Grandma told me about a boy she loved when she was young. She didn't, really.

But she spoke of him often during a time when she barely spoke at all, with a light in her eyes that hadn't been there before. She had lost her husband — my grandfather — a few months earlier, and the melancholy sat heavy in our house.

Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she had started reading again, something she said she'd never had time for before. She'd often recommend her favourites to me.

"Have you read this?" she'd ask, handing me a new novel each week as we sat in her backyard, sipping chai.

Most of the books, renowned works of regional literature, had once been lent to her by a boy she'd met at university.

"Only take them if you'll read to the end, Meera," she'd warn. It was a rule he had lived by: never leave a book unfinished, out of respect for the author.

"Where is he now?" I asked.

She didn't know. He had left suddenly, mid-semester, to return home for a family crisis. He barely said goodbye — just left behind another one of his books, promising to collect it when he returned.

He never did, and she never saw him again. He left no address, no number. She was silent for a beat, but I heard the regret.

She handed me the last book he ever gave her, its pages and spine worn, but tenderly wrapped in a cloth cover.

It was the only book she'd never been able to finish. The only time she'd broken his rule.

I don't like romance; I didn't have the heart to tell her. But when I began reading, the story pulled me in.

"Are you enjoying it, then? Perhaps I should have read it after all," she said one evening, noticing how quickly I'd reached the end.

He had written his number and left an address on the second-to-last page, signed with love.

"It's nothing special," I said, turning the page, closing the book quickly.

"There must have been a time for it. But not anymore."

There was room for only so much heartbreak.

Hi! I'm Reeya, and I truly enjoyed crafting this story for you. I'd love to hear your thoughts — what resonated with you, which passages struck a chord, or anything else you'd like to share. Let me know in the comments; your feedback means the world to me!