Things were going just fine
The group chat had become a daily space of laughter, late-night talks, story talk & lite hearted teasing. Almost everyone in the group got attached to him, including Mahek... though she didn't admit that.
But then...
It started with a few innocent messages:
"Zavian bhai, when are we meeting your love?"
"Add your girlfriend naa, we want to see the one you write those sweet lines about"
At first, Zavian ignored it with a laugh
"She's a little shy, yar"
But the group didn't let it go. The requests kept coming, day after day...
And that's when something changed in Mahek
She didn't know why, she had no reason to feel this way but the thought of that girl entering their space, her space, tugged at something inside her. Something heavy, something she didn't want to name.
One evening, Mahek quietly texted Zavian:
"You can send me her ID, I'll add her in the group"
Zavian replied with a sweet, thankful message & just like that, the girl he had once called the love of his life, the one he said he saw as his wife was now part of their little world too...
The group welcomed her with the same warmth, calling her Bhabi with excitement & love, Mahek did too, at least in front of everyone
But inside?
Inside, something didn't feel okay...
And for the first time since all of this started, Mahek didn't feel like the author, She just felt... left out of her own story
The girl Zavian's girl was very pretty. That was the first thing everyone noticed when she joined the group chat.
But her looks didn't hide the way she behaved. From the very beginning, she didn't seem friendly at all. Whenever someone tried to talk to her, she either didn't reply or gave very short answers. She only really talked to Zavian, and it was clear she didn't care about anyone else in the group.
When she did speak, her words felt a little harsh. She didn't try to be polite or make anyone feel welcome. She acted like she was better than the rest of them, and it made things uncomfortable. She didn't want to make friends, and she didn't even try.
Everyone noticed her rude attitude, but no one wanted to start a fight, so they just stayed quiet. Still, it was clear something about her changed the whole vibe of the group...
Even with him, she wasn't kind. Sometimes she reply to him in a dry tone, like she got annoyed. She didn't call him with sweet names or treat him the way members of group chat expected. Instead, she sounded irritated, even when he was being polite and gentle with her.
But what she did send were selfies. Sometimes mirror selfie, looks like she was so self obsessed, she never sent picture of Zavian with her...
Members complimented with some pure phrases, she responded with a soft "thank you" or a heart emoji. Zavian never said much in response he liked her photos silently.
Mahek noticed everything & she stayed quiet.
She didn't engage, didn't comment, didn't even react to the pictures. She stayed busy in character conversations, author notes & fake smiles.
She didn't even know why it hurt but it did.
That evening, Zavian texted her privately
"Author sahiba, everything okay?, You've been really quiet since she joined"
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She didn't want to lie but she also didn't know what the truth really was...
She typed:
"Yeah, all good. Just been busy"
But Zavian wasn't convinced.
"You sure? You don't have to pretend with me"
For a second, she wanted to type everything she was feeling. The ache in her chest, she hadn't expected but instead, she just replied:
"I'm okay, bhai. Don't worry. Just the usual overthinking"
"Hmm... if something is bothering you, I hope you'll tell me when you feel okay, I'll listen Promise"
Her eyes paused on his message
She typed
And deleted
And typed again...
"Thank you"
They said bye to each other, things slowly went back to normal
Mahek stopped coming to the group chat as often. She had been quiet
But two days later, a message popped up on her screen.
It was Zavian.
"Author sahiba, can we talk?"
Mahek typed back:
"Yes, bhai"
A moment later, his next message came:
"Kesi ho?" (how are you?)
She stared at the screen for a while. Her heart felt heavy full of things she couldn't put into words. She wanted to say she wasn't okay. That her silence wasn't just from being busy. That something inside her felt off...
But instead, like always, she smiled at the screen and typed what she had to:
"I'm okay, Alhamdulillah. Ap btayein?" (You tell me?)
Because sometimes, it's easier to pretend you're fine than to explain why you're not.
"I'm fit as usual," he replied, adding a smiling emoji.
"But why aren't you coming to the GC? Are you feeling okay?"
Mahek paused. She didn't expect him to notice or care.
But here he was, asking... noticing the silence she thought no one would.
"I even mentioned you in the group to call you, but you didn't come. Everything alright? All good at home?"
She stared at his message, a little surprised. His words felt gentle, genuine & somewhere deep down, they tugged at something soft inside her.
"Alhamdulillah, all good bhai," she replied.
