The messages didn't stop that night.
Or the next day.
Or the day after that.
What started as random conversation—
turned into a routine.
Aarav would wake up—
check his phone first.
And there it was.
A message.
Her.
"you're late today"
He smiled.
"i woke up 5 mins ago"
"excuses"
"valid ones"
"hmm… i'll allow it"
Something about that felt…
normal.
Like this had always been part of his day.
They talked about everything.
Not just anime anymore.
Music.
Sleep schedules.
Food.
Random thoughts at 2AM.
"do you ever just… stare at the ceiling and think about everything?" she asked once.
Aarav stared at the message.
"yeah," he replied.
"more than i should"
"same"
That word again.
Simple.
But it stayed.
Days passed.
Calls replaced texts.
At first—
short.
Awkward.
"hello?"
"hi…"
Silence.
"this is weird"
"yeah"
They both laughed.
And just like that—
it wasn't weird anymore.
"you sound different," she said.
"different how?"
"i don't know… calmer"
Aarav smirked slightly. "you sound exactly how i expected"
"rude"
"accurate"
"wow"
But she was smiling.
He could hear it.
That became a habit too.
Late-night calls.
Talking about nothing.
Talking about everything.
Sometimes—
just staying on call without saying a word.
And somehow—
that silence felt comfortable.
One night—
the conversation slowed.
Not awkward.
Just… quiet.
"we've been talking for a while now," she said.
"yeah"
A pause.
"and we still don't know basic things about each other"
Aarav chuckled softly. "true"
"so… name?" she asked.
He leaned back.
"Aarav."
A second passed.
"nice," she said.
"i'm mira."
Mira.
The name felt simple.
But it stayed.
"nice to officially meet you, mira"
"same here, aarav"
There was something about hearing her say his name.
It felt…
different.
More real.
From that moment—
she wasn't just "someone online."
She was Mira.
And she mattered.
"where are you from?" Aarav asked.
"karnataka… not too far from you, i think"
Aarav raised an eyebrow.
"bangalore"
"see? close enough"
He smiled slightly.
Close.
Not just in distance.
But in something else too.
They shared more after that.
Small things.
Real things.
Her love for painting.
His obsession with music.
Her habit of overthinking.
His habit of pretending he didn't.
"you overthink too much," she said once.
"says the person who does the same"
"i never said i was better"
"fair"
More laughter.
More comfort.
More… something.
Days blurred into each other.
But one thing became clear.
Aarav started waiting.
Not for messages.
For her.
And he didn't even realize when that happened.