The next day felt longer than usual. The kind of day where time crawled, where every clock tick sounded louder than the one before. Aarohi finished her last design revision, sent it off to a client, and closed her laptop with a sigh that felt like it came from her bones.
She told herself she wasn’t rushing that she was just leaving work like any other day. But her heart knew better.
When the bus rolled in, Aarohi climbed on with her breath puffing faintly in the cool air. Her eyes moved instinctively to the back.
There he was.
Sky blue hoodie this time. The color softened his features, making him look almost boyish though the faint stubble on his jaw reminded her otherwise. His head was tilted back against the seat, his one hand resting on his knee, the other scrolling lazily on his phone.
For one tense moment she wondered if he’d smile at the screen again. If the same name would flash. If he’d look at her the way he always did.
Stop it, Aarohi. You’re being ridiculous.
She walked toward him forcing her face into something calm, something casual. The seat beside him was empty like it always was. She slid in, the familiar scent of rain and a hint of his cologne drifting into her space.
He looked up the second she sat and there it was, that easy smile that always made her stomach turn into a knot of butterflies.
“Hii” he said simply. Like the word belonged only to her.
“Hi” she replied, matching his tone pretending nothing in her chest had changed since yesterday.
They talked about work first, as usual. She told him about a client who wanted a logo to ‘look more alive,’ and he laughed that warm, low sound that tugged at her insides. He told her about writing taglines for a new sports drink and how the brief had used the word ‘synergy’ twenty four times.
“Sounds thrilling” she teased resting her elbow on the seat.
“Living the dream” he said dryly but there was a flicker in his eyes, something like amusement layered over something heavier.
Aarohi caught it. And before she could think the words slipped out. “If this isn’t the dream then what is?”
He looked at her then, really looked like he wasn’t expecting the question but also wasn’t surprised it came from her.
“I don’t know” he said after a moment, his voice quieter now. “Something… more. Something that doesn’t feel like you’re running on autopilot all the time.”
She nodded fingers tracing the seam of her tote bag. “I get that.”
“You ever think about it?” he asked turning slightly towards her. “What would you do if you didn’t have to worry about paying bills or expectations?”
The question settled between them like a slow deliberate drop of water. Aarohi’s throat tightened.
“Maybe…” she paused thinking. “Illustrate full time. Paint walls. Big walls. Like murals.”
His brows lifted slightly. “That sounds incredible, really.”
She smiled faintly shrugging one shoulder. “And you?”
He hesitated, his gaze flicking to the window watching the blur of streetlights. “Write. But not ads. Not taglines. Just… words that mean something.”
The way he said it made something ache deep inside her. For a second, she pictured him in a quiet café, scribbling in a worn notebook, hoodie sleeves pushed up like now.
And then like a crack in the glass, the memory of yesterday rushed in that buzz of his phone, the way his face lit up for someone else. The ache twisted into something sharp.
She forced a smile. “You’d be good at it.”
“Maybe” he murmured his eyes still on hers. There was a pause. One of those pauses that felt like it could tip into something more if either of them dared.
But Aarohi didn’t. Couldn’t. Not with that stupid question clawing at her mind.
The bus slowed near her stop. Too soon. Always too soon. She stood steadying herself against the seat. “See you tomorrow?”
His answer was certain. “You will.”
She stepped off the cool evening air wrapping around her like a question she didn’t want to answer. And when she looked back this time he was still watching her.
Like yesterday. Like always.
And yet, that one smile from before still burned in her chest brighter than all the rest.
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