The town was drowning in colors. Red, yellow, green, and blue powder floated through the air as people celebrated Holi with laughter and music.
But sitting on the roof of his house, Dev held a small packet of red gulal in his hand.
He wasn't celebrating.
This color was meant for someone.
Three years ago, Dev had promised Aisha something very simple.
"Next Holi," he told her, smiling shyly, "I'll put the first color on you."
Aisha laughed softly. "Then I won't let anyone else touch me with color before you."
It was a childish promise, but to Dev it meant everything.
They were neighbors, best friends, and slowly something more than that. Every evening they sat on the rooftop, watching sunsets and sharing dreams about the future.
But sometimes life quietly breaks promises before they even begin.
A few months before Holi, Aisha's family suddenly moved to another city. It happened so quickly that Dev didn't even get the chance to say goodbye.
The last thing she had told him was, "Don't forget your promise. Next Holi."
Dev waited.
The next Holi came, but Aisha didn't.
He thought maybe she was busy. Maybe next year.
So he kept the small packet of red gulal safely in his drawer.
Another year passed.
Another Holi arrived.
Still no message. No call. No sign of Aisha.
Friends told him to forget her. Life moves on, they said.
But Dev never opened that packet of color.
Because it wasn't just gulal.
It was a promise.
Now, three years later, the same packet was still in his hands.
The streets below his house were filled with people celebrating Holi. Music played loudly, and children shouted happily as colors flew everywhere.
Dev slowly opened the packet.
The bright red powder looked exactly the same as it did three years ago.
But the person it was meant for was gone from his life.
Dev walked to the edge of the roof and looked at the colorful sky above the town.
Then he gently threw the red gulal into the air.
The wind carried it away, mixing it with all the other colors of Holi.
Dev smiled sadly.
Because sometimes the most painful thing about love isn't heartbreak.
It's the promises that remain waiting… even when the person you made them to never comes back. 🌈💔