When Paths Bent Back
Time changed them, gently.
Ananya’s temporary position became permanent. Not because she demanded it, but because she grew into the work so completely that her absence became unimaginable. Her students began to wait for her class the way one waits for something dependable.
Aarav’s work took shape too. Projects completed. Recognition came—not loudly, but steadily. He learned the city’s rhythms, its shortcuts, its silences.
They continued to speak. Less often than before. More meaningfully.
One day, Aarav mentioned it without ceremony.
“I might be posted back south.”
Ananya paused, chalk still in her hand. “Where?”
“Not decided. Somewhere closer.”
She nodded. “That would be… convenient.”
“Yes,” he said. “Convenient.”
Months later, he stood once again near the district office—not as a visitor, but for a meeting that felt strangely familiar. The walls looked the same. The bench was still there.
So was Ananya.
They saw each other at the same time.
No surprise. No rush.
“You’re back,” she said.
“For a while,” he replied.
They sat together like they always had. The world around them continued its noise, its indifference. Yet something had shifted—this time, not beneath the surface, but gently visible.
They didn’t talk about the past.
They didn’t ask what this meant.
They simply stayed.
Because some loves don’t need to be declared.
They only need to be lived.
No comments:
Post a Comment