The next morning felt strangely normal.

Too normal.

And somehow that made it worse.

Kashvi walked downstairs quietly wearing her usual college clothes, spectacles resting perfectly on her nose while tying her hair lazily.

Sia looked at her carefully from the kitchen.

“You slept?”

“A little.”

Aryan sat silently at the dining table with his coffee.

He hadn’t told her anything about last night.

Not yet.

And looking at her calm face now... guilt sat heavily inside him.

Kashvi sat down for breakfast quietly.

“Your headache better?” Sia asked softly.

“Yeah.”

Aryan opened the newspaper again just to avoid looking at her directly.

Because every time he remembered Aditya saying those words...

Something felt wrong.

Painfully wrong.

A horn sounded outside after some time.

Kashvi stood automatically.

“Adi’s here.”

The words slipped naturally.

Out of habit.

Out of years.

And hearing that instinctive certainty hurt Sia unexpectedly.

“I’ll go,” Kashvi said softly while picking up her bag.

But before she could reach the door, another horn sounded.

Different.

Not his bike.

Kashvi frowned slightly and walked outside.

Then stopped.

Rohini stood near the gate beside a cab.

Alone.

No Aditya.

Confusion immediately crossed Kashvi’s face.

“You came alone?”

Rohini looked at her quietly for a second.

Then asked softly,

“You don’t know?”

Kashvi’s heartbeat slowed strangely.

“Know what?”

Silence.

Heavy silence.

Even Sia and Aryan had stepped outside now unknowingly.

Rohini looked uncomfortable suddenly.

“Adi left.”

Kashvi blinked slowly. “What?”

“He shifted to Pune early morning.”

Everything around her went silent.

Completely silent.

Rohini continued softly,

“He’s going to stay at his ancestral house and continue college there.”

The words didn’t register immediately.

As if her mind refused to understand them.

“No,” Kashvi whispered instinctively.

Rohini looked down sadly.

“He withdrew yesterday.”

A tear slipped from Kashvi’s eyes before she even realized she was crying.

Aryan and Sia looked at each other instantly.

Shock.

Guilt.

Pain.

Because neither expected this.

Kashvi stared blankly ahead.

“He didn’t tell me.”

Her voice came out hollow.

Small.

Broken.

Rohini swallowed softly. “I thought you knew.”

Kashvi laughed weakly.

A heartbreaking laugh.

“No.”

That single word shattered something inside Sia.

Suddenly Kashvi stepped back slightly.

Then another tear fell.

Then another.

And finally...

She completely broke.

“Why would he leave without even telling me?” she cried softly.

Years of attachment.

Love.

Dependence.

Memories.

Everything crashed together at once.

Sia immediately pulled her into her arms.

“Kashu…”

Kashvi held onto her mother tightly and cried harder.

The kind of crying that came from losing something that felt like home.

Aryan stood frozen nearby.

Because he had only asked Aditya to stay away if he was confused.

Not disappear completely.

“He promised me forever,” Kashvi whispered brokenly against Sia’s shoulder.

The words destroyed Aryan internally.

Because children remembered promises adults forgot.

Sia stroked her hair softly while holding back her own emotions.

“He must have thought this was better.”

“How is this better?” Kashvi cried. “He didn’t even say goodbye.”

Every word carried hurt.

Abandonment.

Love.

Aryan closed his eyes briefly.

Guilt crushing heavily inside him now.

After some time, Kashvi slowly pulled herself away.

Still crying.

Still shaking.

But trying to breathe properly again.

Trying to control herself.

Because somewhere inside her...

Reality had started settling in.

Aditya was gone.

Really gone.

Sia wiped her tears gently.

“Kashu…”

But Kashvi shook her head softly.

“No.”

Her voice trembled badly.

Then after a few seconds she whispered,

“It’s okay.”

It clearly wasn’t.

Not even close.

But she still tried smiling weakly.

And somehow that hurt even more to watch.

“I should focus on studies now anyway,” she said quietly.

Aryan’s chest tightened painfully.

Because she sounded like someone forcing herself to survive heartbreak with logic.

Rohini looked at her sadly.

“Kashvi…”

But Kashvi interrupted softly,

“It’s fine.”

Another lie.

A terrible lie.

Then she took a deep breath and forced herself to stand properly.

“Let’s go to college.”

Sia held her hand immediately. “You don’t have to go today.”

“I do.”

Her eyes filled again instantly but she controlled herself somehow.

“If I stay home... I’ll keep thinking.”

Silence filled the space around them.

Because everyone knew she would keep thinking anyway.

About him.

About the goodbye she never got.

About the boy who left carrying her heart with him without even looking back.

As Kashvi walked toward the cab slowly, Sia looked at Aryan.

And for the first time in years...

Aryan Roy truly regretted his own words.

CH 17 LONGING

The house felt unbearably quiet after Kashvi left for college.

Too quiet.

Aryan sat down heavily on the sofa, staring blankly ahead while Sia silently closed the door.

For a long moment neither spoke.

Then finally Aryan whispered softly,

“I didn’t mean this.”

