When Stars Aligned

Chapter 1: A Simple Life

The sound of keyboard taps filled Dhaval’s small, cozy room. It was late evening, and like every other day, he was buried deep in lines of code. His life was simple — wake up, go to work, come back home, code some more, and finally spend his evenings scrolling through YouTube shorts. Coming from a middle-class family in a small town, he was accustomed to a routine life. He knew his responsibilities well, and his dreams always came second to his duties.

But tonight was a little different. As he mindlessly scrolled through his phone, a particular video caught his eye. It was a short reel of a young actress from a popular web series. Her name — Anamika. There was something about her smile, the ease with which she portrayed her emotions, and the simplicity in her beauty that captivated him.

He stopped. Without realizing, a small smile appeared on his face. His thumb hovered over the replay button, and before he knew it, he watched the same reel five times in a row. Something inside him felt strange — a mix of admiration and unexplainable joy.

"Who is she?" he murmured. Curiosity took over, and he quickly switched to YouTube. After half an hour of searching and navigating through random videos, he finally found the web series that featured Anamika. His heart felt light, like he had achieved something. "Finally!" he whispered with a grin.

The next thing he knew, he was watching episode after episode. The way Anamika performed each role, her grace, her charm — everything about her was pulling Dhaval into an unexplainable world. Hours passed, but for him, it felt like mere minutes. His usual silent nights were now filled with the sound of Anamika's voice from the screen.

"What am I even doing?" he laughed to himself. But deep down, he knew — he was drawn to her. Not just as a fan but in a way that he couldn't quite define.

Days passed, and his routine remained unchanged except for one thing — every evening, after work, he would watch Anamika’s videos. Her voice, her smile, and her performances became the highlight of his dull days. But he knew this was just a silly admiration. After all, she was a rising star, and he was just another face in the crowd.

Yet somewhere deep inside, he wished… What if I ever meet her?

But life had its own script written for Dhaval — one he never saw coming.