Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then a month.
I didn’t go to her house. Didn’t ask about her. I kept myself busy — books, headphones, scrolling Instagram like it was my job.
But no matter what I did, every empty moment found her name again.
Not because I was obsessed.
But because something was missing.
Not just Khushi.
Us.
Every time I walked past her house, my eyes would betray me.
What if she opens the window?
What if she’s thinking about me too?
What if she doesn’t?
I’d told myself to move on.
That I did the right thing by telling her.
That if she didn’t feel the same, it was better to end it there.
But deep down... I was just hoping.
Hoping for her to come back.
And then it happened.
On a normal Tuesday evening, while I was lying on the sofa pretending to read, my phone rang.
"Khushi"
I froze.
That name still had the power to stop time.
My thumb hovered over the screen for a second before I picked up.
“Hello?”
She didn’t speak at first.
Then, I heard it.
Sniffling.
Soft crying.
“…Ayan?”
My heart clenched.
She was crying.
“Khushi? Kya hua? Are you okay?”
There was a long pause before she finally said, “Main galti kar gayi…”
I sat up straight. “Kya matlab?”
She took a shaky breath. “Tujhe door karke realise hua… ki mere life mein sab kuch ho sakta hai, par agar tu nahi hai… toh sab adhoora lagta hai.”
My chest tightened.
She continued, voice trembling, “Main confuse thi... dosti aur pyaar ka farak samajhne mein time lag gaya. Par jab tu chala gaya… toh samajh aaya. Mujhe teri aadat nahi thi… mujhe tu chahiye tha.”
I closed my eyes.
Those words.
They hit deeper than any “I love you.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “Please wapas aa jaa na…”
I didn’t reply for a second.
Then I said softly, “Bas mujhe ek baar gale laga le… fir kabhi door nahi jaunga.”
She cried harder — but this time it was different.
Softer. Lighter.
Like her heart was finally free.
The next day, I went to her house again.
It felt like going home after years.
She opened the door — eyes red, hair messy, wearing that old hoodie she always wore during sad days.
Neither of us said anything.
She just stepped forward and hugged me tight.
And in that moment…
No explanations were needed.
No sorrys. No whys.
Just us — right where we belonged.
[End of Chapter 5]