Some stories aren't written in ink - they're etched in Stardust shaped by destiny, and carried across lifetimes.

This is one such story.

The story of Abhimanyu and Ananya.

Abhinaya : Written In Stars.

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Once upon a summer, in the sun-drunched countyards of Jaipur, two children met by chance - within the sprawling haveli gardens where marigoalds bloomed and the air smelled faintly of sandalwood. Abhimanyu was Nine , Ananya barely Six both escaping the watchful eyes of their families during a wedding weekend. He was quite boy with too many thoughts; she the curious girl with too many questions.

Together, they build a secret fort with stones behind the old neem tree . They shared stolen chocolates and made a promise to meet again one day.

But childhood is fickle - memories blur , names faded , faces become dreams.

Years passed. That fleeting friendship was tucked away somewhere neither could consciously reach . And yet , their heart's remembered something.... Someone.

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Until they met again.

It was raining that evening in Mumbai. The clouds hung low, the air heavy with a kind of Melancholy only Mansoon evenings carry. Ananya's scooty gave up near a petrol pump. A flat tyre and a dying phone battery left her stranded. She pushed it a little further and found a hardware shop with it's shutter half down. The shopkeeper gave her a nod of approval, and she parked it safely under the extended awning.

Then she took shelter beneath the narrow tin roof of a closed tea stall nearby, watching the rain blur the City lights into watercolor smudges.

Her green anarkali clung to her in the rain. She looked around hopefully, trying not to panic .

Abhimanyu was behind the wheel of a Black SUV , Natik lounging beside him, teasing him about something. But Abhimanyu's laughter faded as his gaze landed on her . From the half - rolled window , he caught a glimpse - her face lit by passing headlights , eyes wide with worry .

His heart stuttered. There was something haunting familiar about her , something that made the world pause for a breath.

Without thinking, he stopped the car and pulled over. He rolled the window down just enough to speak, his voice low and steady " Need a lift? "

She stepped closer, slightly hesitant, the rain pattering on her shoulder. The car's window was half - fogged, his face shadowed in the dim light. She didn't really see him just a kind stranger behind a warm voice.

She nodded. " Only till the nearest auto stand . "

" Of course, " he replied, unlocking the doors.

She climbed into the backseat , her gaze remained fixed on the window, following the raindrops racing each other down the glass . Her mind was preoccupied with her dead phone, and growing cold .

He glanced at her through the overhead mirror more than once , stealing fragments of a face that felt both new and know. Just as he looked again , her eyes lifted and for the briefest moment , their gazes met. Reflected in the small mirror, their eyes locked for just few minutes like two puzzles pieces recognizing each other after years apart.

Her breath caught.

His fingers tightened slightly on the steering wheel, and just as quickly they both looked away eyes back to the rain, as if afraid of what they'd seen .

He dropped her near a busy auto stand . She murmured a quick thank you and stepped out. She didn't turn back.

Ten minutes later, suddenly everything changed. At a sharp turn , a truck came out from nowhere. The blare of the horny , the screech of breaks and then , a violent jolt.

The car crashed straight into the truck everything ended in a single moment.

He survived barely . But when he woke up ,there were blank patches of time gone. Like someone had erased a single beautiful page before the story could begun. And then came the weight , the silence . They told him he wasn't alone in the car . The perso he loved the most hadn't made it .

She didn't see his face properly, didn't remember his voice clearly enough to hold on. But deep within , their hearts still carries a whisper.A knowing.

That they'd met before. That something had begun... Only to be paused .

And they meet again

But this time , it was different... Not as stranger's , not as friends. But as something in between. Something unfinished... finally finding it's way home.

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His one hand rested gently on her waist, drawing her closer as if she belonged there . the other hand tilted her chin upward, making her meet the intensity in his eyes.

" The moment I heard your voice , you became the beautiful melody of my heart.... a haunting lullaby I never wanted to escape. Your voice soft , yet fierce etched itself into my soul. No matter how hard I try to forget... you never left, Ananya. You became the ache I never wanted to healed." Abhimanyu said, his voice barely a whisper above a breath.

