Meet the clumsy "MEERA"

The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains like a slow whisper, brushing against my face until I finally opened my eyes. The world outside my window was golden , soft and bright, with birds calling somewhere in the distance.

I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, feeling the rhythm of my heartbeat. There was a strange calm inside me that morning , not excitement, not fear, just peace. The kind that makes you want to breathe a little slower, hold the moment a little longer.

My diary was waiting beside me, the one with the leather cover and the ink stains at the edges. I'd written in it last night , poured out every thought that had been sitting in my heart for months. I opened it again, tracing my own words with my fingertip:

"Tomorrow, I'll tell him. No hints. No running away. I'll tell him I want forever."

Just reading that made me smile. My cheeks warmed, my stomach fluttered, and I felt like the world was quietly cheering for me.

I got out of bed, my bare feet touching the cool marble floor. I tied my hair into a loose bun and walked to the mirror. My reflection smiled back , sleepy eyes, faint curls brushing my neck, a quiet glow that only love could bring.

I brewed my morning coffee slowly.The kitchen filled with that comforting aroma, and I took my first sip standing near the window. Outside, the neighborhood looked alive , sunlight bouncing off car roofs, the sound of vendors calling out, a small child chasing a stray balloon.

It was the kind of morning that made you believe nothing could ever go wrong.

That's when my phone buzzed.

A message.

From her - my best friend SIYA.

Siyaa: "Cafe at 11? I need to tell you something! Its been ages"

I smiled instantly.

She always had something to tell me - a new crush, a random drama, or something silly from work. She'd been my constant since college, my partner-in-crime, the sister I'd chosen for myself.

I typed back,

Me :ages already?? Lol its yesterday we met!! you overdramatic.

She sent a laughing emoji, and just like that, my morning had a plan.

Later i went back to my room

I spent extra time getting ready that day.

A soft pink Frock that brushed my knees, silver earrings shaped like tiny drops, and my mother's old bracelet, the one she wore on her engagement day. I let my hair fall loose; he'd once said it looked like sunlight.

I sprayed a my favourite lilly perfume ,Before leaving, I paused by my desk, touching the diary again. For a second, I thought of bringing it along, but then I laughed to myself. "No, Meera," I whispered, "today isn't for words , today's for feelings."

The street was bathed in sunlight when I stepped out of my house.

The air was warm but gentle, and every sound ,car horns, distant music, the rustle of leaves ,felt oddly rhythmic. I walked slowly, my sandals tapping lightly against the pavement. The world around me was alive in color , yellow marigolds at a shop corner, a woman bargaining for flowers.I had barely taken ten steps when I heard it-

“Grrrrr…”

I froze.

Turned slowly.

There he was.

A dog.

Brown. Medium size.

Eyes glowing with mischief and menace.

And directly staring at ME.

“Hi… good morning… namaste…” I whispered hopefully.

He growled louder.

My soul left my body.

“No, no, no. Don’t bark. Don’t chase. I pay taxes. I’m a good citizen—”

WOOF!

That was it.

He charged.

I screamed.

And ran.

"WHY ARE YOU CHASING ME?! GO CHASE A BALL! A STICK! WORLD PEACE!"

Ran like a woman escaping a horror movie.

Ran like my life depended on it.

Ran so fast even my tote bag was slapping my back to keep up.

“GO AWAY! STOP! WHY ME? I DID NOTHING TO YOU!”

People on the street stared as if watching a circus show.

The dog barked and ran faster.heart racing, breath gone,ran like a cartoon character with legs spinning.

Then tragedy struck.

I turned a corner too fast.

And slammed into someone.

HARD.

CRACK.

My heel snapped.

I didn’t even get time to scream.

My body pitched forward, balance disappearing like it never existed.

“Oh god—OH GOD—AAAAAAA—”

I didn’t hit the ground.

Because I hit something else first.

No.

Someone.

Two arms wrapped around me.

Strong.

Steady.

Warm.

My cheek slammed against a chest so firm it could have been a wall disguised as a man.

His hands tightened at my waist to stop my fall.

I gasped.

The world went still.

My breath? Gone.

My brain? Dead.

My dignity? Lost forever.

I didn’t dare look up.

But I felt him look down at me.

Felt the weight of his stare.

Felt the calm strength in his hold while I shook like a terrified pigeon.

For one whole second, I forgot why I was even running.

