Chapter 1 - The Last Chapter

An international flight had just landed at Chennai International Airport, Meenambakkam. Passengers streamed out after collecting their baggage. Outside, people stood holding boards�"some with passenger names, some with hotel names, and some with company names.

One man from the crowd walked out swiftly. Though he was in a hurry, he didn’t look tense. His face was bright and energetic, as if he was rushing to meet someone important. A constant smile stayed on his lips. It felt like a long-awaited moment in his life was about to arrive. He ignored the people holding name boards, hurried past them, and reached the taxi stand. A taxi driver approached him.

“Sir?”

“Can we go to Guindy?”

“Please get in, Sir.”

He placed his luggage in the back seat and sat in the front. The cheerful voice of the FM radio RJ made the already bright morning even brighter. Chennai welcomed him with its signature sunlight�"and heavy traffic. He noticed how much the city had changed in the two years he was away: huge IT parks, new buildings… everything amazed him. But he admired the city even more because he was going to meet his life partner after two years. He couldn’t stop smiling.

When the taxi reached Guindy, he got down. His friend Srini was waiting on his bike, and his face lit up when he saw him.

“Hey dude! How are you? It’s been more than two years!” Srini rushed forward to hug him.

But he stepped back and said, “Sorry dude, I’m in a hurry. I need your bike. I’ll explain everything later. It’s urgent.”

Before Srini could react, he jumped onto the bike and kicked the starter. The engine roared to life.

“Hey! What are you doing? Where are you going? Tell me!” Srini shouted.

“Please… I’ll explain later!”

He sped away towards T. Nagar. Excitement made him drive faster than he realized. He slipped through narrow gaps between vehicles. But suddenly, the car in front of him braked hard. He tried to turn left but lost control. The bike skidded to the side of the road, dragging him with it.

My name is Karthik. I never expected this to happen. Her name is Shalini. I met her first because of an accident. My life began only after seeing her. But I don’t want my life to end in this accident. Shalini… I’m coming for you. This time, I won’t let you go.

Memories flashed before his eyes�"their first meeting, their love, their fights, the breakup, the opportunity abroad�"everything played like a fast-forwarded movie. His eyes turned heavy; pain shot through his body. Slowly, he slipped into unconsciousness.

An ambulance raced through traffic with its siren blaring and reached the hospital in minutes. Nurses and doctors rushed him into the ICU.

The hospital administration informed Karthik’s parents, who arrived within the hour. His friends rushed in soon after. His mother looked terrified�"he was undergoing major surgery.

A young woman walked into the hospital. She looked 24 or 25, tense and trembling. Her eyes were wet. She clutched a pouch and her mobile, searching desperately for the emergency ward. When she found it and saw Karthik’s parents, she ran toward them�"but suddenly froze. Her body wouldn’t move. Her hands felt paralyzed. She stood rooted, unable to take another step.

---

I was scribbling on the last page of my notebook. My pen had stopped writing. I shook it, tried again�"still nothing.

My name is Irshad, a 40-year-old writer. I’ve been writing for more than fifteen years, completely dedicated to this craft. Maybe that’s why there's no one in my life except my wife. I always see my life as a story and myself as the protagonist. Nothing matters to me as much as my passion for writing.

I was in the final phase of my upcoming novel, You + Me = Love. Being a 40-year-old man writing a fresh young love story was difficult… yet somehow easy. The beautiful Kodaikanal resort, the scenic view, and the cool climate made everything smoother.

Suddenly the pen stopped working, right at the climax. I looked around and saw my brown personal kit box on a corner shelf. At the same time, I noticed the resort boy standing at the door with a cup of coffee.

“Can you please bring me that brown box from the shelf?” I asked.

He placed the cup on the table, walked to the shelf, picked up the box, and asked, “Is this the one, sir?”

“Yes, that’s the one. Please bring it.”

He handed it to me. I took out a new pen. He still stood beside me, staring at my writing with curiosity.

“Would you like to read my story?” I asked.

He gave a shy smile. “I’m from the tribes, sir… I never learned to read or write.”

“That’s alright,” I said gently. “I’ll tell it to you. You’ll be the first person to hear it.”

I pointed to the chair beside me. “Come, sit.”

Instead, he quietly lowered himself to the floor.

“Hey�"why sit there? Use the chair.”

He shook his head. “We’re not supposed to sit on chairs. Especially not in front of people like you.”

I leaned back and studied him for a moment. “If everyone has a place on this earth, no one should be denied a chair. In fact, you deserve a chair in the assembly… or even the parliament.”

He looked confused, but when I insisted firmly, he sat in the chair with hesitation. I smiled and turned to the first page.

“In this story, the hero’s name is Karthik�"”

I stopped when I saw him blushing.

“What happened?”

“Sir… my name is also Karthik,” he said, blushing deeper.

I burst out laughing, and he joined me. After we calmed down, I continued.

