Today, there was no pending work. No extra tasks. Not even any meetings to check for tomorrow.

I walked out to the balcony… cool air brushing softly against my face.

I lay down on the couch.

And then, out of nowhere, a thought crossed my mind-

Let’s open Instagram.

I usually don’t. But today… at this very moment, I wanted to.

I opened it and started scrolling through the comments under my posts.

My friends teased me with their comments..

Some of them read.. “Your girl is so lucky!” “Is he committed?”

A soft smile formed on my lips.

Then suddenly..

A notification popped up.

'avani…something liked your post.'

I sat up straight, disbelief rushing through me. Is that… Avani?

But before I could process it, the notification disappeared.

She had unliked it.

Nervous, Avi…

But not fast enough.

I caught her.

avani_verse.

The name felt familiar. Too familiar.

I tapped on the profile picture. And there she was.

Avani.

Standing beside flowers, probably in a garden. Smiling straight at the camera. Golden sunlight wrapped around her like she was made of it.

Wait…

A small flower tucked by her ear.

Something about it...about her...did something to me. I zoomed in. It was impossible to look away. I took a deep breath, rechecking again and again..

It’s her.

Without giving myself a second to think… I sent her a follow request.

Lost in thoughts of her, in that cool breeze… I drifted so far away that I didn’t even realize when time slipped by..

and somewhere in between, I ended up taking a short nap.

It’s been almost two hours since I sent that request.

She still hasn’t accepted it.

Is she thinking I’m some kind of creep?

Or maybe she’s just nervous…

Was it too early to send her a request?

Early?

We’re..

We are friends… right?

What if this isn’t even her account?

What if it’s someone else?

Another notification popped up.

'avani_verse accepted your follow request.'

My eyes lit up instantly. Relief washed over me. It felt… strangely satisfying.

And then..

avani_verse started following you.

I immediately opened her profile.

…Of course, it’s her. One post?Seriously?

Why does that annoy me? There should be more…

I opened it.

That pink dress.

A faint smile tugged at my lips.

I know this… I know her.

Why do I remember it so clearly?

She’s just sitting there. Flowers in her hands. Smiling like she doesn’t know.. Like she has no idea what that smile does. Her messy bun…

Something tightened inside my chest.

“Cute…” I whispered.

A pause.

Zoom.

Closer.

What am I even looking for?

Her eyes..

They aren’t even looking directly at the camera.

I zoomed that picture once again..

Like something will change if I look again.

But instead…

I just ended up zooming into that same picture once more.

The alarm rang.

I slowly opened my eyes.

Morning had already arrived.

At some point during the night, while scrolling through Instagram, I must have fallen asleep right there on the balcony.

I rubbed my face and sat up.

And then the realization hit me.

Why was I still smiling?

Since last night, there had been this strange feeling inside me. Light. Unreasonably light.

I knew exactly when it had started. The moment a certain someone accepted my follow request.

I shook my head.

Get a grip, Aarav.

After getting ready for the day, I headed downstairs. Everyone was already awake and gathered around the dining table for breakfast.

"Good morning, everyone," I said, pulling out a chair.

"Good morning, beta." mom's soft voice came from behind me.

"Have breakfast first."

She placed a plate in front of me.

I smiled and nodded.

"Did you review the Gupta files?" Dad asked casually.

"Yeah, Dad. I did."

"So? What do you think? Should we give them the contract?"

I took a bite before answering.

"I don't think so. They're not reliable collaborators. They practically betrayed their own family for a partnership."

Dad nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm. Good decision. We can consider giving the opportunity to the Patels instead. They'll handle it better than anyone."

For some reason, Mom's expression changed.

Not dramatically. Just enough for me to notice. A strange feeling settled in my chest.

"Yeah, Dad. I'll talk to Patel Uncle about it."

My voice came out more hesitant than I intended.

"We should call a doctor for Mom," she suddenly said to Dad. "She doesn't seem to be feeling well."

"I'll arrange it," Dad replied, getting up from his chair.

"Dadi couldn't sleep properly last night," Mom explained to me and Disha. "And she's still tired from the Haridwar trip."

That explained the tense atmosphere around the house.

I had already decided I'd work from home today.

Then...

"Jai Shree Krishna."

A familiar voice echoed through the room.

I looked toward the entrance.

And instantly sat up straighter.

Avani's grandmother and her mother were standing there.

My eyes lit up before I could stop myself.

I quickly greeted them.

"Did you both come alone?" I asked, my gaze drifting toward the doorway.

Without realizing it.

Without meaning to.

I was looking for someone else.

