🌙 When Silence Finds You
Episode 10 — "Before You Go"
Some goodbyes begin long before anyone says goodbye.
Sometimes—
they begin with a possibility.
A thought.
A fear.
A sentence that wasn't finished.
That night—
Aarav couldn't sleep.
Not because of something that had happened.
Because of something that might.
"If I leave..."
The unfinished sentence kept returning.
Again.
Again.
Again.
He turned his phone over on the bed.
Then picked it up.
Checked the screen.
Nothing.
He put it down again.
A few seconds later—
picked it up.
Still nothing.
He sighed.
"...I'm becoming predictable."
A small smile appeared.
Then disappeared.
Because the thought returned.
What if she really leaves?
Aarav closed his eyes.
He already knew the answer.
He would miss her.
More than he wanted to admit.
And that scared him.
Morning came.
The sky was clear.
But Aarav didn't feel lighter.
At school—
he reached the classroom earlier than usual.
Her seat was empty.
Again.
But this time—
he didn't panic.
He simply sat down.
Waited.
The door opened a few minutes later.
Meera walked in.
Their eyes met.
She smiled.
But it wasn't the same smile as yesterday.
It looked tired.
She sat beside him.
Neither spoke immediately.
Then—
"...you didn't sleep."
Aarav looked at her.
"...neither did you."
She looked away.
"...fair."
A small silence.
Then—
Meera placed her notebook on the desk.
"...we got the answer."
Aarav's fingers stopped moving.
He knew immediately what she meant.
"...the transfer?"
She nodded.
"...yeah."
He didn't ask whether she was leaving.
He was afraid of the answer.
Meera noticed.
Of course she did.
"...I'm not leaving tomorrow."
Aarav looked at her.
Relief appeared before he could hide it.
Meera noticed that too.
"...but?"
A pause.
"...it's most likely happening."
Aarav looked down.
The classroom suddenly felt louder.
"...when?"
"...a few weeks."
A few weeks.
Not tomorrow.
Not today.
But close enough to count.
Meera watched him carefully.
"...say something."
Aarav took a breath.
"...I don't know what to say."
She gave a faint smile.
"...you've said that before."
"...this time it's true."
She looked toward the window.
"...I'm scared too."
Aarav turned toward her.
That sentence mattered.
Because until now—
he had been so focused on his own fear that he'd forgotten something obvious.
She was losing something too.
"...you don't want to go."
It wasn't a question.
Meera shook her head.
"...no."
A pause.
"...but I might have to."
Aarav nodded slowly.
He understood.
Maybe not completely.
But enough.
Class began.
And somehow—
they managed to act normal.
They took notes.
Answered questions.
Passed a pen between them.
Even laughed once when the teacher made a mistake.
For a few hours—
they didn't talk about leaving.
And strangely—
that felt good.
At lunch—
Meera looked at him.
"...why are you so quiet?"
Aarav raised an eyebrow.
"...I'm always quiet."
"...not like this."
He looked at her for a moment.
Then admitted—
"...I'm trying not to waste the time."
Meera's expression changed.
"...what do you mean?"
Aarav looked down.
"...I've spent so much time thinking about how things end..."
He paused.
"...that I forget they're still happening."
Meera didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"...that's exactly what I was afraid you'd do."
He looked at her.
"...what?"
"...start saying goodbye before I've even left."
The words landed hard.
Because they were true.
Aarav stayed silent.
Meera continued softly—
"...I don't want these next few weeks to feel like a countdown."
Aarav thought about that.
Then nodded.
"...okay."
"...okay?"
"...I'll try."
She smiled faintly.
"...good."
After school—
they walked without talking much.
But this time—
the silence wasn't heavy.
It was comfortable.
The sun was lower now.
The streets were warm with evening light.
They walked slowly.
Just like before.
Aarav glanced at her.
"...what are you going to miss?"
Meera looked confused.
"...what?"
"...if you leave."
She thought about it.
Then—
"...this school."
A pause.
"...the rooftop."
Another pause.
"...the stupid cafeteria food."
Aarav laughed.
"...that's definitely not what I'll miss."
She smiled.
"...then what?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Because the answer was obvious.
"...you."
Meera stopped walking.
Aarav stopped too.
Neither looked away.
There was no dramatic music.
No perfect speech.
Just the evening.
The road.
The fading sunlight.
And one honest word.
Meera smiled.
Not her usual small smile.
Something warmer.
"...that's unfair."
Aarav frowned slightly.
"...why?"
"...because now I have to say it too."
He waited.
She looked at him.
"...I'll miss you too."
For a moment—
neither spoke.
Then they continued walking.
Closer than before.
At the bus stop—
the familiar place felt different again.
Not because it had changed.
Because they had.
The bus hadn't arrived yet.
They had a few minutes.
Only a few.
Meera looked at him.
"...Aarav."
"...yeah?"
"...if I really have to go..."
She paused.
"...don't disappear."
He understood exactly what she meant.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Don't stop replying.
Don't close yourself off.
Don't decide that losing someone means you have to stop caring.
Don't turn silence into another goodbye.
Aarav nodded.
"...I won't."
Meera looked at him carefully.
"...promise?"
Aarav took a breath.
Then—
"...I can't promise that I'll never be scared."
She waited.
"...but I can promise I won't run because I'm scared."
Her eyes softened.
"...that's enough."
The bus appeared in the distance.
Slowly approaching.
This time—
Aarav didn't think about the future.
Didn't imagine the goodbye.
Didn't count the days.
He just looked at her.
And stayed in the moment.
The bus stopped.
Doors opened.
Meera stepped forward.
Then turned back.
"...see you tomorrow."
Aarav smiled faintly.
"...tomorrow."
She got on.
The doors closed.
The bus moved away.
Aarav watched it disappear.
But something was different.
He wasn't standing there afraid of what would happen someday.
He was thinking about tomorrow.
Because maybe—
the point of having limited time with someone...
wasn't to spend every moment fearing the end.
It was to make the moments before it—
worth remembering.
Some goodbyes begin before anyone says goodbye.
But maybe—
so do the reasons to stay.
🌙 End of Episode 10