Love Before Graduation

One day during lunch time, Nami and I had to bring some stationery items, so we were about to cross the school road to go to the shop across the street, but before we could start walking...Our steps came to a halt.

He was standing right in front of us—Riyan.

The same old face, but his eyes were tired.

There was a helplessness in his gaze, as if someone had drained the breath from his bones.

"Naami. Aira," his voice carried no weight.

As if every word died the moment it fell.

We turned around.

Dust was swirling on the road, as if it wanted to wrap our silence and carry it off into the sky. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

I remembered—he once said that promises are like sand; they slip through your fingers.

Maybe that's why he was here today.

"What are you doing here, Riyan?"

There was neither complaint nor question in my voice.

Just a silence that didn't wait for an answer.

He wavered a little, as if his legs could no longer bear the weight.

"Look, Aira... forgive me."

His voice slipped through.

"I want to apologize to both of you. I believed in rumors... I made a mistake."

His words were like an old man taking his last drag from a cigarette, rubbing it out.

The smoke still lingered in the air—hazy, lifeless.

"But you didn't even try!"

Suddenly, his voice found strength.

"You didn't try to talk to me again either."

Naami's face hardened.

"That's not true, Riyan."

Her words dropped like stones.

He smiled, defeated, as if accepting that saying anything further was pointless.

"Fine. I came here to apologize sincerely."

His face looked like a shattered mirror—every crack filled with regret.

I looked at him, but I felt nothing.

No hatred, no love.

Just silence that swallowed his words.

"Why now?"

There was neither sharpness nor anticipation in my question.

"Because I need to apologize," he said, as if someone had tied stones around his neck.

"Please... forgive me."

Naami crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's not that easy."

And me?

I turned away.

"I don't want to talk to you."

But he took a step forward.

His lips parted, and what he said made the air suddenly heavy.

"It's about Shubh. I need to tell you something."

The world stopped.

As if someone had paused the game in the middle.

Shubh?

Where did he come from?

Riyan's eyes met ours.

"Yesterday, I went to meet Shubh's parents. On the way back, I met a boy. He said Shubh had gone to the village with him."

He kept talking.

We kept listening.

Words floated in the air, like the pages of an unheard story flipping one by one.

Riyan paused, took a deep breath.

"But to understand everything... you need to come with me. In the evening. Behind the school."

And then he left.

Leaving us there.

Dust kept swirling.

We stood there, as if we had become part of the road.

Naami looked at me. Her eyes held questions she couldn't ask me.

"We will go."

Her words floated over, like a broken boat finally finding the shore.

I nodded.

And on that dusty road, we waited—for evening.

For a naked truth.

One that was going to squeeze the life out of our souls.