[ Dev's POV]

"Avi?"

As her name escaped my lips, the revelation hit me like a wave. The person before me was not just anyone but my best friend whom I thought I had lost forever

  As she looked up, I couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions — a blend of surprise, warmth, and a twinge of longing. Seeing her in the park, it was as if time had momentarily folded, bringing back years of a friendship he thought time had swept away. In that moment, the past and present converged, and he couldn't help but wonder if fate had orchestrated this meeting, stirring emotions he hadn't fully realized were still there.

"Dev." She barely whispers as we stand there in the stillness of the night looking at each other.

As she looked at me, unaware of the necklace beneath my shirt, I suddenly feel the weight of the ring around my neck, a silent reminder of a connection I still carried, hidden from everyone's  view for the past three years.

It was then that I noticed the necklace I had given her still around her neck. It struck me as I realized  that the little pendant I had once gifted her had stayed with her all this time.

I felt a smile making it's way on my face as I finally realize how much I had craved this moment. To see her again, to hear her voice, to seeing her smile again.

She smiles as she says," H-Hi."

I chuckle a little bit as I realise something.

"What? Has kyu rahe ho?" she asks confused.

"You're still shorter than me. It's cute." I say despite knowing that i'll probably get one or two hits from her.

She stares at me wide-eyed.

" Are you serious, Dev? Hum do saal baad mil rahe hai and this is the first thing you say. You know what, mai jaa rahi hu. Mujhe baat hi nahi karni hai tujhse." she says, as she starts to leave.

I look at her and realize, she's still the same and all of the overthinking i had done in the past three years, suddenly  vanishes.

I reach out to her and in a sudden surge of emotion, as she pretended to leave, I gently grabbed her wrist, pulling her close.

"Itni jaldi tang ho gayi? Lagta hai delhi ki hawa pasand nahi aayi tujhe." I say as she glares at me pretending to be angry. Mana ke do saal baad mil rahe hai, hai to meri dost hi na. Uska chehra padhna meri liye koi badi baat nahi hai.

Meeting her eyes, I took a deep breath and quietly admitted, 'I missed you.' 

I can see notice a subtle shimmer in her eyes as she looks at me and hugs me tightly,as if trying to bridge the gaps of lost time with the warmth of the present.

In that one moment, all my worries and yearnings seemed to fade away. I knew what she wanted to say, without having her say it.

 As we slowly pulled out of the hug, a genuine smile lit up her smile and she took a deep breath.

" Woh to accha hai tune rok liya, warna mai to chali hi jaati." She teases.

" Tujhe phir se jaane thodi de sakta tha." I say.

"Delhi kaise? Aur gadhe, tera number non-existent kyu aa raha hai do saal se?" She asks a little mad.

" Mere dost ki relative ki shadi hai . Usi ka wait kar raha tha jab aap takrayi." I  say.

"Dev, tumhara number?" She asks again.

"Umm... I lost my phone aur tumhare number sirf usi phone mai saved tha." I smile sheepishly.

"Well done,Dev. Yahi ummid thi tumse" She replies Sarcastically.

As we are talking ,She playfully nudged me, "You always did have a knack for finding me when I least expected it."

I shrug as a smile appears on my face.

The necklace I had given her, now a symbol of continuity rather than separation, glimmered in the shining moonlight.

I ask her," Do you want your ring back?"

"you still have it? Even if you do, I don't want it back. Tu hi sambhal" She says a bit surprised.

I reached beneath my shirt, revealing the ring now worn as a pendant hanging from a delicate chain around my  neck and say," Some things are worth holding on to."

I felt her eyes soften .My gaze met hers, and in that shared moment, the ring became a bridge between what was and what could be.

The moment broke as a voice rang across the park,"Avni, yaar-"

*****

[Author's note:

I have made some changes in the timeline. So, basically this and the previous chapters take place in 2019. Dev and Avni both are in college right now. Dev still lives in bangalore while Avni lives in Delhi. SO Sorry for Any inconvenience caused. A big Thank you to all the readers and a little request to please bear with me as this is the first book i've ever written in life.

Thank you.]