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Five years.

That's how long it had been since Aarav last saw Meera.

Five years since the airport goodbye.

Five years since the words "Maybe it's better this way."

Five years since he let her walk away.

He wasn't ready to see her again.

But there she was.

Standing in the middle of the café he had just walked into.

Laughing.

That same soft laugh.

The one that used to calm his storms.

Meera.

She looked different — more confident, more composed. But her eyes... they were the same. Warm. Familiar. Dangerous.

She hadn't noticed him yet.

Aarav felt his chest tighten.

He remembered everything in seconds:

The late-night calls.

The silly fights.

The promises they were too young to keep.

He remembered the last hug.

How she held on a little longer.

How he didn't.

As if sensing him, Meera slowly turned.

Their eyes met.

Time did something strange.

It didn't move forward.

It didn't go back.

It just... stopped.

Her smile faded.

Not into anger.

Not into sadness.

But into something softer.

"Hi, Aarav."

His name.

On her lips again.

He swallowed. "Hi, Meera."

Five years of silence.

And that was all they said.

But in that small space between them...

there were still unfinished sentences.

They stood there longer than necessary.

Two people who once knew everything about each other... now unsure how to begin.

"Are you... okay?" Meera asked softly.

Aarav almost laughed. That was such a her question. Not "How have you been?" Not "Why did you leave?" Just Are you okay?

"I'm fine," he replied.

It was a lie.

She nodded like she understood. Maybe she did. She always could read him too well.

"Still drinking black coffee?" she asked, glancing at the counter.

"Yeah."

"You never liked sugar."

"You always added some anyway."

For a second, they both smiled.

And then the silence returned.

Not awkward.

Just heavy.

Five years ago, they didn't break up because they stopped loving each other.

They broke up because they were scared.

Scared of distance.

Scared of failing.

Scared that love alone wouldn't be enough.

Back then, Aarav chose ambition.

Meera chose stability.

Neither chose each other.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," Meera said quietly.

"I thought about it," Aarav admitted. "Many times."

Her fingers tightened around her cup.

"So did I."

There it was.

The truth.

Still there. Still alive.

But fear sat between them like an invisible wall.

What if it hurts again?

What if they fall again?

What if they lose each other again?

"I should go," Meera whispered suddenly.

Aarav's heart dropped — just like it did five years ago.

But this time, he didn't want to let silence win.

"Meera."

She stopped.

"I don't know what this is," he said carefully. "But I know I never stopped caring."

Her eyes shimmered, but she looked away.

"I never stopped either," she confessed. "That's what scares me."

Because loving someone once and losing them hurts.

But loving them again... knowing you might lose them twice?

That's terrifying.

They stood there, both aware of one simple truth:
The love never left.
Only the courage did.

It had been years, but the old pier still looked the same.

The wooden planks creaked under his shoes.

The sea stretched endlessly, glittering under the late afternoon sun.

Aarav had come here on impulse. A memory tugging at him he couldn't ignore.

Five years ago, this was their place — their secret hideaway, the one where they promised each other the world... and broke their hearts instead.

He leaned on the railing, staring at the horizon, lost in thought.

And then... a familiar laugh.

Soft. Light. Full of life.

Aarav turned.

Meera.

Sitting on the edge of the pier, barefoot, knees tucked to her chest, just like she used to. Her hair caught the sunlight, and for a moment, it was as if no time had passed.

"Hey," she said, voice trembling slightly.

"Hey," he replied, barely daring to breathe.

They didn't move closer. Didn't touch. Just looked at each other.

"I didn't think you'd come here," Meera whispered.

"I didn't think I could stay away," Aarav admitted.

The wind carried the salt of the sea, the same smell they had once loved.

"Do you remember the night we stayed here until midnight?" she asked softly. "You promised me you'd always come back if we got lost?"

Aarav swallowed hard. "I... I didn't keep that promise."

Her eyes filled, not with anger, but the same warmth that had once made him fall for her.

"It's okay," she said. "We were scared. I get it."

They laughed softly, bittersweet and broken, remembering the boy and girl they had been.

Aarav took a hesitant step closer. She didn't move away. Not yet.

"I never stopped loving you, Meera," he said quietly, afraid the words might shatter the fragile moment.

She looked down at her hands, then back at him.

"Neither did I," she admitted, voice shaking. "And that's what terrifies me."

For the first time in five years, neither was running.

The pier held them in silence, the sea whispering around them, carrying their past... and maybe, just maybe, their future.