The Best Decision of My Life ❤️

If anyone had asked Raghav Darbar what his greatest achievement was, they might have expected him to say becoming a Chartered Accountant at the age of twenty-five.

But he would have smiled and answered differently.

"Finding Suhani Sharma."

For him, numbers were a profession.

Photography was a passion.

And love...

Love was Suhani.

Monday mornings at Sharma & Associates always began the same way.

Files stacked neatly on his desk.

Clients waiting outside.

Tax calculations.

Audits.

Financial statements.

As a Chartered Accountant, Raghav enjoyed the challenge. Every balance sheet had a story, and every successful client gave him a sense of accomplishment.

His colleagues often joked that he looked too cheerful for someone who spent all day surrounded by spreadsheets.

Only Raghav knew why.

Every evening, after office hours, he packed away his laptop, picked up his camera, and disappeared into the city.

Photography wasn't just a hobby.

It was his escape.

Sunsets.

Rain-soaked streets.

Laughing children.

Old temples.

Birds taking flight.

Smiling strangers.

He loved capturing moments that could never be recreated.

His Instagram page, dedicated entirely to photography, had slowly grown over the years.

Thousands of people followed his work, eagerly waiting for his next upload.

But despite the growing popularity, he had never considered becoming a full-time photographer.

His career as a Chartered Accountant gave him stability.

Photography gave him peace.

He wanted both.

Family had always been the center of Raghav's life.

His parents had supported every dream he had ever dared to dream.

His father never pressured him to choose a different career.

His mother celebrated every small success as though it were the biggest achievement in the world.

And then there was his elder sister, Riya.

Ever since she got married, the house had become quieter.

But every weekend she visited with her little son, Aarav.

The four-year-old had declared Raghav his "coolest mama."

Whenever Aarav visited, Raghav's expensive camera immediately became "our camera."

Every family photograph somehow turned into a blurry selfie because Aarav insisted on pressing the shutter button himself.

Raghav never minded.

Those imperfect photographs were often his favorites.

There was, however, one person who occupied the most special place in his heart.

Suhani.

His first love.

His only love.

Their story had begun in Class 11.

Both had chosen the commerce stream.

Both loved photography.

Both enjoyed long conversations over coffee, college festivals, and dreaming about the future.

Friendship had quietly turned into love.

Neither of them remembered who had confessed first anymore.

It had simply happened.

Naturally.

Beautifully.

Years passed.

School ended.

College brought new experiences.

Careers demanded hard work.

But through every stage of life, they stood beside each other.

They celebrated each other's successes.

Supported each other through failures.

And never gave each other a reason to doubt their relationship.

For Raghav, loyalty wasn't a promise.

It was a way of loving.

He had never imagined a future with anyone except Suhani.

And he never would.

Whenever people joked, "What if someone better comes along?"

He simply smiled.

"When you've already found the person, you want to spend your life with you stop looking."

To him, Suhani wasn't just his girlfriend.

She was home.

One evening, while cleaning an old cupboard in his room, Raghav found a dusty cardboard folder filled with school memories.

Report cards.

House competition certificates.

Class photographs.

Autograph books.

And a booklet from the Class 9 Art Exhibition.

He smiled as he flipped through the faded pages.

One painting immediately caught his attention.

It showed a young couple standing beneath a sky full of stars.

The boy gently held the girl close as they shared a kiss.

The background was painted in soft shades of blue and pink, making the entire artwork feel peaceful and hopeful.

At the bottom was the artist's name.

Muskan Patel.

For a moment, Raghav smiled.

"I remember this painting."

He remembered the entire class praising it.

Even the art teacher had displayed it near the entrance because of its beautiful colors and emotions.

Back then, Raghav had looked at the painting and thought—

One day... I hope my love story ends this happily too.

He chuckled softly.

Looks like it really is heading that way.

He carefully placed the booklet back inside the folder.

Muskan had always seemed like a quiet, sincere classmate.

After Class 10, they had chosen different streams and barely interacted.

By the time school ended after Class 12, everyone had gone their separate ways.

He had no idea where she was now.

Maybe she had become an engineer.

Maybe a doctor.

Maybe something entirely different.

Life had simply moved on.

Still, if there was one thing he hoped for, it was that when he and Suhani eventually got married, as many old classmates as possible—including Muskan, if they could reconnect—would attend the wedding.

After all, school memories were a part of growing up.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

He closed the folder, stood up, and looked toward the framed photograph on his study table.

It was a candid picture of Suhani laughing while trying to hide her face from his camera.

His favorite photograph.

His favorite person.

Raghav gently picked up the frame and smiled.

"Just a little longer," he whispered. "Soon, we'll be planning our wedding instead of just talking about it."

His phone buzzed.

A message from Suhani.

Suhani: Dinner tomorrow after work? I found a new café you'll definitely want to photograph.

