Aarohi didn't speak for almost an hour after collapsing back from that memory.
She sat on her bed, knees pulled tight to her chest, breathing unevenly, eyes haunted.
Arin sat beside her, afraid to blink, terrified to let go.
"Aarohi…" he whispered, "look at me. Just look at me."
She didn't.
Her eyes were fixed on her palms —
as if Riaan's touch was still lingering there.
Finally, she whispered:
"Arin… I think I know how we met."
Arin froze.
"Who?" he asked quietly, though he already knew the answer.
Aarohi swallowed.
"Riaan."
Arin's jaw tightened painfully.
"What do you remember?" he asked softly.
Aarohi closed her eyes.
And the world shifted.
The room disappeared.
The rain faded.
And suddenly—
She was Aara again.
---
It wasn't raining.
It wasn't night.
It wasn't tragic.
It was afternoon.
Warm, golden sunlight filtered through the window of a crowded school hallway.
Teenagers laughed.
Books slammed shut.
Bags zipped.
Shoes squeaked on the freshly cleaned floor.
But Aara…
Aara walked alone.
Head down.
Shoulders tense.
Books held tightly to her chest.
People brushed past her like she didn't exist.
Her chest hurt.
She walked toward her classroom quietly, hoping no one would notice her—
But they did.
Two girls whispered near the lockers.
"That's her."
"Yeah, the weird one."
"She doesn't talk to anyone."
"She looks so… broken."
"No wonder she eats alone."
Aara winced, steps faltering.
And then—
She bumped into someone.
Hard.
Her books scattered on the floor.
Aara gasped softly, kneeling down quickly, apologizing under her breath even though she hadn't said a word aloud.
Then a hand reached toward her fallen notebook.
Long fingers.
Warm skin.
Aara hesitated, staring.
The boy kneeling across from her looked up.
For the first time—
she saw Riaan.
Not bleeding.
Not crying.
Not dying.
Alive.
And young.
Calm.
Quiet.
Beautiful in a quiet, startling way.
He handed her the notebook gently.
"You okay?"
Aara's breath caught.
She couldn't speak.
Her throat always closed around strangers.
Riaan didn't stare.
He didn't laugh.
He didn't judge.
He just waited.
Patiently.
Softly.
Aara nodded faintly.
Riaan smiled — the softest smile she had ever seen.
"You should look up while walking," he said.
"Or you'll keep bumping into me."
Aara's cheeks warmed.
She whispered, barely audible:
"S–sorry."
Riaan blinked.
His smile widened slightly.
"That's the first time I've heard your voice."
Aara's eyes widened in surprise.
Riaan stood up and offered his hand.
She stared at it for too long —
her hands trembled, afraid of touch, afraid of people.
Riaan didn't push.
"Only if you're comfortable," he said gently.
Aara's heart softened.
Slowly…
hesitantly…
she placed her hand in his.
Warm.
Steady.
Kind.
Riaan pulled her up effortlessly.
"I'm Riaan," he said.
"Your name?"
Aara looked away nervously.
He waited.
Aara whispered:
"Aara."
Riaan repeated it softly.
"Aara…"
The way he said it—
as if memorizing it—
as if it mattered—
as if she mattered—
Aara felt the first flutter of something she didn't understand yet.
Riaan smiled again.
"Nice to meet you."
Aara lowered her eyes, but she whispered back, almost shyly:
"Nice to meet you too."
And that was the first time she had ever said those words to anyone her age.
---
The memory shattered.
Aarohi inhaled sharply, clutching her chest as if caught between two worlds.
Arin instantly grabbed her arms.
"Aarohi?! What did you see?!"
Aarohi blinked rapidly, tears filling her eyes.
Her voice quivered:
"I saw the first time we met."
Arin's face fell.
"What… what happened?"
Aarohi swallowed hard.
"He picked up my fallen books. He asked my name. He… he smiled at me like I wasn't invisible."
Arin's throat tightened.
"Aarohi… you don't have to remember this."
But she continued, voice trembling:
"He treated me kindly, Arin. No one ever did. And I… I didn't know how to respond."
Arin clenched his fists.
Jealousy.
Fear.
Pain.
Protectiveness.
All tangled inside him.
He whispered:
"Aarohi… you're remembering a boy from a life that's not yours anymore."
Aarohi shook her head.
"But it feels like it IS mine."
Arin looked destroyed.
Aarohi wiped her tears, breath shaking.
"And I think…"
She paused, voice cracking.
"I think he was the first person to make Aara feel seen."
Arin bowed his head, pain tightening every muscle in his chest.
"Aarohi… don't let memories decide your heart."
Aarohi looked at him softly, painfully.
"I'm not choosing him… I'm remembering him."
Arin met her eyes with heartbreak.
"And that's what scares me."
Then—
Aarohi stiffened.
"What now?" Arin asked, voice rising in panic.
Aarohi touched her own hand —
the same spot Riaan had touched in the memory.
"It feels warm," she whispered.
"As if he's still holding me."
Arin grabbed her hand, desperate.
"I'm holding you," he whispered.
"ME. Not him. Me."
Aarohi's lips trembled.
"I know…"
But her soul whispered something else.
And in the corner of the room, almost unheard, a voice breathed through the air:
"You didn't just meet me, Aara…
You changed me."
Aarohi shivered violently.
Arin pulled her close, but he felt it—
He was losing her to a memory he couldn't fight.
---