Aira's school had fully reopened.
Her trip was over.
Life slowly went back to normal—
studies, classes, routine.
She didn't know when she would go on another trip again.
Aarohi, on the other side, was busy preparing for her exams.
Even with everything—
they still found time for each other.
That evening—
"Hey. What's up?" Aira texted.
"Just scrolling," came the reply.
Aira paused for a moment.
Then typed—
"Can I ask you something personal?"
"Yup."
Aira took a breath.
"Who is your girl crush?"
Aarohi stared at the screen.
For a few seconds…
she didn't type anything.
Then—
"It's… kinda you."
Aira's heart skipped a beat.
She already knew.
But still—
she acted like she didn't.
"Really?"
Aarohi replied,
"I like you. And it's more than just infatuation."
"I know you don't like me that way…"
"But you're important to me."
"I love my boyfriend… but I like you too."
"I don't understand what I'm feeling… but you matter a lot."
Aira read every word slowly.
"Can I share something too?" she typed.
"Yes… tell me."
Aira hesitated.
Then finally wrote—
"I liked you from the beginning."
"But I didn't say anything because you're in a relationship."
"I didn't want to spoil anything."
"I don't know why I'm saying this now… but I like you too."
There was silence for a moment.
Then Aarohi replied,
"Maybe for you it's just a crush…"
"But for me, it's more."
"I don't tell anyone about you."
"I just want to talk to you."
"You make me feel understood."
Aira didn't know what to say.
"Okay…"
They decided to talk on a call.
Aarohi's voice felt different.
Softer.
More serious.
"I don't know if this is right or wrong…" she said.
"I know I have a boyfriend."
"And I know this is unfair to him."
"But I can't ignore what I feel for you."
There was a pause.
A deep one.
Then—
"I love you."
Aira went silent.
Those words—
felt heavy.
Soft.
Beautiful.
But also confusing.
She didn't reply.
Not because she didn't care—
but because she didn't understand herself.
Was it love?
Or just attraction?
Or something else?
She didn't know.
And somewhere—
she was scared.
Scared of relationships.
Scared of getting hurt.
Scared of hurting someone else.
So she chose silence.
Aarohi understood.
She changed the topic.
As if nothing happened.
They continued talking.
About random things.
But something had already changed.
Inside Aira—
there was happiness.
A quiet, glowing happiness.
No one had ever said those words to her before.
And hearing them from her—
felt different.
Special.
That night—
she kept thinking about those three words.
"I love you."
She smiled.
Blushed.
Closed her eyes—
and replayed it again.
But deep inside—
there was a small uneasiness.
Something felt wrong.
But she couldn't stop.
Aarohi liked her a lot.
She wanted to spend time with her—
and only her.
The next day—
they talked again.
Like always.
"Who are your favourite shayars?" Aira asked.
Aarohi replied,
"Nayab Midha, Ruchika Lohiya, Mirza Ghalib, Gulzar… you?"
Aira smiled.
"Swastika Rajput, Nidhi Narwal, Ruchika Lohiya, Nayab Midha…"
"I'll send you my favourite one."
She searched for it.
"Wait… I think I sent it to Dhruvi before… I'll find it."
After a moment, she sent the shayari.
"This is my favourite too," Aarohi replied.
"You sent this to her?"
She was feeling jealous.
"Yeah… she liked it. She's a good friend."
"Okay."
They talked for a while.
Everything felt normal again.
But underneath—
their feelings were not normal anymore.
They talked every day.
Like two souls—
searching for something…