(A Romantic Tragedy)
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CHAPTER 1 – THE FIRST RAIN
The rain came suddenly that day, heavy and relentless, drenching the school grounds. Most students ran to shelter, laughing and screaming, but Aarush sat alone under the broken shed near the basketball court, watching the water splatter against the muddy ground.
He liked the rain. It drowned out the noise of the world, and for a boy like him—quiet, invisible—it felt like the only time he belonged anywhere.
That was when he saw her.
She stood a few feet away, hugging her books against her chest, her uniform soaked, her hair sticking to her cheeks. She looked annoyed at first—until she noticed him watching.
Their eyes met.
Aarush quickly looked away, embarrassed.
But then she walked over, crouched beside him, and smiled. That smile. Warm, unguarded, the kind that felt like sunlight after years of cold.
"Got room for one more?" she asked, her voice soft but playful.
Aarush nodded, shifting to give her space.
"I'm Riya," she said, holding out a wet hand.
"Aarush," he replied, shaking it carefully.
They sat in silence for a while, watching the rain. Then Riya sighed dramatically. "Great. My books are ruined. First day of school, and I already look like a drowned cat."
Aarush glanced at her, the corners of his lips twitching. "You… kind of do."
Riya turned to him, pretending to be offended. Then she laughed—a bright, unrestrained laugh that made his chest tighten for reasons he couldn't explain.
And just like that, something changed in Aarush's life.
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CHAPTER 2 – THE BEST FRIEND HE SHOULDN'T BE
They became inseparable after that day.
Riya sat with him during lunch, borrowed his notes, talked to him about everything—from her annoying teachers to her dreams of becoming a writer. Aarush listened quietly, storing every word like a treasure.
She often called him "her favorite person."
But for Aarush, she wasn't just a person. She was everything.
He memorized the way she tucked her hair behind her ear when she was nervous, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed too hard, the way her voice softened when she talked about things she loved.
And every night, he wrote letters to her. Letters he never sent.
"Riya, I love you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know how to say it out loud, so I'll keep saying it here instead."
He kept them in a small wooden box under his bed. It became his secret habit—writing to her every time his feelings became too much to carry.
But he never said a word to her.
Because every time he thought of confessing, she would say something like—
"Do you think Kabir likes me? He's so cute, isn't he?"
And Aarush would smile, his heart cracking just a little more each time, and reply,
"Yeah… he's great."
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CHAPTER 3 – THE LOVE SHE NEVER SAW
When Riya started dating Kabir, Aarush congratulated her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
He helped her pick outfits for dates, gave her advice when she was nervous, and stayed up all night listening when she texted him about how perfect Kabir was.
And every time she talked about Kabir, Aarush felt like something was being ripped out of him, piece by piece.
But he never let it show.
One evening, after helping her choose a gift for Kabir, he went home and opened his wooden box, pulling out a fresh page.
"Riya,
You looked so happy today. And you deserve to be. If he makes you smile like that, I guess that's all that matters. I love you so much, but I won't ruin your happiness by saying it. I'll just keep loving you quietly. That's enough for me."
He folded the letter, placed it in the box, and lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wishing for the impossible.
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CHAPTER 4 – THE NIGHT SHE CRIED
It was six months later when Riya showed up at his door, crying.
"Aarush… he cheated on me," she whispered, her voice breaking.
Aarush felt something inside him twist violently, anger boiling at Kabir. But all he did was pull her into a hug.
Riya sobbed into his chest, clutching his shirt. "I trusted him, Aarush. I thought he loved me."
Aarush held her tighter, his own heart breaking for entirely different reasons.
He wanted to say, "I would never hurt you. I've loved you every single day for years."
But instead, he whispered, "I'm here for you. Always."
When she finally looked up at him with tear-streaked cheeks and whispered,
"Thank God I have you. I don't know what I'd do without my best friend,"
Aarush smiled.
And that night, he wrote another letter.
"Riya,
You don't need to know how I feel. You just need me to be here for you. And that's enough… even if it kills me."
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CHAPTER 5 – THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
Months passed. Riya healed, moved on, and eventually started seeing someone new. Aarush stayed by her side, as always.
On her 22nd birthday, she hugged him tightly and said,
"You're the best friend I could ever ask for, Aarush. You'll always be my favorite person."
He smiled, but his chest felt hollow.
That night, after returning from her party, he sat on his bed staring at the box of letters.
Fifty-six letters. All unsent. All saying the same thing.
And suddenly, something inside him broke.
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CHAPTER 6 – THE DECISION
He stared at the mirror for a long time that night. His face looked tired, older than his age.
"How much longer can I do this? How much longer can I love her silently, watch her love everyone else, smile like it doesn't hurt?"
The answer came quietly.
Not much longer.
He pulled out the final page from his drawer and began writing slowly, carefully, as if these were the most important words he would ever write.
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CHAPTER 7 – THE LAST LETTER
"Riya,
By the time you read this, I'm gone. Don't be angry. Don't cry too much. I just wanted you to know one thing before I leave.
I love you. I've loved you since the day you smiled at me in the rain. Every laugh, every word, every moment with you… it was the only happiness I ever had. You were my whole world, even if I was just a small part of yours.
Please don't feel guilty. You never did anything wrong. Loving you was the best thing that ever happened to me, and if I had to live all over again, I'd still choose to love you, even if it ended like this.
If… if by any chance you ever loved me too, even for a second… smile at my funeral. I'll be watching. That'll be enough for me.
Goodbye, Riya. Thank you for giving me a reason to live as long as I did.
Aarush."
He placed the letter neatly in an envelope, wrote her name on it, and set it aside.
Then he sat on his bed, staring at the ceiling one last time.
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CHAPTER 8 – THE FUNERAL
The day was cold and gray.
Riya stood among the mourners, her hands trembling as she held the letter. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she read his words over and over.
People whispered around her, some crying softly, but Riya didn't care.
She looked at Aarush's still face one last time.
And then, despite the tears, she smiled.
Because maybe, somewhere, he really was watching.
And if he was… she wanted him to know that she had loved him too, in a way she never admitted—not even to herself.
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To be continued.....