The train slowed as the city unfolded - blurred lights, drizzle, and the smell of wet metal drifting through the compartment. Lucknow was new to him, yet somehow it already felt too loud.
Aveer stepped onto the platform, clutching his bag a little tighter than he meant to. It was his first time this far from home, and everything ; the voices, the chaos, the air itself felt like it belonged to someone else.
The PG owner's message blinked on his phone screen: Room No. 12 - shared accommodation.
He hadn't thought much of it; his father's friend had handled all the arrangements. One of them had found this place and finalized everything before Aveer even arrived.
He booked a Rapido and reached the building in ten minutes, keeping an uneasy eye on the driver the whole way. Every passing headline he'd ever read about kidnappings replayed in his mind, making the ride feel longer than it was.
Aveer paid the driver, adjusted his bag, and stepped toward the PG , a three-storey building, newly painted, the faint smell of cement still hanging in the air.
The watchman barely looked up as he handed him a key.
Room No. 12.
The door was already half open. Aveer pushed it gently, expecting emptiness and stopped.
Someone was already there.
An athletic figure stood by the window, shoulders relaxed, head tilted slightly as if lost in thought. The fading light traced a familiar outline - one Aveer's memory recognized before his mind did.
The window was half-open, the curtains shifting with the rain-soaked air.
"You can keep your luggage on the left side of the bed," the man said quietly, not bothering to turn around.
Where can I get some water?" Aveer's voice came out rough, scraped by hours of travel and thirst.
The man turned toward him for the first time. "You can take mine for now."
Both of them froze.
Aveer's hand still clutched the bottle halfway, the cap turning between his fingers. Aarav's eyes widened for just a second before his expression settled back into calm.
The room fell silent except for the faint hum of the ceiling fan.
Four years and this was how it ended up. A coincidence, a room, a single name that neither had spoken in years.
Aveer looked at him like a memory he didn't ask for.
Aarav's jaw tightened. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if he wanted to say something - but didn't.
The air between both of them was thick enough to burn.
It wasn't a reunion. It was an ambush of memory
The room felt heavy with old echoes, a lane of memories neither dared to walk down. They had too much to say, and maybe that's why they said nothing at all.
Aveer let out a quiet, humorless laugh at his own fate. The very person he'd avoided for four years… and now he was standing in his room like a complete clown.
"I swear, I wouldn't live with him even if he were the last person left in the world."
Disgust twisted in Aveer's chest as he looked away.
"So you followed me all the way here, my cute cousin," Aarav said with a smirk, throwing a jab before walking out of the room.
"No one wants to live with you, fool!" Aveer snapped, showing him the middle finger as he walked out.
Should I change the room or just kick him out myself?
The thought burned through Aveer's head as he tossed his bag open. This idiot wasn't tolerable, not now, not ever.
He unpacked fast, shoving clothes into the cupboard like he was trying to erase him from the air around him.
When he finally hit the bed, exhaustion caught up before his anger could cool.
"Worst day of my life," Aveer muttered, half-asleep, half-defeated. And for once, silence didn't feel like peace.
Aarav came back into the room a few minutes later. Aveer was already asleep, his face calm, too calm for someone who'd just cursed him out. It almost looked childish, and for a second, Aarav forgot how much he'd wanted to leave.
Aarav paused for a moment – smiled – then dropped onto his own bed and started scrolling through reels. The screen light from his phone flickered across his face, the only sound of the hum of the fan.
The silence between them felt alive.
Maybe it was just the silence before the storm.
Later at night, When Aveer opened his eyes, the room was dark and his stomach growled.
Aarav looked up from his phone. "Someone's starving," he said, half-smirking.
Aveer rolled his eyes. "Anyone who hasn't eaten all day would be hungry, genius. What does he even think of himself?"
"I'm going for dinner," Aarav said and left the room.
Aveer had no option but to follow him since he didn't even know where the mess was.
When he walked in, it was packed with students like a flock of sheep. He had never seen traffic this congested before, not even on roads.
After struggling to get his food, he had to find a place to sit.
Four seats per table, and of course, the only one left was right in front of Aarav, the last person he wanted to see.
Aveer sat down, and Aarav gave him a look – one that made it seem like he had followed him there on purpose.
Both of them avoided eye contact. It was easily the most awkward dinner of their life.
Aveer forced food down his throat when the guy sitting beside Aarav started talking.
"Where's your cunning roommate, Aarav? The one you told us about this afternoon. Didn't he come for dinner, or did he already eat your mind?"
