I held her just in time before she could fall completely.
Her body had already tilted forward, her balance lost in that sudden moment, and for a fraction of a second, everything around me seemed to slow down. The noise of the seminar, the murmurs of students, the distant voices of teachers—all of it faded into the background. My instincts took over before my mind could even process what was happening.
My hand shot forward, gripping her arm firmly yet carefully, pulling her slightly toward me. The sudden motion caused her to stumble closer, and before she could collapse, she was standing—supported by me.
For a few seconds… time simply stopped.
Her hand was still in mine.
Her body was still leaning slightly toward me.
And her face…
Closer than I had expected.
Close enough for me to feel her breath brushing lightly against my skin—soft, uneven, almost trembling. Her hair had fallen slightly over her face, and as she tried to steady herself, a few strands moved with the rhythm of her breath.
Her eyes were lowered.
Not meeting mine.
And slowly… very slowly… her cheeks began to change color.
Pink.
Then deeper.
Almost red.
"Careful…" I said softly, my voice lower than usual, gentler than I intended. It didn't even feel like I was the one speaking.
She didn't respond.
Not a single word.
Shristi just stood there, completely silent, as if words had abandoned her. Her fingers trembled slightly in my grip, and even when she managed to straighten herself, she didn't pull her hand away immediately.
It was as if she was frozen in that moment.
Lost.
Somewhere between reality and something she couldn't quite understand.
"Walk properly… you might fall again," I added, trying to bring normalcy back into the situation, though my own heartbeat hadn't slowed down yet.
She gave a small nod.
Barely noticeable.
And still…
No eye contact.
That silence between us—it wasn't uncomfortable. It wasn't empty either. It was filled with something unspoken, something delicate, something that neither of us chose to break.
For a brief moment, I thought she might say something.
A "thank you," maybe.
Or a small laugh to brush it off.
Or even a simple complaint.
But she didn't.
She just stood there… blushing… lost in her own thoughts.
And I realized something.
My mind wasn't there anymore.
Not with her.
Not in that moment.
Because somewhere, deep inside, something kept pulling me back—
To someone else.
Without saying anything further, I slowly released her hand, stepped back, and turned around.
And I walked away.
The air outside the venue felt different.
Cooler.
Quieter.
But my thoughts?
Louder than ever.
Each step I took felt heavier than usual. Not because I was tired… but because my mind refused to stay still.
Too much had happened in just one day.
The seminar.
That arrogant girl.
The moment she crushed my school badge under her heel.
The anger that had burned inside me.
The way I had controlled it.
My presentation.
The applause that followed.
Shristi.
And then…
Without warning…
Payel.
Her face appeared in my mind like it always did.
Uninvited.
Unavoidable.
I exhaled slowly, running my fingers through my slightly messy hair as I walked down the road. The sky above had started turning orange, fading slowly into shades of purple and grey.
"No matter where I go…" I murmured under my breath, almost smiling at my own helplessness, "…it always comes back to her."
There was no escaping it.
No distraction strong enough.
No distance far enough.
Because she wasn't just a memory anymore.
She had become a part of me.
By the time I reached home, the evening had settled in completely. The faint sound of utensils from the kitchen echoed through the house, but everything else felt… still.
Too still.
I dropped my bag near the corner without thinking and sat down on the edge of my bed. My body leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on my knees, hands loosely clasped.
I stared at the floor.
Blank.
My body was exhausted.
Every muscle felt heavy after the long day.
But my heart?
Restless.
Unsettled.
Incomplete.
It felt like something was missing.
Something important.
And deep down…
I already knew what it was.
Her voice.
The way she called my name.
The way she argued with me over small things.
The way she laughed for no reason.
The way she said "don't worry" like everything would actually be okay.
I leaned back slowly, lying down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
And without even trying…
My thoughts drifted back to her again.
Her smile.
Her eyes.
Her presence.
And that one moment…
When she almost said something.
Something important.
Something that never got completed.
I closed my eyes.