Sia looked at him quietly.

“I know.”

He rubbed his face tiredly.

“I only wanted him to stop hurting her until he figured himself out.”

His voice cracked slightly.

“I never thought he would leave.”

Sia’s expression softened instantly.

Because beneath Aryan’s strictness, he loved deeply too.

Especially his daughter.

“She cried like…” Aryan stopped speaking midway.

Like her heart had been ripped out.

That was what he wanted to say.

But fathers rarely survived saying such things aloud.

Sia sat beside him quietly and held his hand.

“You were protecting her.”

“No.” Aryan shook his head slowly. “I pushed him away.”

Sia stayed silent.

Because right now he needed guilt to leave his chest slowly.

Not arguments.

“He looked miserable yesterday,” Aryan whispered.

“I noticed.”

“And still he left.”

That part disturbed him most.

Because now he understood something painful.

Aditya didn’t leave because he didn’t care.

He left because he cared too much while still being confused.

Aryan leaned back heavily and closed his eyes.

“She loves him.”

The words came out quietly.

Defeated.

Sia smiled sadly.

“Yes.”

“And I think…” Aryan stopped again before exhaling softly.

“I think that idiot loves her too.”

Sia rested her head lightly against his shoulder.

“Some people realize love only after distance.”

Aryan laughed weakly.

“Then they’re both stupid.”

That finally made Sia smile properly.

“Very.”

Meanwhile in college, Kashvi sat through lectures like a ghost.

She heard nothing.

Understood nothing.

Everywhere she looked reminded her of him.

His seat.

The canteen table.

The corridor railing where he waited.

Even silence carried him now.

At lunch break, she automatically turned toward the classroom door expecting him to walk in casually saying,

“Kashu let’s go.”

But nobody came.

And that tiny realization broke her a little more.

Rohini sat beside her quietly.

“He didn’t even tell me properly either,” she admitted softly.

Kashvi looked down at her notebook.

“Did he sound okay?”

The question itself revealed everything.

Even after heartbreak…

She still worried about him first.

Rohini sighed softly. “No.”

Kashvi’s fingers tightened around her pen instantly.

That evening after returning home, Kashvi walked into her room slowly.

And finally allowed herself to miss him properly.

The hoodie hanging near her chair still carried his perfume faintly.

Her phone still had unread chats from him.

Old voice notes.

Pictures.

Memories everywhere.

Too many memories.

She sat on the floor beside her bed holding her knees tightly.

And for the first time since morning…

She cried silently.

Not loudly.

Not dramatically.

Just quietly.

Like someone grieving a living person.

At the exact same time in Pune, Aditya stood alone near the balcony of his ancestral house.

Rain poured softly outside.

The city felt unfamiliar.

Empty.

Wrong.

Everything felt wrong without her.

His phone remained in his hand for the last twenty minutes.

Kashvi’s contact open on screen.

But he couldn’t call.

Because if he heard her voice now…

He would return immediately.

And that terrified him.

His grandmother walked into the room slowly.

“You haven’t smiled once since coming here.”

Aditya forced a faint smile. “Just tired.”

She looked at him knowingly.

“Love makes people look exhausted.”

He froze slightly.

Then laughed weakly.

“It’s not like that.”

“Hm.”

Old people rarely needed explanations.

Later that night, Aditya lay awake staring at the ceiling.

And memories attacked him one after another.

Kashvi laughing on his bike.

Kashvi fixing his collar.

Kashvi crying in rain.

Kashvi closing her eyes when he leaned closer that night.

His chest tightened painfully.

Because now distance had made one thing brutally clear.

Nothing felt right without her.

Nothing.

Back in her room, Kashvi finally opened their old chat.

Her fingers trembled slightly while scrolling upward.

Thousands of messages.

Years of friendship.

Years of him becoming home without either realizing when it happened.

Then suddenly she stopped at one old message from him.

"You’re stuck with me forever, Kashu."

A broken smile appeared through tears instantly.

Because forever had ended without goodbye.

Downstairs, Sia quietly entered Kashvi’s room later carrying milk.

But stopped near the door.

Kashvi had fallen asleep sitting against the bed.

Phone still in her hand.

Tears dried on her cheeks.

Sia’s eyes filled instantly.

She gently covered her daughter with a blanket.

Then slowly removed the phone from her hand.

The screen still showed Aditya’s chat.

Sia looked at it silently for a second before whispering softly,

“You both are hurting in the exact same way.”

CH 18 regret

Nights became the hardest part after Aditya left.

Because daytime at least distracted them a little.

But nights?

Nights returned everything.

Every memory.

Every habit.

Every ache.

That night Kashvi sat near her window while rain poured softly outside.

Her room lights were off.

Only the dim lamp beside her bed remained on.

Her phone rested in her hands silently.

She opened Aditya’s chat again.

Then typed slowly.

Come back.

Her fingers trembled slightly while staring at the words.

Tears filled her eyes instantly.

Then after a long moment…

She deleted the message completely.

Because if he wanted to come back…

Wouldn’t he already be here?

