Stardust || A Short Story Collection

Pen Pals

The roses were fresh and fragrant, and the bouquet was beautiful — but would it be enough? The man at the counter smiled. "Pretty flowers for a pretty lady, eh? Who's she, your wife or your girlfriend?" 

"Neither," muttered Arjun, glancing at his watch. Twenty three minutes. 

The man gave a puzzled smile and handed over the flowers. "Neither? Well—"

"How much?"

"That will be nine-hundred and fifty rupees, sir." 

Arjun quietly put a thousand-rupee note on the counter. "Keep the change." He didn't have time to wait. 

As he left the shop, the bell above the door tinkled. The outside air was cold in comparison to the warm, cozy air inside, smelling so sweetly of flowers. Arjun got into his car, carefully kept the roses on top of the other gifts, and turned the key. 

I wonder what she will be like. 

The thought came forth in his mind for the hundredth time that day, and once again Arjun found himself thinking about Riya. Would she like the gifts? He had no idea. Flowers, chocolates, a dress and a bracelet, one of the books she had always wanted... Were they even enough? What else did girls like?

The smell of the roses wafted up to him. They really were lovely: velvety flowers in shades of pink and red and everything in between, with a big bow tied around. Perhaps it would be fine after all. Another glance at his watch: twenty five minutes. Arjun sped up.

The ride through the streets was quiet, and thankfully, he didn't encounter any red signals. By the time he reached the park, he was feeling almost complacent. He parked the car, checked his hair in the rearview mirror, and took one last look at his watch — thirty four minutes. 

He was more than half an hour late.

Half an hour! Arjun grabbed the bouquet, opened the door, and jumped out. He had already taken ten steps when he realised he had left the keys in the car; he had to run back and retrieve them. Pressing a button activated the door locks, and then he was running through the cold, praying to God that she hadn't left already.

The park was mostly empty that day. Arjun only saw a young couple and a man walking his dog, and then a bunch of laughing college kids. The air was sharp, and around the lake, there was a light fog. It made everything seem dreamlike. As he got closer, he could see someone between the trees. 

It was a girl, hugging herself in the cold, standing alone. Could it be her? He tried to edge closer silently, suddenly shy, when she turned and looked at him. His heart nearly stopped. She took a quick look around, and then looked at him expectantly.

"Is it— is it you?" His voice was almost a breathless squeak. He cursed himself internally, then tried again in a stronger voice. "Riya?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes."

Oh, God. So this was it. Now came the introduction. Well, not really an introduction, but since this was the first time he had seen her in real life... "Great. So we finally meet. Um. I'm—"

She laughed. The sound reminded him of that tinkling bell in the flower shop. "I know who you are. Is all that necessary?"

He felt his cheeks getting warmer. Excellent, barely a minute into the meeting and he was already messing it up. He clenched the bouquet tighter behind his back. "No, not really."

There was an awkward pause.

"So, let's take a walk—"

"I brought you flowers—"