Arsh laughed at his own joke. He'd been fond of Aarav since high school, and they'd stayed friends ever since.
Before Aarav could react, Aveer shouted.
"Here's the cunning roommate you're talking about. Guess I'm already the topic of gossip in this PG."
Aveer slammed the plate onto the table and walked out before either of them could say another word.
The mess hall fell silent.
Everyone had seen it – the new boy losing his temper on his very first day.
Aarav looked tense.
"Nice joke, Arsh. You couldn't shut up for one dinner, right?"
Arsh laughed nervously. "Man, I was just joking. Why'd he take it so seriously?"
Arsh was his best friend, the one who'd fought beside him in school rivalries, taken punches for him.
And still, Aarav couldn't defend him this time.
Why do I feel bad for that jerk?, Aarav thought. "He's been looking down on me since he arrived. He deserved those words… or maybe I shouldn't have called him cunning?"
He pushed his plate away and stood up. "Forget it. It's not a big deal."
"Hey, buddy, wait for us to finish at least!" Arsh called after him.
By the time Aarav reached the room, the lights were off. He didn't bother turning them on.
Aveer was already in bed, pretending to sleep.
"Hey, I didn't mean to....." Aarav started.
"Shut up. I don't need your explanation, jerk. Just fuck off kindly."
Aarav froze. Why's he so rude? He didn't even let me finish.
Confused and a little hurt, he stood there for a moment.
The silence that followed was heavier than the argument
The phone rang ; it was Aveer's parents.
"Namaste, Papa. Yes, I reached safely."
"I just had dinner in the mess. The food was okay."
"How's the room?" His father asked.
"It's fine for two people, Papa."
"How's your roommate?"
Aveer glanced at Aarav.
"How's my roommate? I don't care how he is, as long as he doesn't cause me trouble. Don't worry - I can handle anyone."
It felt like a warning : better not pick a fight with him, or you'll be dead meat.
A faint smirk touched his lips.
He kept talking while Aarav typed on his laptop, humming a tune.
When the humming grew louder, Aveer snapped, "Can you excuse me? I'm on the phone with my parents. If you want to sing, sing outside the dorm."
Aarav stood up. "What's your problem?" he said, moving toward the door.
"I'm going out...for a walk with friends...not because I'm scared of you."
"Ha. Leave, then," Aveer said.
Aarav left the room with his laptop.
He had forgotten his phone back inside, but he didn't care.
Arsh and Aman came along.
"Why's your roommate so fiery? It's his first day - why act so cold?" Arsh asked.
"Wait , is he the same Aveer you had a rift with back then?" Arsh added.
"Say nothing more. Yes, he's the one." Aarav said.
"What rift?" Aman asked, curious.
"You don't need to know. It's nothing important - it's been years," Aarav replied.
"But you hate him, right? How can you live with him? Should we complain and get him moved out? I've got ideas," Arsh grinned.
"No, don't," Aarav said. "I can handle him myself. I don't want trouble , it's my first year of medical college and I need to focus on studies and music."
"Better not focus on that guy, then," Arsh said.
"Yeah, you're right. Are you attending tomorrow's lectures?" Aman asked.
"Of course," Aarav replied.
"What about your roommate , is he in college? He looks young," Arsh said.
"No, he's here for coaching. He must have finished twelfth this year , probably NEET coaching," Aarav explained.
"You know a lot about him. You stalk him or what?" Aman joked.
"We keep information on people who might be problems," Arsh said.
"Whatever. As long as I'm studying, I'll avoid him," Aarav shrugged.
"Yeah, that's better," Arsh agreed.
They walked back to the PG and split into their rooms.
When Aarav came in, he found Aveer asleep.
Aarav's phone rang ; it was Vishesh , his younger brother. He answered.
"Hi, Vishesh," Aarav said.
Even in sleep, Aveer twitched slightly when he heard that name.
"How's your new roommate, brother? Hope he's not annoying like our long-lost cousin...that fucker," Vishesh laughed on the line.
Aarav chuckled at first, then stopped. The laughter felt heavier in his throat than it should have. He looked at the sleeping boy, then away. "Yeah... something like that," he murmured.
They never change. Both of them should just disappear somewhere. Why am I stuck with someone I hate?
Tears slipped out from Aveer's closed eyes, not just because of the words, but because of what they stirred up inside him.
He lay still, letting the silence swallow the sound of his breath.
Hate was easier to live with than the truth of what had been lost.
To be continued...