The Night That Felt Warmer Than Usual
That night felt different to Alya.
Her phone screen was still open to the last message Aiman had sent. The soft light from it reflected gently across her face, but it wasn't the brightness of the screen that made her feel warm.
It was his words.
For the first time in a long while, she smiled again.
Not a wide smile.
Just enough for Nadia to notice.
"You're smiling again," Nadia texted a few minutes later.
Alya looked at the message and replied slowly.
"I think… he's different."
"Different how?"
"He listens."
There was a short pause before Nadia replied.
"That's rare."
Alya let out a quiet laugh.
Yes.
It really was.
Because for a long time, no one had truly listened to what she was trying to say without interrupting or judging her.
But Aiman was different.
He didn't ask too many questions.
He didn't try to be a hero.
He was just… there.
And somehow, that was enough.
On the other side of the city, Aiman read her message slowly.
He paused before typing his reply.
His fingers felt slightly heavier than usual that night.
Still, he answered.
"I'm glad you're smiling again."
After sending the message, he stared at the screen for a moment.
Then a small cough escaped from his chest.
He covered his mouth with his hand.
For several seconds, he didn't move.
It was as if he was waiting for his body to steady itself again.
Only then did he slowly lean back against his chair.
His eyes closed briefly.
But the phone remained in his hand.
Still open to Alya's conversation.
Not long after that, another message appeared.
From Nadia.
"To be honest… she needed this."
Aiman read the sentence carefully.
As if trying to understand the weight behind those words.
"She deserved better people around her," Nadia added.
Aiman smiled quietly.
Even though no one could see it.
"I'm not that special," he replied.
"You stayed," Nadia answered.
This time, Aiman didn't reply immediately.
He just stared at the screen.
For a long time.
As if those two simple words were heavier than they looked.
In her room, Alya noticed his status still showed online.
But no new message appeared.
She typed something.
Deleted it.
Typed again.
Deleted it once more.
Finally, she sent it.
"Have you ever met someone… but felt like you already knew them for a long time?"
Aiman read the message.
And for a moment—
he didn't know how to answer.
Because the first answer that came to his mind felt too honest.
"Yes," he finally replied.
"I think I just did."
In her room, Alya smiled again.
This time—
more clearly than before.
Without realizing it, she held her phone a little tighter.
As if she was afraid that small light might disappear again.
Somewhere else, Aiman slowly closed his eyes.
His phone was still in his hand.
But his breathing felt slightly heavier now.
And for the first time that night—
he didn't reply immediately to the next message.
Still, one thing was certain.
Even though his body was slowly getting weaker—
he didn't want to stop replying to her messages.
Not yet.