Disclaimer : This story is inspired by the author's personal emotions and experiences. However, all characters' names, identities, places, and certain events have been fictionalized. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to real events is purely coincidental.
THE SPACE BETWEEN TWO HEARTBEATS.
A love story of Sam & Nova.
Some love stories begin with a dramatic first meeting.
Ours began before we even knew it was a beginning.
In 2019, Sam and Nova were already part of each other's lives, but only in the most ordinary way. Same tuition. Same familiar faces. Same casual nods. Nothing special. Nothing memorable. Just two students who knew each other's names and nothing more.
Their schools were different. Nova went to morning school. Sam attended evening school. Their timings never matched, their paths never crossed beyond tuition. Friendship existed, but only as a word. They were not close. Not awkward. Just… normal.
At that time, normal felt enough.
Eleventh grade started, and with it came the quiet realization that childhood was slowly slipping away. Sam was twenty. Nova had just turned eighteen. They were growing up, even if they didn't feel ready for it.
Days passed in a predictable rhythm. Classes, homework, summer heat, shared complaints about studies, small laughs with friends. Life moved forward without asking anyone's permission.
Until one ordinary evening changed everything.
On 24th August 2019, Sam's phone buzzed with a message from an unknown number.
"Hi. How are you?"
He stared at the screen, confused.
"Who is this?" he replied.
The response came quickly.
"It's me. Nova."
Just a name.
Just a message.
And yet, something shifted.
They started talking casually. Simple questions. Friendly replies. No expectations. No intentions. Just two people talking because it felt easy.
Time slipped by unnoticed. Messages stretched longer. Conversations grew warmer. Midnight arrived quietly, and with it, Janmashtami.
Both celebrated the festival at their homes, unaware that something far more personal had begun.
The next day, voice calls started.
Sam realized how comforting her voice felt.
Nova noticed how safe she felt talking to him.
Neither said it out loud.
Sam was not someone who talked much, especially to girls. He was shy, the kind who thought too much before speaking and still felt he said the wrong thing. He had never spoken to any girl like this before. Daily conversations. Late-night talks. Honest laughter.
Nova was the first.
That alone made Sam happy.
Messages became routine. Good mornings. Late-night "are you still awake?" texts. Asking about food, classes, tiredness, dreams. Sometimes Sam tried to flirt, awkward and innocent. Nova laughed, teasing him gently.
Somewhere between those conversations, September arrived.
And so did love.
Sam didn't notice the exact moment it happened. There was no announcement. No warning. Just a feeling that slowly made its home inside his chest.
Whenever Nova's name appeared on his phone, his heart beat faster. When she was near, his body reacted before his mind could. His hands trembled. His words stumbled. His legs felt weak, as if they forgot how to support him.
Sometimes, without seeing her, he knew she was nearby. As if his heart recognized her presence before his eyes did.
That was when he understood.
He was in love.
They never confessed directly. Instead, they talked around the feeling, careful not to scare it away.
"What do you think about love?"
"Have you ever liked someone?"
"Do you believe in forever?"
Their words danced around the truth.
Until 8th October.
They were talking like always when Nova suddenly asked,
"Are you single… or taken?"
Sam smiled, nervous even though she couldn't see him.
"I'm single."
There was a pause. A long one.
Then Nova typed words that changed everything.
"I love you."
Sam didn't think. He didn't analyze. He didn't prepare a response.
He just felt.
"I love you too."
And just like that, without planning, without promises, without rules, they were together.
Their relationship was pure in a way only first love can be.
No demands.
No physical expectations.
No pressure about the future.
They just wanted to talk. To be there. To share everything.
Festivals felt warmer. Days felt lighter. Even boring routines felt special because they had each other.
When Diwali came, Sam went to Nova's house. He didn't go inside. He stood outside the gate, heart pounding.
Nova came out with a small box of rasgullas. She smiled and handed them to him.
"My father is home," she said softly.
"Otherwise, I would have called you inside."
"It's okay," Sam replied.
That moment stayed with him forever. Simple. Honest. Real.
They walked together after school sometimes, shared snacks, laughed without reason. Nova once fed Sam a small chocolate, worth forty rupees.
Sam remembered it not because of its price, but because of her smile.
Twelfth grade arrived in 2020.
They were officially a couple now. They spoke about dreams. About staying together. About a future that felt close and endless.
Their love was innocent. They didn't want anything from each other except presence. Just sitting together. Just talking. Just existing side by side.
But slowly, something changed.
Not suddenly.
Not loudly.
Replies came late. Conversations shortened. Days passed without talking.
Sam felt restless. He apologized without knowing why. He tried harder. He waited.
Sometimes Nova returned. Sometimes she didn't.
There were no fights. No accusations. No clear reason.
Just distance.
And one day, without a goodbye, the conversations stopped.
No explanation.
No closure.
Sam broke.
He couldn't focus. He couldn't sleep. Anxiety wrapped around him quietly. He cried alone, questioning everything.
Their last school days passed like a blur.
Even after the relationship ended, people still called him by her name. Her friends still called him Jeeja.
But Nova was gone.
For more than two years, there was no contact.
Sam stayed loyal to memories. He didn't move on. He didn't try to replace her. He lived on what they had been.
In 2023, a message arrived.
"Hi."
They talked casually. Rarely. Once in months. About jobs. Life. Work. As if nothing had ever existed between them.
Sam pretended too.
Because sometimes loving someone means letting them go.
Years passed. 2026 arrived.
Sam still loved her.
Even now, if Nova was nearby, his heart reacted the same way. Fast. Uncontrollable. Familiar.
Sometimes fate placed them near each other without a chance to talk. Sometimes her thoughts filled his mind for no reason.
He wondered—
Should he ask for closure?
Should he speak the truth?
Or should he remain silent forever?
Because he didn't want to own her.
He just wanted her to be happy.
And somewhere deep inside, he still hoped.
That one day, she would look at him and say the words he had been waiting years to hear.
Or maybe… silence itself was the answer.
And yet, somewhere between unanswered messages and unfinished conversations, destiny still seemed restless. Sometimes Sam wondered if the universe was playing a slow game with them—bringing Nova close without letting them meet, letting their paths cross without allowing their words to. Was it coincidence that even after so many years, his heart still recognized her presence before his eyes did? Or was it a sign that some stories are not meant to end quietly, without one last truth being spoken?
Now, standing in 2026, Sam often asked himself the question he had avoided for years. Would he ever gather the courage to ask for closure, or would silence remain their final chapter? Would Nova ever turn back and see the love that waited patiently, without demands, without conditions? Or was their love meant to remain incomplete—beautiful, pure, and forever unfinished? The future held its breath, waiting. Because sometimes, the most powerful love stories are not about being together… but about wondering, what if one day, they finally meet?