Aira was living her normal life.
School.
Tuition.
Preparing for her 12th.
Keeping herself busy.
Aira tried not to think about her.
She tried not to text her.
She tried to maintain distance.
But still—
she loved her more than anything.
Aarohi was busy too.
With her life.
With her studies.
With everything that didn't include Aira.
Both were moving forward—
in their own worlds.
Aira was not the kind of person who liked "girly" things.
But for her—
she could do anything.
Aira was someone who enjoyed her own company.
She never needed people around her.
Or at least—
that's what she believed.
She didn't have true friends.
Only one—
her sister.
Her best friend.
But even to her—
she never spoke about Aarohi.
Somewhere inside—
she felt,
"Maybe she won't understand me."
And so—
she stayed silent.
But silence wasn't easy.
Because she wanted to tell someone.
About her feelings.
About her confusion.
About the way she loved someone—
who was never truly hers.
But she had no one.
So she kept everything—
inside herself.
Aira tried to distance herself.
But every day—
she missed her.
Deeply.
Quietly.
Without saying a single word.
One day—
Aira had to go for her dental treatment.
Her braces process had started.
The doctor examined her and said,
"I need to remove two teeth.
They are blocking the others."
Aira nodded.
She wasn't scared.
She had never cried because of injections.
Or blood.
Or pain.
But this time—
something was different.
As the doctor removed her teeth—
tears rolled down her face.
She couldn't stop them.
Even she didn't understand—
why she was crying.
The pain wasn't that much.
Even the doctor was surprised.
"You've never cried before… what happened this time?"
But Aira had no answer.
Because the pain wasn't physical.
It was something else.
Something deeper.
In that moment—
she wasn't thinking about the pain.
She was thinking about Aarohi.
About everything.
About how—
they were never meant to be together.
And maybe—
that realization hurt more than anything else.
Her mother looked worried.
But Aira stayed silent.
Because how could she explain—
that this wasn't about the pain?
That it was about someone—
who wasn't even there.
Later—
she kept thinking about it.
"Why did I cry?"
"It didn't even hurt that much…"
But deep down—
she knew the truth.
It wasn't about the teeth.
It was about her.
About the love she couldn't express.
About the relationship that never existed—
yet meant everything to her.
She wanted to tell Aarohi.
But she didn't.
Because she knew—
Aarohi didn't love her that way.
So she stayed quiet.
Like always.
That night—
Aira lay on her bed.
The pain in her mouth was still there.
But it wasn't the only thing hurting.
She stared at the ceiling—
lost in her thoughts.
Her phone was beside her.
She picked it up.
Opened their chat.
Her fingers paused on the keyboard.
She wanted to type—
"It hurt today…"
"I missed you…"
But she stopped.
Because she already knew—
what she would get in return.
A simple reply.
Or maybe—
no reply at all.
And she wasn't ready—
for that kind of silence again.
So she locked her phone.
Turned to the other side.
And closed her eyes.
Letting the tears fall quietly—
without making any sound.
Because some pain—
is easier to hide
than to explain.From that day—
Aira didn't just distance herself from Aarohi.
She started distancing herself—
from her own feelings too.
Days kept passing—
quietly.
Nothing big happened.
No fights.
No arguments.
Just—
less talking.
Sometimes—
Aira would see Aarohi online.
The green dot would appear.
And disappear.
Again.
And again.
She would think—
"Should I text?"
But she didn't.
Not because she didn't want to—
but because she didn't want to feel unwanted again.
So she stayed silent.
And Aarohi—
did the same.
Two people—
who once couldn't stop talking—
were now choosing silence.
Not because they didn't care.
But because they cared too much—
and didn't know what to do with it.