Aira really didn't know what she was feeling anymore.
Like something was missing.
Something she couldn't explain.
Sometimes—
she thought it was fear.
Sometimes—
just a strange heaviness inside her heart.
And no matter how much she tried to understand it—
she couldn't.
One day—
Aira was playing cricket with her friends at school.
She was completely focused on the game.
Running.
Laughing.
Arguing over runs.
For that moment—
nothing else existed in her mind.
Not overthinking.
Not fear.
Not even Aarohi.
Just cricket.
Aira's friend Mina didn't like cricket much.
She was sitting with some other friends nearby—
talking quietly.
And because Aira was busy playing—
she didn't pay much attention to Mina.
She didn't realize Mina was getting upset.
Maybe—
she felt ignored.
After the game—
Aira noticed Mina behaving differently.
Cold replies.
Short answers.
And finally—
anger.
Aira tried to explain herself.
Tried to make her understand—
that she didn't ignore her intentionally.
But Mina stayed angry.
That night—
Aira called Mina.
Trying to apologize again.
Trying to fix things.
But Mina was still hurt.
And in anger—
she broke the friendship.
Aira stayed silent after the call ended.
She acted normal.
Like she was okay.
But inside—
something hurt deeply.
Because even though Aira liked being alone
—
she still cared about the people close to her.
And losing someone—
always affected her quietly.
After the call—
Aira started walking downstairs.
From the second floor to the first.
Her mind was distracted.
Heavy.
Full of thoughts.
And suddenly—
her leg slipped.
Everything happened too fast.
She fell badly.
The pain hit immediately.
Sharp.
Heavy.
Her leg hurt so much—
that tears came into her eyes instantly.
And for the first time in hours—
she stopped pretending to be okay.
She started crying.
Not only because of the pain.
Maybe because everything inside her—
already felt too heavy.
Her grandmother woke up hearing the sound.
Everyone got worried.
Aira was still crying softly.
Holding her leg tightly.
And strangely—
the first person she thought about—
was Aarohi.
Then her mother.
Her mother came quickly—
trying home treatment first.
Because it was too late at night to go to the hospital.
So they decided—
they would go the next morning.
After everything calmed down—
Aira picked up her phone slowly.
And texted Aarohi.
She even sent a picture of her injured leg.
Almost immediately—
Aarohi replied.
Aarohi,
"Are you okay? What happened? Don't worry, okay? Go to the hospital tomorrow and take medicines. Everything will be fine."
Aira stared at the message quietly.
Somehow—
those simple caring words made her feel calmer.
Aira,
"I hope so."
And for a moment—
even while sitting in pain—
Aira felt less alone.
That night—
Aira's leg hurt badly.
The pain wouldn't stop.
Every small movement—
made it worse.
She tried to sleep—
again and again—
but couldn't.
The pain kept waking her up.
The room was quiet.
Everyone was asleep.
But Aira stayed awake—
holding her injured leg softly.
Sometimes closing her eyes—
sometimes staring at the ceiling silently.
She felt exhausted.
Not only because of the injury—
but because everything already felt heavy inside her heart.
And in the middle of that painful night—
her thoughts again went to Aarohi.
She remembered the way Aarohi worried for her.
"Are you okay?"
Those simple words—
kept replaying in her mind.
And somehow—
they comforted her more than the medicines.
Aira held her phone near her pillow—
like that alone could lessen the pain a little.
That whole night—
she barely slept.
Only pain.
Silence.
And thoughts of Aarohi.