The Girl Who Loved in silence

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 —

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***