Aarav had almost fallen asleep when he heard the doorbell.
Slow… a single ring.
The kind that carries a feeling.
He opened the door—
and froze.
She was standing there.
The woman he had spent two years trying to forget.
Her hair was messy, her eyes tired, her breath unsteady…
but the moment Aarav looked at her,
every old memory rushed back like it had been waiting.
“Can I come in?” she asked softly.
Her voice still had the same warmth
—the warmth that had once ruined his sleep for months.
Aarav stepped aside.
She walked in slowly,
her fingers brushing lightly against his as she passed.
A tiny touch… but it felt like a spark lighting a closed room.
Neither spoke.
The silence between them was heavy—
not angry…
just full of things they never said.
She turned toward him,
stood close enough that Aarav could feel her breath mixing with his.
“Aarav…” she whispered,
“tell me you don’t feel anything anymore.”
Aarav knew he should lie.
But her eyes…
they were pulling him back into the fire.
He took one slow breath.
“I wish I didn’t,” he said.
Her lips curved into a faint, knowing smile—
the kind he used to fall for.
She stepped even closer.
The distance between them
was now just one heartbeat