And for a second…
It felt like I could hear her.
"Sarthak…"
I opened my eyes immediately.
Silence.
Just silence.
I let out a soft, tired breath and placed my arm over my forehead.
"Why does everything feel incomplete…" I whispered to myself.
The room didn't answer.
But my heart already knew the truth.
Because somewhere between all these moments…
Between all these distances…
Between all these unfinished sentences…
I had already lost something.
Or maybe…
I was still in the process of losing it.
And the worst part?
I didn't even know when I would get the chance to complete it.
The next morning, I woke up with a strange heaviness in my chest.
For a few seconds, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to gather my thoughts. My mind was still stuck between yesterday's moments—the seminar, the chaos, the memories, and above all… her. It felt like I hadn't really slept. My body had rested, maybe… but my heart hadn't.
Just as I was about to close my eyes again—
My phone suddenly rang.
The sharp vibration broke the silence of the room and pulled me out of my thoughts instantly. I turned my head toward the table, staring at the screen for a second before picking it up.
Sayan.
I frowned slightly.
"At this time?" I murmured under my breath. "He should be in school…"
Still confused, I swiped to accept the call and brought the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
The moment the call connected—
Noise exploded into my ears.
Loud music.
Shouting.
Laughter.
Whistles.
It was so sudden and overwhelming that I instinctively pulled the phone slightly away from my ear, blinking in confusion.
"What's going on?" I asked, trying to make sense of the chaos.
"BROOO!" Sayan's voice came, loud and full of excitement. "Where are you?!"
"At Kolkata… what happened?"
"School, bro! Full celebration!"
I sat up straight.
"Celebration?"
"Yeah! Last day vibes! Everyone is here! You should see this!"
For a moment…
I didn't respond.
My mind froze on just one line.
Everyone is here.
Except me.
That realization didn't hit loudly.
It didn't hurt instantly.
It just… settled inside me.
Quietly.
"You guys… didn't have classes?" I asked slowly.
"Arre leave that! Who cares about classes?" he laughed. "Everyone decided to celebrate together! It's like our last day, bro!"
Last day.
The word echoed in my head like a hollow sound.
I leaned back slightly, resting my head against the wall, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"So… no one waited?" I asked.
My voice had changed.
It was softer now.
Heavier.
Sayan went silent for a moment.
Then, in a lower tone, he said, "Bro… it just happened suddenly…"
I didn't reply.
Because at that moment…
I understood something.
Not the situation.
But the truth behind it.
All these years…
I thought they were my friends.
I thought I mattered.
I thought I was part of their circle.
But today…
They celebrated without me.
No call.
No message.
No "wait for him."
Nothing.
And that hurt.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But deeply.
A slow kind of pain that settles in your chest and quietly reminds you where you actually stand.
For a second, I felt like cutting the call.
Like disappearing.
Like distancing myself from everything.
But Sayan didn't hang up.
Even in that chaos…
Even in that noise…
He stayed.
He kept talking.
For thirty minutes.
Thirty whole minutes.
Talking about random things.
Describing everything happening around him.
Who was dancing.
Who was shouting.
Who slipped and got laughed at.
It felt like he was trying to bring that entire moment to me… through his words.
As if he didn't want me to feel left out.
And slowly…
Something became clear.
Not everyone was the same.
Abhi.
Arpit.
And Sayan.
They were real.
Especially Sayan.
He wasn't just a friend.
He was someone who stayed… even when he didn't have to.
Someone who chose to stay.
Just when he was about to cut the call, I heard something.
A voice.
Familiar.
Strong.
Emotional.
Payel.
"…tum log uska wait bhi nahi kar sakte the?!" she said angrily.
My heartbeat stopped.
Completely.
She was arguing with her seniors.
For me.
I sat up straight instantly, my grip on the phone tightening.
"Sayan… phone usko de," I said quickly.
There was a brief pause.
Some background noise.
Then—
"Hello?"
Her voice.
Softer now.
But emotional.
Fragile.
