Rain poured relentlessly over the city as Naina stepped out of the studio.
She stood beneath the entrance canopy, hugging her camera bag close to her chest. She had forgotten her umbrella.
"Perfect," she muttered.
One by one, the crew members hurried to their cars, disappearing into the gray afternoon.
"Naina!"
She turned.
It was Riya, one of the assistant directors.
"You aren't leaving yet?"
"I'll wait until the rain slows down."
Riya smiled apologetically.
"I'd offer you a ride, but I'm heading in the opposite direction."
"It's okay."
Within minutes, the parking area was almost empty.
Naina sighed.
Maybe she should just run to the bus stop.
She had barely taken two steps into the rain when a black luxury SUV rolled to a stop beside her.
The tinted window slid down.
"Aren't documentaries supposed to protect expensive cameras?"
Aarav looked at her from the back seat.
His expression was calm, but there was amusement in his eyes.
"I'm fine," Naina replied.
"You'll ruin your equipment."
"I'll manage."
He studied her for a second before speaking again.
"You're still as stubborn as you were back then."
The words caught her off guard.
She looked away.
"That was a long time ago."
"It doesn't feel like it."
Before she could respond, his manager leaned forward from the passenger seat.
"Ma'am, we'll drop you wherever you need to go."
Naina hesitated.
Every instinct told her to refuse.
But the rain showed no sign of stopping.
Reluctantly, she opened the door.
The ride was silent.
Outside, raindrops raced across the window.
Inside, neither of them knew how to begin a conversation that had been waiting for years.
Finally, Aarav broke the silence.
"Do you still carry that notebook?"
She frowned.
"What notebook?"
"The blue diary you used to write in every day."
Her heart skipped.
She had forgotten about that diary.
Or maybe...
She had tried to.
"You remember too much," she whispered.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I remember the things that mattered."
The car slowed outside her apartment building.
"We're here," the driver announced.
Naina reached for the door.
"Thank you for the ride."
She stepped out before he could answer.
As she walked toward the entrance, something made her look back.
The SUV was still there.
Aarav was watching through the rain-speckled window.
Not like a celebrity.
Not like a stranger.
But like someone who had lost something years ago...
...and had finally found it again.
The car drove away.
Naina stood frozen for a moment.
She told herself it was only because of the rain.
But deep inside...
She knew the storm had only just begun.
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