Then—

Bow!Bowww! Bowwww

Oh yes.

The dog.

The dog was still behind us, furious, barking like he wanted revenge.

I squeaked and buried half my face into the stranger’s shirt.

His grip tightened by instinct, pulling me fully against him.

Safe.

He didn’t say anything.

He didn’t move.

Just held me.

Steady.

Firm.

Like gravity didn’t matter around him.

I finally gathered the courage to turn around slightly—

just enough to glare at the dog.

“GO!” I yelled.

“SHOO! BAD BOY! GO HOME!”

The dog growled louder.

I panicked.

So I did what any normal person would do

I grabbed my tote bag.

Lifted it.

Swung it.

To scare the dog away.

EXCEPT—

The dog moved.

And my tote bag did not hit the dog.

It hit…

HIM.

THE MAN HOLDING ME.

Oh no.

Oh no no no no.

“I— I— I was aiming for the dog,” I whispered.

His eyebrow lifted.

His jaw tightened.

His eyes darkened with a mix of disbelief and something I didn’t understand.

I wanted to disappear.

I threw my hands up.

“I swear I’m not attacking you! I’m not that kind of girl. I’m actually very sweet! Innocent! Delicate!”

He raised one eyebrow.

“Delicate,” he repeated.

“Yes!” I insisted. “But today the universe is using me as a weapon.”

He exhaled slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Are you always like this?”

“No! I swear!” I lied. “I’m usually much worse.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

Just a little.

But I saw it.

Then the dog barked again.

I shrieked and jumped BEHIND the man.

Like he was my personal human shield.

He stared straight ahead.

Expression flat.

Voice flat.

“You’re hiding behind me.”

“Yes!! The dog,” I whispered.

“Not Dog— you idiot....It’s a puppy.”

“ohh well whateverr,It has teeth idiot.”i said rolling my eyes

“It weighs three kilos.”

“So do my fears.”

He blinked.

Slowly.

Like he couldn’t believe I existed.

He bent down, picked up the puppy with one hand, lifted it like it was weightless, and handed it to a nearby vendor.

Then he turned to me.

“You’re… trembling,” he said quietly.

“I—NO—I—It’s how I breathe!”

“It’s not.”

That voice.

Soft, but not gentle.

More like… assessing.

I forced a smile.

“We should forget this. You go your way. I go my way. No more injuries. No more puppy attacks. No more me hitting you with my—”

I lifted my tote bag.

He took half a step back.

“Right,” he said. “That’s enough.”

I nodded furiously.

"Yes"

I turned to flee before the universe delivering another disaster.

But I felt it.

His eyes.

Following me.

Not in irritation.

Not in confusion.

But in that intense, unfathomable way someone looks when something inside them has clicked.

And then I ran away,limping because my heel was broken dying inside because I just assaulted a stranger and praying my life would reset somehow.

If anyone had asked me how my morning was going, I would’ve said:

“Please don’t talk to me unless you’re a therapist.”

Because honestly?

I had reached a point where even oxygen felt like it was judging me.

I limped down the lane, clutching my broken heel in one hand and my traitor tote bag in the other, while replaying everything that just happened like a humiliating film.

A dog chased me.

I ran like a freak.

My heel broke.

I fell.. fell — into a stranger’s arms.

Not just any stranger.

Tall. Sharp. Dangerous-looking.

Like fate sculpted him at 3 AM when destiny was feeling dramatic.

And then I…Hit him.

With my tote bag.

Who does that??

WHO???

Me.

Of course me.

I felt like the universe was sitting somewhere with popcorn.

I kept walking, muttering under my breath

“Why me? Why always me? What did I ever do to anyone? Why couldn’t the dog chase someone else? Why couldn’t I fall on the ground instead of a person? Why couldn’t I hit a tree instead of a man? Trees don’t judge—”

I stopped.

Looked up at the sky.

“Please,” I whispered. “Can my day stop attacking me for five minutes? I beg.”

My heart was still pounding from fear, embarrassment, and the memory of his arms around me.

Ugh.

I didn’t want to think about that.

He was probably telling his friends:

“Guys, I saved a crazy woman today. She attacked me with a bag.”

My face heated again.

I needed peace.

Calm.

Silence.

The universe said

“No.”

Because that’s when my phone buzzed.

Just a single vibration.

Normally I ignore notifications when I’m embarrassed and dying inside, but something ...something made me check it.

