Almost Yours - Part 3

The smile on Aaditya’s face didn’t leave, but it shifted. Slightly tighter. Slightly forced.

He stirred his coffee, pretending to be casual.

“Oh, you know Karan?” he asked, keeping his tone light.

Rhea nodded. “Yeah. Long time ago though. We used to date for a bit, years back. It ended before it really even started. But I heard he’s doing well.”

Aaditya smiled again, but his mind was doing cartwheels.

Of all the people in this city. Of all the women in this city. What are the odds?

He sipped his coffee, buying time.

“That’s funny. He’s actually my closest friend.”

Rhea’s eyes widened a bit. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah. Small world, huh?”

She laughed. “Very small.”

For a brief moment, the air between them shifted. Not uncomfortable, but definitely heavier than before. They both felt it. Neither addressed it.

The rest of the coffee date went smoothly. Easy conversations returned. Movies. Music. Travel. Like two people who liked each other but were politely ignoring the thin string of history that now hung between them.

Later that night, Aaditya couldn’t sleep.

He picked up his phone, opened Karan’s chat, and typed.

“Hey bro… small world. Turns out the Rhea I met is your ex.”

He stared at the message for a while.

And then deleted it.

What was he even trying to achieve with that? What difference would it make? They had broken up years ago. He met her now. It was pure coincidence.

He kept the phone aside, closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.

But the phone buzzed.

It was Karan.

“Bro, crazy coincidence. I was thinking about Rhea all day today.”

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

Aaditya stared at the screen, this time not knowing whether to reply or not.

The next message made his stomach drop.

“Actually, bro, I’m thinking of texting her again.”

To be continued...

#romance #comedy #flashfiction #shortstories