When Hope Turns Into Home
A year had passed since Rhea and Arjun had let go of each other. A year of growing. A year of healing. A year of pretending that their hearts didn’t still reach for each other in silence. But life—gentle and mischievous—had other plans. It was the school’s annual fest. Fairy lights wrapped around trees, soft music floated across the grounds, and students rushed around with colourful badges and paint-smudged hands. Rhea was standing near the food stalls, waiting for Ishan, when she sensed—before she saw—that someone familiar had stepped into her space. She turned. Arjun. He hadn’t changed much, but something about him felt steadier. His eyes, warm as ever, softened when they met hers—as if a year of unsaid words quietly rose to the surface. “Hi,” he said, breath catching slightly. “Hi,” she whispered, her fingers tightening around her phone. And just like that, all the walls they had built trembled—not broken, but trembling—because recognition is sometimes stronger than resolve. Befor...