The first time Aarohi Sharma met Advik Malhotra, she was six years old.

She still remembered the bright summer afternoon as if it had happened yesterday.

The Sharma and Malhotra families had been neighbors long before either child was born. Their fathers had built businesses together, their mothers spent almost every evening chatting over tea, and every festival was celebrated under one roof.

To everyone else, they were two families.

To Aarohi, they were one.

She sat quietly on the swing in the Malhotras’ garden, hugging her favorite teddy bear close to her chest. She wasn’t good at making friends. Every new face made her hide behind someone.

“Aaru!”

Her mother smiled warmly.

“I want you to meet someone.”

A little boy walked toward her with messy black hair and a permanent frown.

He looked annoyed.

“I’m Advik.”

He didn’t smile.

He simply looked at the little girl sitting on the swing.

“Why is she crying?”

“I-I’m not crying,” Aarohi sniffled, wiping away the tiny tears that had escaped after falling earlier.

Advik sighed dramatically.

“Girls cry too much.”

His mother laughed.

“And boys talk too much.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Everyone except Aarohi.

She pouted.

“I don’t like him.”

Advik shrugged.

“I don’t like her either.”

From that day onward…

They were inseparable.

⸻

Years passed.

School replaced toys.

Homework replaced cartoons.

But one thing never changed.

Wherever Aarohi was…

Advik wasn’t far behind.

If she forgot her lunch, he shared his.

If someone bullied her, he stood in front of her without thinking twice.

If she fell while riding her bicycle, he scolded her before helping her up.

“You never watch where you’re going.”

“You pushed me!”

“You were already falling.”

“You liar!”

Their arguments became legendary.

Both families had grown used to hearing them bicker over the smallest things.

“Aunty!” Aarohi complained one afternoon.

“Advik ate all the mango ice cream!”

His mother looked at him.

“Did you?”

He shrugged shamelessly.

“She was taking too long.”

“I was praying before eating!”

“You pray too much.”

“I’ll tell Uncle!”

“Go ahead.”

Within seconds…

Aarohi chased him around the garden while everyone laughed.

Even then…

No one imagined their story would become so complicated.

⸻

When they turned twelve, life slowly began changing.

School became harder.

Friendships became confusing.

Feelings became unfamiliar.

One afternoon, after basketball practice, Aarohi sat under the large banyan tree waiting for Advik to finish talking to his teammates.

Several girls surrounded him.

They giggled.

They complimented him.

One of them shyly handed him a chocolate.

Aarohi watched from afar.

She didn’t understand why her chest suddenly felt heavy.

She looked away.

When Advik finally walked over, he tossed the chocolate into her lap.

“You eat it.”

She blinked.

“But someone gave this to you.”

“I don’t like chocolate.”

“You loved chocolate yesterday.”

“I changed my mind.”

She smiled.

“Thanks.”

He simply rolled his eyes.

“Hurry up. Mom said we have to get home before it rains.”

She nodded, holding the chocolate tightly.

For some reason…

It felt more precious than any gift she’d ever received.

⸻

At thirteen…

The teasing began.

Both families gathered for Diwali every year.

As always, Aarohi and Advik were lighting sparklers together.

One uncle laughed loudly.

“Look at them.”

“They already look like husband and wife.”

Everyone laughed.

Aarohi’s cheeks turned bright red.

Advik nearly dropped his sparkler.

“Eww!”

“She’s annoying.”

“I’m not marrying her.”

Aarohi forced herself to laugh too.

“It’s okay.”

“We fight too much anyway.”

But that night…

She stood on her balcony long after everyone had gone to bed.

She looked toward the Malhotra house.

The lights in Advik’s room were still on.

A strange ache settled in her heart.

She didn’t know why.

Not yet.

⸻

Years continued slipping by.

Birthdays.

School trips.

Exams.

Family vacations.

Every memory somehow included Advik.

He was there when she won her first painting competition.

He was there when she cried after failing a math test.

He was there every time she was scared.

He was simply…

Always there.

Without realizing it…

He had become home.

⸻

One rainy afternoon during their tenth-grade year, classes ended earlier than usual.

The school gate overflowed with students trying to avoid the downpour.

Aarohi forgot her umbrella.

She sighed.

“Great…”

Before she could step into the rain, an umbrella appeared above her head.

“Move.”

She looked up.

Advik.

“When did you get here?”

“You walk too slowly.”

“I was packing my bag.”

“You always pack like you’re moving houses.”

She laughed softly.

They walked home together beneath one umbrella.

Their shoulders occasionally brushed.

