***
The sky was painted in hues of soft amber and dusky rose, casting a golden sheen across the quiet riverside. The last warmth of the day lingered in the air, like a hand reluctant to let go. Meher walked slowly, each step deliberate, her thoughts trailing behind her like fading ripples in the water she was leaving behind.
She didn't look back. The murmuring of the river grew fainter with each step, replaced by the hush of approaching dusk and the muffled quiet of an almost-empty parking lot. Her car stood alone, shadowed by a cluster of trees whose leaves had just begun to bronze.
As she reached for the handle, her phone vibrated in her palm—a sharp buzz that startled her from her thoughts. Her brows knitted, and without glancing at the screen, she pressed answer and lifted the phone to her ear.
"Hello?" she said—sharper than she intended.
A familiar voice answered, light and teasing.
"Hello. Sounds like someone's having a rough day."
Meher blinked, the tension in her face easing at once. Her expression softened as recognition settled in.
"Oh… I'm sorry," she said quickly. "I didn't know it was you. I didn't check before picking up."
"For a moment, I thought you were mad at me," Danish replied, the smile in his voice unmistakable.
She allowed herself a faint smile, the kind that doesn't quite reach the eyes.
"No. How could I be?"
There was a pause. Not silence, exactly, but a quiet that felt lived-in—comfortable.Like two people sitting side by side without needing to fill the space between.
Then he asked, "So… who got under your skin today? Want to meet up? I might be able to help you smile again."
"Alright," Meher answered, her voice a little steadier now. "I get off early today anyway."
"Perfect," he said. "You pick the place."
She hesitated, then said, "Brew & Sip Café?"
A short pause. Danish sounded amused.
"Ah. That place again?"
Meher arched an eyebrow, playful despite herself.
"What about it?"
"Just… someone I know likes it a little too much."
"I haven't been there in a while," she said quietly. "Thought I'd go back. But if you'd rather not, we can go somewhere else."
There was a beat before he responded, his tone mellowing.
"I'm already at Velaria Restaurant, actually. Want to come here instead? It's quiet. I just want to avoid… unnecessary run-ins."
Her fingers paused on the door handle. That choice of words. Something about it made her brow furrow.
"Run-ins?" she asked, voice tinged with concern. "Everything alright?"
He was quick to answer. Too quick.
"Yeah, yeah. All good. Just want a peaceful evening, that's all."
She didn't believe him entirely, but decided not to press. Not yet.
"Okay then. I'll be there in five minutes."
She ended the call, slid into the driver's seat, and started the engine. Her eyes were on the road, but her mind had already drifted elsewhere—toward half-answers and quiet hesitations.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Zayn drove with one hand loosely on the steering wheel, the other resting near the open window. The breeze tugged at his sleeve, cool against his skin, but his thoughts were louder than the wind.
He muttered to himself, half amused, half frustrated.
"First I forget a person… now I forget my phone? Am I turning into a goldfish?"
A dry, humorless laugh escaped him. He shook his head, trying to clear it. But the memory returned—clear, precise—of exactly where he'd left his phone: Velaria Restaurant.
His knuckles tapped against the steering wheel in mild irritation.
"You're not this careless, man," he mumbled. "What's wrong with you?"
Without another word, he pulled into a turn, redirecting his car back toward Velaria.
***
Back at Velaria, Meher arrived minutes later.
The restaurant glowed softly in the deepening twilight. Golden lights spilled from the tall glass panels, warm and inviting, pooling gently on the sidewalk like candlelight. Inside, everything looked calm—elegant even—but with a kind of restrained charm, like a place that didn't need to impress.
She pushed the door open. A soft chime sounded above her head.
She paused just inside, letting her eyes adjust and scan the room. Her gaze found him almost instantly.
Danish, seated at a cozy corner table near the window, looked exactly how she expected—half-lost in thought, posture relaxed, fingers tracing the edge of a water glass.As though he belonged in that kind of lighting. As though he had been waiting not just for minutes, but for something far longer.
Then, sensing her, he turned.
And smiled.
A soft, familiar smile. The kind that once meant safety. The kind that made memories stir before words could.
He raised a hand and waved her over, as if nothing in the world had shifted.
But Meher stood there a second longer.
Because something had.
She just didn't know what—yet.
To be continued.....