I didn't sleep that night.
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I tried.
Closed my eyes.
Turned to one side.
Then the other.
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But every time I did—
I saw it again.
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The café.
Her face.
My voice.
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"Does she know about me?"
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I opened my eyes again.
Staring at the ceiling.
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It didn't feel like a memory.
It felt like something I should remember…
but couldn't.
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And that was worse.
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My phone was still in my hand.
Screen dark.
No new messages.
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No Mira.
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I unlocked it anyway.
Opened our chat.
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Still the same.
Last message:
**"That's what scares me."**
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I typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
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"are you awake?"
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I stared at it for a few seconds.
Then sent it.
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Seen.
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My heart skipped.
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She was online.
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But no reply came.
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Seconds passed.
Then a minute.
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Still nothing.
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I locked my phone.
Unlocked it again almost instantly.
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Nothing.
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I let out a slow breath.
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Maybe she needed time.
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Maybe I should give it to her.
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But my chest didn't agree.
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It felt tight.
Restless.
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Like something was slipping away—
and I was just watching it happen.
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My phone buzzed again.
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I froze.
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Mira?
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No.
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Unknown number.
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I stared at it for a second.
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Then opened it.
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"You watched it."
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Not a question.
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A statement.
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My jaw tightened.
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"Who are you?" I typed.
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No reply.
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Then—
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"Funny how you don't remember things that matter."
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I frowned.
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"I said I don't know what that is."
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This time, the reply came slower.
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"But she does."
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My chest tightened again.
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"What do you want?" I typed.
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No response.
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The chat went silent.
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I stared at the screen for a while.
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Then locked it.
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This didn't feel like a prank.
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It felt…
personal.
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Too personal.
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Morning came slower than usual.
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Or maybe I just didn't notice time passing.
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I sat up, running a hand through my hair.
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My head felt heavy.
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Not from lack of sleep.
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From everything else.
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I reached for my phone again.
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Still no message from Mira.
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I opened our chat anyway.
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Scrolled up.
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Old messages.
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"don't get used to me replying fast"
"too late"
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I smiled faintly.
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It felt like a different time.
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Like a different version of us.
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I locked my phone again.
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This time—
I didn't open it immediately.
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The day went by slowly.
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Classes.
People talking.
Noise everywhere.
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But none of it really stayed.
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Everything felt distant.
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Like I was there—
but not really.
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I checked my phone between everything.
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Still nothing.
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By evening—
it started to feel real.
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She wasn't texting.
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She wasn't calling.
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She wasn't there.
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I couldn't take it anymore.
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I called her.
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The ringing felt louder than usual.
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One ring.
Two.
Three.
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Then—
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Call ended.
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I stared at the screen.
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She didn't pick up.
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Not even a message after.
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I tried again.
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Same result.
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I exhaled sharply.
Running my hand over my face.
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"Just talk to me…" I muttered under my breath.
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My phone buzzed again.
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This time—
her name.
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Mira.
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I answered instantly.
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"Mira—"
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"I don't have much time."
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Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
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My chest tightened.
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"Why are you talking like that?" I asked.
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"I just… needed to hear something from you."
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"What?"
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A pause.
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Then—
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"Tell me the truth."
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"I am," I said quickly.
"I told you, I don't remember—"
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"That's not what I asked."
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Her voice didn't rise.
But it hit harder.
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Silence.
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"What do you want me to say?" I asked quietly.
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Another pause.
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Then—
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"Were you talking to her… while you were talking to me?"
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The question landed heavily.
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"I—"
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I stopped.
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Because I didn't know.
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And that silence—
said everything.
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On the other side, she let out a quiet breath.
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"Okay," she said.
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Just that.
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"Mira, wait—listen—"
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"I'm not angry, Aarav."
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That made it worse.
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"I'm just… tired."
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My grip on the phone tightened.
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"I don't understand what's real and what's not anymore."
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"You're real," I said immediately.
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A small pause.
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Then—
a faint, almost broken laugh.
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"That's the problem."
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Silence filled the space between us again.
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"I think… I need some time," she said softly.
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My heart dropped.
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"Mira—"
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"I'm not saying goodbye."
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Another pause.
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"But I can't talk like everything's okay either."
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I closed my eyes.
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"Just… give me some time."
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The line went quiet.
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Then—
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The call ended.
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I slowly lowered the phone.
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The room felt too still.
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Too quiet.
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This wasn't a fight.
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This wasn't a breakup.
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But somehow—
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It felt worse.
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Because I didn't know how to fix it.
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Or if I even could.
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My phone lit up again.
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Unknown number.
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I didn't open it immediately.
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I just stared at it.
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For a long second.
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Then—
I unlocked the screen.
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One message.
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"Some things don't stay hidden forever."
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I clenched my jaw.
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This wasn't over.
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Not even close.