Neither noticed.

Or perhaps…

Only one of them did.

As they reached her house, Aarohi smiled.

“Thanks.”

He nodded.

“Don’t get sick.”

Then he walked away without waiting for another word.

She watched him disappear into the rain.

A smile slowly spread across her face.

She didn’t know it then.

But somewhere between shared lunchboxes…

Countless arguments…

Rainy walks…

And ordinary days…

She had quietly fallen in love with the boy who still saw her as nothing more than his childhood friend.

And neither of them knew…

That one confession years later would change both of their lives forever.

— End of Chapter 1 —

The first time Aarohi realized her feelings had changed…

She was fifteen.

It wasn’t because of a romantic movie.

Or a love song.

Or because someone told her she liked him.

It happened on an ordinary Monday morning.

The kind of morning that should have been forgotten.

Yet it became the day her heart chose someone it would refuse to let go.

⸻

“Advik!”

Aarohi ran across the school corridor, struggling to keep her balance while carrying two heavy books.

“Wait!”

Without turning around, he stopped.

“I knew you’d be late.”

“I wasn’t late!”

“You were.”

“I was tying my shoelace.”

“You don’t even wear shoes with laces.”

She froze.

“…Fine.”

“I overslept.”

He smirked.

“I know.”

She frowned before lightly hitting his arm with her notebook.

“You didn’t have to expose me.”

“I always will.”

She rolled her eyes.

“You’ll never change.”

“No.”

“I won’t.”

For some strange reason…

His answer made her smile.

⸻

Classes passed slowly that day.

Their desks weren’t together anymore.

Teachers believed separating them would stop them from talking.

It didn’t.

Advik still turned around every few minutes.

“Did you finish the chemistry homework?”

She nodded.

“Can I copy?”

“You said homework builds character.”

“It does.”

“So?”

“I’m building yours.”

She laughed.

“No.”

“Please.”

“No.”

“I’ll buy you samosas.”

“…Two?”

“Deal.”

Their classmates simply shook their heads.

“You two are impossible.”

⸻

Lunch break arrived.

The school courtyard buzzed with laughter.

Students gathered beneath trees, sharing food and gossip.

As usual, Aarohi sat beside Advik.

She opened her lunchbox.

His eyes immediately widened.

“Paneer paratha?”

“My mom made it.”

Without asking…

He stole one.

“Advik!”

“What?”

“You didn’t even ask.”

“I’ve been eating your lunch for years.”

“So?”

“It’s practically mine.”

She sighed dramatically.

“You have no manners.”

“You still bring extra.”

“…”

“I know you do.”

She looked away.

He wasn’t wrong.

Every morning…

She packed one extra paratha.

Because she already knew he’d steal it.

⸻

That afternoon…

Basketball practice stretched longer than expected.

Aarohi waited near the court with her sketchbook.

She loved drawing.

Most of her sketches had one thing in common.

Without realizing it…

She always drew Advik.

Sometimes laughing.

Sometimes reading.

Sometimes sleeping during family trips.

She had never noticed.

Until someone else did.

“Aarohi?”

She quickly closed the sketchbook.

Her best friend, Naina, sat beside her.

“What are you hiding?”

“Nothing.”

“You looked scared.”

“I wasn’t.”

Naina smiled mischievously.

“Show me.”

“No.”

“Aaru…”

“No.”

After five minutes of endless pleading…

Aarohi finally surrendered.

“Fine.”

“But don’t laugh.”

Naina slowly opened the sketchbook.

The first page…

Advik.

Second page…

Advik playing basketball.

Third page…

Advik reading.

Fourth page…

Advik sleeping during a road trip.

Fifth page…

Advik smiling.

Naina looked up.

Then back down.

Then up again.

“…”

“Aarohi.”

“…”

“You like him.”

The world stopped.

“What?”

“You like Advik.”

“I don’t.”

“You’ve drawn him forty-three times.”

“I like drawing people.”

“You’ve only drawn one person.”

“I…”

“You love him.”

The words echoed inside her heart.

Love?

No.

That couldn’t be true.

Right?

Could it?

⸻

That evening…

She couldn’t stop thinking about what Naina had said.

She stood in front of her bedroom mirror.

“Do I…”

She laughed nervously.

“No.”

“He’s just Advik.”

“My best friend.”

“My childhood friend.”

“My headache.”

She smiled.

Exactly.

He was just Advik.

Nothing more.

⸻

The next morning…

Everything changed.

As Aarohi entered school, she saw a crowd gathered near the entrance.

Curious, she walked closer.

