She walked away…
and this time—
I didn't stop her.
Not because I didn't want to…
but because I couldn't.
My feet felt frozen…
like they refused to follow my heart.
Each step she took away from me…
felt like something inside me was breaking.
And yet—
I stood there.
Silent.
Helpless.
Because this time…
loving her meant letting her go.
That night…
the silence felt louder than ever.
I tried to distract myself…
but her voice kept echoing in my mind—
"When you're near… I feel something I can't explain…"
I closed my eyes tightly.
"Stop…" I whispered to myself.
But memories don't listen.
They stay.
They hurt.
On the other side…
Riya sat alone in her room.
Tears silently falling…
one after another.
She didn't understand why it hurt so much.
Why someone she barely knew…
felt so impossible to forget.
She held her chest tightly—
like something inside was aching.
"Why does it feel like… I lost someone?" she whispered.
Her heart was remembering…
even when her mind refused to.
Days passed.
We stopped seeing each other.
No more accidental meetings.
No more shared silences.
Just distance.
Cold…
and painful.
But fate…
doesn't stay quiet for long.
One evening…
Riya was walking alone near the campus road.
The same road.
The same place.
Something pulled her there.
Something she couldn't explain.
Her steps slowed down.
Her heart started beating faster.
And suddenly—
images flashed in her mind.
A car.
A loud brake.
Blood.
A voice calling her name—
"Riya…!"
She gasped.
Her head started spinning.
"No… what is this…?" she whispered.
Tears filled her eyes again.
And then—
another image.
Me.
Lying on the road.
Not moving.
Her breathing stopped.
"No…" she shook her head.
"This can't be real…"
But it felt real.
Too real.
Like a memory…
not imagination.
Her legs gave up…
and she fell to her knees.
"Why does it feel like… I've already lost you…?" she cried.
At the same moment...
I felt something.
A sudden pain in my chest.
Sharp.
Deep.
I stopped walking.
"Riya…" her name slipped from my lips.
I didn't know why.
But I knew one thing—
she was not okay.
And no matter how much I tried to stay away…
I couldn't ignore this.
Because some connections…
don't break.
They pull you back.
Every single time.