After that day…
something changed.
Not around us—
but within us.
I tried to move on.
Tried to treat it like nothing.
Just another random meeting.
Just another stranger.
But no matter how hard I tried…
her face stayed in my mind.
Her voice…
her eyes…
the way she looked at me—
like she was searching for something.
Something I couldn't give.
Or maybe…
something I had already lost.
On the other side…
Riya sat in her room.
A book open in front of her.
But she wasn't reading.
Her thoughts were somewhere else.
With me.
"That guy…" she whispered.
"Why can't I forget him?"
She closed her eyes.
And suddenly—
a faint flash crossed her mind.
A road.
A voice.
Someone calling her name.
Her eyes snapped open.
"What… was that?" she breathed.
Her heart started beating faster.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
Something deeper.
Something emotional.
The next day…
fate did what it always does.
Brought us together again.
I was sitting alone in the cafeteria.
Lost in thought.
When suddenly—
someone sat in front of me.
I looked up.
Riya.
Again.
For a moment…
we just looked at each other.
No words.
Just that same silence.
That same feeling.
"You come here often?" she asked casually.
I smiled slightly.
"Sometimes."
She nodded.
"I thought so."
Silence again.
But this time…
it felt less awkward.
More… familiar.
"I don't usually do this," she said suddenly.
"Do what?" I asked.
"Talk to strangers."
I chuckled softly.
"Then why now?"
She looked at me.
Directly.
Honestly.
"Because you don't feel like one."
My heart paused.
Again…
that same line.
That same feeling.
Like I had heard this before.
In another time.
I looked away for a second.
Trying to ignore the strange emotion building inside me.
But it didn't go away.
It stayed.
Strong.
Persistent.
"Do you believe in… déjà vu?" she asked softly.
I turned back to her.
"Maybe," I said.
"Why?"
She leaned slightly forward.
"Because every time I see you…"
She paused.
"…it feels like I've already lived this moment."
My breath caught.
Because I felt it too.
Exactly the same.
For a moment…
we both stayed silent.
Not because we had nothing to say—
but because we were both feeling something we couldn't explain.
Then suddenly—
her fingers brushed against mine.
A simple touch.
Accidental.
But—
everything changed.
A sharp flash hit my mind.
A road.
A scream.
Her voice—
calling my name.
I pulled my hand back instantly.
My breathing became heavy.
"What… was that…?" I whispered.
Riya looked at me—
shocked.
"You saw it too… didn't you?" she asked.
My eyes widened.
"How do you—"
"I felt it," she said.
"That same moment…"
Her voice trembled.
"Like we lost each other."
Silence fell again.
But this time—
it wasn't peaceful.
It was heavy.
Full of truth trying to come out.