She left with a warm farewell... and a night she hadn't meant to carry with her - but did.
Berlin.
A city that would teach her more than she expected. A city that would shape her - make her stronger, independent... and perhaps, a little colder.
As the plane landed, the first thing she did was to check her phone.
Her heart with - for one name.
Notification flooded the screen.
But not his.
This time, her heart and mind were no longer in sync.
Her heart still hoped, but her mind... knew better.
The ride from airport to her place felt unusually long.
It took only a few minutes in a new city for loneliness to settle in.
For the first time she realize -
even the most beautiful place on earth could feel empty... when the people you love aren't there.
The city moved around her - light, voices, life everywhere. And yet... her heart felt hollow.
Entering the place, so quite, reminded her of that night - when even the silence seemed to whisper to her.
"Hello, Mom?" she called her mother. At least she had her family who would be concerned... if not him.
"Hello, sweetheart. You've reached the apartment? How is it - is it clean? Do you like it? How's the weather? Are you cold? Are you jet-legged? Did you eat something? Are you hungry?" her mother bombarded her with questions, worried.
Mothers are the softest creature.
"Woah, Maa - take a breath. So many questions at once. The apartment is nice. I had a meal on plane and some snacks after landing. It's not that cold, but I am layering just in case. It'll take me some time to adjust, of course... but it's lovely here. I wish you were here... with me. I miss you and Dad," she said, her heart so heavy it could spill into tears at any moment.
"Oh my dear baby. I am always a phone call away," her mother said, comforting her beloved daughter.
"Hmm... I know." she said, gently.
She thanked God for letting her witness such a pure form of love - one that made her believe she didn't have to long for anyone else's.
"Mom. I'll rest for a while now. We'll talk later. Don't worry too much - you have a brave and smart daughter, alright?" she said.
She lay down to sleep, but her mind refused to rest - pulling her heart along with it.
She had no one she could really talk to about this. no one who would understand.
Her fingers moved unconsciously... tracing the memories she shouldn't still be holding onto.
Exhausted, she fell asleep.
And just like that, a week passed.
Her days slipped into a routine - quite, predictable. Overthinking became a part of it.
Strangely, he made it easier for her to move on... by never reaching out.
Maybe disappointment does help you heal faster.
Another week passed.
She smiled more. Laughed more.
But somewhere deep inside... a part of her still waited.
By the third week, she had found new friends.
The atmosphere still felt unfamiliar... in more ways than one.
But her heart... was slowly learning to feel at home.
"Aira..."
The voice came from behind. A familiar accent in an unfamiliar place caught her attention.
She turned -
hoping... or maybe fearing... it would be someone she knew.
But there was no one she recognized.
Maybe she misheard, turned again, and as she was about to leave, heard her name again.
"Wait. Aira."
Being in a new city all these days, no one called her name in that accent - the one she would hear in her hometown.
"Hey, hi Aira. You may not know me. I just wanted to deliver your thesis - you forgot it at library" he said, but voice was strikingly familiar, like someone she would like to hear at least.
"Oh, thanks," she said, a hint of hesitation in her tone.
"Pleasure is mine. Ben," he introduced himself.
"Aira" she replied, though he already knew.
"I might sound creepy but I was thinking of getting to know you for some time," he said with an easy friendliness.
"Oh..." she said, confused.
"Don't get me wrong - it's just that I felt we were from same city, I guess. And you know, having someone from your own place in an unfamiliar city feels like home. That's why..." he said, almost apologetically.
"Oh... yeah, I understand." she replied.
She couldn't have imagined such a coincidence. She was still processing her thoughts.
His voice made her heart pause for a second - not because of him, but because it reminded her of someone from that night.
"So, you are new here? Oh, by the way sorry, I peeked at your diary to get your information to deliver it to you..." he explained.
"Never mind. You could have just left it at reception. I'm regular there. I would have picked it later from library reception." she said, keeping her tone polite, yet distant.
"Well, Yeah. I don't know why I didn't think of that" he said with a small laugh.
He sensed her firmness - and the quiet boundary she had already drawn around herself.
But some connections are hard to avoid. She accepted a new friend - a decision she would question more than once.
She had already moved on. But something refused to let her.
The atmosphere was changing - around her... and within her.
She had already sensed something, but was denying it, trying to keep herself composed.
The dull ache in her body was already indicating more than enough - more than she was willing to accept.
Even as she denied every hint, one test wasn't enough for her to believe that she was carrying a life within her.
Until the doctor shattered the fragile wall of denial she had built around herself.
"Are you here with your family?" doctor asked, concerned.
"No, I am here alone" she replied, her voice unsteady, her fear barely contained.
"Where is the father of the child?" the doctor asked.
"He's not in the country right now. I can take the reports myself," she said, pulling herself together.
"Okay. It's still very early - just a few weeks - but we can sense something unusual. We'll need to run the test again..."
She felt a pause in her breath.
"...but since you came in late today, the ultrasound department is closed. Come early on Monday," the doctor said calmly.
"Okay..." she responded.
"There's nothing to worry about for now. It seems like routine checkup. Don't stress too much," doctor added, trying to ease her tension.
She nodded, though her mind had already drifted far from the room.
She had never known this kind of fear - this confusion.... this helplessness.
Everything around her - even her own room - felt suffocating that day.
She sat there, trapped within her own thoughts.
Fate was no longer something distant - it was playing with her life now.
She picked up her phone, scrolling through her contacts.
Not one name felt right.
Not one person she could reach out to.
What shall I do? whom do I even speak to?
She felt strangely numb.
Not sad. Not happy.
Just... empty.
Her scrolling stopped at his phone number.
From waiting for his name to appear on notification to wanting to reach out to him herself - her life had turned upside down far too quickly.
Monday came faster than she was ready for- and as if the news of pregnancy wasn't enough to pull her back to where it all began, she learned she was carrying twins.
Her restlessness led her to scroll through her contacts again, and this time, her fragile strength gave in
She dialed him...
With every ring, she felt terrified and unsteady.
What would I tell him? How would he react? What am I going to do? What would I ask him?
"Hi... Aira," she heard -
and froze.