Bittersweet

Aaditya stepped out of the cab, the dry leaves crunching beneath his feet. He had just reached Ananya’s house after nearly a year away, summoned for a family get-together. The air was warm with nostalgia. He walked toward the familiar silver car parked under the gulmohar tree and noticed her mother struggling with the boot, shifting bags and boxes around.

“Let me help you with that, aunty,” he said, stepping forward.

“Oh Aaditya, you’re back! How tall you’ve grown!” she chuckled, wiping her forehead.

The boot was barely visible under the mess of bags and gift boxes, when suddenly—like the sun peeking through clouds—Ananya popped up from the other side of the car, her hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing an old T-shirt that said ‘Not Today, Satan’.

Their eyes locked for a moment longer than needed.

“Aadi! You look like a grown-up now!” she teased, hands on her hips.

“You still look like you steal puppies,” he grinned.

They spent the next ten minutes laughing about everything and nothing. The clumsy dog next door. That time in high school when Aaditya accidentally emailed his love letter to the principal. Her ridiculous obsession with pineapple pizza. The words flowed like they had never left each other’s side.

It felt like no time had passed. Like maybe, just maybe, this was something again. The possibility shimmered faintly in the late afternoon sun.

“I’ll see you inside,” he said, reluctant to let the moment go.

Inside the house, the air was cooler, filled with the smell of incense and something sweet cooking in the kitchen. Laughter floated through the halls, and Aaditya joined the relatives in the living room. His cousin pulled him aside and whispered something casually, not realizing it would change everything.

“She’s getting married next month… You knew, right?”

The laughter in his chest crumbled. Every second from the past fifteen minutes flashed before his eyes—the teasing, the shared jokes, the comfort. He had returned hoping the old spark might still flicker.

But Ananya’s smile was a goodbye in disguise.

And Aaditya stood in the crowd, heart quietly breaking, clapping along as someone raised a toast to her future.


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