But no one talks about the pain when that friendship is the only thing you’re allowed to have.

And love? It just stays... unspoken.

My name is Aarohi.

And this is a story I never had the courage to tell out loud.

Back then, we were just two kids in school uniforms, sharing lunch and stupid jokes.

Vivaan was always louder than me—more confident, more restless, more everything.

But somehow, his chaos fit perfectly with my quiet.

I don’t remember when I started liking him.

Maybe it was the day he gave me the last piece of chocolate without asking for anything back.

Maybe it was when he stood up for me when those boys in class made fun of my handwriting.

Or maybe... it was always there.

We were inseparable.

He’d wait for me after school. I’d save the front bench for him.

He’d copy my homework. I’d pretend to be angry.

And in all those little nothings… my everything began to grow.

But I never told him.

Not even once.

Because I was scared.

What if he laughed? What if I lost even the friendship?

So I stayed silent.

And he stayed… clueless.

One day, everything changed.

We were sitting under our favorite tree behind the school building—our secret spot. He was quieter than usual.

“I’m shifting,” he said, his voice flat.

I blinked. “Shifting where?”

“Delhi. Dad got transferred. We leave next week.”

Just like that, my world cracked.

But I smiled. I don’t know how... but I did.

“That’s cool,” I said. “Big city. You'll love it.”

He grinned. “You’ll be fine without me, right?”

I wanted to say no. I wanted to scream, “Don’t go!”

But all I said was, “Of course. It’s just three years.”

Three. Years.

He hugged me that day.

Tight. Warm. Final.

And then he left.

No dramatic goodbye. No promises to write letters. Just... silence.

And ever since that day, every time my phone buzzed, I wished it was him.

Every new notebook I bought, the first page had his name.

Every evening, I looked at the gate, hoping… maybe today.

But he never came.

And I?

I kept loving him, quietly, from a distance.

Just like always.