Under the busiest flyover of the city, when the cars get stuck in traffic like ants, Ayan was lowering his car window a bit to soak in the hot, humid air outside. Ayan is past twenty-seven. He has a good job, his own flat, and a tidy life—he has it all. But whenever the topic of marriage or love comes up in his friends' gatherings, Ayan always maintains a strange distance. His friends laugh and say, "Hey Ayan, you're completely single, but you've built such a wall around you that it feels like you're not available!" Ayan simply smiles. He can't explain to anyone that there's no pride behind being "not available"; there's just a sense of self-respect and an odd, peaceful silence within him.
There was a time in Ayan's life when he wanted to drown in a flood of emotions. During his university days, he had loved someone and had poured all his attention into that relationship. But that relationship taught him that sometimes people use others just to escape their own loneliness. When that loneliness fades away or a new attraction appears, they have no qualms about leaving the old person behind. It took Ayan a long time to heal those wounds of a broken heart. During those tough days, Ayan understood one thing very well—being a temporary "time-pass" or option in someone's life is far worse than being alone with one’s own solitude. He didn’t want to demean himself. He started to focus on his career, his parents, and his mental peace. He remained single but shaped himself in such a way that no cheap emotion or temporary infatuation could sway him anymore.
It was at this time that Taniya joined Ayan's office. Taniya was a bit different. She was quick-witted but extremely serious about her work. While the other guys in the office eagerly waited to talk to Taniya, Ayan would sit in his cabin signing file after file or sipping coffee while staring at his laptop screen. Ayan's indifference surprised Taniya a lot. One day, they found themselves sitting face to face in the office rooftop cafeteria regarding a project. After finishing their work, Taniya broke the silence first. With a hint of humor in her voice, she said, "So, Ayan Bhai, there's a buzz in the office that you’re single and that no one can enter your life. Are you really ‘not available’?"
Ayan closed his laptop and looked at Taniya. There was no discomfort in his eyes; rather, there was a kind of deep calmness. He said, "You haven't heard anything wrong, Taniya. I actually believe that my heart isn’t a public park where anyone can come and stroll around at any time and leave when they please. I am single because I don’t have a partner in my life at this moment. And I’m not available because as long as I don't find someone who understands my silence, respects my self-esteem, and has no hesitation in merging her life with mine, I won’t open the door of my heart for anyone else. It makes no sense to ruin a sacred feeling for a temporary infatuation.”
Taniya fell silent. She was trying to gauge the depth of Ayan's words. In today’s world, where relationships form and break so rapidly, the thought of a guy preserving his emotions and self-respect like this seemed unimaginable. Taniya realized that Ayan had not closed himself off but instead had made himself valuable for the right person.
From that evening onward, the equation of Taniya and Ayan's relationship slowly began to change. They did not spend hours on the phone talking about love every day, nor did they go on dates every weekend. But sharing a cup of coffee during work breaks, standing by the window in silence on rainy days, or showing respect for each other's work—these small moments were bringing them closer. Taniya never tried to forcefully break down Ayan’s “not available” wall; instead, she was trying to enter that wall as a worthy person.
A few months later, on a cloudy evening, it suddenly started pouring as they were on their way back from the office. Ayan and Taniya stood under a shed. Taniya suddenly looked at Ayan and said, “So Ayan, what if someone comes along who doesn’t dig into your past, respects your present, and stands by you through all the storms of your future—would you still keep that ‘not available’ tag?”
Ayan stared at the rain for a while. Then he turned to Taniya and gently took her hand in his. Taniya’s hand was not trembling; instead, it held an unusual assurance. Ayan smiled and said, "No, Taniya, when the right person stands beside you, there’s no need for any tags. It’s just about creating stories of walking together." Amidst the bustling noise of the city streets and the sound of the rain, a profound peace settled between them. They both knew that this journey was not about a temporary infatuation; it was the story of two mature minds finding happiness together.