Sometimes at midnight I open Maps and just stare at the road to my village like it's a photo of an ex. I chose this city. Some nights I still don't fully know why.

Went home to Pauri for four days, no proper network, and slept better than I have in two years. There's a specific silence in the Garhwal hills that a noise-cancelling headphone will never fake.

Watched the match in a Bengaluru sports bar full of strangers and for two hours we were one loud family. Back in Pauri the whole mohalla crowded around one TV — different setup, same heart attack every over.

The package looked huge on the offer letter until Bengaluru rent. Now half my salary funds a landlord's third apartment. Back home that money would build an actual house with a mountain view. Sending money to my parents still feels like the realest part of the paycheck.

Cracked the IT job, left Pauri, and now I sit in AC all day dreaming about the exact walk to school I used to complain about. Careful what you wish for. The hills don't have 9am standups.