Saisha's Pov:

The sun is bright today.Not golden and soothing like the ones I adored, but hot and blinding, the type that forced you to squint even when your eyes were shut.Pranay has gone to mumbai for a wedding photoshoot.

goddd. I miss him so much now a days.

Anyways he would come back after two days,just two days...I will get more stories to share with him when we are cuddled up in sleep,i would cook his favorite food too ...I grinned like a fool thinking of it.

I was walking back home alone after class, my camera bag bumping against my hip with every step. I should have gone straight home, but something pulled me toward the edge of the old playground near the bus stand. I don't know why i am going  there.

That's when I saw it.

A torn kite, red and white, tangled on a barbed wire fence. Its thread was wrapped tight around the metal, and the plastic wings flapped desperately in the breeze. It wasn't flying.  It was just... stuck. Trying.

My handed itched to capture it.

Without thinking, I took out my camera. The light was harsh, and I wasn't even sure if the shot would work. But I crouched, adjusted the lens, and clicked. Once. Then again.

The image was raw. The kite looked like it was bleeding color into the sky. Behind it, the fence stretched like a prison. I stood there staring at it long after I'd taken the photo.

I didn't know why it mattered so much until I sat down that night to write the caption for it.

A symbol of dreams halted mid-flight, yet still trying to move.
Stillness in motion. My story in a photograph.

this picture resembles like my life.

I submitted it  for my assignment with trembling hands. I believed in it. Not because it was perfect, but because it was mine. It felt like something only I could have captured.

The critique came two days later.

Everyone gathered in the darkroom as the professor projected our photos on the screen one by one. The room buzzed with nervous laughter and whispered opinions. When my photo came up, the room went quiet.

Too quiet.

"This one," Professor Shankar started, tapping his fingers on the table, "is emotional. Very emotional."

My heart lifted.

"But emotion doesn't save poor composition. The focus is off. Lighting is flat. Subject feels symbolic but lacks technical clarity."

He clicked to the next slide.

And that was it.

No discussion. No praise. Not even a pause.

I smiled like it didn't matter. I nodded like I understood. But inside, I was folding in on myself. The kind of folding that makes your body small even though your heart feels like it's swelling with disappointment.

I sat through the rest of the class quietly. When it ended, I walked out alone.

Pranay texted me twice on the way home, asking if I wanted to go out for chai. I didn't reply. I didn't have the energy to pretend.

That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, the kite still fluttering behind my eyes.

Maybe I wasn't ready for this world yet.

Or maybe I just needed to fall a little to fly high.

No debate. No compliment. Not even a hesitation.

I smiled as if it didn't count. I nodded as if I got it. But deep down, I was folding in on myself. The kind of folding that makes your body small despite your heart feeling like it's expanding with disappointment.

That night at home, I sat curled up on the couch, picking at my food when Pranay walked in.

He put his bag down and glanced at me, then sat beside me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said without looking up.

"Did something happen at college?" he asked, softer now.

I paused. Then gave a small nod. "My assignment. The one I worked on so much... the professor didn't like it."

He tilted his head. "Which one? The kite one?"

I nodded again.

He sighed and leaned back. "Saisha, it was a strong idea. But he's right about the lighting and focus. Emotion alone can't carry a frame. You know that, right?"

I blinked at him. His words landed differently than he intended. They weren't cruel. They were honest. But those words did not provide me comfort.

I set my plate down, no longer hungry. "You think it was bad too?"

"I think it could have been better. That's not a bad thing. It means you're learning."

I stood up. "I didn't need a critique from you tonight. I needed you to listen."

"I am listening," he said, confused.

"No, you're agreeing with someone who didn't even care to look twice. Do you know how much it took for me to see something in that kite? It felt like me, Pranay,like i saw myself in it. And now it just feels like nothing."

He looked stunned, then lowered his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought... you'd want to hear the truth."

"I already heard the truth in class," I whispered. "I just wanted you to remind me that I'm not stupid for believing in it."

Neither of us spoke after that. He reached out to touch my arm, but I gently pulled away and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

That night, I lay on my side, facing the wall, feeling silly for crying. But more than that, I felt alone.

I knew he meant well. He always did.

But sometimes love isn't about saying the right thing. It's about knowing when to stay silent and just hold someone while they fall apart.

AUTHORS NOTE

hello my dear fam how are you all doing...Finally i am able to update here.

I recently participated in a on spot story writing competition in college...And guess what I won first price.Should i write and publish that story here too...Let me know...

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