Chapter One Hundred Six: Jog Falls - The Memory That Stuck
The morning after the sibling question incident, the group was buzzing.
Shreya had remembered something. A small thing. Chaos. Percy falling off a chair.
But it was something.
And today, they were going back to Jog Falls.
The place where it had all shifted.
---
The drive took a few hours.
Shreya sat by the window, watching the landscape change. Greener. Lush. The air getting mistier.
Something about this place felt... important.
She didn't know why.
But her heart was beating faster.
---
Mithun sat beside her. Quiet. Patient. Always there.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I don't know. My heart is racing."
"That's normal. This place—" He paused. "A lot happened here."
"What happened?"
He smiled slightly. "You'll see."
---
They arrived at Jog Falls in the late morning.
The sound hit them first—a roar that vibrated through their chests. Then the mist, cool and refreshing. Then the view.
The waterfall plunged 830 feet into a massive gorge, four distinct cascades thundering down, rainbows dancing in the spray.
Shreya stopped.
Stared.
Something.
Something was there.
---
Jay appeared beside her. "Beautiful, right?"
"I've seen this before."
"Yes. You have."
"I don't remember it. But my body does. My heart is pounding."
"That's good. That's real."
---
They explored the viewing platforms, taking photos, absorbing the majesty.
The rocks near the edge were wet. Slippery. Dangerous.
Jay looked at Keifer. Raised an eyebrow.
He nodded.
Time for Operation: Trigger Memory.
---
Jay stepped onto a flat rock near the edge. Positioned herself.
Then—pretended to slip.
"AHH!"
Keifer caught her around the waist. Pulled her against his chest.
"I've got you!"
She clutched his arms, playing along. "You caught me!"
"Always."
---
Percy, who was in on it, immediately started the show.
"OOOOH! KEIF SAVING JAY! ROMANTIC!"
Honey smacked his arm. "Percy, she almost fell!"
"BUT HE CAUGHT HER! LIKE A MOVIE!"
C.N. nodded approvingly. "Smooth, Keifer. Very smooth."
Rakii was already photographing. "Perfect angle!"
---
Shreya watched.
Something flickered.
She'd seen this before.
She knew she'd seen this before.
---
Akshi nudged her. "You okay?"
"This—this feels familiar. The catching. The teasing."
"It should. It happened last time we were here."
"Last time?"
"When you were here. With us. With Mithun."
Shreya looked at Mithun.
He was watching her.
---
They walked further along the path.
Jay and Keifer stayed close, ready for the next part.
Mithun stayed close to Shreya.
The rocks near the edge were still wet. Still dangerous.
Perfect.
---
Jay caught Mithun's eye. Nodded.
Mithun understood.
He stayed close to Shreya. "Careful here. The moss is thick."
"I see it." She stepped carefully.
Then—he pretended to slip.
Just a little.
Just enough.
---
Shreya reached for him instinctively.
He caught her instead.
Arm around her waist. Pulling her against him. Steadying her.
She clutched his chest, heart racing.
"I've got you," he whispered.
She looked up.
And then—
---
The world stopped.
She wasn't in the present anymore.
She was somewhere else.
Same place. Same moment. Different time.
---
She saw it.
Herself. Here. With him.
Slipping.
Him catching her.
The way he looked at her.
The way her heart pounded.
The teasing after.
Akshi screaming "ROMANCE!"
Percy falling over.
Chethan taking notes.
Everyone laughing.
Her face red.
His ears red.
But neither of them moving apart.
---
She gasped.
Pulled back.
Stared at him.
"Mithun."
"Yeah?"
"I remember."
His face went pale. "What?"
"This place. Jog Falls. You caught me. Last time. Akshi teased us. Percy fell over. Chethan took notes. Everyone laughed. And you—" She touched his face. "You looked at me like I was everything."
---
Tears filled his eyes.
"You remember?"
"Just this. Just this moment. But I remember."
Akshi ran over. "WHAT? WHAT HAPPENED?"
Shreya turned to her. "You screamed 'ROMANCE!' Really loud. Percy fell off a rock."
Akshi's jaw dropped. "I DID! I DID scream that!"
Percy appeared. "I FELL! I REMEMBER FALLING!"
Shreya laughed. Through tears. "You're so dramatic."
"I'M DRAMATIC AND PROUD!"
---
The group gathered.
All of them.
Watching.
Hoping.
Shreya looked at Mithun again.
"I remember this. The way you caught me. The way you held on. The way everyone teased us."
"That was the first time—" He stopped. "That was the first time I thought maybe you felt something too."
"I didn't know then. Not yet."
"I know."
"But I remember now."
---
She looked around at all of them.
Jay. Keifer. Akshi. Chethan. Percy. Honey. C.N. Rakii. Felix. Bridget. David. Freya. Mica. Calix. Yuri.
All watching.
All hoping.
"I remember this place," she said. "I remember all of you. Just this moment. But I remember."
Jay hugged her. "That's more than before."
"Much more."
---
Then—
Shreya looked at Mithun.
"You said you proposed to me. But I don't remember that."
The hope in his eyes flickered.
"You don't remember the proposal?"
"No. Just this. Just Jog Falls."
He nodded slowly. "That's okay."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. You remembered something. That's more than we had yesterday."
---
She touched his face again.
"I don't remember loving you. But I remember this. I remember the way you looked at me. And I think—" She stopped. "I think I want to remember."
"That's enough."
"For now?"
"For now."
---
They stayed at Jog Falls for hours.
Walking. Talking. Letting Shreya absorb.
She asked questions about that day.
About what happened after.
About the proposal she couldn't remember.
Mithun told her everything.
Every detail.
Every word.
Every moment.
---
She listened.
Didn't remember.
But she heard.
And something in her heart—
Something stirred.
---
That night, at their hotel, Shreya sat on the balcony.
Mithun joined her.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Thinking?"
"Trying to remember. Trying to feel."
He took her hand. "You will. In time."
"What if I don't?"
"Then we make new memories."
She looked at him.
"I don't remember loving you."
"I know."
"But I think—I think I want to."
He smiled. Soft. Hopeful.
"Then we'll work on that."
---
They sat together.
Hand in hand.
The stars above.
The falls roaring in the distance.
One memory recovered.
Many more to go.
But it was a start.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Six