Chapter 33 – And Then She Dreamed Again
She had stopped dreaming for a while.
Not because she didn't want to—
But because real life had become louder than her hopes.
—
Mehar sat on the balcony, sipping her coffee as the city came alive below. The early morning haze hadn't cleared yet, but in her heart, clarity had begun to settle.
For years, her dreams had taken a backseat.
She used to love sketching. Doodling on napkins, painting on walls, seeing the world in strokes and shades.
But life happened. Work, bills, responsibilities. Her love for art had gotten boxed up—like those dusty canvases under the bed.
Until today.
—
Aarav walked out behind her, shirt half-buttoned, hair still damp from the shower.
"Why are you awake so early?"
She smiled at him. "I was thinking... I want to paint again."
He blinked. "Like... hobby painting?"
"No. Like really paint. Open a little studio. Maybe even teach kids on weekends."
There was a beat of silence.
Then a grin spread across his face. "I think that's the best thing I've heard all week."
—
It wasn't just about painting.
It was about choosing herself again.
Choosing the girl who used to dream in colors. Who believed she could turn emotions into art and heartbreak into beauty.
—
Later that day, she pulled out her old easel.
The smell of dried paint hit her like a memory she didn't know she missed. She unpacked her brushes, mixing blues and golds like she never stopped.
And as the first stroke hit the canvas, something shifted inside her.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was hers.
—
Meanwhile, Aarav watched her from the doorway, silent.
He saw more than paint.
He saw her glow.
And he knew that this—this fire, this joy—was what he had fallen in love with in the first place.
That night, as she cleaned the brushes, she whispered, "I don't want to disappear in someone else's life anymore."
Aarav pulled her close. "You never will. But even if you do—I'll come looking."
—
Sometimes, healing isn't about fixing what's broken.
It's about remembering who you were before the world told you to forget.
—
And just like that,
She dreamed again.
—