A beautiful girl from the senior class stood in front of Advik.

She held a small gift box.

“I like you.”

The entire corridor fell silent.

Aarohi stopped walking.

Her heartbeat quickened.

The senior girl smiled shyly.

“I’ve liked you for months.”

Aarohi stared at Advik.

She didn’t know why.

She just wanted to hear his answer.

Advik looked uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t feel the same.”

The girl nodded sadly before walking away.

Everyone slowly dispersed.

But Aarohi couldn’t move.

She felt…

Relieved.

Relieved?

Why?

She had nothing to do with his answer.

So why did her heart suddenly feel lighter?

⸻

“Aaru?”

Advik waved a hand in front of her face.

“Where did you disappear?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been staring.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You were.”

“I…”

She quickly looked away.

“I have class.”

She practically ran.

Leaving him completely confused.

“What was that about?”

⸻

That night…

Sleep refused to come.

Aarohi sat beside her bedroom window.

Rain softly tapped against the glass.

She opened her sketchbook again.

Every page held his smile.

His eyes.

His laughter.

His presence.

She remembered…

The umbrella he shared.

The chocolates he gave her.

The countless times he’d waited outside her classroom.

The way he always made sure she reached home safely.

The way he remembered her favorite ice cream.

The way he never forgot her birthday.

Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes.

Not because she was sad.

Because…

Everything suddenly made sense.

She whispered the words she’d been avoiding all evening.

“I love him.”

Silence answered.

Her own voice sounded unfamiliar.

She laughed through trembling tears.

“I actually…”

“I really love him.”

The realization frightened her.

Because she already knew one thing.

Advik had never looked at her that way.

Never.

To him…

She was simply Aarohi.

His childhood friend.

His partner in arguments.

Nothing more.

⸻

From that day onward…

She buried her feelings deep inside her heart.

She smiled exactly the same.

Argued exactly the same.

Walked beside him exactly the same.

She promised herself one thing.

“If loving him means staying beside him as a friend… then I’ll never tell him.”

She would rather love him silently…

Than lose him completely.

Little did she know…

Some promises are never meant to last forever.

And one day…

The love she had hidden for years would finally escape her heart—

Only to be met with words that would break it beyond repair.

— End of Chapter 2 —

The years passed quietly.

School uniforms were replaced by college hoodies.

The childish arguments became playful teasing.

The awkward teenagers grew into confident young adults.

But one thing never changed.

Aarohi still loved Advik.

And Advik still had no idea.

⸻

The first day of college felt like the beginning of an entirely new life.

The campus buzzed with excitement as freshers wandered around searching for classrooms.

Aarohi adjusted the strap of her backpack and took a deep breath.

“This is it.”

Before she could take another step, someone snatched her water bottle.

She didn’t even have to turn around.

“Give it back, Advik.”

He twisted open the cap and took a sip.

“I was thirsty.”

“You have your own bottle.”

“I forgot it.”

“You forgot everything.”

“I remembered you.”

She glared at him.

“You’re impossible.”

“And yet you’ve tolerated me for seventeen years.”

She smiled despite herself.

“I deserve an award.”

“I’ll ask the principal.”

She laughed, and together they walked into the campus.

Around them, curious eyes followed.

“Are they dating?”

“They look so comfortable together.”

“No, I heard they’re childhood friends.”

“They’d make such a cute couple.”

Neither of them noticed the whispers.

For Aarohi, simply walking beside him was enough.

For Advik…

It was just another ordinary day.

⸻

College life settled into a routine.

Morning lectures.

Cafeteria lunches.

Late-night study sessions.

Weekend outings with friends.

Their friend group slowly grew.

There was cheerful Naina, who never stopped teasing Aarohi.

There was Rohan, the class clown.

And there was Kabir, Advik’s closest friend.

One afternoon, the group sat under a large banyan tree after class.

Kabir nudged Advik.

“So…”

“When are you two getting together?”

Advik frowned.

“What?”

“You and Aarohi.”

The entire group laughed.

Advik looked horrified.

“Have you all lost your minds?”

Rohan grinned.

“You literally act like an old married couple.”

“We argue because she’s annoying.”

Aarohi folded her arms.

“Oh, I’m annoying?”

“You absolutely are.”

“You stole my fries five minutes ago.”

“They looked lonely.”

She threw a tissue at him.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Naina secretly looked at Aarohi.

She knew that behind her smile…

Every joke hurt.

⸻

That evening, both families gathered for dinner at the Malhotra house.

It was a tradition.

Every Sunday.

