He kept calling her number and it kept saying unreachable. He wondered what had happened. The rain pounded against the windows of the small, dimly lit police station as Rohan Mehra sat across Inspector Priya Sharma. His hands shook as he clutched a photograph of his wife, Ananya. She had been missing for three agonizingContinue reading “Double Cross”
Author Archives: Patmaj
A Song for Yesterday
The café had not changed. The wooden beams still held the scent of old coffee, and the walls bore the same soft golden glow that once made everything feel warm, intimate. Daniel stepped inside, shaking off the evening chill, his fingers tightening around the edges of his coat. It had been years since he hadContinue reading “A Song for Yesterday”
Love, Unrequited
She, with pigtails and red ribbons. He, with scraped knees from innumerable bicycle falls. They, with shared lunchboxes and personal jokes which only they understood and laughed at. They were six. They were inseparable. Vikram and Saira. As they grew up, so did something unspoken between them. In high school, when a boy left aContinue reading “Love, Unrequited”
Happy Anniversary
The hotel room was quiet except for the distant hum of the city beyond the hills. Meera sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the golden flicker of the candle on the nightstand. It was meant to be a romantic gesture, yet it felt like a cruel irony now. Across from her, KabirContinue reading “Happy Anniversary”
The Second Wife
The first time he spotted her, she stood beneath the archway on the Rue de Rivoli, the Eiffel Tower outlined in the dimming Parisian twilight behind her. At first glance, she didn’t seem remarkable, but there was something about her posture—graceful yet elusive—that caught his attention. When their gazes locked, a spark ignited in hisContinue reading “The Second Wife”
The Stranger
It started like any ordinary day. He woke up to the gentle light of dawn streaming through the curtains, the warmth of her body curled against his. For a brief moment, he felt a sense of tranquility, as if everything in life was perfectly aligned—just as it ought to be. But when he opened hisContinue reading “The Stranger”
Ghosts at East End Cafe
The East End café had stood empty for years, its windows clouded with the memories of stale cigarette smoke and long-lost conversations. A flickering neon sign buzzed faintly overhead—OPEN—yet no living person ever ventured inside. But tonight, the spirits convened. Buddy Holly occupied a corner booth, his glasses slipping down his nose as he fiddledContinue reading “Ghosts at East End Cafe”
Unknown, Unseen
In a humble home on the outskirts of a sleepy town, Adrien sat writing beneath the soft glow of a single lamp. The walls of his study, once alive with laughter and warmth, now felt heavy with stillness. His wife, once his closest friend, had become unresponsive and distant. His children, now grown and farContinue reading “Unknown, Unseen”
That Girl in the Black Dress
Evenings were always the hardest. As he sat alone in his studio apartment he kept staring aimlessly at the blank wall in front of him. There used to be a lovely Monet reproduction hanging there along with a reprint of Rick’s Cafe. Nina Simone was singing My Baby Just Cares For Me on his batteredContinue reading “That Girl in the Black Dress”
The Road Back
Arvind, Nikhil and Aditi. Inseparable friends from school, college to present. Nikhil had always been the glue that held their trio together. Since childhood, he’d been the peacemaker, the secret-keeper, and the one who never let misunderstandings linger. When Aditi and Arvind began seeing each other during college, it was Nikhil who orchestrated moments ofContinue reading “The Road Back”
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