LETTERS NEVER SENT
Chapter 1 – “The First Time I Saw Her”
[SCHOOL HALLWAY – FIRST DAY OF TERM]
AARAV
(thinking):New year. New section. New... everything.
Great. More people I won’t talk to.
AARAV
(thinking):
And there she is.
Back row. Eyes like she’s already tired of life.
Silent. Still.
Everyone’s laughing, whispering, forming groups.
Except her.
AARAV
(thinking):
She didn’t even look up.
Like her voice didn’t want to be heard.
[LUNCH – CLASSROOM NOISE]
AARAV
(thinking):
She eats alone. No lunchbox. Just a packet of chips.
Not even chips. Just crumbs.
What’s her deal?
VIHAAN
Aarav! You’re in Class 7B too?
AARAV
Yeah, man. Same section. You?
VIHAAN
Yep! My sister’s in the same class.
AARAV
(thinking):
That silent girl is your sister?
[DAYS PASS – CASUAL CLASS INTERACTIONS]
AARAV
(thinking):
She never smiles.
Never talks.
But she always looks out the window like she’s watching something the rest of us can’t see.
[ONE RAINY DAY – LUNCH BREAK]
AARAV
(thinking):
She didn’t bring an umbrella.
Again.
AARAV
Hey, you’ll get soaked.
AARAV
(thinking):
She looked right through me.
Not rude. Just… far away.
AARAV
Still. Come.
(Holds umbrella toward her)
AARAV
(texting):
> You okay?
AARAV
(texting):
> You never talk much.
MEHAR
(texting):
> Is that a problem?
AARAV
(texting):
> No. Just curious.
MEHAR
(texting):
> Curiosity can hurt.
AARAV
(thinking):
She’s strange.
And quiet.
And kinda... sad.
But I want to know her.
Not like everyone else does.
I want to understand her.
[SOMEWHERE ELSE – MEHAR’S HOME]
MEHAR
(thinking):
Why did he offer his umbrella?
Why does he text?
What does he want?
[DOOR SLAMS IN DISTANCE, A MAN SHOUTING]
MEHAR
(thinking):
People are kind until they change.
They always change.
Chapter 2 – “The First Smile
(Age 12 – a few weeks later)
[SCHOOL – MORNING ASSEMBLY]
AARAV
(thinking):
There she is again.
Same blank expression. Same loose ponytail.
Same... distance.
AARAV
(thinking):
But something's different today.
Her sleeves are longer. It's 30 degrees outside.
[LUNCHTIME – UNDER A TREE]
VIHAAN
Wanna trade snacks?
AARAV
Only if you give me the chocolate biscuit first.
MEHAR
(thinking):
They're so loud.
But… it doesn't feel annoying.
Just… alive.
[A LITTLE LATER – MEHAR SITTING ALONE]
AARAV
You eat really fast.
MEHAR
Or maybe you eat slow.
AARAV
(thinking):
Was that a… joke?
[THE NEXT DAY – SCHOOL LIBRARY]
AARAV
Hey, you read novels?
MEHAR
Because they tell the truth.
AARAV
(thinking):
I want to ask what truth.
But I already feel the answer might break me.
AARAV
(texting):
> What are you reading?
AARAV
(texting):
> Heard it’s good?
MEHAR
(texting):
> It is. It makes pain sound poetic.
AARAV
(texting):
> Why do you always sound like you’re 40?
MEHAR
(texting):
> Because I’ve lived enough to feel like it.
AARAV
(thinking):
What has she lived?
[ONE WEEK LATER – SCHOOL GROUNDS]
AARAV
Wanna hear a lame joke?
AARAV
What do you call a sad strawberry?
MEHAR
(thinking):
That’s so stupid
AARAV
(thinking):
Wait.
She smiled.
She smiled.
AARAV
That microscopic, blink-and-you-miss-it smile.
MEHAR
(texting):
> Thanks for the joke.
AARAV
(texting):
> Wait... you actually LIKED it?
MEHAR
(texting):
> No. But…
It made the day less heavy.
AARAV
(thinking):
She's carrying something.
And I don’t know what.
But if one dumb joke can lift her…
I’ll learn a thousand.
[MEHAR’S ROOM – LIGHTS OFF]
MEHAR
(thinking):
I smiled.
After months.
And it didn’t feel like weakness.
It felt like… air.
Chapter 3 – “The Bond”
(Age 12 – One Month Later)
[SCHOOL – GROUP PROJECTS ANNOUNCED]
Teacher
You'll be working in pairs.
Aarav and… Mehar.
AARAV
(thinking):
Okay, universe. I see you. 😳
MEHAR
(thinking):
Why him?
Why anyone?
[AFTER CLASS – WALKING TOGETHER]
AARAV
So… want to work at my place or yours?
AARAV
(thinking):
That was fast.
No hesitation.
Like she knew her house wasn’t an option.
AARAV
Okay. Mine then. Tomorrow?
[NEXT DAY – AARAV’S HOUSE]
AARAV
(thinking):
I cleaned my whole room.
Mom thinks I’m sick. 😅
AARAV
You want juice? Or water?
AARAV
You know… you talk more through text than in person.
MEHAR
Because text doesn’t look you in the eye.
AARAV
(thinking):
That hit harder than it should’ve.
[TEXTING – LATER THAT EVENING]
AARAV
(texting):
> You’re pretty smart.
You basically did the whole project.
MEHAR
(texting):
> It’s easier to focus on things that aren’t people.
AARAV
(texting):
> But you worked with me. I’m technically a person 😌
MEHAR
(texting):
> Debatable.
AARAV
(texting):
> Wow. Rude.
I was gonna say you’re kinda cool.
MEHAR
(texting):
> “Kinda”?
AARAV
(texting):
> Okay okay. You’re cool 😎
[NEXT SCHOOL DAY – BREAK TIME]
VIHAAN
Hey Mehar, Aarav said you were actually funny yesterday.
What spell did he use?
MEHAR
He just asked questions.
MEHAR
No one usually asks. Or waits for the answer.
[AFTER SCHOOL – OUTSIDE THE GATE]
MEHAR
You like walking alone, don’t you?
AARAV
Yeah. It's quiet. I like quiet.
AARAV
What do you think about when you're walking?
MEHAR
The things I can't say out loud.
AARAV
(thinking):
This girl speaks like a poem and a storm at once.
MEHAR
(texting):
> Did you ever lose something you never had?
AARAV
(texting):
> Like what?
MEHAR
(texting):
> A feeling. A family. Peace.
AARAV
(texting):
> Yeah… maybe.
AARAV
(texting):
> My dad lives in Dubai. I see him once a year.
We talk like strangers.
MEHAR
(texting):
> At least you have a dad who doesn’t scare you.
[MEHAR’S ROOM – LIGHT OFF, PHONE IN HAND]
MEHAR
(thinking):
Why did I say that?
Why did I open the door?
[FROM OUTSIDE – A LOUD CRASH, THEN SILENCE]
MEHAR
(thinking):
He'll hate me if he sees the whole of me.
Everyone would.
[AARAV’S ROOM – STARRY NIGHT OUT WINDOW]
AARAV
(thinking):
She’s not cold. She’s scared.
And strong.
And I don’t want her to be alone in that.
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