The set wrapped early that evening.
Unusual.
The kind of quiet that didn’t feel peaceful—just… waiting.
Like something was about to shift, and everyone was just pretending not to notice.
Aarav didn’t question it.
He rarely did.
He just headed back toward the writing area, mentally running through tomorrow’s schedule, half-annoyed that he’d forgotten his charger like an amateur.
That’s when he heard voices.
Lily’s.
And Rahul’s.
He stopped.
Not intentionally.
Just… instinct.
Rahul wasn’t laughing this time.
Which, in itself, was strange.
“I don’t think I ever stopped, Lily.”
Aarav frowned slightly, his hand resting against the doorframe.
Stopped… what?
Lily didn’t answer immediately.
“Rahul…” Her voice was softer than usual.
Careful.
Like she already knew where this was going—and didn’t want it to.
“I know you rejected me,” Rahul continued, his tone calm but tight underneath.
“I know why.”
Aarav’s grip tightened slightly.
Why did that sound… off?
“I’m not here to change that,” Rahul added.
“I’m not here to push you.”
A pause.
Then quieter—
“But I’m also not blind, Lily.”
Lily’s brows pulled together slightly.
“What does that mean?”
Rahul exhaled.
“It means I see what’s happening.”
Aarav’s jaw clenched.
He didn’t like where this was going.
“I see the way he talks to you,” Rahul continued, the edge finally slipping through.
“The way he pushes you. The way he… pulls you in.”
Silence.
Lily didn’t interrupt him.
That made it worse.
“You think that’s normal?” Rahul said.
“You think that’s healthy?”
“Rahul—”
“No,” he cut in gently, but firmly.
“Just listen for once.”
Aarav’s fingers curled against the frame.
This wasn’t just a confession.
This was something else.
“I don’t like him,” Rahul said simply.
There it was.
Clean.
Direct.
Unapologetic.
“I never did.”
Lily blinked.
“…you don’t even know him.”
“I know enough,” Rahul replied.
“I know he gets under your skin. I know he makes everything harder than it needs to be. And I know—”
He paused.
Then—
“I know you deserve better than someone who treats you like a problem to solve.”
That hit something sharp.
On both sides of the door.
Aarav’s jaw tightened.
Lily’s expression shifted—conflicted now.
“Rahul, that’s not—”
“And yeah,” Rahul continued, softer now but heavier, “maybe I’m biased.”
“Because I still love you.”
The words landed clean.
Too clean.
Aarav felt something drop inside him.
Unexpected.
Sudden.
Unwelcome.
And for some reason—
That silence hurt more than the confession itself.
Aarav stared at the floor.
Why am I still standing here?
He should leave.
He knew he should.
But his feet didn’t move.
His mind was loud now.
Annoying, he used to think.
Her voice.
Her sarcasm.
Her constant arguments.
All of it—
Too much.
…so why did it feel so quiet without it?
Why did the idea of her agreeing with Rahul?
Feel wrong?
Aarav exhaled slowly.
And that’s when it hit him.
Not suddenly.
Not dramatically.
Just… clearly.
Somewhere between the arguments, the late-night calls, the rain, the shared silences.
He had started looking for her.
Listening for her.
Waiting for her.
And now—
He didn’t want to hear her choose someone else.
Inside—
Lily finally spoke.
“Rahul…”
Her voice was steady.
But her fingers were clenched tightly at her side.
“I told you before,” she said quietly.
“And it hasn’t changed.”
Rahul didn’t react immediately.
“I care about you,” she continued.
“A lot.”
A pause.
“But not like that.”
Something flickered across Rahul’s face.
No surprise.
Not even pain.
Something sharper.
Controlled.
“Is it because of him?” he asked softly.
Lily frowned.
“This isn’t about Aarav.”
Rahul smiled faintly.
“Everything is about him these days.”
“That’s not true.”
“Really?” he tilted his head.
“Because from where I’m standing, he’s everywhere in your life.”
She didn’t answer.
And that—
That was answer enough.
Rahul exhaled slowly.
“…you laugh more around him.”
Her breath caught slightly.
Not again.
Why was everyone noticing that?
“I hate that,” Rahul admitted quietly.
Lily looked at him.
“Because I don’t know if he deserves you.”
That did it.
Her expression hardened slightly.
“You don’t get to decide that.”
Rahul held her gaze.
“No,” he said calmly.
“But I get to care when you’re walking into something that might hurt you.”
“And you think he will?”
“I think he already does.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Complicated.
Aarav stepped back.
Quiet.
Careful.
Because if he stayed even one second longer—
He might hear something he wouldn’t be able to ignore.
Or worse—
Something he wouldn’t be able to forget.
He turned.
Walked away.
Didn’t look back.
The night air felt colder than it should have.
Aarav leaned against his bike, running a hand through his hair, letting out a dry laugh.
“…seriously?”
He didn’t even know what he was reacting to.
Rahul’s words?
Lily’s silence?
Or the fact that some part of him wanted to walk back in there and prove him wrong?
“This is stupid,” he muttered.
But the words felt weak.
Unconvincing.
Because now—
Every memory felt different.
Her calling his name.
She’s arguing over nothing.
She’s fixing things he messed up.
Her being there.
It wasn’t just noise anymore.
It was… something else.
And now—
Maybe it wasn’t his anymore.
Inside—
Rahul stepped back.
“I won’t push you,” he said quietly.
“But I won’t pretend I’m okay with him either.”
Lily sighed.
“Rahul…”
He shook his head slightly, a small, tired smile appearing.
“Just… be careful.”
Then he left.
Just like that.
But this time—
The tension didn’t leave with him.
It stayed.
Lingering in the space between what was said—
And what wasn’t.
That night—
Lily sat alone, staring at her phone.
At one contact.
“Call… maybe.”
Her thumb hovered.
For the first time—
She wanted to call first.
Do not argue.
Not fight.
Just… talk.
Somewhere else—
Aarav’s phone lit up.
Her name.
He looked at it.
Long.
Too long.
Rahul’s words echoed in his head.
” Because I still love you “.
His jaw tightened slightly.
The phone kept ringing.
And then—
He let it.
He let it ring.
And for the first time—
Silence didn’t feel peaceful.
It felt like distance.
To Be Continued… 👀
-Next- Close the room and the confession