Chapter 13: Beyond the Horizon (TTPW)

Dappled morning light crept through the blinds of Aarav's studio. It sprinkled pale orange patterns on the floor. Their worlds, coffee and paint, were as inextricably linked as they had been since being mixed together, and the air was charged with that scent. Maya is sitting cross-legged, keeping her sketchpad balanced on her knees, and Aarav leaned against the piano, his fingers operating at random across the keys to create the most beautiful melody resonating through their unspoken bond.

"Do you ever wonder," Maya started, not looking up at her sketch, "if we were meant to find each other? Or if it's all just coincidence?"

Aarav's fingers froze on the piano keys, his gaze shifting to her. "I don't know," he said, his voice thoughtful. "But if it's coincidence, it's the best one I've ever had."

Maya's pencil moved rapidly over the page as she smiled. "Sometimes, I think about it. How things would be different if we hadn't met."

"I don't know," she said to him softly. "And?"

Aarav raised a brow, interested.

The room fell silent once again, but it was no longer an empty one. It was filled—filled with unvoiced understanding of things otherwise meant to be said. Aarav watched her for one more moment, incredulous that her focus seemed unmoving, the way her hands breathed life into the lines on the page.

"What are you drawing?" he asked finally, breaking the spell.

Maya turned the sketchpad over. It was rough but vivid: two figures under the glittering light of a vast, star-filled sky with their hands just barely touching.

"It's us," Aarav said straight away.

Maya nodded with a small, enigmatic smile. "I wanted to catch the moment; it felt. important."

"It was," Aarav was dead sure of. "It still is."

Maya set the sketchpad down and stretched her arms out above her head. "What about you?" she said, nodding toward the piano. "What were you playing just now?"

Aarav hesitated, hovering his fingers over the keys. "Something I've been working on. It's not finished yet."

"Can I hear it?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

He nodded, his fingers moving rhythmically over the keys with practiced ease. The melody was soft and haunting, each note carrying a weight that seemed to echo the depth of their journey together.

As soon as he finished, the silence was heavy with emotion.

"That was beautiful," Maya whispered, her voice barely above a whisper. "What's it called?"

Aarav looked at her, his expression thoughtful. "I haven't decided yet. Maybe. 'Maya.'"

She drew in a breath, heavy with the weight of his words. "You'd name it after me?"

"Why not?" he replied easily, his voice calm, but his gaze serious. "You're the reason it exists."

They stood there, neither saying a thing, for a moment, the air between them charged with the intensity that was exhilarating and terrifying.

Just as each was about to say something, Aarav's phone buzzed on the table, and the moment had to come to a complete halt. He picked it, his face changes as he read the message from across.

"What is it?" Maya asked feeling something was different in him.

"It's from my dad," Aarav said with slight strain. "He wants to meet."

Maya's brow furrowed. Aarav hardly spoke of his family, and when he did, it was always with a mix of frustration and sadness. "Are you okay?"

Aarav nodded though his grip on the phone tightened. "I'll be fine. It's just. complicated."

"Do you want me to come with you?" she offered, her voice gentle.

He looked down, a small, grateful smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks but I need to do this on my own."

Much later that same afternoon Aarav found himself standing outside a quaint little café, his heart pounding in his chest. Months had gone by since he and his father last spoke, their last conversation ending on an argument that left both hurt and angry with the other.

When his father finally did come, Aarav was struck by how much older he looked. The lines on his face seemed more indented, his posture slightly bent.

"Thanks for coming," his father said hesitantly and slowly.

Aarav nodded, not knowing what else to say. They both ordered coffee and sat silently with the distance between them greater than ever.

"I wanted to say sorry," his dad said finally, his voice breaking the tension. "For everything. For not listening to you, for pushing you away."

Aarav's throat tightened, the weight of his father's words hitting him harder than he'd expected. "I'm not angry anymore," he said, the quiet of his voice impressing him. "I just. I wish things had been different."

His father nodded, his eyes still on the table. "Me too. But maybe it's not too late to start over."

For the first time in years, hope flickered within Aarav. "Maybe," he said, his voice more steady now. "But it will take time."

"I'm willing to try if you are," his father said, his eyes locking onto Aarav's.

Aarav nodded, a small smile creasing the tension. "Okay."

When Aarav made his way back to the studio that evening, Maya greeted him, her concern palpable.

"How did it go?" she asked as he entered, her eyes on his face.

"It went. better than I thought it would," Aarav admitted, dropping onto the couch beside her. "We talked. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start."

Maya smiled, letting her hand settle onto his. "I'm proud of you, Aarav. That couldn't have been easy."

"Wasn't," he said, his voice laced with fatigue. "But I think it was worth it."

They sat in silence for a while, hands clasped together. For Aarav, it was the first step in recovery-not just with his father but with himself.

And as he looked at Maya, he realized she'd been right all along. They'd figure it out. Together.