> Setting: A sunny afternoon. The car speeds down a smooth highway, weaving through trees, flyovers, and glowing city lights in the distance. It's a new city, a new start. And for once… Aahi feels free.
The windows were down.
The wind tangled in her hair, warm and playful, like it was welcoming her home — even if she'd never been here before.
Aahi leaned her head slightly out the window, her eyes wide as the tall buildings, green parks, and scattered lakes of the city unfolded around them like a new storybook. The brown and red strands of her hair danced in the breeze, glowing in the sunlight.
She smiled — and this time, it wasn't one of those polite smiles she wore for others.
It was real.
Pure. Soft. Hers.
In the front seat, her mother was on a business call, half-listening to directions, half-solving a crisis. Her voice sharp but proud.
Beside Aahi, her grandmother sat with a warm grin, holding a tiffin box on her lap.
> "See that?" Dadi said, pointing at a billboard of a university with shiny glass buildings. "That's your new college. Looks like a movie set, doesn't it?"
Aahi laughed. "I can't wait to get lost in it."
> "Just don't get lost in boys," Dadi warned, pretending to frown.
"I think I'm immune to that," Aahi teased.
The three of them burst into soft laughter. For the first time in a long time, there was no ache beneath it.
Just the open road, the sound of distant horns, and the golden warmth of a city waiting to be lived in.
> "This city will love you, beti," her grandmother whispered, patting her hand.
"You'll make new memories… new friends… maybe even something more."
Aahi looked out the window again, her eyes sparkling.
Setting: The car slows as it turns into the college street. There's a large campus ground to the left. The golden hour sun casts a dreamy glow. A few students are gathered near the basketball court, cheering and laughing. Music plays faintly through someone's speaker.
Aahi leaned her elbow on the window ledge, letting the breeze kiss her face.
As they passed the college ground, her eyes were casually scanning the scene — a group of students hanging out under trees, some clicking selfies, others just lounging with books.
And then…
her gaze paused.
On the court.
He stood out without trying.
Tall, confident, and lost in the rhythm of the game — not showing off, just playing like it was second nature. The ball moved smoothly in his hands, his steps light but sharp, like he had been born with sneakers on.
Aarif.
In that moment, he leapt for a shot — and landed perfectly.
The small crowd clapped and laughed.
He high-fived his teammates, brushing his hair back, sweat glistening at his jawline, a lazy grin tugging at the edge of his lips.
Aahi blinked.
She didn't even know why her heart skipped half a beat.
> "Hmm…" she murmured softly to herself, smiling a little, "I think he's a great basketball player... charming too."
Then with a small laugh,
"His girlfriend must be so lucky."
She didn't realize her grandmother was watching her from the rearview mirror, smiling to herself.
And Aahi?
She shook her head, still amused at her own wandering thought.
> Just a stranger.
Just a boy playing basketball.
That's what she told herself.
But destiny?
It had other plans.
Setting: The college basketball court. Evening. Aarif had just finished a game with his team. The golden light fades, replaced by the soft blues of twilight. Sweat on his brow, bag slung lazily over his shoulder, he's walking back toward the locker room.
Aarif wasn't thinking of anything.
Just the next cold drink. Maybe a nap. Definitely food.
But then…
Something made him glance sideways.
Not out of curiosity — just instinct.
A car slowed near the campus gates.
Inside it, a girl leaned slightly toward the window, her face half-turned toward the court. She wasn't smiling or waving. She wasn't loud or dramatic like others.
She was just… looking.
And yet… it held him.
Aahi.
He didn't know her name.
But he felt it — like a low hum in his chest, like the wind paused to nod.
Her hair moved in the breeze, brown with soft flickers of red, catching the last kiss of sunlight. Her eyes weren't wide with awe — they were soft, thoughtful. Like she saw the world quietly, deeply… like she felt things before speaking them.
She didn't notice him.
But he noticed her.
Not because of beauty — though she had that in a way you couldn't define.
But because she seemed… untouched by everything noisy around her.
Aarif stood still for a second longer than he meant to.
Then the car turned the corner and disappeared.
He blinked.
> "Weird," he mumbled, trying to shake it off.
But something had settled in his chest. Something… unexplainable.
For a guy who'd never chased glances or daydreams, this — whatever this was — annoyed him. Intrigued him. Haunted him just a little.
> "Who even was that?"
He didn't know yet.
But the stars?
They did.