Mrs. Malhotra placed hot rotis on everyone’s plates.

“Advik.”

“Hmm?”

“When are you going to stop eating like you’re in a competition?”

Mr. Sharma chuckled.

“He has always been like this.”

Mrs. Sharma smiled warmly at Aarohi.

“And Aaru still eats as slowly as ever.”

Advik looked at Aarohi’s plate.

“You’ve barely eaten.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Liar.”

“I’m serious.”

Without another word, he placed a piece of paneer from his own plate onto hers.

“Eat.”

She blinked.

“You always forget.”

“I don’t.”

“You do.”

She quietly smiled and took a bite.

Their parents exchanged knowing glances.

Mrs. Malhotra leaned toward Mrs. Sharma and whispered,

“They’re perfect for each other.”

Mrs. Sharma smiled.

“I’ve thought that since they were children.”

Across the table…

Neither Aarohi nor Advik heard them.

⸻

A few weeks later, the college hosted its annual cultural festival.

The campus was filled with colorful lights and music.

Students danced, laughed, and took countless pictures.

Naina dragged Aarohi toward the photo booth.

“Come on!”

“I don’t like photos.”

“You’ll thank me later.”

Before Aarohi could protest, Advik walked over.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking pictures.”

“I’ll pass.”

Naina crossed her arms.

“No.”

“You’re coming.”

Five minutes later…

The four friends squeezed into the tiny booth.

The camera flashed.

One picture.

Two.

Three.

On the last one…

The photographer suddenly shouted,

“Everyone look at your partner!”

Kabir looked at Naina.

Naina looked back.

Without thinking…

Aarohi looked at Advik.

And at the exact same moment…

He turned toward her.

Their eyes met.

For just one second.

One heartbeat.

One silent moment.

Then…

Flash.

The picture was taken.

They quickly looked away.

Neither said anything.

But that photograph became Aarohi’s favorite.

Because for one brief moment…

It looked like he had looked at her the way she’d always looked at him.

⸻

Later that night, the group sat around a bonfire.

Someone suggested a game.

“Truth or Dare!”

Everyone agreed.

The bottle spun.

It stopped in front of Aarohi.

Naina smiled mischievously.

“Truth.”

Aarohi nodded.

“Fine.”

“Have you ever been in love?”

Her smile froze.

The world suddenly felt quiet.

She glanced at Advik.

He wasn’t even paying attention.

He was busy scrolling through his phone.

She looked back at Naina.

“…Yes.”

The group gasped.

“What?”

“Who?”

“When?”

Rohan leaned forward excitedly.

“Tell us!”

Aarohi forced a smile.

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because…”

“He doesn’t know.”

She laughed softly.

“And I don’t think he ever will.”

Everyone assumed it was some mysterious senior from school.

Only Naina knew the truth.

Across the fire…

Advik finally looked up.

For some strange reason…

His chest tightened.

He frowned.

“Who is she talking about?”

Kabir shrugged.

“No idea.”

Advik looked at Aarohi for a second longer.

Then he looked away.

The feeling disappeared as quickly as it had come.

⸻

That night, Aarohi returned home exhausted.

She opened a small wooden box hidden inside her wardrobe.

Inside were tiny memories.

A movie ticket.

A dried flower.

The chocolate wrapper he’d once given her.

The cultural festival photograph.

And a blue diary.

She carefully opened it.

On the first page…

She had written three simple words years ago.

“Dear Advik…”

Every page after that held another memory.

Another unsent letter.

Another piece of her heart.

She picked up her pen.

Dear Advik,

Today someone asked if I’ve ever been in love.

I said yes.

I didn’t say your name.

Maybe I never will.

Because I’d rather protect our friendship than risk losing you.

If loving you quietly is my fate…

Then I’ll keep choosing silence.

She closed the diary.

A single tear landed on the page.

She wiped it away before it could smudge the ink.

Outside her window, the lights in the Malhotra house were still on.

She smiled sadly.

“So close…”

She whispered.

“…and still so far.”

⸻

Meanwhile…

Across the street…

Advik stood on his balcony.

For reasons he couldn’t explain…

He kept thinking about Aarohi’s answer.

“Yes… I’ve been in love.”

Who was it?

Why had she never mentioned him?

And why…

Why did the thought bother him even a little?

He shook his head.

“Forget it.”

“It’s none of my business.”

He walked back inside, dismissing the thought without another glance.

If only he had known…

The girl he was curious about had been standing beside him all along.

And one day…

When she finally found the courage to tell him…

His answer would become the greatest mistake of his life.

— End of Chapter 3 —