Ten years passed.
Quietly.
Slowly.
Like pages turning one after another.
And life—
moved forward.
Aira had become a forensic scientist.
The same girl—
who once stayed awake at night overthinking
everything—
was now solving mysteries professionally.
Life had changed her in many ways.
But somewhere deep inside—
she was still the same Aira.
Still emotional.
Still thoughtful.
Still loving silence, poetry, rain, and late-night skies.
Only now—
she had become stronger.
More mature.
And somehow—
more friendly than before.
She learned how to talk to people better.
How to hide pain better.
How to smile naturally again.
But some memories—
never truly left her.
And Aarohi—
had become a successful author.
A famous one.
Before these ten years—
she had already written three novels.
And now—
her books were everywhere.
Bookstores.
Libraries.
Social media.
People loved her words.
And maybe—
Aira wasn't surprised.
Because even years ago—
Aarohi's words already carried emotions deeply.
Aira always loved travelling.
Especially solo travelling.
She loved exploring cities alone.
Watching new skies.
Meeting strangers.
Finding peace in unknown places.
And after years of planning—
she finally decided to visit Kolkata.
A city she once loved—
because someone lived there.
Ten years ago—
she had secretly dreamed about this trip.
Back when Aarohi was still part of her life.
And now—
that dream was finally becoming real.
She was going to Kolkata in just two days.
And strangely—
her heart felt restless again.
Excited.
Nervous.
Scared.
Because after all these years—
Aira still wondered about Aarohi.
How was she now?
Did she still write poetry?
Did she still love rain?
Did she still call someone Airu softly?
Had she changed?
Or maybe—
was she still the same girl Aira once loved
deeply?
Aira stood near her window that night—
holding her flight ticket silently.
And for the first time in years—
her heart started beating nervously again.
Not because of the city.
But because Kolkata still carried Aarohi's
memories inside it.
That night—
Aira searched Aarohi's name online after many years.
And there she was.
Photos from book events.
Interviews.
Her smile looked more mature now.
Calmer.
But somehow—
her eyes still looked the same to Aira.
Those same eyes—
that once "held galaxies."
Aira stared at the screen quietly for a long time.
Then smiled faintly.
Because after ten years—
her heart still recognized Aarohi instantly.
The closer the trip came—
the more restless Aira became.
She tried to act normal.
Focused on packing.
Checking tickets.
Preparing everything carefully.
But deep inside—
her heart was behaving differently.
Like it already knew—
this journey was not just about travelling.
It was about memories.
About unfinished feelings.
About someone—
she never truly forgot.
While packing her clothes—
Aira suddenly found an old paper between the pages of a book.
A small handwritten note.
A poem she once wrote about Aarohi years ago.
The paper had become slightly old now.
But the feelings written inside it—
still felt alive.
Aira smiled faintly while reading it.
Then folded it carefully—
and kept it inside her bag again.
Without even realizing why.
Ten years was a long time.
People change.
Lives change.
Feelings change.
But some memories—
remain untouched somewhere inside the heart.
And Aarohi had become one of those memories for Aira.
Not painful anymore.
Just deeply important.