Chapter 7 – Defining the Unspoken
It had been four days since Mehar and Aarav had that conversation in the courtyard—four days of quiet glances, short texts, and lingering silences. Nothing had been defined, yet everything had changed.
Mehar found herself walking differently, thinking differently. She caught herself smiling without reason. Every time her phone buzzed, she hoped it was him. When he looked at her in the hallways, it was like her heart knew something her mind was still catching up to.
And yet, there was no label. No official beginning. It was like standing on a bridge, halfway between friendship and something more.
That Saturday morning, Aarav texted her.
Aarav: Let's make our "non-date" happen. Coffee? Today?
Mehar stared at the screen. Her stomach fluttered.
Mehar: Only if you promise not to make it weird.
Aarav: I'll try not to fall in love mid-sip.
She rolled her eyes, but her heart skipped anyway.
They met at a cozy café tucked away from the buzz of the city. It wasn't grand or overly romantic. Just warm lights, quiet music, and the two of them across a small table, cups in hand.
"So…" Aarav started.
"So…" Mehar echoed.
They laughed.
"This is weird," she admitted.
"It is," he agreed, "but in a nice way."
There was a pause. Neither of them sipped their coffee.
"Why me?" she asked, finally giving voice to the question that had been sitting on her chest since that day.
Aarav didn't hesitate. "Because you don't try to be anyone else. You don't fake it. You don't play games."
"You don't even know me that well."
"I want to," he said, simply.
Mehar looked down at her cup. "And what if I'm not what you think?"
"Then I'll figure it out," he said, leaning forward slightly. "That's the point, right? We figure it out."
The words hung in the air.
She nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Let's figure it out."
A small smile curved on his lips. "Does this mean I can officially say this is a date?"
She thought for a moment, then smirked. "It's a strong maybe."
The rest of the afternoon passed in comfortable conversation—about books they both hadn't read, songs they both loved, memories that didn't quite match but somehow still connected. It wasn't fireworks or grand gestures. It was quiet. Steady. And it was enough.
As he walked her home, they didn't speak much. The silence between them wasn't heavy. It was filled with all the unspoken things they were learning to understand.
At her gate, Aarav stopped. "So… when do I get to call you mine?"
Mehar looked at him, her eyes soft. "When I stop being scared of it."
He nodded. "Then I'll wait."
That night, Mehar sat on her bed, staring out at the stars. She didn't know what this was yet. She didn't know where it would lead. But for the first time in a long while, she was willing to find out.