The sky was painted in soft shades of gold and fading blue, the kind of evening that made everything feel slower… quieter. Una stood at the edge of the narrow road, her fingers wrapped tightly around the straps of her bag, as if holding onto something that didn't want to stay.
She wasn't waiting for anyone.
At least, that's what she told herself.
A gentle breeze passed, brushing her hair across her face. She tucked it behind her ear, her eyes wandering down the long path ahead. People came and went, voices blending into noise—but none of them mattered.
Until him.
Ayaan walked without noticing her at first, his steps calm, almost distant, like his mind was somewhere else entirely. He wore the same simple hoodie and jeans most people did, yet somehow, he stood out. Maybe it was the way he carried silence around him… or the way his eyes looked like they held stories he never told.
For a brief second, their paths crossed.
And then—
They both stopped.
It wasn't dramatic. No music. No sudden realization. Just a moment… where two strangers looked at each other a second longer than they should have.
Una quickly looked away.
Ayaan didn't.
"Are you… lost?" he asked, his voice soft but unsure, like he wasn't used to starting conversations.
Una blinked, slightly caught off guard. "No," she replied, a little too quickly. Then, after a pause, "I mean… not really."
Ayaan gave a small nod, as if that made sense to him—even if it didn't.
Silence settled between them again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was… strange. Like both of them were waiting for something they couldn't name.
"I come here sometimes," Ayaan said, glancing down the path. "It's quieter."
Una followed his gaze. "Yeah… it is."
That was it.
No big introduction. No long conversation. Just a few words that didn't seem important at the time.
But somehow, that small moment became something neither of them would ever forget.
Because sometimes, the most ordinary beginnings…
lead to the most complicated endings.
Una didn't know it yet—but this was the start of a story that would change her forever.
And Ayaan?
He already had a feeling.
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