Somewhere in a city..
The rain started at 11:43 PM.. Not a soft drizzle, Not the poetic kind people romanticized in songs, It came violently..
The kind of rain that swallowed entire streets whole… heavy, silver, endless.. Thunder rolled through the sky every few minutes, shaking the old apartment walls just enough to make the glasses tremble softly on the kitchen shelf.. Yet inside the tiny apartment on the seventh floor, everything remained painfully ordinary..
A cup of ginger tea cooled untouched on the table.. An unfinished project glowed from the laptop screen.. The ceiling fan spun lazily overhead..
Khushi sat cross-legged on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her legs, pretending to read while her mind wandered somewhere far from the pages.. Rainy nights were dangerous for people who remembered too much..
She usually avoided thinking after midnight now.. Because thoughts became louder then, Loneliness became sharper.. Old memories slipped through cracks she spent entire days sealing shut.. So she distracted herself with Tea, Music, Books,and Anything.. But tonight the storm felt different..
Heavier somehow As if the sky itself was trying to say something..
Lightning flashed across the room.
Then—
*Ping*
*Her phone lit up beside her*
(Unknown Number)
*She frowned slightly*
At first she ignored it.. Another notification came instantly..
💬 Do you still stay awake during thunderstorms?
*Her breath stopped Not dramatically,Not like movies, Just… paused*
A small, terrifying pause..
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Aarohi stared at the message so long the screen dimmed in her hands.. Nobody knew that about her..
Nobody except— HIM!
*Her throat tightened instantly*
After almost two years, she still recognized the feeling before recognizing the person..
Ryan!!
*Her fingers turned cold*
She should not reply Absolutely not able to..
The breakup had ended quietly but painfully—the worst kind, No screaming, No betrayal dramatic enough to hate, Just distance, timing, misunderstandings, & exhaustion… and two people who loved each other deeply but not correctly.. And somehow that hurt more.. Because there was never a villain..
Only silence..
*Another message arrived*
💬I Apologise.. I know I shouldn’t have texted...
*Khushi closed her eyes briefly*
She had imagined this moment before Many times.. Sometimes she imagined ange, Sometimes satisfaction, Sometimes indifference, But not this strange ache,
Not this unbearable familiarity.
Rain lashed harder against the balcony doors.. Finally, against every intelligent decision she had made in two years, she typed-
💬 How did you get my number?
*Seen immediately*
💬 It never changed..
Of course he knows her number..
Because Ryan remembered everything.. The way she love ginger tea over coffee but liked extra sugar & Milk in bitter coffee too.. The songs she played during bad days.. How she counted seconds between lightning and thunder because she was scared of storms as a child but still she loves to dance under the heavy rain...
He remembered tiny things carelessly while forgetting important ones perfectly..
She hated that about him And maybe loved it too..
*She set the phone down immediately after replying*
💬You shouldn’t text me...
*Three dots appeared, Disappeared and Appeared again*
💬 I know...
*Another message*
💬 But it’s raining...
*A humorless laugh escaped her lips*
As if rain itself explained everything..
She stood and walked toward the balcony.. Cold wind slipped through the slightly open glass door, brushing against her skin. The city below shimmered beneath rainwater and headlights, beautiful in the kind of lonely way only midnight cities could be..
*Her phone buzzed again*
💬 You still go silent when you’re overwhelmed?
GOD!!
That annoyed her instantly Because yes! She did, And because he still knew..
*She leaned against the balcony frame and typed-*
💬 People don’t forget habits that easily..
This time his reply took longer..
💬 No, They don’t...
The storm softened briefly, thunder rumbling farther away now.. She shouldn’t continue this conversation. Because She knew that..
People didn’t reopen closed doors at midnight during thunderstorms unless they wanted old wounds to breathe again.
And Yet she stayed...
Because some connections don’t disappear.. They simply learn how to stay quiet..
*Her phone rang suddenly*
Not a text but A call this time...
(Unknown Number)
*Her heartbeat stumbled painfully*
She stared at the screen while rain poured endlessly outside. Once upon a time, Ryan’s voice had been the safest place she knew but Now it felt dangerous..
*The phone kept vibrating*
After few seconds-
*She declined it*
*Instantly, a message appeared*
💬 Okay, I Apologise!
Something about that hurt more than the call itself. She typed before thinking.
💬 Why now?
The reply came after almost a minute.
💬 I saw rain tonight and thought of you.. Then I realized I always do.
*She looked away from the screen immediately*
That was unfair, Unfair because he sounded honest.. And honesty from someone you once loved could destroy years of healing in seconds...
*She walked back to the couch, pulling the blanket tighter around herself*
*Another flash of lightning lit the room*
Memories arrived uninvited after it.
Her messaging him when ever rain poured in her city.. Him consoling her even when they are miles apart.. Her holding him and telling silly story of her and him listening quietly and at the end calling her silly over the all things..
And him leaving..
That memory came last.. Always last..
*Her chest tightened*
💬 You broke my heart.. *she typed finally*
No reply came for a long time. So long she thought maybe he disappeared again.
Then—
💬 I know. And I think you broke mine too.. We just never said it out loud..
*Tears burned unexpectedly behind her eyes*
Not because she still wanted him back..
But because grief sounded softer after time passed.. Less sharp but More tired..
