Forget Me Not… Or Maybe You Do

In a city that never sleeps, love has a memory problem.

Vansheekha Dhupia isn’t your typical heroine. She’s sharp, sassy, and allergic to clichés. For her, fairy-tale romances belong in Bollywood scripts, not in the messy chaos of college life. She has assignments to finish, best friends to deal with, and a hundred sarcastic comebacks ready for anyone who dares to annoy her. Love? That’s last on her list.

But then… enters Vardhan Rai Thakur.

The name alone is enough to send whispers down the college hallways. Tall, effortlessly charming, the heartthrob who could make professors go weak in the knees with that smile. Girls call him dream boyfriend material. Boys call him too perfect to be real. Vansheekha? She calls him a walking disaster. Because no matter how perfect he looks, he comes with a rare, infuriating problem—

He forgets her.

Every. Single. Day.

Yes, you read that right. Every morning, it’s the same story: Vansheekha has to reintroduce herself, explain who she is, and remind him that they’re not strangers. At first, she thought it was a prank. Then, she thought it was his weird way of flirting. But the truth hit harder—Vardhan suffers from a rare condition that wipes his memory clean every night. For him, mornings are always a reset button.

Which means, every day is a brand-new first meeting with the same boy.

And Vansheekha? She’s stuck in the strangest love story ever written.

From mistaken identities in the library to almost-confessions on rooftops, from accidental hand-holding in crowded corridors to full-blown chaos in the canteen—her life has turned into a rollercoaster of laughter, sighs, and pure desi drama.

Her calm best friend, Aarav, keeps warning her not to get too attached. “You can’t fight against memory loss, Vansheekha. Don’t break your heart.”

Her chaotic partner-in-crime, Kabir, thinks it’s hilarious. “Bro forgets you daily? Ha! Best prank ever—on you.”

But Vansheekha isn’t the type to give up. If destiny keeps resetting their story, she’ll find ways to rewrite it—over and over again. Whether that means plastering her name on his notebooks, recording silly videos to remind him who she is, or dragging him into situations so unforgettable that even his condition won’t erase them—she’s ready for the challenge.

Because somewhere between the laughs, the fights, and the constant re-introductions, Vansheekha realizes something dangerous. She’s not just chasing Vardhan’s memory… she’s falling for him.

And Vardhan? Even though his mind resets every night, his heart seems to recognize her. Like a magnet that doesn’t care about time, faces, or memory—only about the pull it feels.

But love isn’t easy when your story restarts every morning. How many times can Vansheekha make him fall for her? How many times can her heart handle the same heartbreak? And what happens when, one day, he remembers… everything?

A tale of laughter, heartbreak, and second (and third… and fourth) chances—

Forget Me Not… Or Maybe You Do is not just a love story.

It’s proof that sometimes, even if memories fade, love finds its own way to stay.



If love had a manual, mine would come with a warning label.

Caution: Boyfriend may forget you every 24 hours. Handle with patience… and sarcasm.

I, Vansheekha Dhupia, never signed up for this. But here I am—seventeen years old, sipping watery canteen chai, and watching my boyfriend walk in like some hero from a Bollywood movie. Vardhan Rai Thakur. Tall, sharp jawline, messy hair that screams “I woke up like this,” and that smile… oh God, that smile.

And then it hits me. The look. That confused, almost polite look he always gives me.

Like I’m a stranger.

Like we didn’t spend yesterday evening eating pani puri and fighting over who gets the last one.

Like I’m not his girlfriend.

“Hi,” Vardhan says, scratching the back of his neck, a little awkward. “I’m Vardhan. And you are…?”

I slam my cup down, chai spilling everywhere. “Unbelievable. AGAIN?”

He blinks, startled. “Um… sorry, have we met?”

Around us, the entire canteen bursts into muffled laughter. My best friend Aarav, who’s basically the calm monk of our group, leans back with his sandwich and sighs. “Patience, Vansh. You knew this would happen.”

Beside him, Kabir—absolute chaos incarnate—nearly falls off his chair laughing. “Brooo, this is better than Netflix! Imagine dating a guy who forgets you every day. Vansh, you’re literally in a live comedy show.”

I throw him a death glare, but Kabir only winks.

Turning back to Vardhan, I fold my arms. “I’m Vansheekha. Your girlfriend. We’ve been together for two months. Two. Whole. Months. Ringing any bells, Mr. Goldfish Memory?”

Vardhan stares at me, stunned. His eyebrows knit together like he’s trying really, really hard to pull something from the corners of his mind. For a second, hope flickers in me. Maybe today will be different. Maybe he’ll actually—

“Nope.” He shrugs with a sheepish grin. “Sorry. Totally blank.”

