The screen of my phone lit up, cutting through the darkness of my room like a blade.
2:14 AM.
I didn't even need to look at the name. My heart already knew. It was a rhythm I had memorized—a skip and a thud that only happened for him.
"Hey," his voice was thick, slightly tired. "You awake, Shiwani?"
"I am now," I whispered. I should have been angry. I should have told him to look at the clock. But the 'feel' was already taking over. The warmth of being the one he called when his world went quiet.
"I can't sleep," he said. "Can I come over? Just for a bit?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He knew the answer. That was my biggest mistake—I had made my heart a house with an unlocked door, and he had the key.
Ten minutes later, he was sitting on my window sill. He tucked a stray hair behind my ear, his fingers lingering just a second too long. "You're the only one who really gets me," he murmured.
Then, his phone chimed. A bright, sharp notification.
His hand dropped from my face instantly. "It's her," he said, his voice suddenly full of life. "She finally texted back. Thanks for being there, Shiwani. You're a lifesaver."
He didn't look back as he left. He was chasing a girl who didn't want him, while using the girl who lived for him as a pit stop