PART 1: Comfort Zone Cracked
The winter air had begun settling in. Tanishka sat by her window, wearing Hemant's old oversized hoodie—the one he accidentally left in her bag during their last meetup. It still smelled faintly of him: a mix of mint and sandalwood.
She hugged her knees, scrolling through her gallery. There were hundreds of screenshots, memes, and accidental selfies of their video calls. Most had Hemant making ridiculous faces or mocking her with captions like "Pagli Queen 😂" or "Drama Empress".
But that night, she wasn't smiling.
Something felt... off.
She hadn't heard from him since morning. No meme. No "Oye ullu". Not even his usual "Are you alive?" text.
This silence wasn't like him.
She tried calling.
No answer.
---
PART 2: The Unexpected Silence
Meanwhile, Hemant was lying on his rooftop, staring at the stars.
He hadn't posted anything in 24 hours. No stories. No reels. His followers noticed. Even his close friends texted.
But not Tanishka.
He waited for her to notice, for her to push him like she always did:
> "Oye bro, you dead or what?"
"Where's today's nonsense meme?"
"Stop ghosting, lizard!"
But she didn't.
So he stayed quiet.
Why?
Because for the first time in forever, Hemant was scared.
The feelings he had for Tanishka weren't "cute" anymore.
They were real.
Big.
Terrifying.
He'd fallen for her. Hard. And he didn't know what scared him more — losing her… or finally telling her.
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PART 3: Collision
The silence between them stretched into 2 days.
That's when it happened.
Tanishka posted a story: "Mood rn 💔"
A black screen. A sad song. And no replies allowed.
Hemant saw it immediately. Heart pounding, he called.
This time, she picked up. But she didn't say anything.
Just… silence.
"Tan...?" he whispered.
"Hemant," her voice cracked. "Why are we like this now?"
He swallowed. "Like what?"
"This weird distance. Like we're scared to talk. Like we're pretending this is still just fun. But it's not. It stopped being 'just fun' a long time ago."
He exhaled, voice trembling. "I know."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I didn't know if you felt the same. And I didn't want to ruin what we have."
"Too late," she whispered. "It already feels ruined."
That hit him like a punch.
---
PART 4: Confession & Collapse
"I miss you," Hemant finally said. "Not the meme replies. Not the fights. You. The way you called me out when I was arrogant. The way you laughed even when your heart was breaking. I... miss us."
Tanishka didn't speak.
Then suddenly, he heard her sniffle.
"Tanishka...?"
"I miss us too," she whispered. "But I don't know how to fix it."
Hemant's voice softened. "Then let's break it all down... and rebuild it."
She looked up at her ceiling, eyes filled with tears. "Like how?"
"Like this."
Then he did something he'd never done before.
He sent her a voice note.
> "Tanishka... I love you. Not in a filmy, fake way. I love you in that I-wanna-listen-to-your-boring-college-rants-every-day kind of way. I love you in that let's-grow-old-arguing-over-filter-coffee kind of way. You're not just my comfort. You're my person."
Silence.
Then the typing bubbles appeared.
> "I love you too, idiot. You're my safe place. My chaos. My peace."
---
PART 5: The Shift
The next day was different.
No more awkwardness. No pretending.
Their texts felt lighter, their calls warmer. Every "pagal" was now laced with affection. Every emoji was loaded with meaning.
Then, late one night, while watching the stars on call:
"Hemant," she said.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think we'll last?"
He looked at the sky.
"If it's you… I want forever. Even if we have to fight for it."
Tanishka smiled.
Then her phone buzzed.
A message from a name she hadn't seen in months.
"Arjun 💔: I miss you. Can we talk?"
She froze.
Hemant noticed the silence.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just… spam."
But something in her voice cracked.
Hemant didn't press. But inside, a thousand questions rose.
---
PART 6: Storm Warning
The next day, she was distant.
Short replies. Delayed texts. Missed calls.
Hemant knew the signs. Something was wrong.
Finally, that night, he asked:
"Is there something you're not telling me?"
Tanishka sighed. "It's stupid."
"Try me."
She paused. "My ex messaged me. Out of nowhere. I didn't reply. But it... messed with my head."
Hemant was silent for a long time.
Then he said: "Did he hurt you?"
"Not physically. But emotionally, yes."
"Then I'll never be like him. I promise."
"I know," she whispered. "But I got scared. What if I mess this up too?"
Hemant replied softly:
"Even if you do… I'll stay. I'm not here because you're perfect. I'm here because you're you."
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PART 7: Tanishka's Journal (Her POV)
> Dear diary,
Hemant isn't just a boy I met on Instagram. He's not just the person I fought with, flirted with, and laughed with.
He's the one I waited my whole life to find — without even knowing I was looking.
But love is scary. Especially when it's real.
I just hope we don't break this.
I hope we fight for it.
---
PART 8: Friendship That Sparked It All
Late one night, while scrolling old chats, Tanishka stumbled upon their very first conversation.
Her: "Bro stop spamming crying emojis u cringe lord 😤"
Him: "U started it, madam drama queen 🫡😂"
She laughed.
Then she scrolled up — and there it was.
The first "Hey"
The first "You're kinda funny"
The first meme exchange
The first accidental compliment
She smiled.
And she texted him:
> "Thanks for fighting with me on Instagram that day. You changed my life."
He replied instantly:
> "Thanks for replying. You saved mine."
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PART 9: The Friend Behind It All
Before sleeping, Tanishka added one more thing in her notes:
> Also — I'm grateful for the one who wrote this story. He isn't Hemant. He isn't me. But he believed in us from the start. He gave us words when we didn't have them. He made our fights funny. Our silences poetic.
To the friend who made us feel like magic — we owe you.
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