(Rohan's POV)
Misunderstandings don't arrive loudly.
They slip in quietly—through pauses, half-finished sentences, and the things people don't say because they assume the other already knows.
That's what this felt like.
---
The day started badly.
Not in a dramatic way. Nothing broke. No one yelled.
Just small things going wrong at the same time.
A server update failed. Someone forgot to back up files. A meeting was rescheduled twice and still ran late. By noon, my head felt full in the worst way.
I didn't check my phone all morning.
Not because I didn't want to.
Because I couldn't afford to.
That alone made me uneasy.
---
When I finally looked at it during lunch, there were three messages.
Unknown:
Morning.
Unknown:
Hope today's kinder to you.
Unknown:
Busy?
I stared at the screen longer than necessary.
I typed a reply. Deleted it. Typed again.
Rohan:
Sorry. Got caught up. How's your day?
There was a delay.
Longer than usual.
I told myself it meant nothing.
---
Back at my desk, Arjun leaned over the partition.
"You look tense," he said.
"Just work."
"You always say that."
"Because it's usually true."
He hummed thoughtfully. "Design team's been irritated today. Heads-up."
I frowned. "Why?"
"Deadline pressure, maybe. Or miscommunication. You know how it is."
I did.
And for some reason, Aanya's face came to mind.
---
The meeting was scheduled for three.
Operations and design. Again.
I walked in already tired.
Aanya was there, sitting beside Maya. Her notebook was open, pen resting against the page—but she wasn't writing.
She looked… closed off.
Not upset. Just distant.
I told myself I was imagining it.
---
The meeting started badly and got worse.
The client wanted changes. Urgent ones.
Vikram spoke quickly, jumping from point to point. Someone interrupted Aanya mid-sentence. She stopped talking altogether after that.
I noticed.
I always noticed when people went quiet like that.
When it was my turn to speak, I kept it brief.
"We can make the changes," I said. "But we'll need more time on testing if we don't want things breaking later."
Vikram sighed. "We don't have time."
Aanya looked up sharply.
"That affects the design flow," she said calmly. "Rushing it will compromise usability."
Vikram waved a hand. "Let's not overthink it."
Something in me tightened.
I didn't like how dismissive that sounded.
But instead of pushing back harder, I said, "We'll do what we can."
It felt like a compromise.
It wasn't.
---
After the meeting, the room emptied quickly.
I gathered my notes, replaying the discussion in my head.
Aanya stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder.
"Hey," I said before I could overthink it.
She paused, turning to face me.
"Yes?"
"I didn't mean—" I stopped. Restarted. "About the timeline. I wasn't trying to dismiss your concerns."
She looked at me for a moment.
Then she nodded.
"Okay."
That was it.
No smile. No follow-up.
She walked out.
I stood there longer than I needed to.
---
"Dude," Arjun said later, dropping into the chair beside mine. "That meeting was rough."
"Yeah."
"You kind of sided with Vikram back there."
I frowned. "I didn't."
"You didn't stop him either."
I leaned back, rubbing my face. "I was trying to keep things from blowing up."
Arjun shrugged. "Sometimes staying neutral feels like taking the wrong side."
That sat heavily in my chest.
---
That evening, I texted her.
Rohan:
Long day?
The reply came slower than usual.
Unknown:
Yeah.
Just one word.
I typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Rohan:
You okay?
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then—
Unknown:
I'm fine.
I stared at the screen.
That wasn't her.
Not really.
---
I tried again later.
Rohan:
Did something happen today?
A longer pause this time.
Unknown:
Just tired.
I exhaled slowly.
Something was off.
And I didn't know how to fix it.
---
The next morning, Aanya didn't arrive early.
When she did, she went straight to her desk without looking around.
I told myself not to overthink it.
But when I passed by later and said, "Morning," she replied politely—formally—and went back to her screen.
It shouldn't have mattered.
But it did.
---
At lunch, I overheard Maya speaking in a low voice.
"You should've said something," Maya insisted.
"I tried," Aanya replied. "It didn't matter."
I didn't hear the rest.
But I didn't need to.
---
My phone buzzed that evening.
Unknown:
Can I ask you something?
Relief flickered through me.
Rohan:
Of course.
A pause.
Unknown:
Do you ever feel like people only listen when it's convenient?
I closed my eyes.
Rohan:
Yes.
Rohan:
I think people hear more than they admit. They just don't always respond.
Another pause.
Unknown:
That sounds nice. I hope it's true.
I hesitated.
This felt important.
Rohan:
It is. Even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment.
She didn't reply immediately.
When she did, it was short.
Unknown:
Goodnight.
I stared at the screen long after it went dark.
---
At work over the next few days, the distance stayed.
Not obvious. Not hostile.
Just… present.
Aanya spoke to others. She did her work. She smiled when required.
But with me, there was a careful politeness that hadn't been there before.
I replayed the meeting again and again.
What I'd said. What I hadn't.
How easy it was to hurt someone without meaning to.
---
That night, I typed—
Rohan:
I feel like I messed up somewhere.
I almost didn't send it.
But I did.
The reply came minutes later.
Unknown:
Sometimes people don't mess up. They just don't show up the way we need them to.
I swallowed.
That wasn't an accusation.
That was worse.
---
I lay awake longer than usual.
Thinking about how different things felt now.
How quickly comfort could turn into distance.
How fragile connection really was.
Two worlds still running side by side.
But for the first time—
They weren't moving in sync.
And I didn't know which step had gone wrong.