Sarita Aunty laughed. "How can we possibly come alone?"

My heart skipped. Then immediately sank. No one walked in behind them.

"We heard about Shobha Aunty's health," she continued. "We got a call earlier, so we came to check on her."

"Aww that's so sweet,comee inside" my mom said lovingly.

I hated how disappointed that sounded in my own head.

Lata Dadi slowly walked over and stopped beside me.

I was still glancing toward the entrance.

Still hoping.

Still waiting.

Then she nudged my arm with her elbow.

Hard.

"Oho," she teased. "Were you waiting for someone else?"

I froze.

Because for the first time...I didn't even have a lie ready.

I turned my back to the entrance and took a step forward.

Just then...

The familiar sound of anklets echoed from the entrance.

Somehow, I knew who that person was.

I turned around and saw Avani Patel struggling with her footwear.

Not shoes this time. She was wearing cute little heels.

She somehow managed to walk over despite looking completely irritated.

"Jai Shree Krishna, Kiran aunty!" she greeted my mom cheerfully.

She was about to walk past us when her eyes landed on me.

And she stopped.

"Jai Shree Krishna, beta. Come, we're going to Mom's room, okay?" Mom said before heading upstairs.

The moment Mom disappeared, a smirk appeared on my face.

"Hey, stalker," I teased.

"Excuse me? I'm not a stalker, okay?" she shot back immediately.

Already irritated.

Her gaze dropped to her feet again. Those heels were probably killing her.

"Really? Because last night someone was stalking my profile. I thought it was you," I said, enjoying this conversation far more than I should have.

"That wasn't me! Priya liked it mistakenly."

She bent down to remove one of her heels, clearly done with pretending they were comfortable.

"Okay, then who accepted the request? Priya?" I asked, this time genuinely curious.

She looked at me. Then quickly looked away.

"No. I accepted it. We're friends again, so..." For a second, she almost sounded awkward. And that was rare.

"That's good." I said before turning and walking away.

A few steps later, I heard her mutter under her breath—

"Rude kahika."

I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face. Turning around, I started walking backwards, hands casually tucked into my pockets.

"Yes, I am, Mithudi," I replied with a mischievous smile.

The look she gave me after that made me laugh.

"Don't call me that," she muttered, her cheeks turning slightly pink, as if the nickname had unlocked a memory she wasn't ready to revisit.

I immediately caught it. I stopped walking and turned to face her properly.

"You remembered that?" I asked, a teasing smirk playing on my lips. "Mithudi?"

She stared at me for a moment before rolling her eyes.

"Of course I remember it. Only you could come up with a nickname like that for someone."

"Not for someone," I corrected, taking a step closer.

"Only for you." For a second, she didn't say anything. Just stood there. Looking at me.

And for some reason, I couldn't look away either.

There was something different about the way she looked at me now. Something that hadn't existed years ago. Or maybe it had. Maybe I was only noticing it now.

"Hey, Mithudiii... what happened?" I called out loudly, snapping the moment before it could become something else.

"Shut up, you--"

"Say it."

"What?"

"Mithudi."

She shot me an annoyed glare. "Never."

"Come on, Mithudi."

"Aarav!"

"Mithudi."

Her expression somehow became even more irritated.

"Tumhe naaa..."

Muttering under her breath, she started walking ahead quickly.

The sight made me laugh. I immediately turned and ran towards the kitchen. "Get back here!"

There she was. Right behind me. And suddenly.. A memory flashed before my eyes.

Eight years ago...

Twelve-year-old Avani chased after me across Dadi's courtyard.

"Aaravvvv! Ruk jaoooo!"

I ran faster. "Catch me first!"

"Agar nahi ruke na toh main Dadi se shikayat kar dungi!"

Her tiny braid bounced behind her as she ran, her face scrunched up in determination.

Back then, teasing her had been my favorite hobby. And judging by her expression, nothing had changed. The memory faded as quickly as it had appeared.

I blinked and found myself back in the present.

Only this time, it wasn't twelve-year-old Avani running towards me. It was twenty-year-old Avani.

And somehow...

That realization hit differently. The way she looked now. The way I noticed things I never used to. The way my heart paused for a second whenever she smiled. Everything felt different.

Maybe we were still the same people. Maybe we weren't.

Before I could think about it any further, I noticed her struggling to keep up.

Those heels clearly weren't helping. A laugh escaped me.

"Careful, Mithu--"

And then it happened.

Her foot twisted slightly.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh no.."

And before she could balance herself..

She fell.

My smile disappeared instantly.

"Avani!"