Ma always used to say that every star born in this universe sooner or later finds its match — for it is way too lonesome to spend an eternity in the vast expanse of the dark sky, all by yourself.

For the longest time, Sandhya chose to have faith in her mother's words. She kept believing there was someone out there — looking forward to the day their paths would cross, eager to get lost in the world hiding behind her eyes, waiting to find his other half and feel whole again.

Just like she was.

They say love taps you on your shoulder when you least expect it. Well, if that theory is true, Sandhya was fucked. She could bid adieu to love in this lifetime. For no one ever taught her how to find love if she never had the courage to look away, actively chasing the remotest possibility of love with a dwindling torch of longing flickering with desperation.

So this was it. Her final chance at chasing love.

Peeking at her from this magical town of Amorville, hopefully, waiting to be found. Barring her heart thudding at the footsteps of love, for the first time, Sandhya understood the meaning of love being in the air as she set foot in the heart of this mysterious town. For everything in Amorville screamed love, as if this entire town was a billboard created to advertise heartbreak in the guise of endearment.

Yet she felt ready to take a leap of faith.

Wrapped in a season of perennial pink, a sudden gush of welcoming wind tickled branches of cherry blossom above her, Sakura petals falling all around her as if she was about to be the main character of a heart wrenching romcom. There was an unexplainable devotion in the way the petals chose to fall at her feet, their soft touches igniting a melody her heart had forgotten ages ago.

One step forward.

The scent of roses enveloped her, throwing her into a memory she was yet to create — dancing with her lover in a meadow shimmering faintly under the moonlight. Though there were no roses around in the present, there was hope. For even if Sandhya would try to run away from it all, the streets lined with cobblestones in the shape of intertwined hearts would remind her why she ended up escaping to an unknown town just four days after her mother's death.

In the name of love.

Clutching the crumpled map tighter in her palm as if it threatened to fly away with the changing winds, Sandhya took a deep breath and made a mental note of the scene before her — in all its magic and madness. Until her eyes' reach were houses painted in soft shades of pinks, lavender and gold, each colour a testament to love, mystery and enchantment.

Sandhya didn't know how to describe love, but if asked to paint a picture, she now knew what hers would look like.

Many heartbeats later, her aching feet realised their search for home was to end soon once her gaze landed one of the biggest wonders of this other-worldly place, basking in all its glory as it blinded Sandhya momentarily. Eyes squinted in pain, the sound of water echoed in the bowls of her ears, calming the wanderer who had travelled miles away from home after losing it all. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she gasped in surprise at the scene before her.

At the heart of Amorville stood the fountain of echoes. Basin carved from a huge geode of deep amethyst fused with a mosaic of cracked rose quartz, held together by veins of simmering gold running through the cracks, making them whole. Broken in a way that their beauty echoed of assurance — that maybe, it is okay to be broken, to need someone else to feel whole again.

For the first time since losing the last person who loved her less than a week ago, a tear ran across Sandhya's cheek, as if wanting to drop into the fountain and blend into its imperfect echo of longing. At the base of the blue reflection, each silver coin whispered a unique tale — for this was not a fountain where you tossed a coin to make wishes come true.

It was rumoured to be a portal, the reflection teleporting you momentarily to all those fleeting glimpses of memories you once cherished but have now forgotten.

Sandhya checked her pockets, tapping them for loose change though she knew she was almost penniless anyway. Thankfully, it wouldn't be long until the executor would complete the legal formalities and deposit her inheritance into her account but Sandhya needed to survive until then somehow.

Financially and emotionally.

Out of coins to throw, she wondered what it would be like to see her reflection in the fountain. Which memory would it take her back to?

Would it be the first time she twinkled her light brown eyes at her Baba, hypnotising him with her infant charm? As if taken to that very moment, she could hear herself cooing in the warmth of her father's strong arms, the smell of his aftershave making her sneeze. Communicating in familiarity, she wrapped her entire palm around his finger, sharing a look where he promised her that he would protect her from the world.

Or would it be a usual Sunday morning where she would wake up to the sound of her favourite kachoris being fried and hot chai being poured, a smile erupting on her face even before her feet could land on the ground? The memory of Ma coming to wake her up and Sandhya pretending to be asleep so her mother could caress her hair to wake her up, slowly examining the state of her room and lecturing her about spiders and dust mites.

