15-06-2025, 03:17 AM
Abhi’s Walk — Reflections Under Streetlights
The apartment door closed behind him with a soft click. The hallway light flickered once before steadying, and Abhi slowly walked toward the elevator, the bakery box still in his hand — untouched.
His footsteps echoed softly, his mind anything but quiet.
The evening had shifted the moment he saw the second pair of eyes at the table.
Varnika.
It wasn’t just the surprise of another guest — it was who she was. Younger. Strikingly pretty. Sharp-tongued and observant, much like Meghana but without the inner walls.
She had been watching him — that much he could tell. Trying to place him. Reading every glance between the sisters. Every pause in conversation.
And Meghana…
She hadn’t been herself.
The silkiness of her voice had stiffened. Her eyes didn’t linger the way they had during yoga. Her laugh came shorter, like it had somewhere else to be.
And he’d missed it.
He stepped out into the night air. It was cool, breezy — the kind of weather that usually made his walks pleasant. But tonight, everything felt unsettled. He walked a little faster.
He hadn’t come for food. He hadn’t come for conversation.
He had come because of the quiet unspoken invitation between them. The way her eyes had held his after yoga that morning. The lingering touch on his arm. The soft message behind her words — come tonight — that had carried so much more than politeness.
But that door never opened.
It stayed closed — behind the unexpected presence of a younger sister and a table that never allowed intimacy.
He reached the small park nearby and sat on the edge of a bench.
What now?
He didn’t blame Meghana. Family surprises happen. But the timing… it felt like the universe wasn’t ready for what might have happened tonight.
And yet, a strange thought came to him — not of disappointment, but of delay.
Not an ending. Just a pause.
The tension was still there.
The spark hadn’t died.
If anything, it had grown more dangerous.
Because now it had to hide.
And hiding things made them burn brighter.
---
The apartment door closed behind him with a soft click. The hallway light flickered once before steadying, and Abhi slowly walked toward the elevator, the bakery box still in his hand — untouched.
His footsteps echoed softly, his mind anything but quiet.
The evening had shifted the moment he saw the second pair of eyes at the table.
Varnika.
It wasn’t just the surprise of another guest — it was who she was. Younger. Strikingly pretty. Sharp-tongued and observant, much like Meghana but without the inner walls.
She had been watching him — that much he could tell. Trying to place him. Reading every glance between the sisters. Every pause in conversation.
And Meghana…
She hadn’t been herself.
The silkiness of her voice had stiffened. Her eyes didn’t linger the way they had during yoga. Her laugh came shorter, like it had somewhere else to be.
And he’d missed it.
He stepped out into the night air. It was cool, breezy — the kind of weather that usually made his walks pleasant. But tonight, everything felt unsettled. He walked a little faster.
He hadn’t come for food. He hadn’t come for conversation.
He had come because of the quiet unspoken invitation between them. The way her eyes had held his after yoga that morning. The lingering touch on his arm. The soft message behind her words — come tonight — that had carried so much more than politeness.
But that door never opened.
It stayed closed — behind the unexpected presence of a younger sister and a table that never allowed intimacy.
He reached the small park nearby and sat on the edge of a bench.
What now?
He didn’t blame Meghana. Family surprises happen. But the timing… it felt like the universe wasn’t ready for what might have happened tonight.
And yet, a strange thought came to him — not of disappointment, but of delay.
Not an ending. Just a pause.
The tension was still there.
The spark hadn’t died.
If anything, it had grown more dangerous.
Because now it had to hide.
And hiding things made them burn brighter.
---
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