"Not all storms come with thunder. Some come with silence."
After Durga Puja, their lives fell back into routine.
Texts.
Calls.
Voice notes.
Dreamy reels shared at midnight.
Cute "I miss you" messages between classes.
But something had changed.
Not in actions.
Not in words.
In feelings.
A slow shift.
Like the silence before rain.
🌀 The Quiet Before It Began
It started with Ruhan being "busy."
Then forgetting to send good morning texts.
Replying late.
One-word answers.
"Khaana khaya?"
"Haan."
"Kya?"
"Roti."
Siya stared at the screen.
"Wow. Shakespeare." she texted.
No reply.
🔍 Overthinking: Her New Hobby
She began stalking his Instagram again.
His likes. His followers. His comment section.
And there it was.
Some random girl with heart comments on his post.
Multiple ones.
He even replied with a "😄".
She zoomed in.
Twice.
"Am I going crazy?" she whispered to herself.
Her brain: No. You're just emotionally invested and slightly possessive.
"But what if he's bored of me now?"
"What if he's talking to someone new?"
"What if I was just a phase?"
📱 The Confrontation (Part 2)
She couldn't take it anymore.
She sent a single text:
"Ruhan, is something wrong?"
He took 27 minutes to reply.
"No. Why?"
She waited another 10 minutes. Typed. Deleted. Typed again. Sent:
"Because I feel like you're slipping away."
This time he called.
"Siya… I swear nothing's wrong. I'm just dealing with stuff at home."
She stayed quiet.
"Please don't think I'm getting bored of you."
Still quiet.
"You know I love you, right?"
She finally replied.
"I know. But sometimes I feel like I'm the only one still excited."
There was a pause. Then...
"I'll try harder. For you."
🧠 Trust vs. Trauma
She wanted to believe him.
But the girl inside her—the one who grew up with betrayal, silence, and emotional confusion—was screaming:
"Don't trust easily. Don't get hurt again."
But the lover in her whispered:
"Maybe this time… it's real."
🌧 The Last Scene
That night, Ruhan sent her a photo.
It was an old screenshot of their first voice call.
"You were shy AF here," he captioned.
She smiled.
Maybe he was still holding on.
Maybe the storm was just passing.
Maybe love wasn't breaking.
Maybe it was… just breathing.