If she could go back in time, Sandhya would never get angry at her mother for asking her to clean her room or yelling at her to study instead of wasting time on her phone. She would never argue with her Baba or try to convince him to let her eat street food again. Hell, she would be the best daughter the world had seen — the kind her Ma and Baba truly deserved.

Not realising how a single tear had transformed into rivulets, Sandhya spent hours reminiscing in old memories, without any help from the fountain. Once the sun was about to set, an orangish pink hue settling in the sky, she got up on her feet and motivated herself to go find her new home.

If it could even be that without the people who made it home.

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The new home was a two floored cottage house, split four ways in an affordable housing plan. Without much cash on her, Sandhya was grateful as one of her roommates — Jasper — showed her their modest yet sufficient living arrangement.

She quickly learned that most people living in this complex were either students who chose not to stay on campus or struggling artists who had recently moved out, fresh off the boat, temporarily making ends meet at a low profile job whilst hustling towards their dreams, waiting for an opportunity to knock on their doors.

"Let me know if you need anything." Aurora beamed, looking up from her books for a minute to give her a warm smile. "And hey, welcome home, Sandhya."

Hours later while sharing dinner together, her third roommate, Preet — a name that literally means love — spiralled into explaining every detail about their roommate agreement, staying in Amorville and making a living here. Turns out, they already had a fourth roommate but to Sandhya's luck, he had just vanished a few weeks ago and terminated his portion of the lease early via mail, making space to accommodate Sandhya's roommate request.

Perfect timing. Or should we call it fate?

But when she tried to pry, she hardly got any answers about the mysterious fourth ex-roommate. Only secret glances exchanged between the other three as the sound of cutlery reverberated in the dining room, dead silence, too suspicious to ignore.

"Get used to the silence." Jasper tried to ease Sandhya while they were completing their designated chore of washing dishes, though Preet insisted on taking over since it was Sandhya's first day here. "Valentine's month is going to be here soon and it's going to get busy at work — Aurora and I will hardly be home."

"You both work in the same place?" She rinsed the bowl while awkwardly trying to get more information from Jasper.

"Yes." He shut the faucet and leaned on the counter, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Actually, let me know if you're interested too." He hesitated, grabbing a cloth to dry the dishes. "Rent's due on 25th. And we need as much help as we can get when it's peak love season. Especially once Cupid's Kiosk starts in February. It gets intense, you'll see." He chuckled nervously and Sandhya's mouth fell open at how she had shot the arrow on the bull's eye without even trying.

She faked ohs and ahs as Jasper told her all about 'The Ever After Boutique' — as if hearing about it for the first time, as if her Google history wasn't full of related search terms, as if the map hidden away in her bag didn't have a heart around this exact location.

"I'll think about it." The lie slipped through her lips with absolute ease as she wished her roommates goodnight and retired to her room, as if her heart didn't leap at the chance of having unrestricted access to this particular shop.

Though a stroke of serendipity would be much appreciated, it was no coincidence that Sandhya ended up being roommates with the manager of The Ever After Boutique. Because, magic aside, if you look at it through the wicked lens of realism, none of this was fated.

The disappearance of the fourth roommate. The ticket to Amoville under Sandhya's pillow on the night of her mother's death. Ma's letter urging her to go to an unknown land enclosed with a map of Amorville — marking certain locations, including this house and the shop — as if they were key to her journey of finding love.

But most importantly, the last few words in her mother's letter — particularly, two words scribbled with power and fear, with a warning to only use them in grave situations and never in front of a mirror.

But wasn't Sandhya's life devastating enough?

She was all alone in this universe now, without love. And it felt like this star was never to find its match. Slowly twinkling away into nothingness, burning in its own fire of anguish, drowning new deaths every day as it tasted tears which just kept flowing.

After all, when love awaits you on the other side, no price feels too much to pay, no road is too treacherous to take. And Sandhya's mind is made — she is willing to go any length possible, to give it all for love.

To burn and drown. To fall and fly. To live or die.

All, in the name of love.

Random Question: If you could run away to a fictional world, which one would you choose?

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A/N: This was an incredibly difficult chapter to write — so I truly hope you enjoyed reading it. I have finally made my mind to explore this story in third person POV and I'm hyped for you to see what's in store ahead.

What do you think of Amorville? Given a chance, would you like to visit there? What's the most memorable thing of Amorville so far for you?

Feel free to share your thoughts about this chapter in the comments; I love reading them! And please click the star button if you liked this chapter (it really makes a difference). <3

Thank you for being here. See you again soon.