A Heart That Waits..

Winter had quietly settled over the city.

The mornings were colder now, and Ishika had developed a habit of wrapping herself in her favorite cream-colored blanket before checking her phone.

She smiled even before unlocking it.

There it was.

7:01 A.M.

Aarav: Good morning, sleepyhead. Wake up before your alarm gives up on you.

She laughed softly.

Every single morning.

Without fail.

No matter how busy he was, his message always arrived before hers.

She replied while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Ishika: One day I'm going to wake up before you.

Within seconds, his reply appeared.

Aarav: I'd like to see you try.

---

That evening, Ishika was helping her mother in the kitchen when her phone buzzed.

It was a picture from Aarav.

A steaming cup of coffee sat beside an open notebook on his study table.

Aarav: Trying to study. Failing miserably.

She smiled and sent a picture of the vegetables she was cutting.

Ishika: Trying to help Mom. Also failing miserably.

A few moments later, her phone rang.

"You actually sent me vegetables," Aarav laughed.

"You started it."

"I expected a selfie."

She froze.

"A selfie?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

There was a pause.

"I don't know..."

His voice softened.

"...I just wanted to see you."

Her cheeks grew warm.

For the first time, neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Aarav cleared his throat.

"So... never mind."

"No," she said quietly. "I'll send one."

A few minutes later, after taking nearly twenty pictures and deleting nineteen of them, she finally pressed send.

She stared nervously at the screen.

One minute.

Two minutes.

No reply.

"What if he didn't like it?" she whispered.

Just as she was about to put her phone away, a message arrived.

Aarav: Wow.

Another one followed.

Aarav: You look exactly the way I imagined... maybe even prettier.

Her heart skipped.

No one had ever complimented her like that before.

She covered her face with her hands, unable to stop smiling.

---

The next few weeks felt lighter than ever.

Their conversations became longer.

Their calls stretched past midnight.

Sometimes they said nothing at all.

They simply stayed on the call, listening to each other's breathing while doing homework.

It was comforting.

Peaceful.

As though distance disappeared whenever they were together.

One night, Aarav suddenly asked,

"If we ever meet... what would you do first?"

Ishika thought for a moment.

"I'd probably smile."

"That's it?"

"And then I'd complain."

"About what?"

"For making me wait so long."

He laughed.

"I deserve that."

"What about you?"

He was quiet for a few seconds.

"I think..."

His voice became almost a whisper.

"...I'd just make sure you're real."

The words settled gently between them.

Neither of them laughed this time.

---

Later that night, after ending the call, Ishika stood by her bedroom window.

The stars glittered faintly above the sleeping city.

She placed a hand over her heart.

It was beating faster than usual.

She had spent months convincing herself that Aarav was only her best friend.

But friends didn't make your heart race with a single compliment.

Friends didn't become the first thought in the morning and the last one before sleep.

She closed her eyes.

"I think..."

She smiled to herself.

"...I'm falling for him."

Miles away, Aarav sat on his rooftop, staring at the same moon.

His phone was still open to the picture Ishika had sent.

He smiled to himself before locking the screen.

"I should tell her."

The words escaped before he could stop them.

Then his smile slowly faded.

His eyes drifted toward an old photograph tucked inside his wallet—a picture he hadn't looked at in months.

A memory he had tried to leave behind.

He slipped it back into his pocket.

"Not yet," he whispered.

Because before he could tell Ishika the truth about his feelings...

He would have to tell her the truth about his past.

And he wasn't sure she would stay after hearing it.

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