*The rain continued steadily*
*She wiped her eyes angrily before typing*
💬 Then why did we end?
*Seen*
But No response.. Minutes passed..
Thunder echoed faintly through the night while the city settled deeper into sleep.
And Finally He messaged—
💬 Because sometimes situation becomes exhausted & Unexplainable..
*Khushi read the message three times*
That was the tragedy of them..No cheating, No lies, No dramatic destruction, Just two people growing heavy beneath life, Situation Career pressure, Family expectations, Missed calls, Unspoken frustrations..
Love had slowly drowned beneath the pressure..
*Her thumb hovered over the keyboard*
💬 I hated you for a while.
*Ryan replied instantly*
💬 You should have.
💬 Did you hate me? *She asked*
*This time the typing bubble appeared immediately, Stopped & Appeared again*
💬 Never To be precise!
*A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it*
Outside, rainwater streamed endlessly down the glass like the entire city was crying quietly with her.
*She laughed weakly at herself*
Two years, Two entire years..
And somehow he still knew exactly where her heart softened.
*Her phone buzzed once more*
💬 Can I tell you something selfish?
*She hesitated Then replied*
💬 Okay..
💬 Sometimes I still text your number.. I just never send it.. *he said*
*Her breath caught painfully*
The apartment suddenly felt too small.
Ryan used to send paragraphs at 2 AM about meaningless things, His drawings, Songs, How much he missed her after only 1 hours apart..
Back then love felt infinite.
Now it felt like rainwater slipping through fingers, Temporary & Untouchable.
💬 Can I ask you something? *She typed with trembling hands*
💬 Sure!! *He replied*
💬 Do you think people can miss eachother before they even meet?
💬 Maybe souls recognize comfort before names... *He replied honestly*
*She Seen it But didn't reply after that.. Only the sound of rain can be heard.. One minute passed, Two minutes..*
*Thunder cracked loudly overhead again..
And Without thinking, she typed*
💬 I’m still scared of storms..
*Seen instantly*
*Her phone rang again*
*This time she answered*
Silence greeted her first, Then breathing And Then his voice..
*His Low, Soft and Older somehow*
📞 Hi...
*She eyes closed immediately*
Two years disappeared inside that single word..
📞 Hi... *she whispered back*
Rain filled the silence between them..
Neither spoke for several seconds..
*Then Ryan laughed quietly*
📞 You still whisper during storms...
*Khushi shook her head weakly despite him not being able to see her*
📞 And you still notice everything...
📞 I notice you... *he corrected softly*
That hurt. GOD, that hurt!!
*She sat curled beneath the blanket while thunder echoed outside and listened to the person she once planned entire futures with breathe on the other end of the line*
Familiarity was a dangerous thing..
📞 So, *he said quietly* are you happy?
The question settled heavily between them.. Was she? Life was okay, Good, even..
She smiled more now, Slept better, Focused on herself, Learned how to exist without depending on someone else,
But happiness? She didn’t know!!
📞 I’m trying to be.. *she answered honestly*
Ryan went silent..
*Then said softly*
📞 I’m glad...
And she believed him. That was the worst part. Even after everything, she believed his sincerity. Another silence settled. Comfortable this time. Like old evenings returning gently.
Finally Khushi spoke..
📞 Why does this feel like we never stopped talking?
*A faint laugh came through the phone*
📞 Because some people leave your life without leaving you completely.
*Her chest ached again*
The storm outside slowly weakened now.. Rain softened against windows.. Thunder drifted farther into the distance..
Morning would come eventually.. And with it reality.. This conversation would end.. The night would end.. Maybe this was simply closure arriving late..
Or maybe some loves never fully disappear..
They just transform into quieter versions of themselves..
*Ryan spoke again after a while*
📞 You know what I miss most?
📞 What? *She asked*
📞 The normal things, and your silly talks..
*Her throat tightened instantly*
Not dates, Not kisses, The normal things.
Her Sharing her day.. teasing him, making him crave for something and behaving innocent afterwards.. Him Hearing her complain about professors & her sister.. Them watching rain together without speaking even when the distance between them is miles apart..
The kind people underestimate until it’s gone..
*she smiled sadly through tears*
📞 Me too.
Outside, the rain finally began slowing into a gentle drizzle.. For the first time all night, silence felt peaceful..
Not empty however Just soft..
*He exhaled quietly into the phone*
📞 I should let you sleep..
📞 Probably..
However Neither moved and Neither disconnected..
*Then suddenly she asked*
📞 If life had been kinder to us… do you think we would’ve survived?
*Ryan looked toward the rain-covered balcony and smiled painfully to himself*
📞 No!! *he whispered honestly*
*She laughed softly at that*
And somehow the honesty felt beautiful..
Because sometimes love is real even when it doesn’t last forever.. Sometimes people are meant to change you, not stay.. Sometimes the right person arrives at the wrong time and remains in your heart like unfinished poetry..
*Ryan’s voice softened again*
📞 I’m glad it was you though..
*Her eyes burned once more*
📞 Yeah, *she whispered* Me too..
And somewhere beyond the rain-soaked city, two people sat beneath separate roofs, connected once again by memories, thunderstorms, and a love that no longer belonged to them— yet still existed quietly between every pause...
