✵᪥༄𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐟𝐭༄᪥✵

The last time I saw Aarav, it was raining.I didn't know it would take me three years to see him again.Or that when I did, I'd wish I hadn't.But that night, three years earlier, I knew nothing about him.I only knew that I had missed the last bus.The rain had started around six.By eight, it had taken over the entire city.Meera stood beneath the roof of the bus shelter, watching water rush along the side of the road. Cars passed through the flooded streets, their headlights stretching across the wet pavement.She checked her phone.2% battery.“Perfect.”She shoved it back into her bag.She had already called home twice. Both calls had gone unanswered.She looked down the road again.Nothing.No bus.No auto.Not even a taxi slowing down.“Great,” she muttered.She moved farther under the shelter and rubbed the rain from the sleeve of her kurta.That's when she noticed him.A man was sitting at the far end of the bench.Black shirt. Dark trousers. Wet hair falling slightly over his forehead.He looked like he had been there for a while.Unlike everyone else stranded by the rain, he didn't seem irritated.He wasn't checking his phone.He wasn't trying to find a ride.He was simply watching the road.Meera looked away.Not her problem.She sat down, leaving enough space between them.For the next few minutes, the only sound between them was the rain hitting the metal roof.Then he spoke.“You missed it.”Meera turned.“What?”“The last bus.”She looked at the empty road.Then back at him.“You could've told me before it left.”“You weren't here.”Meera stared at him.“And you were?”He looked at her.“Yeah.”There was something about the way he said it that irritated her.Not rude.Just... too calm.“Then you should've warned me.”He gave a small shrug.“You didn't ask.”Meera let out a short laugh.“Right. My mistake. Next time I'll remember to interview strangers before the bus leaves.”He almost smiled.Almost.She caught it.“You find that funny?”“No.”“You were smiling.”“I wasn't.”“You were.”He looked back at the road.“Okay.”Meera shook her head.What a strange man.She pulled her bag onto her lap and looked at the rain again.A few minutes passed.She could feel him beside her, but he wasn't trying to start another conversation.That somehow made her more curious.Most people who noticed a woman alone at a bus stop would either stare too much or try too hard to be helpful.He was doing neither.She glanced at him.He was looking at the rain again.“Are you waiting for someone?”He didn't answer immediately.Then—“I was.”Meera waited.He didn't continue.“For the bus?”“No.”She looked at him.“Then?”His eyes moved toward the road.“Someone.”Meera raised an eyebrow.“Very informative.”This time, he actually smiled.Just for a second.Then it disappeared.She smiled despite herself.“Okay. Don't tell me.”“I wasn't going to.”“Good.”Another silence.This one felt less awkward.The rain became heavier.A bike went past them, splashing water across the edge of the shelter.Meera pulled her feet back just in time.“Seriously?”The man looked at the road.“Bad night?”She looked at him.“You have no idea.”He nodded.“Same.”For some reason, that answer stayed with her.She didn't know why.Maybe because he didn't sound like he was complaining.He sounded like he meant it.She looked at him again.This time, he was already looking at her.Their eyes met.Neither of them looked away immediately.Then Meera broke the moment.“What?”“Nothing.”“You keep saying that.”“Because there's nothing.”She rolled her eyes.“Very convincing.”He looked away.A few seconds later, Meera laughed quietly.She wasn't sure why.Maybe because the whole situation was ridiculous.She was stranded in the rain with a dying phone, no transport, and a complete stranger who barely spoke.And somehow, sitting there didn't feel as uncomfortable as it should have.She checked her phone again.1%.“Oh, come on.”The screen went black.“Perfect.”The man glanced at her.“Dead?”“Obviously.”“You need to call someone?”“I did.”“No answer?”“No.”He stood up.Meera looked at him.“Where are you going?”“I'm getting a cab.”“Oh.”He took a few steps toward the edge of the shelter, then stopped.He turned around.“You need one?”Meera hesitated.She didn't know him.She shouldn't go anywhere with a stranger.Especially one she had known for less than twenty minutes.“No. I'll manage.”He nodded.“Okay.”He didn't argue.He stepped into the rain.Meera watched him walk toward the road.For some reason, she expected him to look back.He didn't.A taxi stopped.He opened the door, then paused.This time, he looked back at her.Just once.“Goodnight.”Meera gave him a small wave.“Goodnight.”The taxi disappeared into the rain.She sat there alone again.A few minutes later, another auto finally stopped near the bus shelter.Meera got in.As the auto pulled away, she looked through the wet plastic curtain.The road was almost empty.The rain kept falling.She didn't think about the stranger again that night.At least, that's what she told herself.She didn't know his name.She didn't know where he lived.She didn't know why he had been waiting there.She didn't know why, out of all the people she could have met that night, it had to be him.She only knew one thing.When she closed her eyes that night, she remembered his face.And somewhere else in the city, Aarav was remembering hers.