Aarohi was busy preparing for her board exams.
Aira was still on her trip.
Their worlds felt different for a while—
but not their thoughts.
One day, something unexpected happened.
They were staying in tents in Kutch for a night.
After reaching, everyone freshened up and went out for breakfast.
Everything felt normal.
Until—
a small spark came out of the switchboard.
At first, no one paid attention.
But within seconds—
that small spark turned into a fire.
And the fire spread quickly.
The tent started burning.
Aira and her friends tried to stop it.
They threw water, tried to control it—
but it was too late.
The flames had already taken over.
Soon, the hotel staff arrived and managed to extinguish the fire.
Everyone was shaken.
Some of her friends started crying.
Their bags… their things… everything had burned.
Aira stood there, silent.
Her bag was safe.
But something inside her didn't feel okay.
She was strong.
At least… that's what she showed.
Her teachers told them not to inform their parents.
"They'll just worry unnecessarily," they said.
But Aira's mind was full of thoughts.
Fear.
Confusion.
Something she couldn't explain.
She wanted to tell someone.
But her friends were already too disturbed.
So she stayed quiet.
Then she thought of her.
That night, they talked on a call.
Aira slowly told her everything.
Every detail.
Every feeling.
She thought—
just like others, she would only sympathize.
Say things like "it's okay" and move on.
But she didn't.
She understood.
Not just the incident—
but how Aira felt.
What she was thinking.
What she was scared of.
And that… made all the difference.
Her voice was calm.
Her words were gentle.
She handled everything so softly—
as if she knew exactly what to say.
For the first time that day—
Aira felt calm.
I want to know everything about you," Aarohi
said quietly.
Aira paused.
"I don't even know myself… how will you know me?"
"I just want to know you," she replied.
There was silence for a moment.
"Okay."
Something shifted inside her.
Something warm.
Something new.
She felt happy.
Not because of what happened—
but because someone wanted to understand her.
No one had ever tried to know her like this before.
And now—
someone did.