Aarohi's breaths were uneven.
The more memories she unlocked,
the more she felt like she was living two lives at once —
hers,
and Aara's.
Arin watched her with quiet panic,
afraid to ask,
afraid to not ask.
"Aarohi," he whispered gently, "did you remember something again?"
Aarohi nodded slowly.
Her lips trembled.
"I think… I think I'm starting to remember why he mattered."
Arin's chest tightened painfully.
"Tell me," he said, voice soft but breaking.
Aarohi closed her eyes.
And the memories pulled her under again.
---
Aara sat alone again the next day.
Same bench.
Same quiet courtyard.
Same untouched lunch.
Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her tiffin.
The bullying had been worse that day.
Her classmates had laughed at her broken tooth.
Whispered behind her back.
Mocked her voice.
A teacher had scolded her in front of the class for something she didn't do.
Aara's eyes burned.
She looked down at her food, blinking rapidly to keep the tears in.
And then—
A shadow fell over her tiffin.
Aara looked up.
Riaan stood there.
Holding two chocolate milks.
One for him.
One for her.
He sat beside her without asking.
Aara whispered:
"You don't need to sit with me every day…"
Riaan leaned back casually.
"I know."
Aara stared at him.
"Then… why?"
Riaan looked at her quietly.
His voice soft:
"Because you don't deserve to be alone."
Aara's throat tightened.
She looked away quickly.
"You don't understand."
Riaan leaned his elbows on the table.
"Then make me understand."
Aara stiffened.
People never asked.
People never cared.
People never wanted to understand her.
She whispered:
"People don't like me."
Riaan shrugged gently.
"I do."
Aara's eyes widened.
"…why?"
Riaan smiled faintly.
"Because you're quiet.
Because you listen.
Because you don't try to be someone else.
Because your eyes say everything your mouth doesn't."
Aara looked down, heart pounding.
"No one has ever said something like that to me."
"Well," he said softly,
"you deserve to hear it."
Silence settled between them.
The soft kind.
The warm kind.
The kind that makes lonely people feel less lonely.
Then Riaan nudged her hand with his chocolate milk.
"Here. It's sweet. And you need something sweet today."
Aara blinked.
"How did you know I… didn't have a good day?"
Riaan tilted his head.
"You look like someone who hides tears behind silence."
Aara's eyes filled instantly.
She looked away again.
"I hate that people see me like I'm weak."
Riaan shook his head.
"You're not weak.
You're surviving people who treat you badly.
That's strength."
Aara blinked hard.
Riaan wasn't smiling.
He wasn't teasing.
He was seeing her.
Truly seeing her.
She whispered:
"You really think I'm strong?"
Riaan nodded.
"I know you are."
Aara lost her breath for a second.
And for the first time in her life—
she didn't feel invisible.
---
Aarohi gasped as she came back to the present.
Arin grabbed her shoulders instantly.
"Aarohi?! What happened?!"
Aarohi's voice broke as tears ran down her cheeks.
"He stayed with her.
Every day.
Every lunch.
Every time she felt small or lonely…
he stayed."
Arin's heart cracked.
"You don't have to remember that," he whispered painfully.
Aarohi shook her head, crying harder.
"I think… I think he was the only good thing in Aara's life."
Arin closed his eyes, jaw tight.
"Aarohi—"
"He made her feel seen," she whispered.
"He made her feel important.
He made her feel human."
Arin clenched his fists.
Jealousy burned.
Helplessness grew.
Fear twisted inside him.
"And now?" he whispered.
Aarohi looked at him with eyes full of confusion and pain.
"I'm remembering love I didn't know I had."
Arin flinched like she had stabbed him.
Aarohi reached for his hand.
"But that love is not mine," she whispered.
"It belongs to Aara."
Arin looked away, voice trembling:
"And you're becoming her."
Aarohi's heart twisted.
She touched his cheek gently.
"I don't want to lose myself…
But I can't push away memories that shaped the girl I used to be."
Arin looked broken.
"And what about the girl you are now?" he whispered.
Aarohi's tears fell again.
"She's trying to hold onto you."
Arin pulled her into a tight, desperate hug.
"Aarohi… don't let him take you from this life. Not emotionally. Not mentally. Not even in memory."
Aarohi shook against him.
But her tears whispered a truth she didn't want to say:
Riaan wasn't taking her.
He was returning to her.
And in the darkest part of the room—
barely audible—
a voice whispered:
"I never left you."
Aarohi stiffened violently.
Arin held her tighter.
The past wasn't done.
The memories weren't done.
And Riaan…
wasn't done.
---