Aarohi never believed in love.
Not the kind people wrote about.
Not the kind that stayed.
For her, love was always temporary—
people came, made promises, and slowly became strangers.
So she stopped expecting anything.
Then one random afternoon in college,
while she was sitting alone in the library…
someone sat beside her.
"Is this seat taken?"
Aarohi looked up.
She shook her head softly.
"No…"
That was the first time she saw Meher.
Meher wasn't loud.
She didn't try too hard.
But she smiled like she already knew Aarohi.
And somehow… that made Aarohi uncomfortable.
Because no one had ever looked at her like that before.
Days passed.
They started sitting together.
Studying together.
Walking back home together.
Nothing big.
Nothing dramatic.
Just… small moments.
"Why are you always so quiet?" Meher asked one day.
Aarohi shrugged.
"Not everything is meant to be said."
Meher smiled,
"Then tell me the things that are."
And slowly…
Aarohi started talking.
At first about random things.
Then about her fears.
Then about the parts of herself she never showed anyone.
One night…
they were on a call.
Silence.
But it wasn't awkward.
It felt… peaceful.
"Meher…" Aarohi whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I feel this strange kind of peace with you…"
There was a pause.
Then Meher said softly,
"Me too."
That was the moment something changed.
Not suddenly.
Not loudly.
But quietly… deeply.
Aarohi started noticing things.
The way her heart felt lighter around Meher.
The way she waited for her texts.
The way her day felt incomplete without her.
And that scared her.
"This isn't right…" Aarohi said one day.
Meher looked at her.
"What isn't?"
Aarohi's voice trembled,
"What we're feeling… people won't understand…"
Meher didn't reply immediately.
She just looked at Aarohi…
like she was trying to understand her fear, not fight it.
"Do you understand it?" Meher asked gently.
Aarohi nodded.
"Yes…"
"Then what's the problem?" Meher smiled softly.
Aarohi didn't have an answer.
Because the truth was—
she wasn't scared of the world.
She was scared of losing Meher.
For a few days…
they became distant.
Texts got shorter.
Calls stopped.
And suddenly, that peace Aarohi felt…
was gone.
One evening, it started raining.
Aarohi stood by her window,
watching the raindrops fall…
when her phone buzzed.
Meher.
"Can we meet?"
They met at their usual spot.
Same bench.
Same silence.
But this time… it hurt.
"I tried…" Aarohi said quietly.
"To stay away…"
Meher looked at her.
"I tried too…"
Aarohi's eyes filled with tears.
"But I can't…"
There was a long pause.
Then Meher slowly moved closer…
not touching her, just sitting beside her.
"Then don't…" she said softly.
Aarohi looked at her.
"I'm scared…"
Meher smiled gently,
"Me too…
but I'm more scared of losing you."
That was it.
No big confession.
No dramatic moment.
Just two people…
choosing each other despite the fear.
Years passed.
Not everything was easy.
There were questions.
There were people who didn't understand.
There were moments when they both felt tired.
But one thing never changed—
they stayed.
They built a life slowly.
Morning tea together.
Late night conversations.
Fights over small things.
And making up over even smaller ones.
One day…
Aarohi looked at Meher,
smiling while doing something random…
and thought,
"maybe love isn't supposed to be loud…
maybe it's supposed to feel like this—
safe, quiet, and real."
She walked up to her and said softly,
"Do you know what you are to me?"
Meher laughed,
"What?"
Aarohi smiled.
"Home."
And this time…
nothing came between them.
Not fear.
Not people.
Not the world.
Because they had already chosen—
each other.
The End