Pranay's pov:

The evening sunlight spilled into our living room, brushing the cushions in that soft golden hue Saisha says makes everything look like an old film. She was curled up on the other end of the couch, legs tucked under her, fingers flying as she described her first day of the new college year.

"Guess what?" she said, eyes lit. "Professor Aruna asked me to give an impromptu recap of last semester's project in front of the entire class. I was nervous, but I did it."

I looked up from my laptop, impressed. "And you didn't faint?"

She tossed a cushion at me, grinning. "No, idiot. I didn't even stutter. I don't know, I just... felt confident."

"You looked confident when you left this morning," I said, and I meant it. There was something different about her now, something steady and blooming.

She launched into more details about new backdrops in the photography room, upcoming seminars, her classmates' reactions, and the canteen guy finally learning how to make decent coffee. I watched her talk, half-listening and half-lost in the way her eyes moved, bright and alive.

Then, without much thought, I asked, "What's your dream, Aishu? After your degree?"

She blinked, caught off guard. "My dream?"

I nodded.

She leaned back, thoughtful for a second. "Honestly... I want to work with you. Like, really work with you. Expand what you've built. Photography, yeah, but more. I want to do event planning too, weddings, launches, even baby showers. I like organizing things, you know? I'm good at it."

I smiled. "You are good at it."

"And fashion shoots," she added, eyes widening. "For models. With clothes designed by Tanvi. Oh! I didn't even tell you about her!"

She sat up straighter, excited now. "Tanvi's my new friend. We met today during a campus project. She's my senior, from a different department. Super sharp. She has her own fashion startup, "TANVAIT". Sounds posh, right?"

"yes," I said, loving how her voice lilted when she talked about things she was passionate about.

"She's married too. Her husband's a CEO, really supportive. Like you," she said, looking at me with a little smile that warmed my chest.

"And the best part? Despite the age gap, we just clicked. I think we'll be great collaborators. Her clothes, my photos, your studio. What a team, huh?"

I watched her, amazed. "You've really thought this through."

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't know when it started... but it feels possible now. Because I have you. Because I'm not scared anymore."

I reached out and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

She looked at me for a long moment, then, a little hesitantly, asked, "Pranu... when do you think we'll have a baby?"

I choked on air.

She bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "I didn't mean right now, okay? I was just wondering."

I sat up straighter, still reeling. "Aishu. You're twenty-one."

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not saying tomorrow. But someday?"

I took a breath, then said softly, "You've just started finding yourself. You've only just stepped into your dreams. There's so much you still need to see, to do. And honestly? I want to give you all the time in the world."

She quieted, nodding slowly.

"And," I added, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "I don't want to see you in pain. You still flinch when I pull out a splinter from your finger. You think I could watch you go through labor?"

She laughed. "I'm tougher than you think."

"Oh, I know. But let's wait a little. Twenty-four, twenty-five maybe. We'll plan. After you've built something for you. After we've danced at a hundred weddings we've worked together on."

She leaned into my side, smiling. "I'm holding you to that."

"Noted."

We put on a movie after dinner, something light and ridiculous. Halfway through, I noticed she wasn't laughing anymore. I looked down. She'd fallen asleep, head on my chest, fingers still loosely interlaced with mine.

I kissed the top of her head and whispered into her hair,
"We have forever, Aishu. And right now... this is enough."

Saisha's pov:

The ceiling fan buzzed lazily above our heads, but my mind was far from lazy. I was in class, supposedly taking notes while Professor Harish walked us through the technicalities of lighting theory, the way it shaped mood, emotion, and depth. But my pen had stopped moving a while ago.

That's when he paused mid-sentence and adjusted his glasses, looking at all of us.

"You all should start working on your final year project. You only have six months left before this course ends."

A pin could have dropped and made a scene. Six months?

How was that even possible?

Wasn't it just yesterday that I walked into this building for the first time with trembling fingers and a racing heart? That I met new people, found my voice, found me?

That I was married?

To Pranay?

My heart sank. An entire year had slipped by, quickly and quietly, like water between my fingers.

The bell rang, jolting me from the spiral. Everyone around me was already moving out, chattering and stretching.

I picked up my things and was just about to leave when I heard it. "Saisha, wait."

It was Professor Harish again. My stomach dropped.

Had he seen me look at my phone? Was I too zoned out?

I walked to his desk slowly, like a child waiting for scolding.

But instead, he smiled. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble."

I exhaled, visibly.

"I have something to tell you," he continued. "You scored excellent marks, and your recent win in the National Photography Expo caught attention. A very well-known photojournalist, Aditya Rane, has reached out. He's offering you a six-month internship under him. In Paris."

I blinked.

He said Paris.

"He saw your portfolio, Saisha. He was impressed. You'd be paid a decent stipend too, ₹85,000 a month. He specifically asked for you."

I stood frozen. My mouth moved before my brain did.

"I—I'll confirm by tomorrow, sir."

He nodded. "Good. You'll need to complete your final year work in advance, pitch your project during the internship break, and attend extra sessions. But this is a chance of a lifetime. You deserve this."

I thanked him, stumbled out of the room, and barely remembered how I got home.

Pranay's pov:

Saisha came home early today.

Her usual "Pranuuu" at the door was missing.

I was chopping vegetables, half-humming a tune, expecting her to slide behind me and steal a tomato slice like she always did.

Instead, she quietly walked into the kitchen, washed the dishes already in the sink, and didn't say a word.

I kept glancing at her — something wasn't right.

But I didn't ask. Not yet.

We ate dinner in silence. No jokes, no teasing. Her phone stayed untouched on the table.

Later, we were both sitting up in bed. I was scrolling through emails, but really I was watching her from the corner of my eye.

She wasn't reading. Just staring ahead.

"Aishu," I said softly. No reply.

I leaned in, touched her arm. "Aishu, what's going on?"

And then, without warning, her eyes welled up. One tear. Two. Then she just crumbled into my arms.

I held her as she sobbed into my T-shirt. Her body shook against mine.

"Hey, hey, I'm right here. What happened?"

She tried speaking, but couldn't. I cupped her face, wiped her tears, and kissed her forehead.

Finally, she whispered, "Pranu... my professor said I got an internship offer. In Paris. For six months. Because of my grades... and the expo."

I stared at her for a moment and then broke into the widest smile.

"Aishu! That's incredible. I'm so, so proud of you!"

She just shook her head.

"You're not happy?" I asked, confused.

She wiped her cheeks and looked at me with the rawest honesty.

"Before I married you, I wasn't even allowed to leave the house alone. I never imagined... never dreamed... of something like this. And now I'm supposed to cross oceans?"

Her voice cracked.

"And... how will we stay away for six months, Pranu? We just started our forever."

My heart ached hearing her say that. She sounded  ,  so brave in that moment , torn between the life she came from and the one she was building now.

I pulled her tighter into my arms.

"We'll figure it out," I said. "This... this is a gift you earned. Not just for your talent, but for your courage."

She didn't reply, just rested her head against my chest, her fingers curled over my heart.

"You once told me," I whispered, "love isn't about holding someone back. It's about watching them fly and knowing they'll come home."

And quietly, just before sleep found us, I felt her nod.

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