Aira went silent—
for days.
And Aarohi—
was silent too.
Life continued.
Aira started enjoying her life—
without Aarohi.
Not completely—
but enough to feel a difference.
Aarohi also lived her life.
Normally.
But sometimes—
in quiet moments—
Aira missed her.
Especially at night.
When everything slowed down.
Her thoughts always went back—
to Aarohi.
"Maybe she will text…"
A small hope—
that she never fully let go of.
But she didn't text.
Because she knew—
for Aarohi—
she was just a normal friend.
Just an online person.
Someone—
who couldn't be there in real life.
Couldn't hold her hand.
Couldn't stand beside her in tough times.
Couldn't truly be part of her world.
And that thought—
hurt.
Quietly.
Deeply.
Still—
Aira missed her.
In every small moment.
So she wrote.
Shayaris.
Words—
that carried everything she couldn't say.
Every line—
somewhere—
was about Aarohi.
One of them—
Teri vo nashili aankhen,
Jin mein main kho jaati hoon.
Teri vo pyaari hasi,
Jo mujhe paagal kar deti hai.
Tere vo ghunghraale baal,
Jaise halki hawa meri rooh ko chhoo jaati hai.
Tera vo chehra,
Jise dekh kar nazar hatana mushkil ho jaata hai.
Tere un honton se mera naam,
Jaise koi dua qubool ho gayi ho.
Teri vo kavitaayein,
Jin mein main khud ko bhool jaati hoon.
Teri kahaaniyaan,
Jo mujhe tere aur kareeb le aati hain…
Teri vo nashili aankhen,
Jin mein me har dafa kho jaati hoon...
Aira wrote everything about her—
just to feel her.
To keep her alive—
in words.
Days passed.
And then—
an unexpected message came.
Aarohi,
"Hey. How are you?"
Aira's heart skipped.
Aira,
"Good. What about you?"
Aarohi,
"Good… I just miss you so much. I don't know why I missed you this much. Did you miss me?"
Aira was shocked.
She never expected—
those words.
From her.
Aira,
"I missed you too."
Aarohi,
"I've been thinking about you a lot. I don't know what's happening to me… I just miss you."
Aira didn't know what to say.
Aira,
"I was also thinking about you… more often."
Aarohi,
"I don't know why I feel like this… but when we stopped talking, something felt off."
Aira read that line twice.
"Something felt off."
Not empty.
Not broken.
Just—
off.
And somehow—
that made everything clear.
Aira didn't react emotionally.
Not like before.
Not like she used to.
Because this time—
she understood the difference.
She missed her.
But Aarohi—
just felt her absence.
Aira kept holding the phone—
but her thoughts were calm.
No overthinking.
No "what if."
Just truth.
She knew—
this wasn't love.
At least—
not the kind she had felt.
After a pause—
Aira typed slowly.
Aira,
"Maybe you just got used to me."
Aarohi,
"Maybe… but it doesn't feel normal."
Aira,
"What does it feel like?"
Aarohi took time to reply.
Aarohi,
"Like something is missing."
Aira read that slowly.
Something missing.
Not her—
Just…
something.
Aira,
"It happens when someone leaves your routine."
Aarohi,
"Were you just a routine for me?"
Aira didn't answer immediately.
Aira,
"Maybe I was more than that… but not what I thought."
Aarohi,
"You're important to me."
Aira smiled faintly.
Aira,
"I know."
Aarohi,
"Do you still think about me?"
Aira,
"Sometimes."
(It was a lie.)
Aarohi,
"I think about you more than I should."
Aira,
"Then don't."
Aarohi,
"It's not that easy."
Aira looked at the screen—
for a long time.
Aira,
"It never is."
Silence again.
Aarohi,
"I missed you."
Aira closed her eyes for a second.
Aira,
"I know."
Aarohi seen the text.
Aira placed her phone aside—
not because she didn't care,
but because she finally understood
what this feeling really was.