The flickering tube light buzzed incessantly, mirroring the chaos in Shuvo's mind. The stale air in his tiny one-room apartment felt suffocating. It had been three years since he graduated with dreams of changing his life-and hers. But reality? Reality was cruel. No job, dwindling savings, and an emptiness he couldn't escape.
Shuvo stared at the calendar on the peeling wall. "November 30th"-just two days away. That was the date of her wedding. The date he dreaded.
"Shuvo, are you even trying?" his best friend Shahin had asked the day before, frustration dripping from every word.
"I've applied everywhere, Shahin! Every office, every factory, even delivery jobs. Nothing!" Shuvo snapped, his voice breaking.
"And about... Ritu? You talked to her?" Shahin's tone softened. Shuvo shook his head, the image of Ritu's teary eyes stabbing him. "What would I say? That her parents were right? That I can't give her the life she deserves? She deserves better..."
The phone buzzed. Ritu's name with a gentle, polished photo glowed on the screen.
He hesitated. Could he bear to hear her voice, knowing he'd lose her forever? But something pulled him. He picked up.
"Shuvo?" Her voice was soft, trembling.
"Ritu," he managed, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Why are you doing this to us? Why are you pushing me away? Don't you love me anymore?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
Shuvo clenched his fist, fighting back tears. "Love isn't enough, Ritu. Your parents are right. I have nothing to offer you."
"You think I care about money? About some job?" she cried. "I need you! Not anyone else!"
"You deserve stability, not this mess," he said coldly, his heart shattering with every word. "I won't stand in your way." The silence on the other end was unbearable. "You're a coward, Shuvo," she finally said, her voice filled with pain. "Goodbye, Bhalo theko."
The call ended. The emptiness in the room grew heavier. That night, Shuvo wandered aimlessly through the city streets. The neon lights of shops and the chatter of strangers blurred into a haunting symphony. His mind replayed their memories-her laughter, the plans they'd made, the dreams they'd built together.
He found himself by the river, the cold wind biting his skin. The bridge loomed above him, a shadowy silhouette against the night sky. He stared at the water, its depths dark and unforgiving.
"This world has no place for dreamers like me," he muttered to himself. His reflection rippled below, distorted and broken-just like him.
But as he stepped closer to the edge, a sudden voice startled him.
"Shuvo?" He turned sharply. No one was there. The streets were empty, the silence deafening. Was it his mind playing tricks on him? Or something else?
Actually, it was not reality- it was merely a dream, Shovo understands it later. The next morning, the city woke with the sound of city vehicles. Sounds of vendors, frequent whistle all help Shuvo wake up after a troublesome, intolerable long night. It's November 29. A brand new day. Shovo intent to skip this couple of days. As tomorrow is 30 November. A lot of tensions, uncertainties pushing Shuvo downwards. He doesn't have any idea even what he should do at this situation.
He remindeds the golden moments of their love days. How beautifully they've spend their time together. How sharply they insisted harboring their dreams. Dreams of getting married, making life for each other, having kids. Even, they confirmed the names of their imaginary babies. But who knows the destiny? Shuvo trying to stay calm and quiet but couldn't resist himself remembering their past.
However, returning to reality, that means in the small apartment, Shuvo's phone buzzed incessantly. Messages from friends, a missed call from Shahin, and one unread message from Ritu:
"If you ever need me, I'll be waiting. Always." This "need" though contains lots of connotations but yet Shuvo is too reluctant to think anything off. He kept finding the underneath meaning of that text. This short message carries huge meaning as well as increased his tensions. He kept wandering in search of finding it's inner connotations.
November 30 arrived, and the air felt heavier than ever. Shuvo's phone buzzed incessantly with messages, yet his mind was elsewhere. Ritu's wedding was just hours away, and he was caught in a whirlwind of emotions. The uncertainty of his future pressed down on him; despite his efforts, the job he so desperately needed had eluded him.
But just that morning, an unexpected later had come-an appointment later from a government office where he had once interviewed. The job was his, a dream finally realized. Yet, as the clock ticked toward Ritu's ceremony, Shuvo couldn't shake the weight of her last message: "If you ever need me, I'll be waiting. Always."
He thought of their shared memories-plans, promises, and a future that now seemed out of reach. Ritu was about to marry another, yet Shuvo couldn't help but wonder: What if?
The ceremony unfolded without him, but Shuvo remained at a crossroads. His heart wrestled with the past, and his mind with the future, as he stared at the glowing text on his screen, trying to decipher its true meaning.
The ending, like the message, was uncertain, leaving only one question: What will Shuvo choose?
