Maira hadn't slept properly.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the same image Aruna standing by the river, listening, silent, while someone else stood in front of her. Someone who wasn't afraid to ask. Someone who hadn't already confessed and stepped back.
I shouldn't have said it, Maira thought as she stared at the ceiling.
Why did I say I like her? Why did I put that weight on her when she was already breaking?
The morning passed slowly. Maira stayed quiet, answering only when spoken to, her thoughts tangled and loud. She kept replaying that moment again and again.
Later in the day, Aruna tried to speak to her.
"Maira," Aruna said softly, stopping her near the corridor. "I want to explain"
Maira smiled quickly, too quickly. "It's okay," she said, not meeting Aruna's eyes. "You don't have to explain anything."
"But "
"Really," Maira interrupted gently. "You didn't do anything wrong."
She walked away before Aruna could finish.
And that hurt more than staying.
That afternoon, something unexpected happened.
Dhruv came to Aruna's grandmother's house.
Maira watched from a distance as he stood at the gate, smiling, talking easily with Aruna's grandmother. He had brought sweets. He laughed when Adhi asked him too many questions. He looked… comfortable.
So he came all the way here, Maira thought.
That means something, doesn't it?
Her chest tightened.
She excused herself quietly and went inside the room she was staying in. The moment the door closed, her strength disappeared.
"Why did I say it?" she whispered to herself. "Why did I tell her I like her when I wasn't ready for what comes after?"
Her eyes burned. She pressed her hand over her mouth, but the tears came anyway silent at first, then heavier.
"I didn't even give her space," she murmured through her tears. "What if I made things harder for her?"
The door creaked open.
"Maira didi?"
She looked up quickly.
Adhi stood there, small and worried, his eyebrows drawn together.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, walking closer. "Did you get hurt somewhere?"
Maira wiped her face hastily and forced a smile. "No, no… I'm okay."
Adhi shook his head. "You're lying," he said seriously. "Aruna cries like this too when she says she's okay."
That broke her.
Maira knelt in front of him. "Sometimes," she said softly, "people cry even when nothing hurts on the outside."
Adhi looked confused but nodded. "When I feel sad, Aruna hugs me," he said. "You want a hug?"
Maira didn't trust her voice, so she nodded.
He hugged her tightly, his arms small but warm.
After he left, Maira stepped outside into the garden. The sun was lowering, light filtering through the leaves of a large tree. She sat beneath it, knees pulled close, staring at the ground.
Why did I say it? she asked herself again.
Was I selfish? Or was I just tired of hiding?
She thought of Aruna's blush. Her silence. The way she hadn't pushed her away.
"I didn't ask you to choose," Maira whispered. "So why does it still feel like I'm losing you?"
The breeze moved through the branches above her.
For the first time, Maira understood something painful and true
Some confessions bring relief.
Others bring fear.
And once spoken, words can't be taken back.
She stayed there under the tree long after the sky began to darken, holding onto feelings she wasn't ready to let go of… and couldn't escape from either.