Karthik was an average youngster working in a software company. Five busy weekdays and two short weekends�"one of which he usually slept through. Life felt mechanical. But one day, everything changed. His reason for living arrived… through an accident.

One morning, he was riding to work. The bright sun blinded him. And then he saw her.

Shalini, a 19-year-old engineering student. She usually took the college bus but had missed it that day, so her father was dropping her. Dressed in a white salwar with a matching hairband, her loose hair glowing in the sunlight�"she looked like an angel. Karthik’s focus drifted. He hit a barrier gate and fell, but before losing consciousness, he saw her face completely.

She and her father rushed him to the hospital and informed his parents. Their first meeting became unforgettable.

As per the universal “love formula,” they met again�"twice�"by coincidence. Then came exchanged numbers, messages, video calls, weekend meet-ups… Slowly their feelings deepened. Both waited for the perfect moment to propose. Valentine’s Day arrived.

Coincidentally, they bought the same greeting card. Without realizing it, the cards got exchanged.

At the mall that evening, they opened the cards at the same time.

Karthik’s card:
I love you, Karthik.
�"Shalini

Shalini’s card:
I have fallen in love with you.
�"Karthik

Shocked�"and overjoyed�"they realized their love was mutual.

Days passed. Their love grew. But so did misunderstandings, ego, and fights. Both got busier�"Karthik chasing an onsite opportunity in Australia and Shalini finishing her final year. Communication suffered. One day, anger exploded.

“If you don’t like me, say it directly! Don’t pretend!” Karthik shouted.

“I don’t act behind someone’s back like you do,” Shalini replied sharply.

His anger rose. “So you think this is just infatuation? It’ll fade anyway.”

Her tears welled up.
“Karthik… enough. Yes, this is infatuation. Let’s end it. For one year, no calls, no messages, no meetings. If, after one year, we still feel the same, then it’s love. Otherwise, we move on. Goodbye, Karthik.”

She walked away.

Karthik got the onsite opportunity and left for Australia. Shalini moved to Bangalore for her higher studies. Life moved fast. They made new friends. Their memories slowly faded.

But exactly one year later, both witnessed an accident�"separately, but at the same time. It triggered everything back. Their love resurfaced violently. They couldn’t concentrate on anything.

When Karthik’s project ended, he returned to India, determined to meet Shalini first. But on the way to her house, he met with the accident.

Shalini rushed to the hospital. When she saw Karthik’s parents, she ran�"but suddenly froze. Fear paralyzed her.

The resort boy leaned forward eagerly. “Sir… what happened next?”

“The climax is not complete yet. I’ll tell you once it's done. Let me finish the last chapter,” I said gently.

Once he left, I checked again to ensure he was gone. Then I opened my brown box, took out a packet of colorful capsules, swallowed one, and picked another pen.

Shalini reached the emergency ward. Karthik’s friends explained everything to his parents. His mother hugged Shalini and cried, “My girl… please save him. Only you can.”

Shalini walked inside and saw Karthik lying unconscious, his body covered with tubes and monitors. She could barely stand. She came out in tears as her father arrived.

The doctor stepped out, and everyone rushed toward him.

The doctor lowered his eyes before speaking.
“I’m… very sorry. We did everything we could. He won’t make it. Please inform your relatives.”

The world collapsed in a single breath.

Karthik’s mother crumpled to the floor, her cry swallowed by the sterile walls.
Shalini didn’t move. She sat as if carved from stone, staring at nothing�"seeing everything. Her heartbeat was the only thing she could hear, loud and broken.

Inside the ICU, his pulse dipped. His heart began its slow surrender.
And then, like a final act of devotion, the last drop of blood carried every memory he had of her�"every smile, every tear, every unspoken word�"racing towards his fading consciousness.

It touched his brain.

And something… shifted.

A stubborn flutter on the monitor.
A hesitant beep.
Then another.

The machines trembled back to life. Doctors rushed in, voices rising, hands moving with urgency. The rhythm that had quieted began to rise again, fragile yet defiant.

Some say love fails.
Some say lovers betray.

But memories�"
memories have the strength to call a dying heart back from the darkness.

---

---

Two months later

Shalini, her father, and Karthik met at a coffee shop. Both of them stared at the floor silently.

Her father spoke, “You’re just youngsters. Whatever you decide might harm your future. This is not love�"it’s infatuation. But if you don’t believe me, let’s do this: for the next one year, no meeting, no calls, no messages. After one year, if the feeling remains, I’ll get you both married. Until then… a break.”

Karthik and Shalini looked at each other in surprise.

THE END

I closed my notebook and took a deep breath. After fifteen days in Kodaikanal, my story was complete. That feeling�"finishing a story�"is incomparable.

I packed my things. I placed all important items back into the brown box. I held the medicine packet with colorful capsules. For a moment, I stared at them. They had become a significant part of my life. Carefully, I placed them back into the box and zipped my bag.