POV: Max
"Pleaseee, Max. Just this once. Think of it as... a future memory we'll tell our kids!" Kitty begged dramatically, throwing herself onto my bed like she was auditioning for a soap opera.
"Our kids?" I raised a brow.
"Not our kids, idiot. I mean... future kids, like—'once upon a time we were young and dumb and went on a random double date!' That kinda vibe."
I rolled my eyes, but my chest felt heavy.
Kitty was grinning from ear to ear. She had that spark—the kind people carry when they believe in happy endings. I used to carry it too.
Until he happened.
Now, the spark just flickered when no one was looking.
"Rithul really likes you," she added gently. "And I kind of asked Ram to come too."
I froze.
Ram.
Again.
Always.
Of course she asked him.
"Kitty…" I sighed. "I don't know. I'm not in the mood for awkward setups."
She sat up and looked at me, serious now.
"I know you've been... off lately. But maybe this'll help. A new start, a fresh page? And it's just dinner. Who knows, it might be fun."
I didn't answer.
I didn't want to go.
But I didn't want to disappoint her either.
So I said the one thing I could manage.
"Fine. Just don't make it weird."
The place Kitty chose was quiet.
Dim lights. Soft music. Too much room for stolen glances.
Rithul was nervous—cute nervous—and trying too hard to impress me.
I smiled when I had to, laughed when expected.
But my eyes kept drifting.
To him.
Ram sat across from me. Calm. Cool. Silent.
But his eyes?
They spoke in volumes only I could hear.
Like he was watching my smile for Rithul, but remembering the way I used to smile for him.
Kitty was talking non-stop, throwing inside jokes and teasing glances between all of us. She loved the idea of this moment being a memory in the making.
But to me?
It felt like a test.
How much of my past could I swallow while pretending to enjoy the present?
Ram said little. But when our eyes met over the candlelight, something tugged in my chest.
Like a string still tied between us.
Tense. Fragile. Uncut.
Later, when Kitty said, "See? Not bad, right?"
I just nodded.
But inside, I whispered—
Not bad. Just... not mine.
Kitty was glowing the whole evening.
Rithul kept trying.
Ram kept watching.
And me? I kept pretending.
Just when I thought the night couldn't get more complicated...
The laughter around the table blurred into background noise.
Kitty was busy teasing Rithul, and Ram?
He sat there silently, his eyes meeting mine more times than I could count.
I was halfway through my mocktail when a familiar voice cut through the room.
"Max?"
I turned.
My heart dropped.
Standing just a few feet away, dressed in her soft beige office kurti and still holding her bag—was my mother.
Her expression?
A mix of confusion, shock, and something heavier beneath.
"M-Mom?" I stammered, trying to stand up. "What are you doing here?"
"I came for a quick lunch with a colleague," she said, eyes locked on Ram.
Then her tone shifted, barely above a whisper, "Him?"
Ram stood too, polite as always—but even he seemed frozen.
I felt Kitty and Rithul go silent on either side.
My mother didn't say anything more.
She just nodded slowly, like fitting together puzzle pieces she never wanted to complete.
"Let's talk at home," she said, soft—but firm.
Then she turned and walked away, leaving behind the silence of an unfinished evening.
And just like that, the memory Kitty wanted us to tell our future kids?
Turned into a story I didn't know how to explain to myself.
I can't explain to her , God!
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