Love beneath the cold surface
That night, I sat alone on the terrace while the wedding continued somewhere far beneath me, drowned in music, laughter, and lights that no longer felt real.
None of it existed around me.
My hands trembled slightly as I stared at my phone screen, unable to gather the courage to open the result PDF.
Years of exhaustion, sleepless nights, expectations, failures, prayers, mock tests, breakdowns, and silent sacrifices rested behind one click.
Then suddenly, my phone rang.
I picked it up instantly and placed it on speaker.
From the other side, a familiar teasing voice spoke dramatically.
“So, DM Sahiba... finally you’re going to leave me now?”
A faint frown crossed my face.
“What do you mean, Gyan?”
“I mean, ma’am,” he laughed softly, “you’re finally going to become District Magistrate madam.”
For a moment, I said nothing.
My eyes slowly lifted toward the moon glowing quietly above the dark sky. Perhaps I was thanking the universe. Or perhaps I was simply admiring something beautiful enough to calm the storm inside me.
“I’ll call you later,” I whispered before disconnecting.
I remained there silently, staring upward.
Unaware that someone else had heard everything.
A shadow moved quietly beside me.
At first, he said nothing. Then, after a brief pause, he asked softly,
“Can I sit here, Shri?”
I looked at him instantly.
“Yes, you can,” I replied calmly. “But my name is Srijita, not Shri. So don’t call me that.”
He did not argue.
He simply nodded with a small smile and sat beside me.
Silence settled comfortably between us for a few moments before he finally spoke again.
“Congratulations, Shri.”
I turned toward him immediately, disbelief flickering across my face.
How did he know?
As though understanding the question in my eyes, he only smiled quietly before pulling a Dairy Milk from his pocket and offering it to me.
“For your success.”
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