Ashi stepped inside and shut the balcony door quickly.

Her heart was racing.

Was he looking at me the whole time?
He saw me crying…

Her cheeks burned.

“Ahh! Why did you see me like that?!” she blurted out to the empty room, burying her face in her hands.
“I didn’t want you to see me like that…”

She felt shy. Exposed. Vulnerable in a way she hadn’t allowed herself to be in years.

Across the street, Haruv still stood on his balcony.

The cold wind brushed past him, but he didn’t move.

His thoughts were fixed on one person.

Did I embarrass her? he wondered.

He hadn’t meant to stare.
He had only been worried.

He looked up at the sky—the moon glowing softly, stars scattered like distant memories.

The world felt still.

And just like that, his own past began to surface.

 His mother’s laughter.
Her hand holding his.
The way she used to take him to the park.
The way she cooked for him… fed him… smiled at him like he was her whole world.

A heaviness settled in his chest.

He missed her.

Suddenly, the memories shifted.

Not warm anymore.

Dark.

A road.

Headlights too bright.

He was fifteen.

He and his mother were crossing the street—

And a car was rushing toward them.

The brakes had failed.