The Reunion

The café smelled the same—strong chai, buttered toast, and a little bit of nostalgia. He hadn’t stepped into this place for years, yet it felt like he had never left. The walls still had faded movie posters, the old man at the counter still scolded customers for talking too loudly, and the air still carried that mix of tea, smoke, and long-lost conversations.

And then they started arriving.

First came Aman—the most responsible one, though that never really meant much in their group. He was always the one to talk them out of trouble, or at least try. Still dressed sharp, still carrying that calm smile like he had everything under control.

Then Shivam, walking in like he owned the place. The hothead. The one who could pick a fight with a wall if it looked at him wrong. Even now, his first words weren’t a greeting.

"How the hell did we survive without you picking fights for us?" Shivam smirked. "I actually had to throw my own punches for once."

"And I assume you lost most of them?" Ronny shot back, raising an eyebrow.

Shivam scoffed, but before he could respond, Mohit stepped in. The quiet observer. The one who never spoke much but always knew everything. His nod was simple, his eyes scanning Ronny as if reading him like an old book.

"You’ve changed," Mohit finally said.

"Yeah, he got all serious and boring," Gourav interrupted, laughing. The clown of the group. The mood-maker. "I bet he doesn’t even punch people for fun anymore."

"He was never punching for fun," Vicky added, grinning. The carefree one. The guy who never took anything seriously but somehow was always there when needed. "He just had a talent for creating problems where none existed."

Ronny shook his head, a small smirk forming. Same idiots. Same energy.

"Enough talking, let’s sit," Aman gestured toward the corner table. Their table.

As they settled in, the conversations began to flow like old times.

---

"Remember when we were banned from the school canteen?" Gourav grinned.

"Which time?" Ronny asked.

"The time we tried to cook maggi in the chemistry lab!" Vicky burst out laughing. "That day, our school realized we were a lost cause."

Shivam nearly choked on his chai. "Oh man, I still remember the principal’s face! ‘This is a school, not a roadside dhaba!’" he mimicked, making everyone laugh.

"And then Ronny said, ‘But sir, even dhabas serve better food than our canteen.’" Aman added, shaking his head. "You just had to say that, didn’t you?"

Ronny shrugged. "Well, I wasn’t wrong."

"You weren’t wrong, but you were dumb." Mohit smirked. "Three days of detention. Worth it?"

"Absolutely," Ronny grinned.

The laughter continued, shifting from one memory to another.

"Ronny, do you still fight like before?" Shivam suddenly asked, his eyes playful yet curious.

Ronny leaned back, smirking. "Do I look like I have time for street fights?"

"Yeah, right," Gourav scoffed. "This is the same guy who once fought three guys because they stole my samosa."

"And he actually won," Aman shook his head. "Not just the fight, but the samosa too."

"Of course," Ronny grinned. "Some things are worth fighting for."

---

Everything felt normal, as if the years apart had never happened. The jokes, the laughter, the teasing—it was like stepping back into time.

But then, Shivam leaned in, his voice quieter this time.

"So, tell us, man... why did you really leave?"

The laughter died down. The lightness in the air disappeared.

Ronny’s fingers tapped against his cup, his eyes unreadable. He had known this question was coming.

"Yeah," Vicky added, softer this time. "You just vanished. No calls, no messages. Not even a goodbye."

"You were the strongest among us," Mohit said, watching him carefully. "The one who always stood up for everyone. But when we needed you the most, you weren’t there."

Ronny exhaled slowly. They deserved an answer.

But some things were better left unsaid.

"I guess... I just had to go," he said simply.

His friends exchanged glances. They knew he was holding back.

"It’s fine," Aman finally said, offering a small smile. "Whenever you’re ready, we’ll be here."

For a moment, Ronny just looked at them. The people who had been his family once. The people he had left behind.

And for the first time in a long time, he felt like he had finally come home.

---

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