It had been over ten days since Eisha and Ayaan had spoken properly.
Ten days since she had shared her silly morning thoughts with him.Ten days since he had complained about his mom forcing him to drink karela juice.Ten days of fake smiles, forced laughter, and unanswered texts.
And in those ten days, the space between them became a wound that both refused to bandage.
The final blow came during the inter-school debate competition.
Ayaan had been selected as one of the participants, along with Riya and another boy from their class. Eisha, despite her growing discomfort, cheered from the crowd, trying not to look too invested.
He spoke well. Confident. Poised. Charming.
But what made her heart clench was when, at the end of the round, he high-fived Riya, who then hugged him casually — like it meant nothing.
But to Eisha, it felt like everything.
Later that evening, while walking home, she finally snapped.
"Ayaan!" she called from behind.
He turned, surprised to hear her voice again. "Eisha?"
"You're enjoying all this, aren't you? Being everyone's favorite. Especially Riya's."
His face stiffened. "What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" she burst. "You've been avoiding me, smiling at her, talking like… like I don't exist anymore."
He frowned. "You stopped talking to me first. You started ignoring me."
Eisha clenched her fists. "Because you changed. You're not the same anymore."
Ayaan's voice dropped. "And maybe you're not either."
That hit harder than he meant it to.
She looked away, eyes brimming. "Fine. Maybe we've both changed. Maybe… we were never really best friends to begin with."
He flinched. "You don't mean that."
"I do," she whispered.
A moment of silence. A moment heavy with every fight, every joke, every shared memory that suddenly felt like it was slipping away.
Ayaan took a step back. "Then maybe we should stop pretending."
Those words. Cold. Final.
Eisha turned without replying.
And that night, for the first time in years, she cried herself to sleep not because of what he said…But because he didn't stop her from walking away.
The days that followed were colder.
They crossed each other in the hallway like strangers. No eye contact. No stolen glances.
Ayaan was now seen more with Riya — working on assignments, laughing in the canteen. And though Eisha tried to focus on her own group, her eyes always betrayed her.
Every time she saw him with her, it felt like tiny glass pieces in her chest.
One afternoon, Mili leaned toward her and whispered, "Eisha… don't let him go without saying what you feel. You think he doesn't care. But maybe… he's hurting too."
That night, Eisha opened her chat window.
Her thumb hovered over the screen, heart pounding.
She typed:
"Do you even miss us?"
Then deleted it.
Typed again:
"I saw you today. With Riya. You looked happy."
Deleted that too.
Finally, she turned off her phone and stared at the ceiling.
She wasn't ready.
And neither was he.
But what neither of them knew was — a bigger twist was just around the corner.A surprise that would push them both to question everything they believed about each other.
And for the first time…love wouldn't just hurt — it would change them.