Written in the Stars

# Written in the Stars

**By Vijay Sharma Erry**

**#WritcoStoryPrompt104**

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Arnav never believed in destiny. He was a firm believer that life was shaped by actions and choices, not by some invisible force orchestrating events. But that winter evening changed everything he thought he knew about fate and love.

## The First Meeting

It was a cold Delhi evening. The coffee house was packed, and Arnav couldn't find a seat. That's when a girl waved at him.

"If you don't mind, you can sit here," she said with a warm smile.

Arnav hesitantly agreed. The girl had a strange sparkle in her eyes, as if she knew a secret the world didn't.

"I'm Kavya," she extended her hand.

"Arnav," he replied.

Kavya was reading a book - 'The Alchemist'. Arnav's favorite.

"Paulo Coelho!" Arnav exclaimed. "That's my favorite book."

Kavya closed the book and looked at him. "So you must also believe that when you want something with all your heart, the entire universe conspires to help you achieve it?"

Arnav smiled. "I'm a scientist. I believe in facts, not fairy tales."

"And what if facts become a fairy tale themselves?" Kavya asked mysteriously.

They talked for hours that evening. Science, art, life, dreams - every topic under the sun. Arnav felt as if he'd known Kavya for years.

As she was leaving, Kavya handed him a small piece of paper.

"What's this?" Arnav asked.

"Just open it when the time is right. Not now. You'll know when."

And she left. Arnav stood there, holding that piece of paper, wondering what it meant.

## The Second Meeting

Two weeks later, Arnav received a project assignment from his company - to digitize an old library. When he arrived there, he was shocked to see Kavya among the bookshelves.

"You're here?" Arnav asked in surprise.

"I work here. I'm a librarian," Kavya said, that same mysterious sparkle in her eyes.

Over the next few weeks, they worked together. Among old books and dusty shelves, their friendship deepened.

One day, Kavya showed him a very old diary.

"This is from 1947," she said. "A couple's love story. Look what's written here."

Arnav read: *"I don't know if our meeting was destiny or coincidence. But I know that without you, my life was incomplete."*

"Such a beautiful line," Kavya said. "Do you believe some people are made for each other?"

Arnav thought. Earlier, he would have immediately said 'no'. But now...

"Maybe," he said softly. "Maybe some meetings are more than just coincidence."

## The Paper

Months passed. Arnav and Kavya were no longer just colleagues. They were friends, confidants. But both were afraid to speak what was in their hearts.

One day, Arnav's project was completed. He got transferred to Bangalore. He had to leave Kavya behind.

On the last day, when he came to say goodbye, Kavya had tears in her eyes.

"You're leaving," she said.

"Yes. But..."

"But what, Arnav? You never opened that paper, did you?"

Arnav reached into his pocket. The paper was still there.

"Open it," Kavya said.

With trembling hands, Arnav opened the paper. It read:

*"When you read this, you'll understand that our meeting was not a coincidence. I've known you for three years. That day at the station, you caught my bag when it was falling. You didn't even notice, but I never forgot you. I searched for you, learned about you, and discovered you went to the same coffee house I frequented. I waited there every day. And that day, when you came, I gathered my courage. Was it planned? No. It was love. And love always finds a way."*

Arnav's eyes filled with tears. He looked at Kavya.

"You... for three years..."

Kavya was crying. "I don't know if it was fate or my persistence. But I know that without you, I'm incomplete."

Arnav took her hand.

## Destiny or Choice?

"Do you think all of this was written?" Arnav asked.

Kavya smiled through her tears. "I don't know. But I know that if I hadn't gathered courage, if I hadn't searched for you, maybe we would never have met. So maybe it wasn't entirely fate, nor entirely our choice. Maybe it was a blend of both."

Arnav thought about it. As a scientist, he always needed to understand everything. But today, standing before Kavya, he realized some things aren't meant to be understood - they're meant to be felt.

"I'm not going to Bangalore," Arnav suddenly said.

"What?" Kavya was shocked.

"I already told the company I want to stay here. Because there's something here I won't find in Bangalore."

"What?"

"You."

Tears of joy streamed down Kavya's face.

## One Year Later

In the same coffee house, at the same table, Arnav and Kavya sat again. But this time, they weren't just friends. They were partners.

"You know," Arnav said, "I still don't completely believe our story was written."

Kavya smiled. "Why not?"

"Because if it was written, then I had no part to play. And I know I've worked hard to keep you happy."

Kavya held his hand. "Maybe that's the truth. Maybe our meeting was written, but our story we're writing ourselves. Every day, every moment, with every choice we make."

Arnav liked this answer. It was the perfect balance between science and faith.

"So then," he said, "what shall we write for today?"

Kavya thought. "That we both chose love. Again and again. Every day."

## The End, or Beginning?

Do I believe there's a love story planned for me? Now, looking through Arnav's eyes, I would say - perhaps.

Perhaps some meetings are written in the stars. Perhaps some people are truly made for each other. But it's also true that we need to be ready for that meeting. We need to listen to our hearts. We need to have courage.

Kavya had the courage to search for Arnav. Arnav had the courage to refuse the Bangalore transfer. Together, they had the courage to write their story their own way.

So yes, maybe our love stories are written. But the ink is with us, the pen is in our hands, and the pages are before us.

The rest, we decide for ourselves.

Love is neither entirely fate nor entirely choice. It's a beautiful confluence of both. It's the universe opening a door, and us choosing to walk through it. It's destiny creating an opportunity, and us having the courage to seize it.

Maybe there is a love story planned for each of us. But the planning is just the beginning. The living, the building, the nurturing - that's all on us.

And perhaps that's the most beautiful part. We're not just characters in a story someone else wrote. We're co-authors, working with the universe to create something magical.

So when someone asks me, "Do you believe there's a love story planned for you?" I'll answer like Arnav would now: "Yes, but I'm planning it too."

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**The End**

*"Love is not entirely fate, nor entirely choice. It's a beautiful symphony of both."*

— From Arnav and Kavya's story