Meet Indira Devi, an ambitious 18-year-old from India who secures acceptance into her dream university, The London School of Economics. Leaving behind the comforts of her home country, she sets out on a journey to pursue her passion for economics an...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
1st of September, Sunday.
12:08 PM.
"You're leaving tomorrow?" I ask, the words heavy on my tongue as I look up at Enzo. A wave of emotions crashes over me—like being swept under by a tide I didn't see coming.
"Yeah, I need to go to Ria—"
"Adria is more important than your sister?" I cut him off, my voice sharper than intended. He pauses, the guilt flickering across his eyes, as if they're saying, You know I'd never want to leave you this soon.
"Shit—kiddo, I didn't mean it like that," he mutters, avoiding my gaze. His eyes shift away, settling on the stream of people walking through Hyde Park, as if the crowd could distract him from this moment.
We'd come out for ice cream, planning to stroll through the park like we used to, but now the air felt thick. The sweetness of the ice cream was gone, the moment tainted by the weight of his news.
I sank onto a bench, feeling small and out of place, like a child clinging to a memory long gone. The ice cream in my hand was melting, slipping through my fingers, just like this time with him—fleeting, slipping away before I was ready to let go. I couldn't shake the feeling of being left behind, watching the world move on while I sat there, alone.
"What's so important?" I ask, a small lump forming in my throat. I wasn't usually this emotional, but it hurt to know that my brother was leaving me so soon, after not seeing for about 4 months, since had not been home for three months because of university, before I moved to London.
I felt like that same lost, lonely 12-year-old again—the one who watched her brother disappear into the world of university, leaving me behind with a hollow ache I didn't know how to fill. I'd never forget that year without him. The school grounds felt emptier without him practicing football, the noise of girls giggling over their crushes on him gone. No more playful tackles that ended with me tossed over his shoulder and flung into the waves by our house just because I refused to surf with him. Every memory felt like it had been pulled from me, and now, it felt like it was happening all over again.
"Ria's graduating, and she wants me there," Enzo says softly, but it doesn't soothe the ache. "I'll see you when you come for your birthday, right?"
"I'm not coming. I have term exams," I say, my voice barely a whisper as I sniff against the cold. The sharp autumn wind bites at my cheeks, cutting through my thin cardigan, but it's nothing compared to the sting inside.
"Principessa..." His voice is soft, pleading, as he reaches for me, but I take a step back, my heart pulling away before my body does.
"Don't 'princess' me," I snap, the words spilling out faster than I can stop them, my throat tight with unshed tears. "It's like you don't even want to be here. You barely text me. Are you even my brother anymore?" The accusation hangs in the air, raw and heavy. As soon as it escapes my lips, I regret it, the weight of my own words crushing me.
