The bus rolled into the coastal city with a soft hiss, doors opening to a night painted in rain and distant ocean wind. Streetlights shimmered across the wet pavement, stretching golden lines across the dark roads.
Hiten stepped out first. The rain-cold air hit him like a memory he wasn't supposed to have.
Dev looked around. "Bro… this city feels different."
Hiten nodded silently. Everything looked faintly familiar — yet he had never been here. Or at least, he shouldn't have been.
They walked down the main street, following the map on Hiten's phone.
Except… the café wasn't where it should be.
Left turn — closed shop. Right turn — empty street. Another block — nothing but dim houses and flickering lights.
After ten minutes, Dev groaned. "Blue Harbor Café, my ass. Maybe Google Maps is drunk."
Hiten didn't respond. His eyes were busy scanning every wall, every sign, every shadow.
Then Dev stopped. "Hey. Look at that."
Across the road, a huge mural glowed under a streetlight.
By looking at it Hiten's heart nearly stopped.
It was his own book cover, the one he had designed months ago.
And beneath it, painted in white strokes:
"To those who wait for the rain."
Hiten whispered, almost to himself, "That's… mine."
Dev stepped closer. "Bro… someone painted your story on a wall in a city you've never been to. That's not normal."
Hiten touched the mural's surface gently, the rainwater running down like tears across the artwork.
This city was breathing with his memories.
Or his dreams.
Or both.
The Search Continues
They wandered deeper into the maze of streets. Neon signs flickered. Old buildings leaned quietly in the drizzle. The ocean wind carried a faint scent of coffee and something floral.
But still — no café.
Dev finally leaned against a wall, exhausted. "I think we should give up, bro. Maybe the café doesn't exist anymore."
Hiten didn't answer.
He just exhaled, softly. "Maybe… yeah."
But before he could finish the sentence—
From the corner of his eye…
A girl-shaped silhouette dashed across the far end of the alley.
So fast it looked like a shadow carried by the rain.
Hiten's eyes widened. "Wait—"
He sprinted.
Dev shouted, "BRO WHAT THE—?!" and ran behind him.
Their footsteps splashed through puddles as they turned into a narrow passage. The silhouette vanished.
But something else appeared…
A soft blue glow.
A wooden sign.
Hanging lamps shaped like raindrops.
Blue Harbor Café.
Right in front of them.
Hiten froze.
Dev bent over, catching his breath. "WHY did you run like that?! You almost killed me!"
Hiten swallowed hard. "I… I saw someone. A girl. Running. I thought— I thought it might be her."
Dev stared at him, then smirked.
"Bro, either the universe is helping you… or you're daydreaming. But either way…"
He clapped Hiten's back.
"…we're in a win-win situation."
Raindrops chimed softly against the lamps.
The wooden door glowed warmly.
The city felt like it was holding its breath.
Hiten exhaled, steadying himself.
"Let's go," he whispered.
And together, they stepped toward the beginning of something neither of them understood yet — something waiting behind that door.