A Love Written by Fate

the first reply the first reply

Chapter 17

The next morning, Aatish woke up and followed his usual routine without any change in his day. He performed his prayer, had breakfast with his family, and then left for work as he did every other day. His morning and afternoon were completely occupied with work, meetings, and responsibilities, leaving very little time for anything else. Life felt normal and steady, moving at its own pace. During a short break in the afternoon, he casually opened the app on his phone, almost without any specific intention. His eyes went to the chat for a moment, and he noticed that there was still no reply. He did not feel disappointed or emotionally affected because, for him, it was a very simple interaction. He had only sent a respectful message to someone unknown, and he did not expect anything in return. He calmly locked his phone and went back to his work, continuing his day without giving it much thought.

On the other side, Mirha spent her day quietly at home. She was trying to recover emotionally and physically from her past experiences and was slowly returning to a normal routine. Her day passed in silence, rest, and reflection. In the afternoon, she found herself picking up her phone again without any clear reason. She opened the app and went to the chat. Her eyes stopped on Aatish’s message. She read it once, then closed it, but after a few minutes, she opened it again. The message was simple, respectful, and polite, yet it stayed in her mind longer than she expected. She kept staring at the screen in silence, thinking deeply without fully understanding why she felt hesitant. After a long pause, she finally typed a short reply, “Wa Alaikum Assalam,” and sent it. Then she placed her phone aside and returned to her routine, although that small reply remained quietly in her thoughts. It was a simple message, but it had silently broken the distance between two unknown lives.

That evening, Aatish returned home after finishing his work. His day had been long, but he was used to his routine, so he greeted his parents and spent some time with them as usual. After dinner, the house slowly became quiet as everyone went to their rooms. Aatish was still sitting in the living room when his mother called him in a calm but slightly serious tone. She said, “Aatish, can you sit with us for a moment? I need to talk to you.” He immediately sat down and replied, “Yes, tell me what is it?” A few moments later, both his parents joined him in the sitting area. His mother looked at him carefully and began speaking. She said, “We want to talk about a marriage proposal that was considered for you. At first, we liked the girl. She seemed decent and suitable. But recently, some relatives have raised concerns and said things that do not match our expectations. Because of all this confusion, we have decided to decline the proposal. We just want to know if you have any objection.” The room became silent after her words. Aatish listened carefully without interrupting. His expression remained calm and composed. There was no shock, no anger, and no disappointment on his face. After a brief pause, he replied in a steady and respectful tone, “I have no objection. Whatever is meant for me will reach me at the right time. I trust that fully, so you do not need to worry about this.” His words carried complete confidence and faith, as if he believed that nothing in life happens without a reason. His father nodded slightly, impressed by his calmness, while his mother also felt reassured by his response. After the conversation ended, Aatish stood up, gave a small smile, and went to his room. He lay down on his bed and closed his eyes, allowing the tiredness of the day to take over him. Everything appeared normal and ordinary, but somewhere within the quiet flow of life, a new connection had already begun forming, slowly and silently, between two people who were still unaware of how deeply their paths would eventually intertwine.