"Payel…" I said quietly.
There was silence.
A long pause.
And then—
"Tum yaha nahi ho…" she whispered.
Her voice broke.
"Achha nahi lag raha…"
And just like that—
She started crying.
My chest tightened instantly.
It felt like something inside me collapsed.
"Hey… hey… calm down," I said softly, my voice instinctively turning gentle. "Main theek hoon… relax…"
But she didn't stop immediately.
Her breathing was uneven.
Broken.
It took time.
A few minutes of talking.
Convincing her.
Distracting her.
Until slowly…
Her breathing steadied.
And the silence between us became softer.
Then I told her everything.
About my day.
About the seminar.
About everything that had happened yesterday.
Every small detail.
And suddenly—
Her tone changed.
"Shristi kaun hai?" she asked.
I paused.
"Ek ladki thi seminar mein…"
"Ladki thi matlab?" she cut me off instantly.
"And you held her?"
A small smile formed on my face.
There it was.
Jealousy.
"Tum jealous ho?" I teased lightly.
"Main jealous nahi hu!" she replied immediately.
But her tone gave her away.
"Mujhe bas darr lagta hai…"
I went silent.
That line…
Stayed.
"…koi humare dosti ke beech mein na aa jaye."
That wasn't just jealousy.
That was fear.
Possessiveness.
Attachment.
Something deeper.
Something real.
My voice softened.
"Don't worry," I said quietly. "Koi nahi aayega."
And this time…
I meant it.
After that day…
Things changed.
We didn't meet.
But we talked.
Every single day.
Without fail.
Morning messages.
Random calls.
Late-night conversations that stretched longer than they should have.
It slowly became normal.
No…
It became necessary.
Days started revolving around her.
Time moved faster.
Board exams came closer.
For the first time…
I felt nervous.
But I didn't tell anyone.
Not even her.
Still…
She understood.
Before my exam, her message came—
"All the best… I know you are one of the best students… but maybe my wishes will make it better."
I smiled.
A genuine one.
Then I kept my phone aside and focused.
Exams went well.
Most of them.
Except the last one.
Health issues.
Weakness.
It affected me.
But my science exam…
That was perfect.
The best I had ever written.
That night, I posted a song.
Just randomly.
But within minutes—
Her reply came.
"Everything fine?"
I told her everything.
About my exams.
About my health.
About how I felt.
And she said—
"I'm always with you."
Those words…
Stayed.
Days passed.
I went to Gujarat.
A different place.
Different surroundings.
But one thing didn't change.
Her.
We talked daily.
Never missed a day.
One day, while playing cricket, I got hit in the chest.
The pain was sharp.
And because of my old condition…
It hit harder than usual.
I told her in the evening.
First, her message came instantly—
"Medicine liya?"
Concern.
Pure.
Then—
"Very good. Deserved."
I laughed.
That was her way.
Caring… but hiding it behind teasing.
Then came the moment.
The turning point.
My senior bhaiya saw everything.
The way I smiled at my phone.
The way I waited.
The way I reacted.
He didn't need an explanation.
He understood.
Without telling me, he took my phone.
Sent her my picture.
And when he saw her reaction…
He looked at me and said—
"Aaj bol… warna kabhi nahi bol payega."
That line echoed in my mind.
All night.
Over and over again.
After hours of talking to her…
Laughing like everything was normal…
I finally typed—
"Oye sun na… ek baat kehni thi…"
She replied instantly—
"Haan bata…"
My hands started shaking.
"Promise panic nahi karegi…"
Minutes passed.
Ten minutes…
Just building courage.
Then—
I closed my eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And typed—
"Mujhe nahi pata tera reaction kya hoga…"
Pause.
Another breath.
"I love you."
And after sending that message…
Everything stopped.
Time.
Breath.
Thoughts.
Everything.
I just stared at the screen.
Waiting.
Hoping.
Fearing.
Because that one message…
Was no longer just words.
It was my truth.
My feelings.
My heart.
And now…
It was in her hands.