The Night That Changed Something
It started with a missed call.
Aarav rarely called anyone. He preferred messages. They were safer. They gave him time to think.
But that night, he did not think.
It was past eleven when he saw her message.
Are you awake?
He called her before replying.
She answered on the second ring.
"Hello?"
Her voice was quieter than usual.
"What happened?" he asked.
There was a small pause. "Nothing serious. Just… a bad day."
He waited.
"My mom and I argued," she continued. "She thinks I get too attached to people."
The word attached made his grip tighten on the phone.
"And?" he asked.
"And maybe she's right."
The silence that followed felt heavier than usual.
"You shouldn't listen to that," he said finally.
"Why not?"
"Because caring isn't wrong."
She laughed softly. "You're the last person I expected to say that."
He did not respond.
Outside his window, the city was quiet. For once, he did not feel the urge to escape it.
"I don't want to be stupid," she said gently. "I don't want to care about someone who is already planning his exit."
The words landed directly.
He knew she was talking about him.
"I'm not planning anything," he said, but it sounded weak even to him.
"Aarav," she said softly, "if I matter to you, don't disappear when it gets uncomfortable."
His chest felt tight again.
He had spent years mastering the art of emotional distance. Pull back. Stay guarded. Leave first.
But with her, leaving felt wrong.
"I don't disappear," he said quietly.
"You do," she replied. "Just not physically."
That hurt because it was true.
There were parts of him he never let her see. Fears he kept locked. Feelings he refused to name.
"I'm trying," he said after a long pause.
It was the most honest thing he had said in weeks.
On the other side of the phone, she went quiet.
"That's all I needed to hear," she whispered.
They stayed on the call longer than necessary. Not talking much. Just breathing. Sharing silence.
For the first time, silence did not feel like distance.
It felt like closeness.
When the call ended, Aarav did not feel trapped.
He felt exposed.
And strangely, he did not hate it.
Because somewhere between the library table and late-night phone calls, Meera had become more than just a girl who sat across from him.
She had become the person he reached for without thinking.
And that terrified him more than losing her ever could. 💙