Chapter 10 – The Night Call
Aarav calls her at midnight… just to hear her voice.
The campus quieted after the confession.
Not a dramatic confession.
Not a grand one.
Just a simple—
"I like you."
But simple words had complicated effects.
The next two days felt different.
They still sat beside each other.
Still worked on the project.
Still walked toward the gate at the same time.
But there was an awareness now.
An invisible current.
Every accidental touch lingered a second longer.
Every glance carried weight.
And every silence felt louder than before.
That night, Meera couldn't sleep.
She turned on her side.
Then the other.
Then checked her phone.
11:52 PM.
No message.
She told herself she wasn't waiting.
She was.
11:57 PM.
Her screen lit up.
Unknown Number.
Her heart skipped.
It wasn't unknown.
Not anymore.
She answered before it stopped ringing.
"Hello?"
A soft inhale on the other side.
"Were you asleep?"
His voice.
Low.
Careful.
"No," she whispered. "Were you waiting until midnight on purpose?"
A faint chuckle.
"Maybe."
"Why?"
A pause.
"I didn't want to call too early."
"That makes no sense."
"I know."
Silence.
Comfortable.
But charged.
"You called just to hear my voice again?" she asked softly.
"Yes."
No hesitation this time.
Her chest tightened.
"That's dangerous."
"I told you," he murmured. "Caring feels dangerous."
"Then why do it?"
Another pause.
"Because not calling felt worse."
The honesty wrapped around her like warmth.
She sat up in bed, pulling her blanket around her shoulders.
"What happened?" she asked gently. "You don't call without a reason."
"I do," he said quietly. "Tonight, the reason is you."
Her breath caught.
"You're saying things too easily lately."
"No," he replied. "I'm saying them because I almost didn't."
She frowned slightly.
"What does that mean?"
He exhaled slowly.
"Rohan asked about you today."
Her jaw tightened.
"What about me?"
"If we're together."
The words hung in the air.
"And what did you say?"
"That it's none of his business."
She smiled faintly.
"Good answer."
"He smirked."
"That's his face. It's always like that."
Aarav didn't laugh.
"I didn't like it."
"Jealous again?"
"Yes."
She softened.
"Why does it bother you so much?"
"Because I don't know what we are."
The vulnerability in that sentence made her heartbeat slow.
"What do you want us to be?" she asked quietly.
Silence.
Then—
"Something real."
Her throat tightened.
"That's not very specific."
"I'm not good at specific."
She smiled to herself.
"You're good at midnight honesty though."
He exhaled faintly.
"Meera?"
"Yes?"
"Are we… something?"
There it was.
Not dramatic.
Not cinematic.
Just unsure.
Careful.
Fragile.
She thought about the rain.
The project.
The jealousy.
The way he looked at her like she mattered.
"We're not nothing," she said softly.
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
He waited.
She could almost hear his heartbeat through the line.
"I don't want to rush it," she continued. "But I don't want to pretend either."
"So?"
"So we're figuring it out."
He was quiet for a long moment.
"I'm scared," he admitted.
"Of what?"
"That if I say it clearly, it becomes real."
"And that's bad?"
"It means I could lose it."
Her heart ached.
"You won't lose me because you were honest."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
He inhaled slowly.
"You make it sound easy."
"It's not easy," she said. "It's just worth it."
Silence.
Outside her window, the city felt still.
Inside her chest, everything felt alive.
"Tell me something," she said softly.
"What?"
"When did you start liking me?"
A faint huff.
"You want the truth?"
"Yes."
"The bus stop."
Her heart stumbled.
"The first day?"
"You were scared of thunder but pretending not to be."
She laughed quietly.
"I wasn't pretending."
"You were."
"And you noticed?"
"I notice everything about you."
Her breath caught.
"That's not fair."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know when I started."
He smiled softly on the other end.
"You did."
"When?"
"The day you told me I don't hide my sadness very well."
Her eyes stung slightly.
"That's not romantic."
"It was honest."
Silence.
Then—
"Meera?"
"Yes?"
"If I ask you something… promise you won't avoid it?"
"I won't."
"Do you see me in your future?"
The question landed heavily.
Not playful.
Not light.
Serious.
She swallowed.
"I don't know the future," she said gently. "But I know that right now… I don't want to imagine my days without you in them."
His breathing shifted.
Slower.
Quieter.
"That's enough," he whispered.
"Enough for what?"
"Enough to call this something."
Her heart fluttered.
"And what are you calling it?"
Another pause.
Then—
"Us."
The simplest word.
But it felt monumental.
She smiled into the darkness.
"I like the sound of that."
"So do I."
They stayed silent for a while.
Not because they had nothing to say.
But because they didn't need to fill it.
"I wish I could see you right now," he murmured suddenly.
"You saw me today."
"That's not the same."
"What would you do if you were here?"
He thought for a moment.
"I'd sit next to you."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
She laughed softly.
"You're very dramatic."
"I'd hold your hand."
Her breath hitched.
"Oh."
"And I wouldn't let go."
Her heart pounded painfully.
"Aarav…"
"Yes?"
"You're not supposed to say things like that at midnight."
"Why?"
"Because they feel bigger."
He smiled faintly.
"Good."
Silence again.
But this time—
It wasn't fragile.
It was certain.
"Are we still scared?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," he admitted.
"But?"
"But I don't want to run."
She closed her eyes.
"Neither do I."
He let out a slow breath.
"Then stay."
"I am."
"Promise?"
"Yes."
Another long pause.
"Say it once," he whispered.
"Say what?"
"That you like me."
She laughed softly.
"You're impossible."
"Please."
Her heart softened.
"I like you, Aarav."
The silence that followed felt sacred.
"Say it again," he whispered.
"I like you."
He exhaled shakily.
"Okay," he murmured.
"Okay what?"
"Now I can sleep."
She smiled.
"You called me just to hear that?"
"Yes."
"You're ridiculous."
"And you're mine."
Her breath caught.
"Aarav…"
He quickly added, "If that's okay."
Her voice softened.
"It's okay."
Another quiet pause.
"Goodnight," he whispered.
"Goodnight."
Neither hung up.
Again.
Just breathing.
Just knowing the other was there.
Finally, the call ended.
Meera stared at her ceiling.
Her heart wasn't racing anymore.
It felt steady.
Certain.
Across the city, Aarav lay awake too.
Phone still in his hand.
A small, real smile resting on his face.
Not the practiced one.
Not the careful one.
The one that reached his eyes.
Because tonight—
It wasn't jealousy.
It wasn't confusion.
It wasn't fear.
It was simple.
He had called her at midnight—
Just to hear her voice.
And she had stayed.