CHAPTER 10-- YEARS LATER

The years had passed like fleeting shadows—quiet, unstoppable, and full of unspoken stories. After that unforgettable day of graduation, Aariz had carried his silence across oceans. He left India with a suitcase and a heart heavy with memories of Ayla, who had become both his strength and his weakness.

Abroad, life demanded resilience. The bustling city streets, lined with towering glass buildings and the hum of ambition, became his new home. He completed his master’s degree with determination that surprised even himself, pouring all the love he never expressed into books, assignments, and late-night projects. Success did not come easy, but it came. His startup, born out of countless sleepless nights and daring risks, grew into something more than he had ever imagined.

Now, at twenty-eight, Aariz was not the boy from a classroom anymore—he was the man people looked at with admiration in business circles. Yet inside, he often felt the same—carrying that one chapter of his life that had never been written to completion.

It was a crisp Saturday afternoon when Aariz found himself at a café in the heart of the city. The smell of roasted coffee beans and the faint notes of jazz drifting from the speakers made the place warm despite the cold breeze outside. His business meeting had just ended, and his colleagues had left. Aariz remained seated for a few minutes, staring at the swirl in his coffee cup before finally deciding to leave.

As he stepped outside, adjusting his coat against the chilly wind, he noticed a commotion at the entrance. A young woman, Indian by her features, was struggling to balance a stack of books and her handbag, all while trying to keep her coffee from spilling.

For reasons even he couldn’t explain, Aariz stopped. Maybe it was habit, maybe instinct—or maybe fate had tugged at his sleeve.

Aariz: (smiling faintly ) “Careful there… looks like you’re carrying the whole library.”

The girl turned toward him, her cheeks flushed both from the cold and embarrassment. One of her books had slipped onto the pavement, and Aariz bent quickly to pick it up before she could.

Girl: (laughing nervously) “Oh God, this happens every single time. I swear the books have a personal grudge against me.”

Aariz handed her the book, noticing the playful spark in her eyes. She was not extraordinarily beautiful in the conventional sense, but there was an ease in her manner, a lightness that felt… familiar.

Aariz: (teasing softly ) “Or maybe they just want your attention. You seem the type who listens too seriously to even the inanimate things.”

Girl: (grinning) “Busted. Guilty as charged. I do talk to my books sometimes. Don’t tell anyone though—people already think I’m strange enough.”

Aariz chuckled, his first genuine laugh in weeks. There was something about her presence—it didn’t carry the weight of old memories, but it stirred something warm and forgotten.

They started walking in the same direction, her hands now steadier with the books. For a while, their conversation danced between light banter and introductions.

Girl: “I’m Meher, by the way. Just moved here for research work.”

Aariz: (nodding) “Aariz. I’ve been around for a while… though some days, I still feel like the new guy.”

The street bustled around them, but inside their little bubble of words, the noise seemed to soften. And then, without warning, Meher said something that froze him in his steps.

Meher:( looking ahead thoughtfully) “You know… life is strange. Sometimes it gives you what you never ask for, and hides what you truly want.”

The world seemed to pause. The traffic noise, the chatter, even the cold air—everything blurred for Aariz. Those were Ayla’s exact words, spoken years ago in that bus stop when he had first noticed her.

Aariz looked at Meher, his chest tightening, not with pain this time, but with something gentler. Fate had a way of leaving breadcrumbs across time, connecting dots he never thought would meet again.

He smiled—soft, quiet, almost to himself.

Aariz: (gently) “You just reminded me of someone I once knew.”

Meher tilted her head curiously but didn’t press further. Instead, she smiled back, as though she understood that some stories were meant to be left unsaid.

They reached a corner where their paths could have parted. Aariz hesitated for a moment, then gathered the courage he had once failed to summon years ago.

Aariz: (clearing his throat, a bit nervous ) “Meher… would you like to grab a coffee? Not the one you’re already spilling—an actual one, inside, without the balancing act.”

Meher laughed, her eyes sparkling.

Meher: “You’re offering me a second coffee when I barely survived the first?”

Aariz: (smiling) “Think of it as… redemption.”

Meher paused, then nodded.

Meher: “Alright. Coffee it is.”

Back inside the café, the warmth embraced them once again. This time, Aariz felt something different. He didn’t know where this path would lead, and perhaps he didn’t need to. What mattered was that he was no longer carrying the silence of yesterday—he was stepping into something new, however uncertain.

As the two of them laughed over trivial stories and clumsy jokes, Aariz leaned back in his chair, watching Meher animatedly explain her research project. His heart was lighter than it had been in years.

For the first time, he realized—life didn’t always grant the love you longed for, but it gave second chances in ways you never expected.

And maybe… just maybe, destiny had been waiting for this very moment.

“Life never unfolds the way we expect it to; destiny has its own quiet plans, written in places we never think to look.”

---THE END---