It was raining the day Aarav met her.
Not the gentle kind of rain that people romanticize.
This was the kind that blurred the world—washing away colors, sounds, even thoughts. The kind that made everything feel distant.
Aarav liked that.
Because lately, he had been trying to forget.
---
The café was almost empty.
A soft melody played in the background, something slow and nostalgic. Aarav sat by the window, staring at the raindrops racing each other down the glass.
He didn't know why he came here every evening.
Maybe it was habit.
Maybe it was hope.
Or maybe…
He was waiting for someone who was never coming back.
---
"Excuse me… is this seat taken?"
Aarav looked up.
And for a moment—
The world stopped.
---
She stood there, slightly drenched from the rain, her hair clinging softly to her face. Her eyes held a strange mix of hesitation and familiarity… like she had been here before.
Like she knew him.
---
"No," Aarav said quickly, almost too quickly. "You can sit."
She smiled.
And something inside him shifted.
---
"Thanks," she said, sitting across from him.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Just the sound of rain.
And two strangers… sharing a table.
---
"I feel like I've seen you before," she said suddenly.
Aarav froze.
His fingers tightened around his coffee cup.
"That's… not possible," he replied, forcing a small smile.
But his heart disagreed.
Because the moment he saw her—
Something felt familiar.
Painfully familiar.
---
"Maybe," she shrugged lightly, "or maybe I just have one of those faces."
Aarav chuckled softly.
But his eyes didn't leave her.
There was something about her.
Something he couldn't explain.
---
"I'm Meera," she said, extending her hand.
"Aarav."
Their hands touched.
And in that instant—
A flash.
---
A memory.
Her laughter.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
Standing under sunlight, not rain.
Calling his name—
> "Aarav…"
---
He pulled his hand back suddenly.
Breathing uneven.
"Are you okay?" Meera asked, concerned.
"Yeah… I just…" he hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm fine."
But he wasn't.
Because that wasn't just imagination.
That was a memory.
---
"Have we met before?" he asked, his voice quieter now.
Meera looked at him carefully.
For a moment, her expression changed.
Like she was searching for something… deep inside her mind.
Then she shook her head.
"No. I don't think so."
---
But something in her eyes said otherwise.
---
The rain outside grew heavier.
The world blurred even more.
And inside that small café…
Two people sat across each other.
Strangers.
Yet not strangers.
---
Aarav looked at her again.
His heart whispered something his mind refused to accept—
> You've loved her before.
---
But the truth was far more complicated.
Because Meera wasn't just someone from his past.
---
She was the girl who had forgotten him.
---
And this time…
Fate had given them another chance.
To be continued… ❤️