🏙️ “Long-Distance Love, Close-Distance Pain” - Chapter 10

 

Chapter 10: The Proposal Pitch

“Sometimes the hardest stories to tell… are the ones too close to your own.”

Monday morning.
Conference room.
The lights were bright. The tension, brighter.

Aditi stood at the head of the long glass table, holding the remote, eyes focused on the screen.

Her team sat behind her, notes and laptops ready. Across the table sat Aditya, surrounded by his global marketing heads, waiting for the final campaign pitch.

Project Title: Second Chances

The irony wasn’t lost on her.

“Good morning,” Aditi began, steady and professional. “As discussed, today we present the full-blown narrative and visual identity for your brand’s India relaunch.”

She clicked.
The screen flickered to a cinematic montage—
Old memories, reinvented spaces, echoes of past mistakes… and the courage to begin again.

Aditya’s eyes didn’t leave the screen.

Not once.

“Our campaign centers around the belief,” she continued, “that growth doesn’t mean forgetting your past—it means choosing what you take forward.”

Slide after slide—
Images of broken things mended, faded letters reread, bridges rebuilt.
Tagline: “Come Back, But Better.”

She paused before the last slide.
Her voice softened—still firm, but now laced with depth.

“We believe people relate most when a brand speaks their truth. And sometimes… truth is raw. It’s not perfect. But it’s powerful.”

She looked up—and met his gaze.

“Because in a world that moves too fast, offering someone… or something… a second chance—that’s rare. And beautiful.”

Silence.

Not the awkward kind.

The kind that clings.

Like truth.

Her team applauded quietly. The clients nodded in impressed approval.

Aditya remained silent.

Then he leaned forward, fingers interlaced.

“That was... brilliant.”

She gave a curt, professional smile. “Thank you.”

He added, “But I have one question.”

She tilted her head. “Go on.”

“Did you create this concept for me?”

She didn’t blink. “I created this for the brand.”

Then, after a pause—
“But if it speaks to you personally, that’s not my fault.”

A flicker of a smirk touched his lips.

“I’d say it speaks loudly.”

She turned to her team. “We’ll share the final deck and rollout plan post-lunch.”

Aditya stood as she began to pack.

“Can I walk with you?” he asked.

“No,” she said gently, “but you can watch me walk away. That’s become your expertise.”

She didn’t wait for a reaction.

She walked out, heels clicking, head held high.

And Aditya?
He stood still, watching.

Maybe for the first time—he wasn’t chasing love.

He was chasing respect.

And she made him earn it.

The pitch was done. The story was told.
But somewhere between the lines… a new chapter was quietly waiting.

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