His POV – After the Coffee
There was something different about her after that café day.Not in what she said — but how she listened.
I'd told her the story of Yuvi and Anushka like it was just another piece from my memory shelf, but when she leaned across the table and said, "You make even broken people sound poetic," it lingered in my mind longer than I wanted to admit.
The next day, I opened her message before even brushing my teeth.
Her:"I'm starting to feel like I'm waiting for the next episode of a show."
Me:"This show has no happy endings."
Her:"Don't all the best ones start like that?"
I stared at her message for a few seconds too long.
There's always that one story you don't want to tell. Not because it hurts too much — but because it makes you feel stupid. For me, that story was about Ani.
Back in 2023, when I was working on a Minecraft server project with my friend Thunder — Dhiraj — we came across this gamer girl.
Her name was Ani.
It started casually. She was funny, competitive, and surprisingly chill for someone who could beat me in PvP without trying. We talked often, but never with intentions.
At least not from her side.
But from mine?
Well, something changed. Slowly. Naturally.
The way she said "lol" after teasing me.The way she'd remember things I said even casually.The way she'd message first, sometimes just to say, "Server's dead without you."
It wasn't love. I won't lie like that.But it was attraction — emotional attraction.
That dangerous kind, where you start to feel something... without even knowing what you're hoping for.
One day, I told Thunder that I think I liked Ani.
I didn't expect anything from him — just needed to say it out loud.
Next thing I know?
He went ahead and told her himself.
No warning. No heads-up. Just casually dropped it in her chat.
I was stunned. Embarrassed. And honestly, a little betrayed.
She messaged me shortly after.
"So... I heard you like me?"
I didn't know how to reply.I played it off with a half-joke.
"Maybe. Depends on your answer."
And then came the response that broke something in me.
"You're sweet. But... I already have someone. I didn't want to hurt your feelings."
She had a boyfriend.The worst part?
She never brought it up earlier.Never gave a clear sign. Never corrected the way we talked.She let it be — the emojis, the long convos, the comfort.
I was just someone filling the silence in her relationship.And when I thought I was building something real, I was just background noise.
I stopped messaging.She didn't either.
And just like that, the server went quiet — not technically, just emotionally.
Back in the present, I looked up from my story.She was sitting across from me, silent. Listening, really listening.
Then she said something I didn't expect.
"It's not your fault for falling. It's her fault for not building a fence."
I smiled.Small. Honest.
"I didn't need a fence. Just a signboard would've been enough."
She laughed softly, shaking her head. Then sipped her coffee and said:
"We've all been there."
Maybe she had.
Maybe that's why she understood.
That evening, while walking back to the station together, she didn't say much.
But just before we parted ways, she looked at me and said:
"You're not boring at all, Ayan. Not even close."
I wanted to say something back — something clever or flirty.
But all I said was:
"Thanks for listening."
She smiled.
And walked away.
I suggested her to read my book "Relationship Rollercoaster" for Love and Trauma...