Aarav sat by the café window, watching the raindrops race each other down the glass. He wasn’t particularly fond of rain, but today, it felt different. Maybe because it reminded him of her—Meera. It had been five years since they last met, yet her memories clung to him like the mist on a cold morning.
They had met in college, two contrasting personalities drawn together by an invisible force. Aarav was practical, analytical, and preferred logic over emotions, while Meera was spontaneous, full of life, and believed in destiny. Despite their differences, they balanced each other perfectly. Where Aarav found solace in numbers, Meera found beauty in poetry. Their love was like a melody, sometimes chaotic but always harmonious.
Their relationship grew over time, filled with stolen glances during lectures, late-night calls discussing dreams and fears, and long walks where silence spoke more than words. Aarav, who once planned every step of his life meticulously, started embracing unpredictability with Meera by his side. She taught him that not everything needed an answer, that sometimes, you just had to feel.
But life had other plans. Meera’s father received a job transfer abroad, and despite all their efforts, the reality of distance loomed over them. “Love will find a way,” she had whispered on their last night together. Aarav had smiled, but deep down, he feared that love, no matter how strong, couldn’t fight time and distance forever.
For a while, they tried to keep their love alive through phone calls, video chats, and long emails. But as months passed, time zones became barriers, conversations grew shorter, and replies became delayed. The inevitable happened—Meera called one night, her voice trembling. “Aarav, I don’t want to lose you, but I feel like we’re holding on to something that’s slipping away.”
Aarav wanted to protest, to promise that they could make it work, but he knew she was right. Love wasn’t just about holding on; sometimes, it was about letting go. And so, with heavy hearts, they said their goodbyes, promising to remember each other as their greatest love story.
Years passed, and Aarav immersed himself in work, convincing himself that he had moved on. But every time it rained, he thought of her. Every poem he came across reminded him of Meera’s voice reading to him under the starlit sky.
And then, fate intervened.
That evening, as Aarav absentmindedly stirred his coffee, a familiar voice startled him. “Still lost in thoughts, aren’t you?”
He turned, his heart pounding. There she was—Meera, standing in the same café where they had spent countless evenings. She looked different, yet exactly the same. Older, perhaps, but the twinkle in her eyes was unchanged.
For a moment, they just stared, the world around them fading into oblivion. Then, she smiled—the smile that had once lit up his world. “Can I sit?” she asked softly.
Aarav nodded, feeling something he hadn’t in years—hope.
Maybe love wasn’t about fighting time. Maybe, just maybe, love was about finding its way back, even after all the years in between.