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The Muddy Staircase - Chapter 4
The Muddy Staircase - Chapter 4
Rhea returned home from college that evening with the same excitement she had carried all day. She had done nothing but tell her friends,
“I finally found out his name!”
The little celebration they had over something as simple as a name made her smile all the way home.
Life continued as it always had.
Silent smiles.
Lingering glances.
Unspoken feelings.
One evening, as she reached the entrance of her house, she noticed a group of people gathered inside.
Before she could step in, something caught her attention.
Parked right outside was a Maruti Suzuki bike.
Her heart skipped a beat.
“This is Johan’s bike…”
She recognised the number instantly.
For a moment, every other thought disappeared.
She wasn’t curious about why it was there.
She wasn’t wondering who had come home.
Instead, she quietly walked towards the bike.
Her fingers gently rested on the handlebar.
A soft smile appeared on her face.
It wasn’t romance.
It wasn’t possession.
It was simply the innocent happiness of touching something that belonged to the person she had silently loved for so long.
As though, for just a fleeting moment…
she had found a little piece of him.
Unaware that someone was watching, she stood there lost in that feeling.
Johan happened to glance through the window.
There she was…
standing beside his bike with the sweetest smile he had ever seen.
A shy blush spread across his face.
He quickly looked away, trying not to smile.
Almost as if she had sensed his presence, Rhea looked up.
Their eyes met.
Realising he had witnessed her little secret, she immediately withdrew her hand, her cheeks turning crimson with embarrassment.
Without another glance, she hurried inside.
Only then did she realise why so many people had gathered.
It was a prayer meeting.
Everyone sat with folded hands, immersed in prayer.
Everyone…
except Johan and Rhea.
Though they stood under the same roof, neither heard a single prayer.
They were completely lost…
in each other’s quiet presence.
