Episode 4 - THE FIRST TIME KISS

Arc 1 – BUSY

Episode 4 – “The First Time Kiss” 💋

The strange thing about first kisses is this—

People think they happen in perfect moments.

Rain.

Music.

Confessions.

Fireworks in the chest.

But most first kisses happen quietly.

In moments that don’t realize they’re becoming memories until it’s already too late.

It happened before things became complicated.

Before “busy” became a personality.

Before replies became delayed.

Before silence started replacing effort.

Back when Rohan still reached for her naturally.

Back when Aanya still believed love was simple.

It was late December.

The city was colder than usual, wrapped in soft fog and yellow streetlights that made everything feel cinematic without trying.

Aanya stood outside her college gate, rubbing her hands together for warmth.

She checked her phone.

7:12 PM.

Rohan: Two minutes away.

A smile appeared on her face instantly.

Not forced.

Not careful.

Real.

Back then, his messages still had the power to change her mood in seconds.

A black bike stopped near the curb.

Rohan removed his helmet, slightly breathless.

“Sorry, traffic.”

“You always blame traffic.”

“Because traffic understands me.”

“That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever said.”

“Still came to meet me though.”

Aanya rolled her eyes, trying not to smile too much.

Failed.

They drove through the city slowly, cold wind brushing against them.

Aanya sat behind him carefully at first, hands resting lightly on the side grip instead of around him.

Rohan noticed immediately.

“You know I won’t let you fall, right?”

“I know.”

“Then hold properly.”

She hesitated.

Then slowly wrapped her arms around him.

Rohan smiled to himself as the bike disappeared into traffic.

That tiny moment felt bigger than both of them understood.

He took her to a small café hidden between old bookstores and quiet streets.

Warm lights glowed through the windows.

Soft music played in the background.

The place smelled like coffee and winter.

Aanya loved it instantly.

“You found this place?”

“Obviously.”

“You act like discovering cafés is a talent.”

“It is.”

“It’s really not.”

“It got you here, didn’t it?”

Again—that smile.

Effortless.

Dangerous.

They sat near the window, sharing fries neither of them were actually hungry for.

Most of the evening was small conversations.

Random things.

College gossip.

Bad professors.

Songs they secretly liked.

Childhood fears.

Nothing dramatic.

But that’s how intimacy really forms.

Not through grand speeches.

Through comfort.

At one point, Aanya noticed him staring.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re literally looking at me.”

“Can I not?”

She looked away immediately, cheeks warming.

Rohan laughed softly.

“You blush too easily.”

“I do not.”

“You absolutely do.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

The scary part was—

He sounded sure.

Later, they stepped outside the café.

The streets were quieter now.

Cold air wrapped around the city gently, and somewhere nearby, someone played an old Bollywood song from a distant speaker.

The world felt slower.

Softer.

Like time itself had decided not to rush them tonight.

They walked without direction.

Aanya kept talking about random things while Rohan listened with that small half-smile he only had around her.

Then suddenly—

She stopped.

“What?”

“My hands are freezing.”

Rohan held out his hand casually.

“Give.”

“What?”

“Your hand, drama queen.”

She laughed softly before placing her cold fingers into his.

Warm.

That’s the first thing she noticed.

Warm and steady.

And for some reason, that simple handhold felt more intimate than anything else had before.

They reached a quiet lane lined with trees and dim streetlights.

No crowd.

No noise.

Just them.

Aanya looked up at the sky.

“You know,” she said softly, “I wish nights like this stayed forever.”

Rohan looked at her instead of the sky.

“They don’t have to stay forever.”

She turned toward him.

“They just have to matter while they happen.”

Something shifted after he said that.

The air changed.

The silence changed.

Even the way they looked at each other changed.

For the first time, neither of them joked their way out of the moment.

Aanya suddenly became aware of everything.

His closeness.

His eyes.

The way his fingers still held hers gently.

Her heartbeat turned uneven.

Rohan stepped slightly closer.

Not enough to scare her.

Just enough to ask without words.

“Aanya.”

“Hm?”

“You’re overthinking again.”

“I’m literally not saying anything.”

“Exactly.”

She laughed nervously.

And that laugh almost broke the tension—

until he lifted his hand slowly and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

That tiny gesture silenced everything inside her.

No dramatic confession came first.

No perfect speech.

Just honesty sitting quietly between two people too young to understand how temporary moments can become permanent memories.

Rohan looked at her carefully.

“If you don’t want this,” he whispered, “I won’t.”

That mattered.

More than the kiss itself.

The choice.

The gentleness.

The pause.

Aanya looked at him for a long second before whispering softly—

“I didn’t say no.”

And then it happened.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Their first kiss.

It wasn’t cinematic.

It wasn’t perfect.

Their noses bumped slightly.

Aanya laughed halfway through because she got nervous.

Rohan smiled against her lips.

But somehow—

that made it real.

The kind of real that stays in your chest long after people stop staying in your life.

When they pulled away, neither spoke immediately.

Aanya looked down, embarrassed and smiling at the same time.

Rohan stared at her like he wanted to memorize the moment completely.

“You’re smiling too much,” he whispered.

“You kissed me.”

“And?”

“And I need time to act normal again.”

“You were never normal.”

“Shut up.”

He laughed softly.

God, she loved that sound back then.

They stayed there for a while longer, standing beneath the streetlight like the night belonged only to them.

And maybe for those few minutes—

it did.

On the ride back home, Aanya rested her head lightly against his shoulder.

Neither mentioned the kiss directly.

They didn’t need to.

Some moments speak for themselves.

Before she entered her house, Rohan stopped her softly.

“Aanya?”

She turned.

“I’m really happy I met you.”

Simple words.

But she carried them home like treasure.

That night, she replayed everything in her head endlessly.

The café.

The handhold.

The way he looked at her before kissing her.

She smiled into her pillow like every person in love eventually does.

Because back then, she still believed moments like this meant forever.

And somewhere in his room, Rohan smiled at his phone too.

Back then, loving her still felt easy.

Natural.

Wanted.

But memories become dangerous after relationships begin falling apart.

Because suddenly, the mind starts comparing.

Who they were then.

Who they became later.

And sometimes the most painful part of losing someone isn’t the ending—

It’s remembering how genuine the beginning felt.

Years later, Aanya would still remember that first kiss.

Not because it was perfect.

But because for one brief moment beneath that winter streetlight—

they both meant it completely.

And maybe that’s why first kisses hurt differently in memories.

Because they capture people before life teaches them how to slowly drift apart.

End of Episode 4 – THE FIRST TIME KISS

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