The clink of glasses and the hum of laughter filled the air as Karan walked into the café, his footsteps a little heavier than usual. It wasn’t the buzz of the place that had his attention—he was used to being surrounded by noise—but the unsettling quiet in his mind that made everything feel distant. The chatter around him felt like background noise, like he was in a scene from a movie but wasn’t fully present.
Anika had suggested they meet up here after their last class, and Karan agreed, hoping the change of scenery would help him escape the nagging thoughts that kept circling in his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy her company; she was fun, lively, always had something to say. But as the days went on, he felt less and less like himself whenever they spent time together. Maybe it was the pressure of his own confusion, the gap that couldn’t be filled by her easy charm. His mind kept drifting back to Meera—unreachable, distant, yet somehow the only person who seemed to capture his full attention.
He spotted Anika near the window, her back straight as she scanned the menu, completely at ease. She was always poised, always perfect in a way that Karan appreciated, but never truly understood. There was a quiet elegance to her, the kind that made it easy to want to be around her, but harder to imagine her as anything more than an ideal distraction.
When she caught sight of him, her face lit up with a warm smile. “Hey, Karan!” she greeted, standing up from her chair and giving him a light hug, the familiar scent of her perfume wrapping around him. “Glad you could make it. I was starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost in your thoughts.”
Karan chuckled, trying to shake off the tension in his shoulders. “I wasn’t lost. Just running a little late.” His voice lacked its usual playfulness, though. The sound of his own words felt mechanical. He could tell she noticed, but she didn’t say anything, brushing it off as if it were nothing.
Anika motioned to the seat across from her. “I ordered us some drinks, but you can change your order if you like.” She gave him a reassuring smile as she gestured to the menu again, but it wasn’t just the drinks she was offering—she was offering a sense of normalcy, as if he could just step into this bubble and forget about everything else.
Karan sat down, taking a moment to scan her. Her dark hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and she wore a simple but elegant dress that seemed like it belonged in some magazine ad for effortlessly chic fashion. It was all too perfect, too curated, and yet, it left him feeling empty inside. Her presence, though comforting, didn’t quite manage to quiet the storm in his head.
He forced a smile. “Thanks.” The words felt stiff, but he hoped they would be enough.
Anika didn’t miss the slight hesitation in his voice. “What’s on your mind?” Her voice was gentle, her tone inviting, but Karan knew better than to let her pry too deeply. He didn’t want to burden her with the complexities swirling inside him.
Karan shifted in his chair, trying to ground himself in the moment. “Nothing. Just... thinking about some things.”
Anika’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if sensing there was more. “That doesn’t sound like nothing. You’ve got that look on your face, like you're miles away.”
He gave a small shrug. “Just a lot on my plate,” he said quickly, hoping she would drop it. “Sameer keeps pushing me on the project.”
Anika smirked slightly. “Sounds like him. Well, maybe you need someone who’s not going to let you slack off, right?” She took a sip of her drink and then leaned forward, her expression softening. “You know you can talk to me if you need to. You don’t always have to pretend everything’s fine.”
For a moment, Karan felt the weight of her words, but instead of opening up, he found himself shutting down. It was easier this way. Easier to bottle things up. Easier to keep the walls high.
“I’m fine,” he said, the words feeling too heavy to be believable. “I don’t need to talk.”
Anika studied him for a long moment, but then she smiled again, a smile that almost seemed like she understood the battle he was fighting, even if he wasn’t ready to face it yet. “Alright,” she said softly, sitting back in her chair. “But you know where to find me when you’re ready.”
Karan nodded, grateful for her patience, even though the words she said seemed to sink deeper into his thoughts, pushing him to confront something he wasn’t prepared for.
They talked for a little while longer, the conversation light and filled with easy banter, but Karan’s thoughts kept drifting. He found himself laughing along with Anika, but it was hollow, as if his body was responding automatically to social cues while his mind stayed in another place entirely.
It wasn’t until the conversation started to wind down that Karan realized something. He couldn’t remember when it had started—this constant pull toward Meera. The way she seemed to exist in every corner of his life without him ever truly knowing her. The way she’d helped him when he was at his lowest point after the accident. The way he couldn’t stop thinking about the mystery of her, even when he was with someone like Anika, who had everything he thought he wanted.
The thought hit him suddenly, a jolt through his chest. Why did he keep comparing the two? Why did Meera’s quiet, guarded presence continue to haunt him?
Anika’s voice broke through his thoughts. “You okay, Karan?”
He blinked, realizing he’d been zoning out again. “Yeah, sorry. Just... tired.”
Anika didn’t push it. She just smiled. “It’s okay. I’m glad we hung out tonight.”
“Yeah,” Karan said, offering a smile he didn’t fully mean. “Me too.”
He got up to pay the bill, and as they walked out of the café together, the night air felt colder than usual. He barely noticed the bite of the wind as his mind returned to one thought—Meera. It was becoming impossible to ignore her presence, the way she lingered in his head like a puzzle he couldn’t solve.
He checked his phone as he stepped outside. A message from Sameer popped up.
“Hey guys, Meera’s heading to the library. Are we meeting up for the project work tonight?” Sameer’s message was followed by a string of emojis.
Karan’s chest tightened at the mention of her name. He hadn’t been expecting it, but hearing about Meera again—after everything—sent a ripple of unease through him. The message made him feel like an observer in his own life, watching as everyone else seemed to move in ways he couldn’t follow.
“I’m out for the night. Catch up tomorrow?” Karan typed quickly, sending it off before he could second-guess himself.
He stood there for a moment, staring at his phone, wondering what it would be like to actually talk to Meera again. To finally get the answers to the questions that had been eating away at him for weeks. But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook it off. He wasn’t ready for that conversation yet.
Instead, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked away, leaving behind the warmth of the café and the sound of Anika’s laughter. But no matter how far he walked, it was impossible to outrun the feeling that something—or someone—had already taken root in his mind.
And unbeknownst to him, in his heart too.
YOU ARE READING
Silent Vows
Storie d'amoreKaran Kapoor has always lived life on his own terms-charming, confident, and a notorious playboy who never took anything too seriously. Relationships were just a game to him, and emotions were something he could easily brush aside. That is, until a...
