"oh no,no! i'm running late!"

Anirudh quickly slung his bag over his shoulder and checked his watch.

right on cue, his phone started ringing off the hook.

"hello?" anirudh answered, trying to tuck in his shirt with one hand.

"hey, Ravi, hurry up and get here!"

down below, a bike screeched to halt right in front of his apartment building.

it was ravi "i'm already here ani! get down here man!"

adjusting his formal shoes, anirudh stepped out of the apartment building. the moment he crossed the threshold, a cool morning breeze swept through the air.

as if an cue, the tree overhanging the entrance shed a flurry of soft pink blossoms. they drifted down, coating his shoulders and decorating the ground around him like a painting.

anirudh rushed over and hopped anto the back of the bike "we're super late man speed up!"

with a roar of the engine ravi and anirudh sped away.

at the exact same moment.....

in the apartment building right across the street, she was putting on her earrings.

dressed in a light blue top with her college bag slung over shoulder, she stepped out of building.

the very same morning breeze swept through the trees. this time, vibrant yellow flowers rained down from above, dusting her hair and cloths.

a soft, beautiful smile played on her lips. her booked OLA Auto pulled up to curb. she climbed inside, and the Auto merged into the morning traffic.

PRINCE [AUTHOR]:

"now, you might wonder.... why am i telling you about these two?"

at this exact moment, they don't even know each other exists. they have absolutely no clue.

but as they say.... everything in this universe happens for a reason. every story has a purpose."

MYSORE,

even with its bustling morning traffic it remains pure, timeless and forever city of palaces.

Around 4:45pm

in a cozy local cafe, anirudh and ravi were sitting together, sipping on hot tea.

Ravi nudged him "mmm.... you've been looking so dull lately. you can talk to me, you know?"

anirudh stared into his cup, "its nothing man."

"i've been watching you for days now, anirudh" ravi said, leaning in "ever since we moved to mysore, you've been completely checked out. what's really going on?"

"hey, seriously its nothing." anirudh insisted, trying to brush it off. "work has just been crazy lately i'm just a little tired , that's all."

ravi sighed, "ani, there's a massive difference between being tired and being completely silent. just tell me."

A heavy silence settled over their table, anirudh stared at his hands, his voice dropping to a whisper,

        "i can't move on macha."

ravi winced slightly, "oh.... you're still overthinking that?"

placing a comforting hand on anirudh's shoulder, Ravi said, "look ani, don't waste your time drowing in the past. you know how this generation is. focus on your career, everything will fall into place. just keep yourself busy!"

A faint bittersweet smile appeared anirudh's face,  "yeah. i'll try."

ravi gave him an encouraging smile , "alright, lets headout."

"come back again."

with a bright, proffessional smile, shruti handed over a neatly packed pastry box to a customer.

after her college classes ended for the day , shruti worked a part-time job at a populer cake boutique inside the mall. her routine was simple: welcome the customers, take their orders, and serve them with a smile.

since the afternoon rush had died down, she stood by the counter, her eyes drifting toward a birthday celebration happening at one of the tables.

A young couple was celebrating.

shruti watched them closely the boyfriend pulled out a small valvet box, revealing A beautiful ring.

the girl gasped, her eyes lighting up. 'oh wow! is this for me?"

he smiled and gently slid the ring onto her finger.

as shruti withnesses the sweet moment, the smile slowly faded from her lips. A sudden wave of old memories flashed vivdly before her eyes.

fragmented text message.....

echoes the blurred fading silhoutte of a boy.

before she knew it tears pooled in her eyes threatening to spill over.

snapping out of it, she hurriedly rushed to the restroom she splashed cold water on her face, trying to wash away the ghosts of her past staring at her reflection in the mirror, she let out a long, heavy sigh.

her shift was finally over. shaking off the sadness, she changed out of her work uniform, put on her regular cloths and started her walk back to the apartment.

NIGHT, 8:15 (Phone rings)

anirudh swiped answer "hey, where are you?"

"hey, macha, i'm going to be pretty late getting back tonight," Ravi's voice came through the speaker. "go ahead and book an OLA to get home, don't wait for me."

"oh, really? alright, no problem, stay safe," anirudh replied.

"yeah, will do bye"

anirudh pulled out his phone to book a cab started walking toward the main road.

right as he neared the street corner, shruti stepped into a waiting Auto and drove off just a few moments later, anirudh reached the exact same spot. his cab pulled up to the curb, and he climbed in, heading home.

ten minutes apart, they both arrived at their respective buildings and went inside.

living in completely different apartment, they went through the exact same motions. they cooked their dinners alone, they at in silance. and finally, they headed to their rooms to lie down for the night.

two different buildings. two separate worlds. yet, their lives were moving in a perfect heartbreaking sync.

anirudh lay flat on his back, staring blankly up at his bedroom ceiling.

he aimlessly opened whatsapp and scrolled through the status updates. finding nothing . he swithed to instagram, mindlessly flipping through stories eventually, his fingers drifted over to his chat list, he scrolled down deep down until  he reached a blocked account.

it was his ex-girlfriend's ID. even though there was nothing new to see, he just stared at the screen for two long minutes.

across the street, shruti was sitting up in her bed, her face illuminated by the glow of her phone screen. she was slowly scrolling through her camara roll.

at the exact moment, anirudh unlocked his hidden gallery folder. it was filled entirely with photos of his EX. he opened the first one and stared.

shruti's thumb suddenly froze on a photo. she stared at the screen, slowly zooming in the photograph.

anirudh whispered into the dark room,

"you might have called me a failure and broken up with me.... but i never looked at us that way."

in her room, shruti gripped her phone tighter, 

"it hurt so much. yes. it hurts..... but this pain feels like a different kind of gift."

anirudh closed his eyes,

"i can never forgot those memories."

as if sharing the exact same breath both shruti and anirudh sighed into the quit night:

 "i think we will be together in another universe."

the glowing clock on their phones flipped 

                 11:11pm.

they both locked their screen, darkness swallowing their rooms as they finally drifted off to sleep.

TO BE CONTINUED.....