It was only 6:30 PM, yet it felt like 9 PM. Aarav had his earbuds in, listening to music in an attempt to tune out the voices in his head. He wandered aimlessly, roaming streets whose names he didn't even know, all in a failed attempt to suppress the guilt, regret, and sadness weighing on him.
As he walked, he looked around and saw couples and beggars. Observing them, he thought to himself, "If the girl cheated on the boy, would he be able to forgive her? The beggar has it worse than I can ever imagine, yet why are there times when he smiles?"
Suddenly, the music stopped as a call came in—it was from his friend Aradhya. He picked up.
"Let's get some pizza. I'm at McDonald's," Aradhya said.
Aarav steeled himself and replied, "Nah, I'm at home right now. I'll get scolded."
The moment he finished speaking, he hurriedly ended the call, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill. As the music resumed, his mind whispered, "Why couldn't you do it? If you had, you would be with them, enjoying the farewell. But you failed, wasted a year, and squandered your father's money—only to repeat everything all over again."
The tears were just about to fall, but he wiped them away before they could escape and kept walking. He checked the time—it was almost 7 PM. With a sigh, he decided to book a cab home.