The Girl in Every Dream

Some people enter our lives long before we ever meet them.

❤️

The Girl in Every Dream
Arjun had never seen her in real life.
Yet somehow, he missed her every morning.
The first dream came when he was twelve.
At the time, it seemed meaningless.
Just another strange dream that would disappear with sunrise.
But unlike other dreams, this one refused to leave.
Even years later, he could remember every detail.
The soft sound of waves crashing against the shore.
The orange sky stretching endlessly above the ocean.
And a girl.
Standing barefoot on the sand.
Her long hair danced with the wind.
Her face remained hidden.
No matter how hard he tried, he could never see it clearly.
Yet he remembered her smile.
Not because he saw it.
But because he felt it.
The dream lasted only a few seconds.
She turned toward him.
Raised her hand.
And whispered something.
Then he woke up.
Every single time.
At first, he ignored it.
Children dream about strange things all the time.
But the dream returned.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Not every night.
Not every week.
Sometimes months passed.
Sometimes years.
But she always came back.
The same beach.
The same sunset.
The same mysterious girl.
Waiting.
As though she knew he would eventually return.
By the time Arjun turned eighteen, the dream had changed.
The girl was no longer standing far away.
Now she sat beside him.
Still faceless.
Still impossible to recognize.
Yet strangely familiar.
Like a forgotten memory trying to find its way home.
One evening, in the dream, they sat together watching the ocean.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved.
Yet silence had never felt so comfortable.
As though words were unnecessary.
As though they had already spent a lifetime talking.
When he woke up that morning, his pillow was wet.
For several minutes he stared at the ceiling.
Confused.
He wasn't sad.
Nothing bad had happened.
Then why was he crying?
Years passed.
Life became busy.
College.
Career.
Responsibilities.
Deadlines.
The ordinary chaos of adulthood.
The dream continued.
Quietly following him through the years.
Like a secret companion.
At twenty-eight, Arjun had everything people admired.
A successful architecture firm.
A beautiful apartment in Chennai.
Friends.
Money.
Respect.
A future most people would envy.
Yet something always felt missing.
Not empty.
Not lonely.
Just unfinished.
Like a sentence waiting for its final word.
His mother noticed it first.
One Sunday afternoon, while serving lunch, she asked,
"Arjun, have you ever thought about getting married?"
He smiled.
The question had become routine.
"Amma, not again."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
"You are thirty-two."
"I know."
"Don't you want someone in your life?"
He paused.
For a moment, he didn't know how to answer.
Because the truth sounded ridiculous.
How could he explain something he barely understood himself?
How could he tell her that every time he imagined spending his life with someone...
he compared them to a girl whose face he had never seen?
A girl who existed only in dreams.
That night, the dream returned.
For the first time in nearly six months.
Only this time...
something was different.
The beach was gone.
The ocean was gone.
The sunset was gone.
Instead, he found himself standing inside an old railway station.
Rain poured heavily outside.
Passengers rushed past.
Announcements echoed through the air.
And there she was.
Closer than ever before.
Standing only a few feet away.
Still impossible to see clearly.
Still wrapped in mystery.
Yet this time...
he heard her voice.
Perfectly.
Soft.
Warm.
Familiar.
The kind of voice that made you feel safe immediately.
She looked directly at him.
And smiled.
Then she said:
"You're late."
Arjun frowned.
Late?
Before he could respond, she continued.
"I've been waiting for you."
A strange ache filled his chest.
The kind that appears when hearing something you've needed your entire life.
But didn't know it.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The girl smiled.
A sad smile this time.
Almost as if she couldn't believe he had forgotten.
Then she whispered:
"You used to know."
The station began to disappear.
The world around him faded.
The sound of rain grew distant.
The girl's figure slowly dissolved into light.
Panic rushed through him.
"No."
His voice cracked.
"Wait."
For the first time in twenty years of dreaming about her...
he didn't want to wake up.
Not yet.
Not when he was finally getting answers.
Not when she was finally within reach.
He took a step forward.
Then another.
The distance between them shrank.
And for a brief second...
he almost saw her face.
Almost.
Then he opened his eyes.
The room was dark.
Silent.
Empty.
His heart raced wildly.
He sat upright.
Breathing heavily.
The digital clock beside his bed read:
3:17 AM.
Sleep was impossible now.
The dream felt too real.
Too vivid.
Too important.
As though something had changed.
As though a door had quietly opened somewhere in the universe.
And on the other side...
someone was waiting.
Arjun walked to the balcony.
The city below slept peacefully.
A cool breeze touched his face.
He looked toward the distant horizon.
And for reasons he couldn't explain...
he suddenly felt certain of one thing.
Somewhere.
In this enormous world.
The girl from his dreams was real.
And somehow...
their story had already begun.