I groan and bang my head on the table. Aarav pats my shoulder gently like some guru soothing a heartbroken disciple. “Relax. He’s not doing this on purpose.”

“Oh, I know,” I mutter. “It’s that stupid rare condition. Short-term memory reset. Whatever fancy name the doctors gave it.”

“Retrograde episodic something-something,” Aarav supplies calmly.

“Fish brain,” Kabir corrects, still grinning like an idiot.

Vardhan, meanwhile, sits down across from me, looking ridiculously adorable with his clueless smile. “Well… even if I don’t remember… can we, um, start again? I mean, you seem… nice.”

Nice? NICE?! I’m his girlfriend, not a cup of tea!

But then, despite my frustration, my stupid heart does a little somersault. Because even if he forgets, even if every day starts at zero… he still looks at me with the same warmth. Like maybe his heart remembers what his brain can’t.

I roll my eyes and shove a samosa towards him. “Fine. But you’re buying me cold coffee later. Boyfriends—even forgetful ones—have responsibilities.”

His grin widens, melting me into a puddle. “Deal.”

Aarav shakes his head at us, calm as ever. Kabir whistles dramatically, already planning some new prank. And me? I just sigh.

Welcome to another day in the tragicomedy that is my love life.

If Einstein were alive, he’d probably dedicate a whole theory to my relationship. Something like—

“The Law of Daily Reset: Boyfriend will forget you faster than your Wi-Fi forgets the password.”

Last night, after yet another “Hi, I’m Vardhan. Who are you?” conversation, I decided: enough is enough. If Vardhan’s memory wanted to play hide-and-seek with me every single day, I’d just cheat. I’d leave him no choice but to remember me.

Enter: Operation Boyfriend Reminder.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Aarav asked this morning, watching me scribble VANSH IS YOUR GIRLFRIEND ❤️ in giant letters on a bright pink chart paper.

I stuck it with fevicol on Vardhan’s locker. “Of course. Subtle reminders. Psychology. Reverse conditioning.”

Kabir burst out laughing. “Subtle? Vansh, this looks like a Shaadi.com ad. Why don’t you just tattoo your name on his forehead?”

I considered it for two seconds. Not the worst idea.

By the time Vardhan arrived at college, I was ready. Pink chart paper, sticky notes in his books, even his water bottle had a label: PROPERTY OF YOUR GIRLFRIEND, VANSH.

He walked in, hair messy, eyes sleepy, carrying that stupidly perfect smile that could probably cure global warming. Then he stopped. Right in front of his locker.

His brows furrowed. “Uhh… who’s Vansh?”

I nearly screamed.

“That’s me, gadhe!” I jumped in front of him, hands on hips. “Your girlfriend. Vansheekha. Vansh. Remember?”

He blinked, read the chart again, then looked at me like I was a fascinating species in National Geographic. “Wow… you went all out, huh?”

Behind me, Kabir was howling with laughter, recording everything on his phone. Aarav muttered something about “drama queens” under his breath.

Vardhan tilted his head, lips twitching into a small smile. “Okay… so you’re my girlfriend. Got it. Vansh.”

“Finally!” I threw my hands up. “See? It’s working.”

Cut to two hours later, in the library.

Vardhan leaned across the table, eyes narrowing at my notebook. “Hey, Vansh… why does your name look so familiar? Like I’ve seen it somewhere today.”

I slammed the notebook shut. “Because it’s MY name! Because I’m YOUR girlfriend!”

He frowned, confused. “Wait… girlfriend? We’re dating? Since when?”

I swear, in that moment, I nearly threw the dictionary at his face.

Kabir, of course, couldn’t resist. He leaned in, whispering loudly, “Bro, careful. This one’s claiming you already. Next she’ll demand mangalsutra.”

“SHUT UP!” I and Aarav yelled in unison.

But here’s the thing. As much as I wanted to strangle Vardhan, there was this tiny part of me—stupid heart again—that softened every time he called me Vansh, even in confusion. Like maybe some thread still tied us together. Invisible, but real.

And just when I was about to give up, he did something that made me forget my frustration.

He reached across the table, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes softened. “I don’t remember yesterday… or the day before. But… I don’t know. Something about you feels… safe. Like I’ve always known you.”

My heart? Flatlined.

Of course, Kabir ruined the moment by fake-gagging. “Ughhh, romance overdose. Somebody call an ambulance.”

But me? I just sat there, blushing like an idiot, realizing that maybe I didn’t need him to remember yesterday. As long as his heart kept choosing me today.