Love Departing From Plateform 1

04 | The Space Between Us

As the strangers become friends, the space between them dissolves, and the journey of thousand miles begins with a single smile :)

Yash's POV

Finally, by 9, we reached our city. As we stepped off the train, Aakriti's foot slipped, and I instinctively held her hand to steady her. We stood on the platform, hands in hands, gazing into each other's eyes. The air was thick with unspoken emotions.

"Aakriti!" A sudden voice broke the spell, and we turned to see a couple standing before us, beaming at Aakriti.

She rushed into their arms, embracing them warmly. "Happy anniversary, bhaiya-bhabhi!"

"Thank you, sweetie," her bhabhi replied, smiling.

"What are you guys doing here? I feel so bad, I ruined your anniversary dinner, didn't I?" Aakriti asked with concern

"Not at all, Aakriti! We're here to pick you up. And don't worry about dinner, we can still make it. It's not that late" her bhabhi said

As they exchanged pleasantries, I noticed Aakriti's brother's gaze fixed intently on me. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, his expression unreadable.

"Yash, this is my brother Kaushik and his wife Nishtha. And Kaushik bhaiya, Nishtha bhabhi, this is my friend Yash." Aakriti introduced us

As I extended your hand to shake her brother's, he gripped it firmly, almost crushing my fingers. Aakriti shot me a sympathetic glance, while her bhabhi looked at her husband in disbelief.

"Happy anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Sharma," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Thank you Yash but please, call us bhaiya-bhabhi. You're Aakriti's friend, after all," her bhabhi said, emphasizing the word 'friend'.

I nodded, feeling a hint of awkwardness.

"Aakriti, why don't you invite your friend to join us for dinner?" her bhabhi suggested, her eyes sparkling with warmth. But as soon as the words left her lips, bhaiya's gaze shifted towards her, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

"I-I mean, yeah, Yash, you should totally join us!" Aakriti hesitated, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Maybe some other time, I'm already late, if I didn't reach home now my mom wouldn't allow me in" I said smiling.

"Thanks Yash for taking care of my sister" bhaiya's expression softened slightly, his voice gruff but polite.

"It's no big deal" I smiled back, trying to put him at ease.

"It was great meeting you, bhaiya-bhabhi" I said

"Same here, Yash" bhabhi replied with warm smile.

As we said our goodbyes, I caught Aakriti's eye, and we shared a brief, knowing glance. "Bye, Aakriti," I said, waving.

"Bye," she replied softly.

As I walked away, I wondered what Aakriti's parents would be like if her loving caring brother was this cold and intense.

Aakriti's POV

As I stood before my wardrobe, I couldn't shake off the flutter in my chest. Last night's hand-holding had left me with a strange, tingling sensation. I felt like I was floating on air, and my mind was a jumble of emotions.

For 15 minutes, I stared blankly at my clothes, unable to decide what to wear. It was as if my brain had forgotten how to function!

My gaze landed on a bright yellow top with flared sleeves - too bright. Then, a maroon short kurti caught my eye - too dark. A pink ruffled top was next - too much design. Ugh, I have nothing to wear!