TUM SE HI

MUMBAI TO DELHI

*Karan's POV*

The sound of packing boxes echoed through the house as movers went in and out, taking the last of the furniture to the truck. Karan stood by the window, watching silently, as his mother and father dealt with the logistics of their move from Mumbai to Delhi. To anyone else, this was a huge shift, but to him, it was just another day.

"Karan, beta, zara dekh toh ye sab samaan truck mein theek se lag raha hai na?" His mother, Shalini, called out, sounding a bit flustered."Haan, maa. Sab theek hai," Karan replied, his voice calm, without much enthusiasm. He didn't care much about the packing, or about the fact that they were leaving behind a house they had lived in for years. For him, home was just a place. Nothing more, nothing less.

His father, Ajay, walked up behind him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Ready for Delhi, Karan?"Karan turned to look at him, his expression as neutral as ever. "Haan, dad. Ready."

Ajay smiled, sensing the lack of excitement in his son but not taking it to heart. "Wahan pe main kaafi busy rahunga office ke kaam mein. Tumhari mom bhi adjust ho jayegi, lekin tumhe thoda time lagega. Nai jagah, nai log..."

Karan shrugged. "Mujhe koi problem nahi hogi, dad. Main har jagah adjust ho jata hoon."And that was true. Karan had always been calm, composed, and unaffected by his surroundings. He had never been one to complain or show too much emotion. While other kids made friends, played cricket, or went out to parties, Karan stayed indoors, buried in his books. 

A topper in school, he had always excelled academically but never cared much for socializing.

Friends? That was a foreign concept to him. He never felt the need for them. His world was quiet, composed of his studies and his family, and he liked it that way. He didn't like chaos or unnecessary drama.When his parents told him they were shifting to Delhi because his father was transferring the main branch of his business there, Karan simply nodded, as though they had told him what time dinner would be served. It didn't matter to him. 

Moving from one city to another? It made no difference in his life. He had never been attached to Mumbai the way some people got attached to cities. To him, it was just another place.

As the last of the boxes were loaded into the truck, his mother walked up to him, wiping a bit of sweat from her forehead. "Karan, tu excited hai na? Delhi mein nai shuruat hogi. Nai jagah, naye log, tumhara bhi college shuru hone wala hai.""Excited? Haan maa, theek hi hai," Karan replied, giving her a half-smile just to ease her worry. He knew she wanted him to be more enthusiastic, but he couldn't force something he didn't feel.Shalini sighed but smiled back. She knew her son was different—always had been. He wasn't like other boys his age who craved excitement or social life. He was perfectly content in his own little world.

After a long journey, they finally arrived in Delhi. The new house was larger, more modern, with spacious rooms and big windows that let in a lot of light. Karan helped his parents settle in, arranging things in the living room and setting up his own room the way he liked it—minimalistic and quiet.Once everything was in place, he sat on the edge of his bed, staring out of the window at the unfamiliar society below. It was busy, filled with families, kids running around, and people walking their dogs. He could hear faint chatter from the neighbors.

"New city, same life," Karan thought to himself. He wasn't the kind to go out and introduce himself to the neighbors or make an effort to fit in. He'd stay in his own space, as always.His mother knocked on the door and peeked inside. 

"Beta, sab kuch theek lag raha hai? Agar kisi cheez ki zarurat ho toh bata dena."

"Main theek hoon, maa. Sab theek hai," he assured her.She smiled softly, still a little worried. "Kabhi kabhi bahar jaa ke society dekh lena, thoda ghuma fir kar le. Waise bhi, yahan ki society kaafi badi aur acchi hai."

Karan nodded. "Dekhta hoon," he replied, though he had no intention of going out any time soon.

As the night fell and the house grew quiet, Karan found himself lost in his thoughts. Delhi might be a new city, but for him, everything felt the same. The calm, the quiet, the sense of being detached from everyone around him—it was his constant.

But even as he sat there, staring out into the dark, something in the back of his mind told him that life wasn't going to stay this calm for long. There was a change coming, whether he liked it or not.

For now, though, Karan was content in his usual state of tranquility, unaware that soon, destiny was going to knock on his door in the form of someone he had never met—someone who would turn his world upside down.---vote Kardena 

thank you for reading '

lover and light