Chapter 1: A Cup of Tea and a Quiet Promise
Aarav met Meera on a rainy evening.
He was sitting alone in a small tea shop near the bus stand. The rain was falling softly, like it wanted to tell the road a secret. Aarav held his warm cup of tea and watched people hurry past. He was tired after work and not thinking about anything special.
Then Meera walked in.
She carried a blue umbrella. A few drops of rain rested on her hair. She smiled at the shopkeeper and asked for tea. That smile stayed in the air, gentle and quiet.
The shop was full. Only one chair was empty.
"Is this seat free?" Meera asked.
Aarav looked up. For a second, he forgot to speak.
"Yes," he said. "Please sit."
They sat facing each other, with steam rising from their cups. Outside, the rain continued its soft music.
After a while, Meera said, "I like rain. It slows everything down."
Aarav nodded. "It makes the world feel honest."
She looked at him, a little surprised, then smiled.
From that day, they began to meet often.
Sometimes at the tea shop. Sometimes walking on wet roads. Sometimes sitting quietly in the park.
They talked about simple things. Favorite food. Old movies. Childhood memories. Their words were small, but the feeling between them grew slowly.
Aarav liked how Meera listened. She listened with her eyes, not just her ears.
Meera liked Aarav's calm nature. When he spoke, her thoughts became quiet.
One evening, the sky was painted in orange and pink. They sat on a bench near the park lake.
"Do you believe in love?" Meera asked softly.
Aarav thought for a moment.
"I think love grows," he said. "It doesn't rush. It waits."
Meera smiled, but her smile carried a question.
Days turned into weeks.
They shared laughter, silence, and long walks. Aarav felt something he had never felt before. Meera felt it too, though she never said it.
Then one day, Meera did not come.
The next day, she did not come either.
On the third day, Aarav found an envelope on his tea shop table.
It had his name written on it.
Inside was a single line:
"Some meetings are not accidents. If you want answers, meet me where it all began."