The sound of birds outside his window woke MK earlier than usual.
Morning light spilled across the room, soft and golden, and for a moment, he almost forgot where he was.
But then the dull ache in his chest reminded him.
Reality never let him rest for too long.
At breakfast, the house felt unusually quiet.
His mother smiled as she served him tea, his father read the paper silently, and his older brother kept glancing at him.
They weren't saying it, but MK knew — they were worried.
He forced a grin.
"Come on, guys. I'm not a ghost yet. Stop looking at me like that."
His brother finally chuckled, and the tension broke.
The four of them laughed together — a rare, warm sound that filled the house.
When MK stepped outside, the sky was already bright.
Sandeep was waiting by the gate, waving as if nothing in the world was wrong.
"Race you to school!"
"Don't blame me if you lose!" MK shouted back, and for a while, it really felt like an ordinary day.
But at school, during the lunch break, the ordinary began to crack.
Sandeep found MK on the rooftop, staring at the sky.
"Hey, why so serious? I brought your favorite bread!"
MK smiled faintly, but his hands trembled when he reached for it.
He didn't say anything at first.
Finally, he whispered,
"Do you ever think about… how short everything feels? Like we're running out of time, but no one notices?"
Sandeep frowned.
"Man, what's with you today? You sound like some poet."
MK laughed softly.
"Maybe I am."
They ate in silence after that, the sound of the wind filling the space between them.
That night, MK sat by his desk, staring at the blank page of his notebook.
He picked up his pen, then hesitated.
The words wouldn't come out — not yet.
He closed the notebook and whispered,
"Tomorrow. I'll write it tomorrow."