Time doesn't ask anyone before moving forward.
It just moves.
And sometimes, it takes the best days of our lives with it without telling us they were the best days.
The final exams were over.
The school corridors that were once full of noise, laughter, running footsteps, last-minute homework discussions, and teacher scoldings were now slowly becoming empty.
Students were talking about college, future plans, entrance exams, different cities, different dreams.
Everyone was moving forward.
And Harsh and Indu knew…
Things were about to change again.
It was their last day in school.
Harsh reached early that day and stood near the school gate, waiting. The same place where he used to wait for Indu every morning.
After a few minutes, Indu arrived.
For a moment, they just looked at each other.
Same school.
Same uniforms.
Same faces.
But everything felt different.
"This is the last time we are coming to school like this," Indu said softly.
Harsh nodded. "Yeah."
They walked inside together, slowly, like they were trying to slow down time.
They walked past their classroom, the library, the corridor where they had their first fight, the back side of the building where they had their breakup, and the hill where they had patched up again.
Every place held a memory.
Every memory held a piece of them.
Inside the classroom, students were writing messages on each other's shirts, taking photos, laughing, crying, promising to stay in touch.
Indu wrote something on Harsh's shirt.
He tried to look, but she stopped him. "Read it after you go back to hostel."
"Okay," he said.
Harsh also wrote something on her shirt.
She asked, "What did you write?"
"Read later," he replied.
After some time, the classroom became almost empty.
Only Harsh and Indu were left.
They sat in their usual seats near the window.
Silent.
The wind came through the window just like the first day.
"Do you remember the first day?" Harsh asked.
"When you were giving introduction and couldn't even speak properly?" Indu said, smiling a little.
"Hey, I was nervous," Harsh said.
"I know," she replied softly. "That's when I first noticed you."
Harsh looked at her. "I noticed you the same day."
They both smiled.
Then silence again.
But this time, the silence was heavy.
"Where will you go now?" Harsh asked.
"I'm preparing for entrance exams. Maybe Kolkata… maybe Delhi… maybe outside India if I get a scholarship," she said.
Harsh nodded. "You'll definitely get it. You're the smartest person I know."
"And you?" she asked.
"I'll probably go to a college near my hometown. My family can't afford very expensive colleges," he said honestly.
Indu looked down.
For the first time, their future looked like two different roads.
"Long distance is hard," Indu said quietly.
"I know," Harsh replied.
"But we're already used to fighting and getting back together," she said, trying to smile.
Harsh smiled too. "Yeah… we're experts now."
But both of them were scared.
Distance changes people.
Time changes people.
Life changes people.
And they were about to face all three.
When it was time to leave, they walked to the school gate together.
This was the place where they met almost every morning.
Now it was the place where they had to say goodbye to their school life.
Indu looked at him and said,
"Promise me something."
"What?" Harsh asked.
"No matter how busy we get, no matter how far we go, no matter how many fights we have… don't disappear from my life."
Harsh looked at her and said,
"I can fight with you, I can get angry at you, I can even stop talking to you for some time… but I can never disappear from your life."
Indu's eyes filled with tears.
"Good," she said softly.
Then she hugged him.
Not a short hug.
A long one.
The kind of hug where you don't want to let go.
Because you don't know when you'll see the person again.
After a few seconds, they pulled back.
"Call me when you reach home," Harsh said.
"You too," she replied.
They started walking in opposite directions.
After a few steps, Indu turned around and shouted,
"Harsh!"
He turned back. "Yeah?"
She smiled and shouted,
"Don't forget our dream! Small house, two horses!"
Harsh smiled and replied,
"And some cows!"
Indu laughed through her tears and nodded.
Then they turned again…
And walked toward their separate futures.
That night, in the hostel, Harsh finally read what Indu had written on his shirt:
"You are my peace. — Indu"
And Indu read what Harsh had written on her shirt:
"You are my home. — Harsh"
They didn't know where life would take them now.
Different cities.
Different colleges.
New people.
New struggles.
But one thing was certain—
No matter where they went…
Their hearts were still with each other.