro, the sun was setting.
She found a seat near the window and leaned her head against the cool glass, watching the city blur past.
Her phone buzzed.
A text from Ananya.
So??? How did it go? You two looked like you were hitting it off. Rishi said Shant couldn't stop smiling after you left.
Aradhya stared at the message.
He couldn't stop smiling?
She typed back: It was fine. He's nice. A little intense, but nice.
Ananya's reply was immediate: That's it? Just 'nice'? You two were holding hands for like a full minute lol
Aradhya's face heated.
We weren't holding hands. We shook hands. And forgot to let go.
Sure. Whatever you say. ;)
Aradhya rolled her eyes and pocketed her phone.
But she was smiling.
Shant got home just as the shouting started.
He could hear it from the hallway. His father's voice, loud and defensive. His mother's voice, sharp and breaking.
Not again. Not today. He opened the door.
They were in the living room. His mother standing by the window, arms crossed. His father pacing, running his hands through his hair.
"I told you, I was at work!" his father was saying.
"At work until eleven at night? On a Monday?"
"Yes! There was a deadline, I had to..."
"Don't lie to me!" His mother's voice cracked. "Just don't. I can't do this anymore. I can't keep pretending I don't know."
"You don't know anything because there's nothing to know!"
Shant stood in the doorway, his bag still on his shoulder.
They didn't notice him.
Or maybe they did and didn't care.
His mother was crying now. Quiet, bitter tears.
"I gave up everything for this. For you. For this family. And you can't even be honest with me."
"I am being honest!"
"No, you're not."
And something inside Shant snapped.
He'd had a good day.
The best day in months.
Maybe the best day in years.
Meeting her. Talking to her. Hearing her laugh. Getting her number.
For a few hours, he'd felt something other than this constant, crushing weight.
And now they were ruining it.
They always did.
"STOP!"
Both of them turned, startled.
Shant stepped into the room, his hands shaking.
"Just stop. Both of you."
His mother stared at him. "Shant..."
"No." His voice was louder than he'd ever heard it. "I'm done. I'm done listening to this. I'm done watching you tear each other apart and pretend everything is fine in the morning."
His father's jaw tightened. "This is between me and your mother."
"No, it's not!" Shant's voice rose. "It's all of us! Every single day, I come home to this. And I'm sick of it. If you can't fix your lives, then stop dragging me into it!"
Silence.
His mother's face crumpled.
His father looked away, jaw clenched.
Shant didn't wait for a response.
He turned and walked to his room, slamming the door behind him.
He dropped his bag and stood there for a moment, breathing hard.
Then he collapsed onto his bed, face-first into the pillow.
For a moment, the anger held.
But then it drained away, leaving only exhaustion.
And underneath the exhaustion, something else.
Guilt.
He shouldn't have yelled.
But he was so tired.
Tired of being caught in the middle.
Tired of carrying their pain on top of his own.
Tired of everything.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.
Today had been good.
Meeting Aradhya. Talking to her. The way she'd looked at him when she asked, "Have we met before?"
Like she felt it too.
For a few hours, he'd let himself hope.
Maybe this time would be different.
Maybe he could change the pattern.
Maybe...
Shant closed his eyes.
He needed to sleep.
Tomorrow he'd figure out what to do.
Tomorrow he'd...
He didn't finish the thought.
Aradhya got home just after dark.
Her parents were in the kitchen, chatting over dinner. Normal. Comfortable.
"How was your day, beta?" her mother asked.
"Good," Aradhya said. "Busy."
She didn't mention Shant.
She didn't know how to explain it.
After dinner, she went to her room and closed the door.
She changed into comfortable clothes, washed her face, brushed her teeth.
Normal routine.
But her mind was elsewhere.
On deep brown eyes.
On a voice that felt like home.
On the way his hand had trembled when he touched hers.
Aradhya lay down in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Who are you, Shant?
And why did it feel like she already knew the answer?
She closed her eyes.
And this time, she dreamed.
The dream started quietly.
She was in a café.
Warm lighting. The smell of coffee. Soft chatter in the background.
And across from her, laughing at something she'd just said...
Shant.
But it wasn't the Shant from today.
This Shant was relaxed. Comfortable. Smiling like he didn't have a care in the world.
And she was teasing him.
About something. She couldn't hear the words. But she could feel it.
The ease. The comfort. The joy.
Like they'd done this a hundred times before.
Like they belonged here.
Together.
She reached across the table. Took his hand.
And he looked at her.
With those same deep brown eyes.
But this time, there was no sadness. No longing.
Just love.