Dear Diary,

I didn't know what love was until I met him-my best friend, my safe place- Rohan Malhotra. He was my first everything. My first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first best friend, and most of all, my first heartbreak.

Rohan was the first guy I ever truly knew. Since childhood, he had been there for me through thick and thin.

Usne mujhe tab sambhala jab mere paas koi nahi tha.

(He took care of me when I had nobody.)

But as they say, some people are just meant to cross paths, to love, but not to stay forever. That was what Rohan and I were-only meant to be together in my dreams.

So, this is my story-absolutely broken, heart-shattering, yet a love that feels like it belongs in the pages of a book. Stay tuned.

I'll meet you again, my dear diary. Same time, same place. <33

Bye.

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As I closed my diary and placed it on my shelf, my eyes fell upon my childhood album. The moment I opened it, memories of Rohan, Kartik, Yash, Veer, and Ranveer came rushing back. Their faces filled every corner of the pages, capturing moments of a past that was once so beautiful.

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Flashback Begins

"Heyy... Heyy... Heyyy! Rohan, stop yaar, please! What are you doing?"

"Catch me if you can!" Rohan shouted, laughing as he ran ahead.

I narrowed my eyes and smirked. "Dare me, and if I catch you, you're a dead man, Mr. Rohan Malhotra!"

"Not fair, Rohan!" I huffed, stopping in my tracks, hands on my knees as I caught my breath. "We were supposed to be relaxing, not running around like maniacs."

Rohan slowed down just enough to turn back, flashing his ever-so-infuriating smirk. "Relaxing is boring, Shanaya. Come on, catch me if you can!" He stuck his tongue out playfully before darting off again.

I groaned, but before I could chase after him, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Let him be, Shanaya. He's always been a troublemaker," Kartik chuckled, shaking his head. "Come sit, we've got all the food set up."

I turned to see our picnic spread-colorful blankets laid across the perfectly manicured grass of Rohan's mansion garden. Platters of sandwiches, fruit, chips, and juice boxes were neatly arranged, courtesy of our mothers, who always made sure we never went hungry.

Just as I was about to sit down, a loud thud followed by a dramatic groan made me turn back.

Rohan lay sprawled on the ground, his foot caught in a loose root.

"Ow! My ankle... my precious ankle!" he whined, clutching it as if he had been gravely injured.

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Rohan?"

Yash and Veer burst into laughter while Ranveer rolled his eyes. "Stop being a drama queen and get up."

But I walked over anyway, kneeling beside him. "Let me see," I said, reaching for his ankle.

He immediately pulled away, grinning. "Caught you!" And before I could react, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me down onto the grass beside him.

"ROHAN!" I shrieked as everyone else erupted into laughter.

"You should have seen your face," he teased, clutching his stomach from laughing too hard.

I smacked his arm. "I hate you."

He sat up, still grinning. "No, you don't. You love me."

I rolled my eyes, but deep down, I knew he was right. Rohan was my best friend, my constant, my safe place.

Just then, our mothers walked onto the lawn, smiling as they watched us.

"Beta, if you two are done wrestling in the grass, come eat before the food gets cold," Rohan's mom called out.

I dusted myself off and stood up, offering my hand to Rohan. He took it, squeezing it briefly before letting go.

As we all sat down together, laughter and conversations filled the air. Our families had known each other for years, and moments like these made it feel like we were all just one big family.

The sun had started to set, painting the sky in soft hues of orange and pink as the evening breeze whispered through the trees. The others were busy playing a game of cards while I sat a little away, leaning against the old oak tree in Rohan's garden, watching the world around me slow down.

"You always disappear when things get too loud," came a familiar voice.

I turned to see Rohan walking toward me, hands tucked into his pockets, his usual mischievous glint replaced by something softer.

"I like the quiet," I said, shrugging.

Without hesitation, he sat down beside me, close enough that our arms brushed. "You know," he murmured, plucking at a blade of grass, "we won't always have this."

I frowned. "Have what?"

"This," he gestured around us-the warmth of our families laughing in the distance, the ease of childhood, the familiarity of always having each other. "One day, we'll grow up, life will change, and maybe... maybe we won't be sitting under this tree like this anymore."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Then let's just stay here forever."

He let out a soft chuckle but didn't say anything. Instead, he reached for my hand, intertwining our fingers effortlessly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

My heart stuttered. We had held hands before, countless times, but something about this moment felt... different.

"You ever wonder what it would be like if it was always just us?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

I turned to him, searching his face for meaning, but he was looking ahead, his jaw tight, his fingers tightening just slightly around mine.

I didn't answer, because I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say. Did I wonder? All the time. But saying it out loud would make it real, and I wasn't ready for that.

Instead, I squeezed his hand in return.

And in that moment, beneath the fading sky, in the hush of everything around us, it didn't matter what the future held. Because right now, it was just us. And that was enough. It wad just me and him against the world.

I leaned on him, resting my head against his shoulder, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath. Rohan didn't pull away, didn't tease me like he usually did. Instead, he exhaled softly, as if he had been waiting for this moment just as much as I had.

The evening breeze tousled his hair, and for the first time, I allowed myself to close my eyes, to soak in the warmth of him.

"I wish time could just stop," I whispered, my voice barely carried by the wind.

He turned slightly, and I felt him shift beneath me. "Why?"

"Because," I hesitated, choosing my words carefully, "everything feels simple right now. Like nothing can go wrong."

Rohan was silent for a moment, and I thought maybe he wouldn't answer. But then, he murmured, "With you, it always feels that way."

My heart clenched.

I lifted my head to look at him, and for the first time, I noticed the way his eyes weren't just mischievous or teasing like they usually were. They were searching-deep, unreadable, like he was trying to tell me something without saying it out loud.

"Shanaya..." he said my name like it was something precious, something fragile.

"Hmm?" I whispered.

His hand brushed against mine again, hesitating this time, like he wasn't sure if he should. But then, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips barely grazing my cheek.

I sucked in a sharp breath, my skin burning where he touched.

And then, in the quiet of that moment, he whispered, "I love you."

Everything stopped.

The laughter of our friends in the background, the rustling of the trees, even the steady rhythm of my own heartbeat-it all faded into nothing.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Because this-was the moment I had both feared and longed for.

His eyes searched mine, waiting, hoping.

A thousand emotions crashed inside me-fear, happiness, disbelief. But above all, love. Because no matter how much I had tried to ignore it, tried to push it away, the truth was, I loved him too.

I smiled, a slow, shaky smile as I reached for his hand, intertwining our fingers.

"I love you too, My Ro."

His breath hitched, his grip tightening around mine. And then, without another word, he pulled me into him, wrapping me in the kind of embrace that felt like home.

But I should have known. Love, even in its purest form, never stays simple for long.

Flashback ends

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Thank you all for reading! ❤ I'd truly appreciate it if you could share your thoughts and leave a kind comment. Your support means the world to me! ❤

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