"It's just... I don't know maybe it's the weather or my mood. I haven't really been feeling okay"
She tried to keep it lite, but the truth slipped through her words anyway soft, quiet & a little broken.
A moment later, his reply came:
"Overthinking kr rhi ho?" (Are you overthinking?)
She sighed.
"Yes... bht zyada (a lot). I overthink everything, I've just been feeling... empty"
It wasn't a full explanation, but it was honest. Honest enough to say she wasn't okay
His reply came, calm & caring like someone gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Take a cup of chai. Give some time to yourself"
"Kabi kabi khud ko time dena b acha hota hai, You'll feel relaxed" (Sometimes, giving yourself a little time is a good thing too.)
It was simple advice but in that moment, it felt like exactly what she needed to hear like someone reminding her to breathe...
He kept talking to her gently, changing the topic here and there, trying to make her smile again & somehow, it worked.
She felt lighter like the heaviness in her chest had eased a little.
After a few minutes, she typed with a small smile on her face:
"Bhai, apko pata hai? Mai ny apny bhai ko punch mara... or ab mere haath mei dard hai Bandage b kiya hua hai"
(Brother, do you know? I punched my brother... & now my hand hurts. I even had to put a bandage on it.)
"Or mera bhai mujhe gundi kehta hai."
(And my brother calls me a goon.)
It made her laugh as she wrote it. The kind of silly, real life thing you share only when you start feeling a little better & Zavian? He smiled at her words, happy that for now she was okay.
They kept chatting for a while lite, calm words that felt like a break from the weight of the day.
Laughter slipped in between the messages, & for a few moments, everything felt okay again...
Then Zavian typed:
"Chlein, ab dono chai pity hain" (Come on, let's go have some chai.)
Mahek smiled at her screen.
"Done. Chai time"
And just like that, they both logged off for a little while sipping on their warm cups, sitting miles apart yet somehow, not feeling so far...
At Zavian's place, he sat with a cup of chai, staring at the steam rising from it, but not really seeing it...
The warm liquid felt cold in his hands. His mind was somewhere else, in frustration, sadness, & the weight of the fight he'd just had with his girl
It had been two days since they last spoke, two days since she'd started ignoring him. He tried to reach out, but her replies were short, distant... & now, she wasn't even replying at all.
Zavian ran a hand through his hair, staring down at the empty space beside him as if expecting her to walk in & say something, anything. But she didn't. The silence felt loud in the room.
He took a sip of his chai, it was full of bitterness...
Zavian couldn't take it anymore. He dialed her number, hoping to at least hear her voice & clear the everything. After a few rings, she picked up.
"What?" Her voice was sharp, angry.
"Can't you just see I'm busy? Why do you keep texting and calling me like a freak?"
Her words... each one like a slap. She wasn't even trying to understand, not even a little. Zavian's chest tightened, his throat going dry. He wanted to say something, anything, but the words got stuck in his throat.
Before he could get a word out, she shouted again, louder this time:
"Just go away, son of a bitch!"
The line went silent for a second. He held the phone in his hand, staring at the screen. He didn't know what hurt more her words, or the fact that she didn't care at all.
Zavian stayed quiet, unable to speak. He couldn't bring himself to argue, not after that. The call ended & he sat there, staring at the phone in his hand, feeling something broke inside.
Zavian powered off his phone, the screen went dark, as if shutting out the noise of the world for a moment. He took a deep breath, letting it fill his chest before slowly exhaling. His fingers wrapped around the warm cup of chai, bringing it to his lips as he tried to find some comfort in the warmth.
Meanwhile, miles away Mahek sat with her cup of chai too. She smiled softly, her thoughts going back to the conversation between her & Zavian. It felt nice to talk to him. She hadn't realized how much she'd needed a simple chat with someone who genuinely care.
The sun began to set, painting the sky in tint of orange & pink. On both sides, the sunset seemed to mark the end of the day, an end to the bad moments, & a quiet reminder of the good ones.
For Zavian, the day had been a mix of hurt & frustration, but somehow, it felt like the sunset offered him a escape. For Mahek, the day had been filled with smiles & warmth, though she didn't know the weight Zavian was carrying...
The world kept turning, & as the sun's light fades & the sky turns darker, both of them found themselves lost in their own thoughts, two hearts with different pains, but both seeking comfort in the small moments of peace.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for the next part...ā¤ā¤ā¤
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