“the space between us”
1292 Words
Aarav’s POV
The morning light crept in slowly, but I’d been awake long before it arrived.
Sleep didn’t really come to me last night. Not after… everything.
She was in my arms.
And for a few seconds—no, minutes—I didn’t care about anything else in the world.
Not the questions.
Not the distance.
Not even the fact that she’d never see me the way I saw her.
Because in that moment…
She was mine.
At least, it felt like she was.
The way she looked up at me with those eyes.
The way she didn’t pull back.
The way her voice softened when she said my name.
I held her like she was the only thing keeping me grounded.
And she didn’t push me away.
That memory had me smiling like an i***t.
But underneath that smile, there was this ache.
Because I knew.
No matter what I felt…
She didn’t feel the same.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
But even if I had to live in that one moment a hundred times—
I would.
Because for the first time in forever,
I found a reason to stay alive.
And her name was Zara.
Author’s POV
Zara moved through her morning in silence.
She avoided the mirror.
Avoided her own thoughts.
Avoided… him.
The night still echoed in her heart.
But instead of letting it take over,
She buried it beneath chores and cold water splashed on her face.
What happened was… real.
Too real.
Too close.
And she couldn’t afford to let her heart wander into places it had no business going.
He was sweet.
He was safe.
But he wasn’t supposed to matter like this.
she avoided that message she received last night and hoping she doesn't receive more messages like that.
When Zara stepped out of her house and saw him waiting there, leaning casually against the wall like the night had never happened,
she wasn’t surprised.
Of course he was there.
Somewhere deep down, she already knew he would be.
And maybe that was the strangest part.
It didn’t feel strange at all.
“Hey,” she said, casual.
“Hey,” he replied, giving her a small nod. “All good?”
“Yeah,” she smiled briefly. “You?”
“Mm-hm.”
A beat.
Then another.
And somehow, even the silence didn’t feel weird.
Zara glanced toward him. “So… Nyra.”
Aarav raised a brow. “What about her?”
“She likes you,” Zara said plainly.
Aarav chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s wild. She called me annoying the first time we spoke.”
“She does that,” Zara smiled. “But now she calls you her brother.”
“Yeah. She made it very clear I have no choice in that matter,” he grinned.
Zara watched him for a moment, then looked away. “It’s strange though.”
“What is?”
“How easily people trust you,” she whispered. “Even when they shouldn’t.”
Aarav didn’t respond for a second. Then softly—
“Do you?”
Zara didn’t answer.
And maybe that was answer enough.
She just… looked at him.
And then, almost like hitting a reset button, she shrugged.
“You know you ask way too many deep questions for this early in the day,” she said, walking past him.
Aarav blinked, then laughed. “It’s literally noon.”
“Still too early,” she teased. “My brain doesn’t turn on till four.”
“Oh? And what time does your sarcasm wake up?”
“That never sleeps.”
They walked slowly, side by side, like two people with nowhere urgent to be.
No tension.
No storm between them.
Just quiet laughs.
Side glances.
Shoulders brushing every now and then.
Zara didn’t feel the need to run today.
Not from him.
Not from herself.
And in that moment, it was okay.
It was easy.
Like maybe they weren’t healing from something painful.
Maybe they were just… here.
Being.
Aarav’s eyes narrowed with a smirk. “Okay fine, since color’s already black—new question. What subject do you actually like to study?”
Zara smiled, eyes straight ahead. “Secret.”
He stopped in mock shock. “Again? What the hell, woman—are all your answers top secret?”
She laughed softly. “It’s Zara’s style. Mysterious, unpredictable, dramatic.”
Aarav shook his head, grinning. “You’re literally an enigma wrapped in a riddle, dipped in sass.”
She turned to him with a proud smile. “Exactly.”
He playfully nudged her shoulder. “Alright, Ms. Secretive. What’s your favorite food? Or lemme guess—classified information?”
Zara raised a brow, holding in her laughter. “Bingo.”
And that was it. They both burst out laughing—loud, carefree, unfiltered. No weight. No expectations. Just two souls walking under a quiet sky, laughing like idiots about absolutely nothing.
And for a while, Zara forgot about everything else.
She wasn’t overthinking.
She wasn’t running.
She was just there.
And that was enough.
Just as their laughter was dying down, a voice rang out—way too loud for the quiet street.
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
Zara nearly jumped. Aarav turned.
Nyra stood a few steps away, arms crossed, lips curled into a smug grin.
“Oh god,” Zara muttered, facepalming. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to know someone’s been laughing a liiittle too much,” Nyra teased, wiggling her eyebrows.
Aarav smirked. “We were just talking.”
“Oh I see that,” she said dramatically. “Just talking. Totally not flirting. Not at all.”
Zara threw her hands in the air. “You’re insufferable.”
Nyra grinned wide. “Takes one to know one.”
Then she leaned closer to Aarav and stage-whispered, “Careful, bhai. She’s dangerous when she starts laughing too much. Might end up falling for you.”
Zara turned red instantly. “Nyra!”
Aarav just laughed, eyes soft as he glanced at Zara. “Wouldn’t mind.”
Zara didn’t reply.
But the way she looked at him—for a second longer than usual—said enough.
Zara tried walking ahead to escape the scene, but Nyra followed like a shadow with no mercy.
“So... bhai, you guys usually take night walks together or was this a special date?” Nyra winked, biting into a candy.
Zara groaned, “Can someone adopt her already?”
Aarav chuckled, playing along. “Special walk, I’d say. She invited me.”
“I did not!” Zara snapped, cheeks burning.
Nyra gasped. “So you did drag him out? Damn, Zara. Bold. I like it.”
Zara looked at Aarav in horror. “Don’t believe her. She’s making it up.”
Aarav gave a slow nod, grin tugging at his lips. “Sure. But even if you did… I wouldn’t mind.”
Zara blinked. Speechless.
Nyra nearly choked on her candy. “Okayyyy, bhai! You're smooth with the dialogues now?”
He glanced at Zara, voice dipping. “Only when it matters.”
Nyra groaned dramatically. “Stop it! Y’all are gonna give me cavities!”
Zara covered her face with her dupatta. “I’m never talking again.”
Aarav leaned toward Nyra. “I think we broke her.”
Nyra smirked. “Nah, she’s already broken. You just unlocked a new level of blush.”
Author’s Note
Hey readers! 💫
Zara & Aarav’s slow burn is burning a little more, hmm? 😉
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- Writer