Maybe instinct.

Maybe hope.

I pulled the phone out with trembling fingers.

One message.

From…

Kabir.

My heart stopped.

Then restarted at triple speed.

At first, everything around me blurred , the road, the noise, the chaos… all faded.

Just the message remained.

I opened it.

Kabir:"Busy morning love??. But meet me later?"

I smiled like a fool. My fingers hovered over the keyboard before I replied,

Me: " yeahh okay. I have something to tell you."

I added a heart. Then deleted it. Then added it again.

Little did I know, even the smallest decisions that day would stay etched in my memory forever.

Halfway to the cafe, the sunlight began to fade.Clouds drifted across the sky, lazy at first, then darker, heavier. The air shifted , that quiet tension before the rain. I felt the first drop hit my hand as I crossed the street. Then another. And another.

I didn't rush. I just tilted my face upward, letting the raindrops fall.

Something about rain always felt like magic - the way it made the world smell new, the way it made you feel alive. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and kept walking, the hem of my frock dampening slightly. i felt like a pair of eyes watching me but but i ignored. Made my way to cafe

By the time I reached the cafe, the sky had fully surrendered to the storm.

Rain tapped on the glass walls, soft music played inside, and the familiar aroma of coffee wrapped around me like an old memory.I'd stood outside for two whole minutes just watching the rain - the same rain that made everything feel softer, more alive.

The bell above the cafe door chimed softly as I stepped inside, shaking the last drops of rain from my hair. The air smelled of coffee and cinnamon, and for a second, it felt like life had pressed pause , quiet, simple, safe.

I spotted her - my best friend siya, waving from our usual corner. The same corner where we'd shared everything: heartbreaks, dreams, secrets, and stupid plans that never worked. She looked beautiful, like she always did. Maybe a little too perfect today.

“There she is!” she shouted, loud enough that three tables looked up. “The girl who can outrun dogs and break heels like a Bollywood stunt double!”

I froze.

She knew.

Of course she knew.

I narrowed my eyes and marched to the table.

“How do you know about the dog?”

She smirked, leaning back. “You left the entire neighborhood screaming. Even the chaiwala uncle outside said, ‘Aaj koi heroine bhaag ke gayi idhar se.’”

Oh god.

I covered my face with my hands.

“Siya, I want to disappear.”

She pulled my hands down. “No disappearing allowed. Sit.”

I sat, still mortified.

Siya took one look at my broken heel peeking out of my bag. “So… this is the legendary heel that sacrificed its life today?”

“It didn’t sacrifice anything. It betrayed me,” I said dramatically. “Betrayed me at the worst possible moment.”

She pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

“And what about the man you fell on?”

I choked. “Don’t. Don’t talk about him. I don’t want to remember.”

“Oh, I want to remember,” she said, eyes shining with pure evil curiosity. “Tell me everything. Was he cute?”

I stared at her, then sighed.

“He was… tall.”

“That’s not a description. That’s a measurement.”

“He was sharp-looking.”

“That could be a knife.”

I groaned. “Siyaa! Why are you like this?”

She grinned, stirring her coffee. “Fine. Start from the beginning. I want the full story.”

So I told her.

The dog.

The chase.

My dramatic sprinting.

The heel betrayal.

The fall.

His arms.

My accidental smack with the tote bag.

And me running away like a criminal.

Siya was wheezing by the end of it, wiping tears from her eyes.

“Meera… Meera… why are you like this?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “I think God made me on April Fool’s Day.”

She slapped the table, laughing again.

Her laughter was familiar, the kind that used to echo in college corridors when we skipped classes together.I smiled back, brushing wet hair off my forehead slipped into the seat across from her. The cushion sighed beneath me, warm and slightly sticky from humidity. My fingers wrapped around the coffee mug waiting for me — caramel latte, extra froth. My favorite.

She remembered.

Of course she did. She always remembered.

The rain pressed against the window now, gentle but constant. Outside, people hurried with umbrellas, their reflections rippling across puddles. I looked at Siya again.

Her lipstick was darker than usual crimson instead of pink — and her eyeliner sharper. A little too perfect for a casual coffee meet. Her phone was face down on the table, a habit she never had before.

“So,” I said, blowing softly on my coffee. “What’s the big secret? You texted me like it was a matter of national importance.”

"Nothing i just pretended that i had something to say so that i can meet youu today " she said.