“Shadows on the Northbound Express
"Tanya! Hey!"
Dev shouted over the station noise, pushing through the crowd and grabbing the woman’s sleeve. But when she turned around, his pulse dropped. It wasn't Tanya—his childhood friend—but a complete stranger. Surrounding commuters gave him a momentary look of annoyance before turning back to their phones and luggage. The woman, however, kept her eyes fixed on him.
Flustered, Dev stumbled over a quick apology, ready to disappear into the crowd. Before he could step back, she spoke up.
"Aren’t you Dev Roy? From the old colony in Ranchi?"
Dev stopped in his tracks. "Yeah... I am. Do I know you?"
"It’s been almost twelve years," she said with a faint smile. "I'm Priya. Priya Sharma."
The memory finally struck him. Priya had been Tanya’s inseparable shadow throughout their college years. Wherever Tanya went, Priya was right there beside her. Back then, Dev had found it infuriating—every attempt he made to get Tanya alone was quietly thwarted by Priya’s constant presence. Their old lecturer used to joke that the two girls were attached at the hip.
"Where are you traveling to?" Priya asked.
"Heading down to the central junction to catch a connecting train to Hyderabad," Dev said. "What about you?"
"Just visiting family in the city for the weekend."
"Looks like we're on the same route for a bit."
The heavy roar of the incoming train cut their conversation short. As the doors opened, the platform surged forward, but Dev and Priya managed to secure window seats opposite each other in the compartment.
As the train rattled down the tracks, the awkwardness melted into an easy conversation over paper cups of hot tea and local snacks. Priya shared details about her work as a graphic designer in the city, while Dev talked about his role in corporate logistics.
The hours melted away. As the train approached the city station and commuters began gathering their bags, Dev finally brought up the question he had been holding back.
"Time flew by," Dev said, adjusting his bag. "I wanted to ask... do you ever hear from Tanya? Do you know where she ended up?"
Priya looked at him for a long moment, a quiet, wistful expression crossing her face.
"You never really cared to see me, Dev," she said softly. "It was always Tanya. You spent years holding onto her, but you were completely blind to the fact that she never looked at you that way. She was in love with Siddharth—your roommate. When she left for her master's degree abroad, she moved on instantly. Yet you waited, holding onto a ghost. Even today, on the platform, your face fell the moment you realized I wasn't her."
Dev sat completely stunned. He had no idea Priya had perceived his silent heartbreak so accurately, let alone carried the weight of it all these years.
They stepped off onto the busy platform. Dev turned toward the transit lounge to wait for his night train, while Priya walked toward the main exit. Just before stepping into the street light, she turned back to face him one last time.
"Your heart was always reserved for someone who never valued it," she said quietly. "And because of that, you failed to see the one person who actually cared about you more than anyone else. I hope you finally open your eyes, Dev. Goodbye."
She turned and vanished into the evening crowd toward the bus terminal.
Dev stood frozen as her words echoed in his mind. The one person who actually cared?
In a sudden, overwhelming flash, forgotten memories rushed back—the late-night study notes left on his desk, the quiet support when he failed his exams, the person who always stood up for him when Tanya brushed him off. It had never been Tanya taking care of him.
It had been Priya all along.
Without a second thought, Dev dropped his travel bag and broke into a run toward the exit doors, desperate to catch her before she vanished into the city forever.