Act 6.1 - "New Semester, Old Ghosts"
First Week of the New Semester – Early Morning
The campus looked the same.
Uneven stone paths. Tired lecture halls. The same overpriced chai from the same old cafeteria.
But something had shifted.
Tiara stood outside the auditorium, watching the early crowd filter in.
Freshers with hope in their eyes. Seniors with sleep in theirs.
She sipped her coffee — not quite awake, not quite dreaming.
Kabir was still with her.
Still warm. Still supportive. Still smiling.
But sometimes... far away.
Cut to: Arvind's Hostel Room – That Same Morning
The room looked cleaner than usual. A little.
Kiara had helped him organize it after Goa —
Tucking old sketches into folders.
Stacking his books with unnecessary precision.
She noticed he had stopped sketching faces.
Now it was landscapes. Open fields. Endless roads.
Scene: Morning – First Class of the Semester
Arvind was early.
For once.
He sat in the middle row, not the back.
Next to Sahil, who blinked twice in disbelief.
Sahil: "Are you possessed or something?"
Arvind (without looking up): "Maybe."
He flipped open his notebook.
Moments later, Kiara breezed in and spotted them instantly.
She dropped her bag with a thud beside him.
Kiara: "Wait... Mr. Late Pants is early? This semester's already off to a weird start."
Arvind smiled — a real one. Small, but there.
Arvind: "New year. New me."
Kiara (grinning): "Let's see how long that lasts."
Elsewhere – NLSIU, Bangalore
Tiara and Kabir walked through the university gates.
Hand in hand.
Their shoulders still brushed — but the silences had grown longer.
Kabir: (yawning) "God, I miss my morning chai."
Tiara: (smiling, leaning into him) "You need to sleep more."
Kabir: "Or get a new brain."
He chuckled — but it didn't reach his eyes.
He walked her to class. Kissed her temple. Left without a joke.
Tiara watched him walk away. Then joined Ankita inside.
Ankita: "Got your seat, madam overachiever."
Tiara smiled faintly and sat down.
Her fingers tapped nervously against her thigh.
"Some goodbyes don't shout. They begin with a skipped lunch. A quieter laugh. A chair placed one row behind."
Scene: Thursday – Campus Courtyard, Afternoon
The sun hung low, casting golden shadows across the gravel path.
Tiara stood beneath a gulmohar tree, phone in hand.
She dialed.
Tiara: "Hey, you free?"
Kabir: "For you? Always."
His voice was breathless.
STAI LEGGENDO
Parallel Lines: a story of memory, silence, and first love
Storie d'amoreThere was a rooftop. A page that went unread. A name she never said out loud again. Years passed. The silence stayed. One train. Two people. No second chance - only the memory of what almost was. Parallel Lines is a story you don't read. You remembe...
