Chapter – 1 : Listen Me

The rain had just started when Aanya stepped out of the café. She pulled her shawl closer, hoping the drizzle would stop soon. But as usual, it didn’t listen.

Across the street, under the dim glow of a streetlight, stood Raghav — holding an umbrella. The same boy who had once promised to never show up again. Yet, there he was.

Aanya froze.
He smiled softly. “You forgot your notebook.”

She took it, avoiding his eyes. “You could’ve just left it at the café.”

“I could’ve,” he said, voice low, “but you never listen when I say goodbye.”

Her heart skipped. That voice — calm, patient, familiar — the one that used to pull her out of every storm. She wanted to walk away, but her feet didn’t listen either.

He continued, “Do you still write about me?”

She hesitated. “No. Not anymore.”

“Then why does the last page say, ‘I wish you had stayed.?”

Aanya’s lips trembled. “You read it?”

“I listened,” he whispered. “Not to your words, but to your silence.”

The rain grew heavier. She finally looked at him — really looked. The same brown eyes that once held her world were now asking for a second chance without saying a word.

Raghav stepped closer, holding the umbrella over both of them. “Can we start over? Not as the people who hurt each other… but as the ones who learned to listen?”

Aanya breathed out slowly. The rain around them softened, almost like it was waiting for her answer.

She nodded.
“Okay,” she said. “But this time, you listen first.”

He smiled, pulling her closer under the umbrella.
“Always.”

And for the first time in months, the world went quiet — because sometimes, love doesn’t need words. It only needs someone who’s willing to listen.