Authors POV:
It wasn't like she waited for him.
Life moved on. Seasons changes. New uniforms, new subjects, new branches.
But some names... they linger.
Just softly.. inside.
Aaradhya never really talked about him.
But one afternoon, as she sat under the neem tree in school, messing with her lunch box.
she looked at her best friend Avni Deshmukh and said,
"There was this boy..."
Avni raised an eyebrow, already grinning.
"Ohoooo. A boy, huh?"
Aaradhya smiled, half shy.
"From tuition. Back in 7th."
She told her everything -
About how he used to sit beside her.
About his quiet eyes.
About that one look that stayed with her.
And about how she never got to say good bye.
Avni listened. Then smirked.
"Girl, if he ever texts you again, I swear I'll scream."
They laughed.
And then forgot about it.
At least they, Aaradhya tried to.
But some pages... never close
That evening, a text came.
From him Reyansh.
He texted,
"Hey, how are you?"
She replied almost instantly.
"I'm good! You?"
Reyansh: "I'm good too."
Aaradhya: "Wait, how did you even get my mom's number?"
Reyansh: "We've got mutual friends... I asked, and well, here we are."
She laughed. "Acha nice nice."
And just like that, the silence between them cracked open.
They talked about school.
Where they lived now.
What they planned to study.
Nothing serious.
Nothing heavy.
But everything felt... right.
After a while, she sent him a "byee", and threw her phone on the bed.
And then, she laughed.
Like a crazy girl.
Pillow in hand. Spinning on the bed.
"I just talked to Reyansh Bedi again."
It became a thing.
They didn't talk daily.
But whenever they did talk,
It felt like nothing in the world could interrupt them.
One day, she texted him from her new phone.
"Hey! This is my new number :)"
The chats got longer. Softer.
And then, during one of those 11PM conversations,
He asked:
"So... do you have a boyfriend or something?"
She smiled.
"Nope. Never had one. I don't really know what love is. Not interested either."
She flipped it back to him:
"What about you?"
He paused.
"I did. We broke up."
She blinked.
"Wait, what? Why?"
Reyansh: "We weren't good for each other."
Aaradhya: "That's it?"
Reyansh: "Yeah. It wasn't easy. But... sometimes you just have to move on."
Aaradhya stared at his message for a few seconds.
"Is it really that simple to move on?"
Reyansh: "No. But we pretend it is."
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.
"So... how do you feel now?"
A pause. Then,
"I'm good now. :)"
It was quiet for a few minutes after that.
Not awkward.
Just... thoughtful.
Slowly, the conversation slipped from heartbreak to love.
From studies to silly crushes.
"Okay okay," she typed,
and then she asked "Who was your first crush?"
He replied in a second.
"Don't take it the wrong way..."
"But it was you."
She froze.
Her mouth slightly open. Phone in her hand.
Me?
Yeah, she had always suspected.
The way he used to look at her.
How he smiled only at her, even when they sat as a trio.
But... first crush?
She never thought it was that deep.
She took a deep breath and replied:
"Wait seriously? Like first-first?"
Reyansh: "Yeah."
Her heart skipped something.
She didn't know if it was a beat or a whole chapter.
She typed slowly:
"But... why? What's even good in me?"
Her mind raced.
But I'm not even that type, she thought.
Not the pretty, fair, filmy heroine type.
Just... average.
Below average, on some days.
She stared at her reflection on the dark screen.
Slightly messy hair. Round face. Not magazine pretty.
His reply came seconds later.
"Because you're an angry bird."
She blinked.
"Excuse me??"
Reyansh: "Yeah, you are. Always ready to argue. Bold. Like a firecracker. But...too cute when you're like that."
Her lips curved into a small smile.
That kind of smile you try to hide in the dark under your blanket.
But it still reaches your eyes.
And just like that, her stomach did that weird tingly thing.
Like bubbles rising but never popping.
She quickly texted:
"Ummmmm."
He replied:
"You're the kind of person who, once you let someone in your life... you treat them like family. Like they're yours. You'd do anything for them."
She didn't reply immediately.
She just... smiled.
Softly. Shyly.
The kind of smile that no one sees, but changes something inside you.
After a few seconds, he sent another text:
"What about you? Who was your first crush?"
Aaradhya stared at the question.
She could lie.
She could joke.
But why pretend?
This wasn't drama. This was real.
"It was you." she typed.
And hit send.
>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<>.<
There's something about old connections.
They don't always knock loudly.
Sometimes, they slip into your inbox with a simple,
"Hey, how are you?"
And suddenly, it's 11PM.
You're smiling like a fool.
Spinning on the bed.
Wondering how a text can feel like home.
This chapter was close to my heart ,
because sometimes, the first person who made your heart flutter...
never really left.
Thank you, my loviessss, for being here.
If you've ever blushed at your screen or stared at a message too long...
this chapter was for you 🤍
— See you in Chapter 4, where hearts beat a little louder.
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