Miles away in Pune, Aditya sat alone on his balcony with rainwater touching the railing softly.

His phone screen glowed in darkness.

Kashvi’s contact open again.

Always her.

Only her.

He typed slowly.

I miss you.

And stared at it for a very long time.

His chest tightened painfully.

Then he deleted it too.

Because missing her changed nothing.

He was still confused.

Still scared.

Still afraid of hurting her more.

At almost midnight, Aditya finally pressed the call button.

His heartbeat turned uneven immediately.

The call started ringing.

Once.

Twice.

The moment Kashvi saw his name flashing on screen, she sat upright instantly.

Her breath got stuck.

Hands trembling badly now.

She answered immediately.

“Adi…”

But the line disconnected.

Silence.

Complete silence.

Kashvi stared blankly at the screen.

Then slowly lowered the phone.

And finally broke down crying again.

Because even hearing his name after days had shattered every wall she tried building.

The next few days changed Kashvi quietly.

She stopped laughing much.

Stopped arguing.

Stopped reacting emotionally.

She only studied.

Constantly.

Like keeping herself busy was the only way to survive missing him.

At dinner one night, Sia watched her carefully.

“Kashu, enough studying.”

“I’m fine.”

“You haven’t slept properly in days.”

“I said I’m okay.”

Her voice came out sharper than intended.

Silence filled the dining table instantly.

Kashvi closed her eyes briefly and whispered softly,

“Sorry.”

Then she stood up quietly.

“I’ll sleep early.”

But she didn’t.

She sat awake all night again.

A few days later fever finally hit her.

Not severe.

But enough to show how exhausted she had become emotionally.

Sia pressed a cold cloth against her forehead while Kashvi slept restlessly.

Aryan stood silently near the door.

Watching his daughter suffer quietly was becoming unbearable now.

In sleep, Kashvi shifted weakly against the pillow.

Then whispered softly,

“Adi…”

The room went completely silent.

Sia looked down instantly.

Aryan froze.

And something inside him broke hearing how naturally his daughter searched for Aditya even in fever.

That same evening, rain started pouring heavily again in Pune.

Aditya stood near the window remembering another rain.

Kashvi crying in front of him.

Kashvi in his arms.

Kashvi saying,
It hurts when I’m only that.

His chest tightened painfully.

Because now he finally understood.

She was never just his best friend.

Never.

That realization terrified him.

Because if this was love…

Then why had he run away from it?

Unable to stop himself anymore, Aditya finally called Aryan that night.

The call connected after two rings.

“Hello.”

Aditya swallowed slowly.

“Mr. Roy…”

Aryan immediately sat straighter hearing his voice.

For a moment neither spoke.

Then Aryan asked quietly,

“How are you?”

Aditya laughed weakly.

“Not good.”

Honesty sounded easier now.

Silence followed briefly.

Then finally Aditya asked hesitantly,

“Kashu… how is she?”

That one question carried everything.

Longing.

Fear.

Love.

Guilt.

Aryan closed his eyes briefly before answering softly,

“She has fever.”

The moment those words landed…

A tear slipped silently from Aditya’s eyes.

He looked away immediately.

Guilt crushing deeper now.

“She studies all day,” Aryan continued quietly.

“She barely smiles now.”

Every word hurt.

Because Aditya could imagine it perfectly.

Kashvi forcing herself to survive without him.

“Come back,” Aryan said suddenly.

Aditya froze.

“I don’t want us to regret anything in future,” he whispered softly.

His voice trembled slightly now.

“If I return confused again… I’ll hurt her more.”

Aryan gripped the phone tighter.

“She won’t forget you that easily.”

Aditya smiled painfully through tears.

“She should.”

Silence.

Then Aryan asked quietly,

“And you?”

Aditya closed his eyes tightly.

Rain sounds filled the silence around him.

“Will you forget her too?”

For a long moment he said nothing.

Then finally whispered,

“Never.”

That single word carried devastating truth.

“I can’t forget Kashu.”

His voice broke softly now.

“She’s… she’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to home.”

Aryan’s eyes filled instantly hearing that.

Because nobody spoke like that unless love had already settled deep inside them.

Before Aryan could say anything else, Aditya disconnected the call quietly.

And sat there alone in darkness.

Crying silently for the girl he finally understood too late.

Meanwhile upstairs, Kashvi woke weakly from sleep.

Aryan entered her room slowly after some time and sat beside her bed.

She looked at him tiredly.

“Dad?”

Aryan gently brushed her hair back.

“You should rest more.”

Kashvi smiled faintly.

“Trying.”

Her voice sounded small.

Fragile.

Aryan’s chest tightened painfully again.

After a moment, Kashvi whispered softly,

“Do you think some people leave because loving someone scares them?”

Aryan looked at his daughter silently.

Then answered honestly,

“Yes.”

A tear slipped slowly from Kashvi’s eyes.

“Then why does being left behind hurt more?” she whispered.

Aryan immediately pulled her gently into his arms.

And for the first time since she was little…

Kashvi cried in her father’s embrace like a completely heartbroken child.