Across the Ocean

The drizzle outside painted London in shades of grey, the kind of weather Aditya had grown used to but never learned to love. He sat by the window of his flat, watching droplets race down the glass. His suitcase lay half-open on the floor, clothes spilling out as if mocking his indecision.

He hadn’t touched it in two days.

His parents wanted him home. His mother’s health, they had said. But Aditya knew better. She was fine. This was about something else. This was about her.

About Avni.

The very thought of her name sent a tightness through his chest. He ran a hand over his face, trying to will away the image that haunted him most nights her eyes brimming with tears, her voice sharp, her words cutting deep.

You ruined everything, Aditya.

“Mate, if you keep staring out the window like that, I’m going to start charging you rent for the dramatic performance,” Raj’s voice broke into his thoughts.

Aditya turned to find his roommate sprawled on the couch, chips in hand, crumbs all over the cushions.

“You’re a disaster,” Aditya muttered.

Raj grinned. “Correction. I’m your disaster. You’d be miserable without me.”

Aditya shook his head, but a small smile tugged at his lips. Raj had that effect — relentless, loud, impossible to ignore.

“You’re not packing,” Raj observed, pointing at the suitcase.

“Not yet.”

“You mean never,” Raj said knowingly. He leaned forward, his teasing softening into concern. “Look, Adi… you can’t keep running. If you don’t want to go back for them, fine. But maybe go back for you. Don’t you miss home?”

Aditya looked away. Home. Did he even have that anymore?

Later that evening, Raj dragged him to their usual haunt - the cozy little Indian restaurant tucked on a crowded street. The sign flickered, the inside smelled of spices and fried samosas, and their group was already there.

Saloni waved dramatically the moment she spotted them. “There he is! Our brooding Bollywood hero.”

Oscar raised his glass. “Cheers to the man who thinks sulking counts as a full-time job.”

David grinned. “To be fair, he’s very dedicated.”

Even Sophia smiled faintly, closing her book as they slid into their seats.

“Remind me again why I put up with you people?” Aditya muttered, but his lips curved despite himself.

“Because deep down, you love us,” Saloni said with mock sweetness. “Now eat before Raj steals your naan.”

The table exploded into chatter. Saloni teased Oscar about his British accent sounding “too posh.” Oscar countered by imitating her Hindi. David tried to explain cricket to a confused tourist at the next table. Raj, of course, provided commentary loud enough for half the restaurant to hear.

And Aditya - he laughed. For the first time in days, he laughed.

For a while, it was easy to forget.

Back at the flat, the chaos continued.

Raj insisted on making chai for everyone, which resulted in the kitchen resembling a battlefield. Milk boiled over. Sugar spilled. Aditya sighed, stepping in to salvage the disaster, while Oscar kept offering sarcastic advice like, “Yes, Raj, add more cardamom, maybe it’ll taste less like dishwater.”

Saloni was bossing everyone around, David filmed the whole fiasco, and Sophia quietly handed Aditya the right spices without a word.

In the end, the chai was terrible — too sweet, too strong — but they drank it anyway, laughing until their sides hurt.

It was messy, loud, imperfect. But it was theirs.

And yet, through it all, Aditya felt it. The shadow of someone missing from this circle. The one person he still measured every laugh against.

Avni.

Always Avni.

Later that night, when the others had gone and Raj had collapsed in his room, Sophia lingered. She sat on the balcony with Aditya, the city lights glowing around them, her book resting on her lap.

“You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” she asked quietly.

Aditya hesitated. “I haven’t decided.”

“You have,” she said gently. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

He looked at her, her calm face lit by the glow of the streetlamps. “I don’t want to go back, Sophia. Not because of the city, or my family. Because of her.”

Sophia’s eyes softened. “Avni.”

The silence said enough.

She turned her gaze back to the streets below. “You know, Adi… I’ve seen you laugh, I’ve seen you work, I’ve seen you try to build a life here. But you’re never fully here. A part of you is still across the ocean.”

His chest ached. “Sophia, you....”

She smiled faintly, her voice steady but tinged with something fragile. “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. I know. I’ve always known.”

He swallowed hard. “You deserve someone who can love you the way you deserve. Not… this.”

Her eyes shimmered, but she held his gaze. “Maybe. But friendship isn’t about what we deserve. It’s about what we choose to give. And I choose you, Adi. Even if I know you’ll never choose me back.”

The honesty in her voice cut deeper than any accusation. He wanted to argue, to deny it, but the words died on his tongue.

Because she was right.

His silence was the answer.

By the time he returned to his room, the night felt heavier. His suitcase still sat on the floor, accusing him. His phone buzzed with another message from his parents.

“Don’t delay, Adi. Come home.”

He stared at the words, his hand trembling.

Home.

What was home now? The laughter of his friends in London? Or the life he had left broken behind him in India?

He opened his drawer, pulling out the photo frame. Avni’s arms around his shoulders, both of them laughing like nothing could break them.

He touched the glass softly, whispering into the quiet, “I never stopped missing you.”

The words hung in the air, unanswered, dissolving into the silence.

And still, across the ocean, she lingered in every breath.

I hope you’re enjoying the story so far 🤍 This chapter was all about Aditya in London — his friends, his laughter, his little world away from home. Did you like seeing this side of him? This is the first chapter told from his perspective, but guess what… he’s coming back soon! Are you excited? ✈️

Also, I’ve added a song for you to enjoy while reading — Ilahi from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. It matches Aditya’s vibe here perfectly. Play it in the background and let me know if it fits!