Unspoken Feelings
470 Words
Aarav never thought a single evening could change so much. Since that rainy night at the bookstore, Maya had become a part of his world in a way he hadn’t expected. Conversations stretched late into the night, messages filled with laughter and teasing, and casual meet-ups turned into hours that felt like mere minutes.
Yet, somewhere beneath the surface, an unspoken tension grew.
They weren’t just friends. He knew it. He felt it in the way his heart raced when she laughed, in the way her presence made the world around him seem quieter, more focused. But neither of them said anything.
One evening, they found themselves at Marine Drive, the city lights shimmering against the endless sea. The night was cool, the breeze carrying the scent of salt and stories untold. Maya leaned against the stone railing, her hair dancing in the wind, lost in thought.
Aarav watched her for a moment before speaking. “Penny for your thoughts?”
She sighed, smiling slightly. “Do you ever feel like you’ve known someone forever, even when you’ve just met?”
His heart skipped. He had been thinking the same thing for weeks.
“Yeah,” he admitted, his voice quieter than usual. “I do.”
She turned to him then, her eyes searching his face, as if trying to read between the lines of what he wasn’t saying. “I don’t know what it is, Aarav. But when I’m with you, it’s like... I don’t have to explain myself. Like we already understand something deeper.”
He swallowed, wanting so badly to tell her that he felt the same, that his heart had already tangled itself around hers. But instead, he chuckled, looking away. “Maybe we were old friends in another life.”
Maya smirked. “Or maybe something more.”
His breath caught, and for a second, the world slowed. But then she laughed, nudging his arm, as if brushing the moment aside.
Aarav smiled, but inside, he felt like a coward.
He wanted to say something—I think about you more than I should. You make my ordinary days feel extraordinary. I’m scared of ruining what we have, but I’m more scared of not telling you how I feel.
But instead, he stayed silent, because what if she didn’t feel the same? What if she laughed again and called it a joke?
Instead, they sat on the ledge, their shoulders barely touching, watching the waves crash against the shore. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable—it was full, heavy with words unsaid.
As the city moved around them, Aarav wondered how long a person could keep a feeling locked inside before it demanded to be set free.
And if he waited too long, would he lose the chance to tell her at all?
- Writer
