Kartik, a bright and talented medical student whose life takes turns he never expected. Trauma caused in his life makes him sail through the most unexpected life he had ever imagined as a merit-list student. His struggle to cope with academics, rela...
The drops were falling softly, in light drooping drips, at such an angle they hummed over the quiet streets. Kartik ran down the familiar path to the café, his mind splintered. Every step felt heavier-not from the drizzle but from what awaited him.
Arjun's message had been straightforward: "Meet at the cafe, 30 minutes." No context, no explanation, just a request that somehow carried an undertone of unease. Kartik wasn't sure what to expect anymore from anybody—not from Arjun, not from Meera, and not even from himself.
His phone vibrated again. This time, it was Rutuja.
"Hey, we haven't spoken for a long time. Can we catch up?"
He read the message but didn't respond. Now, there was this feeling of pull away, like an unspoken distance between them neither of knew how to close.
The bell above the cafe door jingled out as Kartik opened it. His gaze swept around the room until it found Arjun, waiting by the window, watching the unwanted rain. His energy seemed muted, overtaken by something darker, almost gone.
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Kartik slid into the chair across from him. "What's up?"
Arjun didn't immediately answer. His eyes stayed crossed, lost in a world of thought. Finally, he sighed and collapsed his shoulders. "Kartik, do you ever feel like we're all just. stuck?"
"Stuck?" Kartik repeated, wrinkling his forehead.
"Yeah, stuck," Arjun said to him, turning back. "Like nothing we do matters. We're just going through the motions-trying to be doctors, having friends-all of it. It feels pointless."
Kartik didn't know how to respond. He had never heard Arjun speak this way before. As a rule, it was the other way round; Arjun just kept everyone else at check and in place, but today he seemed to be out of control.
"Are you okay?" Kartik asked, his concern deepening .
Arjun shrugged, a fake laugh erupting from his lips. "I don't know, man. Everything feels off lately. It's like nothing I do makes sense anymore."
Just when Kartik could further push him, the door opened once more. This time a trembling heart skipped a beat. It was Meera.
She walked into the room and scanned it. The second their eyes met, a knot in Kartik's stomach tightened. It had been a while since they'd actually seen each other face-to-face since that day in the library—a stilted conversation where neither of them said what they needed to say. There was tension that now hung in the air like a thick fog.
"Hey," Meera said tentatively as she made her way to the table. "Mind if I sit?
His pulse quickened. He nodded stiffly, made her sit beside him, and the silence that followed was almost unbearable.
"How've you been?" she asked hesitantly, making her voice soft.
"Fine," Kartik muttered, knowing he was lying. Everything was off-balance-not just with Arjun, Rutuja, or even himself-but with Meera, it was something far deeper, something that neither of them had ever tried to talk about.
