I thought it would end there.A strange conversation with a stranger beside the dark waters of the Hooghly River, a moment carried away by the wind of Kolkata.
But the next evening… he was there again.
Standing on the same steps of Nimtala Ghat, as if he had never left.
And somehow, I knew he had been waiting.
The moment I appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes found me in the dim light. Not searching. Not surprised.
Certain.
“You came,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
I walked down the steps slowly, trying to ignore the strange pull in my chest. “Maybe I was just passing by.”
A faint smile curved on his lips.
“No. You came for me.”
The confidence in his voice should have annoyed me.
Instead, it made my heart beat faster.
The river wind brushed past us as I stopped a few steps away. The lamps flickered, throwing shadows across his face. Up close, he looked even more dangerous tonight like a man who had already decided something important.
“You shouldn’t be so sure of yourself,” I said.
“I’m not sure of many things,” he replied softly.
“But I’m sure about you.”
The words hung in the air between us.
Before I could answer, he stepped closer.Too close.Close enough that I could feel the heat of him again, the same unsettling warmth that had lingered in my thoughts all night.
“You know what’s strange?” he murmured.
“What?”
“I’ve met thousands of people in this city.”
His fingers brushed against my wrist, slow and deliberate.
“And yet… after last night, you’re the only one I could think about.”
I should have pulled my hand away.But I didn’t.
Instead I asked quietly, “That sounds a little obsessive.”
He looked directly into my eyes then, something darker flickering behind his calm expression.
“Maybe it is.”
The honesty of it sent a shiver down my spine.
The river moved silently beside us, reflecting the distant lights of the city.
“You should be careful,” I whispered. “Obsession ruins people.”
His thumb traced lightly over my knuckles, his voice dropping to almost a whisper.
“Or it makes them fearless.”
The world felt strangely still.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
“Tell me something,” he said, his gaze unwavering.
“If I keep coming here… every night… just to see you…”
His hand tightened slightly around mine.
“Will you keep showing up too?”
My heart was beating far too fast now.
“You’re assuming a lot.”
He leaned closer, his voice warm against the quiet darkness.
“No,” he said softly.
“I’m hoping.”
For a long moment neither of us moved.The city lights shimmered on the Hooghly, the night wrapped around us like a secret, and his fingers remained firmly intertwined with mine like he had already decided I wasn’t leaving.
And the terrifying part?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to……
But the next evening… he was there again.
Standing on the same steps of Nimtala Ghat, as if he had never left.
And somehow, I knew he had been waiting.
The moment I appeared at the top of the stairs, his eyes found me in the dim light. Not searching. Not surprised.
Certain.
“You came,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
I walked down the steps slowly, trying to ignore the strange pull in my chest. “Maybe I was just passing by.”
A faint smile curved on his lips.
“No. You came for me.”
The confidence in his voice should have annoyed me.
Instead, it made my heart beat faster.
The river wind brushed past us as I stopped a few steps away. The lamps flickered, throwing shadows across his face. Up close, he looked even more dangerous tonight like a man who had already decided something important.
“You shouldn’t be so sure of yourself,” I said.
“I’m not sure of many things,” he replied softly.
“But I’m sure about you.”
The words hung in the air between us.
Before I could answer, he stepped closer.Too close.Close enough that I could feel the heat of him again, the same unsettling warmth that had lingered in my thoughts all night.
“You know what’s strange?” he murmured.
“What?”
“I’ve met thousands of people in this city.”
His fingers brushed against my wrist, slow and deliberate.
“And yet… after last night, you’re the only one I could think about.”
I should have pulled my hand away.But I didn’t.
Instead I asked quietly, “That sounds a little obsessive.”
He looked directly into my eyes then, something darker flickering behind his calm expression.
“Maybe it is.”
The honesty of it sent a shiver down my spine.
The river moved silently beside us, reflecting the distant lights of the city.
“You should be careful,” I whispered. “Obsession ruins people.”
His thumb traced lightly over my knuckles, his voice dropping to almost a whisper.
“Or it makes them fearless.”
The world felt strangely still.
Even the wind seemed to pause.
“Tell me something,” he said, his gaze unwavering.
“If I keep coming here… every night… just to see you…”
His hand tightened slightly around mine.
“Will you keep showing up too?”
My heart was beating far too fast now.
“You’re assuming a lot.”
He leaned closer, his voice warm against the quiet darkness.
“No,” he said softly.
“I’m hoping.”
For a long moment neither of us moved.The city lights shimmered on the Hooghly, the night wrapped around us like a secret, and his fingers remained firmly intertwined with mine like he had already decided I wasn’t leaving.
And the terrifying part?
I wasn’t sure I wanted to……