Raghav's smile widened immediately.

Raghav: Of course. You know I can never say no to you.

He pressed send without a second thought.

His heart was certain.

His future was certain.

And in that future, there had never been anyone except Suhani.

The next evening, Raghav finished reviewing the last client file, shut down his laptop, and stretched his arms.

His phone buzzed.

Suhani: I'm already here. And don't be late, Mr. Photographer.

A smile instantly appeared on his face.

Raghav: Five minutes. Don't finish the dessert without me.

He picked up his camera bag, locked his office, and drove toward the café Suhani had chosen.

The café was warm and elegant, with hanging fairy lights, potted plants, and large glass windows overlooking a small lake.

The moment Raghav stepped inside, he spotted Suhani.

She was sitting by the window, absent-mindedly stirring her cold coffee while scrolling through her phone.

She looked up.

Their eyes met.

A bright smile spread across both their faces.

"There you are," Suhani said, pretending to be annoyed.

"I was only three minutes late."

"Three minutes are also minutes."

Raghav laughed.

"I'm guilty."

He pulled a single sunflower from behind his back.

"For the prettiest girl who's waiting for me."

Suhani's eyes widened.

"You remembered my favorite flower."

"I always do."

She accepted it with a smile that melted his heart.

"You spoil me."

"I plan to continue doing that."

She laughed and lightly hit his arm.

"You'll never change."

"I don't want to."

After ordering their food, the conversation flowed as naturally as it always did.

"So," Suhani asked, "how was work today?"

"Busy. One client almost gave me a heart attack by bringing an entire year's paperwork at the last minute."

She laughed.

"And?"

"I survived."

"As expected."

"What about you?"

"My project presentation finally got approved."

"Really?"

She nodded excitedly.

"I've been waiting for this for weeks."

Raghav's face lit up with pride.

"I knew you'd do it."

"You always say that."

"Because it's always true."

She smiled shyly before reaching across the table and holding his hand.

"You know... every time something good happens, you're the first person I want to tell."

"And every achievement of yours feels like mine too."

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

They simply sat there, smiling at each other.

Comfortable in the silence.

After dinner, they stepped outside.

The sun was setting, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink.

Raghav immediately reached for his camera.

"I knew it," Suhani laughed.

"I brought you here for dinner."

"You brought me to the perfect sunset."

"I should have guessed."

He adjusted the lens.

"Stand over there."

She folded her arms.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

She sighed dramatically.

"Fine."

She walked toward the lakeside railing.

The evening breeze played with her hair as she looked toward the setting sun.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Raghav lowered the camera.

"Beautiful."

Suhani turned around with a mischievous grin.

"The sunset?"

He slowly shook his head.

"No."

A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"You still flirt after all these years?"

"I'll flirt with you even when we're eighty."

She laughed.

"And I'll probably still roll my eyes."

They continued walking along the lakeside path.

Suhani suddenly became unusually quiet.

Raghav noticed immediately.

"What happened?"

She looked down.

"My parents asked me something yesterday."

"What?"

"They asked... when we're planning to get married."

Raghav stopped walking.

"So... what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'd ask you first."

He looked at her for a few seconds before smiling.

"I've actually been thinking about that too."

"You have?"

He nodded.

"I want to settle a few things in the office first. Maybe another six or seven months."

Suhani listened carefully.

"After that..."

He gently held both her hands.

"...I'd like to come to your house with my parents."

Tears instantly filled her eyes.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You mean it?"

"I've never been more serious."

Without thinking, Suhani hugged him tightly.

Raghav wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin lightly on her head.

"I've waited for this moment for years," she whispered.

"So have I."

She looked up at him.

"Promise me something."

"Anything."

"No matter how busy life becomes... we'll always make time for each other."

"I promise."

"And no secrets."

"I promise."

"And no giving my share of dessert to anyone else."

Raghav laughed.

"That might be the hardest promise."

She playfully narrowed her eyes.

"Raghav."

"I'm joking."

"You better be."

As they resumed walking, Raghav's phone buzzed with a notification from Instagram.

His latest sunset photograph had crossed another milestone of likes.

Suhani glanced at the screen and smiled.

"Congratulations, Mr. Popular."

He slipped the phone back into his pocket without looking at it.

"It can wait."

She tilted her head.

"Really?"

He intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I spend enough time with my followers online."

He looked at her affectionately.

"The person I never want to ignore is walking beside me."

Suhani smiled, squeezing his hand.

Together, they walked into the fading evening light, talking about wedding venues, family gatherings, honeymoon destinations, and the life they dreamed of building together.

Neither of them knew that somewhere else in the same city, another heart was still trying to forget a love that had never begun.

For Raghav, however, there was no confusion.

His heart had chosen long ago.

It had always belonged to Suhani.

And it always would.

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