The café sat at the corner of the old main road, half hidden between a stationery shop and a shuttered cinema. Its windows glowed a soft amber against the fading evening, and for a moment Abhay stood outside, hand on Freddo’s leash, staring through the glass. The place buzzed with laughter and clinking cups, but inside that warmth, a corner table by the window sat empty—waiting. He pushed the door open. A bell tinkled overhead. The smell of roasted coffee and fresh bread hit him instantly, tangled with the faint musk of old books stacked on the walls. Freddo trotted in beside him, nails clicking softly against the floorboards, tail swishing as if he remembered the place too. Abhay checked his watch. Ten minutes early. Typical. He gave Freddo a scratch behind the ear and muttered, “We’re always the first ones, huh? Let’s see if they even recognize us.” Freddo huffed, settling under the corner chair, eyes trained on the entrance as if he too was waiting for the past to walk in.
Ved arrived first. The door swung open with its little chime, and there he was—immaculate in a collared shirt, polished shoes, a leather briefcase in one hand. For a moment, Abhay barely recognized him. But then Ved’s eyes lit up, and the stiff posture melted into the grin Abhay remembered. “You still bring Freddo everywhere, huh?” Ved asked, voice carrying a mix of amusement and disbelief. Abhay smirked. “He’s more reliable than most people. At least he shows up on time.” Ved chuckled, shaking his head as he slid into the seat across from him. “Touché.” Their laughter overlapped, and suddenly they weren’t two grown men at a café— they were boys again, sneaking Freddo into class hidden in Ved’s oversized schoolbag. The memory unspooled itself without warning: the muffled barks during algebra, the teacher’s thunderous glare, and Ved’s pale face as if he’d been handed a death sentence. “You still remember the algebra fiasco?” Ved asked, eyes glinting with nostalgia. “Of course,” Abhay said. “You didn’t die, but your math notebook did.” For the first time in years, Ved laughed freely, shoulders shaking. It felt like a lock turning........
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