Her breath hitched. Her heart skipped a beat , fluttering like a trapped bird in her chest . The tips of her ears turned red , and her cheeks flamed with a blush she couldn't hide , she looked away , trying to collect her thoughts, her fingers nervously clutching the fabric of her duppata.

" Aap bhi meri zarurat ban gaye hai, hum sirf aapko chahte nhi hai , har haal mein aapko chaahte hai." Ananya whispered softly.

He didn't say a word. He didn't need to .

He closed the distance between them, slowly as if giving her a moment to stop him but she didn't. One hand cupped her cheeks, the other found the back of her neck , holding her like she was something fragile yet irreplaceable.

And then he kissed her a kiss soft , slow, and deep , like a promise finally fulfilled. It tasted of longing, of memories unspoken, and of two souls that had always belonged to each other even before they knew it.

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She knew it... " He said , voice low , heavy with hurt and laced with an anger that shook in his throat.

He didn't remember how fast he's driven to Ananya's place only to storm raging inside him , louder than the thunder outside. He had called her on the way , his voice heavy with something she couldn't place .

The screech of the tires faded into the stillness of the night as Abhimanyu slammed the car door shut behind him. The air was heavy, thick with unspoken tension, and the dim glow of the streetlight cast king , eerie shadows on the pavement. A loe rumble of thunder as if the night itself was holding it's breath.

He marched toward her , his jaw clenched, eyes blazing.

She stood outside his car , worry etched across her face. " Abhi ? Itni raat ko sab thik hai ? "

His eyes were red , from the rage and Pain.

" Sab thik hai ? Seriously Ananya? " His voice cut through the silence like a whip . " Tumne mujhe ye batana jaruri bhi nhi smjha "

Ananya blinked, confused." Kya ?"

He held up the report, holding it out stiffly" Yeh kya hai ! Yeh kaun hai, Ananya? "

She looked at it and froze. Tears welled in her eyes instantly. " Abhi, please... Main kehna chahti thi.... Bas ek sahi waqt ka wait kar rahi thi "

He laughed bitterly. " Sahi waqt? Ananya, I've been burning in guilt from years! Roz sochta tha ki main kaise Bach gya . Aur tum janti thi sab , phir bhi chup thi? *"

" Aunty ki tabiyat us waqt theek nahi thi , Abhi ager ye baat sabke samne aati toh voh aur toot jati aur baki sab bhi bahut dukhi hote ... I didn't wanted to hurt them " She tried to explain, her voice shaking. .

" Aur mera kya , Ananya? " He pointed to himself, eyes wild with emotions. " Tum samjh bhi sakti ho main kya jhelta raha hoon ? At least mujhe toh bata sakti thi na ? Tum jaanti thi ku woh guilt mujhe ander se kha rha tha, still you let me suffer! *"

She flinched at the sharpness in his tone , stepping back, tears spilling freely now.

" Mujhe lagta tha main tumpar bharosa kar sakta hoon... Ki tum meri safe place ho , " he whispered, voice breaking. " But tumne mera bharosa todh diya."

" Main kehna chahti thi... Har din kehna ka man hota tha " she stepped forward, trying to reach for him, but he stepped back.

" Bas, Ananya." His voice was cold now . " I loved you ....tumse sirf ek cheez maangi thi- honestly. Aur tum woh nahi de payi ."

" Please mat jaiye , Abhi..." She said while crying.

But he had already turned. He walked to the door , opened it.

" Abhi please listen...! " She cried , her voice desperate.

He paused for just a minute , back turned to her . " I can't look at you right now." And then he left.

Ananya stood frozen for a beat. Then her knees buckled and she collapsed to the road, sobbing. The rain outside blurred with tears in her eyes.

And just like that , the truth didn't just shatter Abhimanyu's past- it fractured their future.

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But is this where their story ends... Or where

it truly begins? To find out what fate has written in their stars read Abhinaya: Written In Stars.

-Penned by Sterry 💌