"The Rooftop Before the Storm"
The hospital was asleep—dim corridors, soft beeping monitors, and the scent of antiseptic hanging in the air. But on the rooftop, under the silver wash of moonlight, the world felt still… suspended.
Mahi stood by the edge, her white coat swaying gently in the wind, hair falling loose over her shoulder. Her eyes were fixed on the city lights below, but her mind… was somewhere else.
Behind her, Ahaan stepped into the moonlight—quiet as ever, but she felt him. She always did.
> "You should be resting," he said softly.
She turned, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
> "You should be in a hospital bed."
He chuckled, wincing slightly. "I heal fast. Spy perks."
Silence.
Not awkward—but charged.
Finally, Mahi looked up at him, eyes softer than he'd ever seen.
> "You scared me, Ahaan."
His expression shifted. Vulnerable. Unspoken regret filled his gaze.
> "I didn't mean to," he said. "But I've been doing that a lot lately… hurting the people I care about."
Mahi's breath caught.
> "You never said you cared."
He stepped closer.
> "You never waited long enough to hear it."
That hurt. And yet, it healed something too.
She lowered her gaze, her voice barely a whisper.
> "I left because I was scared. Of what I felt. Of what you were."
> "And I stayed away," he said, "because I thought I lost you."
The wind stirred between them, carrying their silence like a secret.
Then slowly, carefully, he reached for her hand. She didn't pull away.
Their fingers touched—warmth in a cold night.
Ahaan's voice was low, sincere.
> "Do you know what kept me alive in that car? Bleeding, broken, helpless?"
Mahi's eyes met his.
> "You," he said. "The thought of you. The memory of your voice, your touch, the way you said my name when you were angry…"
A tear slipped down her cheek.
He gently wiped it away with his thumb, and for a moment, the world disappeared.
He leaned in, but didn't kiss her—just rested his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled. Hearts loud in the quiet.
> "I'm still a mess, Mahi," he whispered.
"But if you're willing to stay… I'll try to be whole. For you."
And with tears in her eyes and a trembling smile, she whispered back:
> "You were never broken to me."
---
Mahi didn't speak.
She couldn't.
Because in that single sentence—"You were never broken to me"—she had said everything her heart had been holding in for far too long.
Ahaan searched her eyes, as if needing one final permission. One silent yes.
And then—
He kissed her.
Not hurried. Not desperate.
But slow. Deep. Certain.
Like he had waited a lifetime for this one moment.
Her hands moved to his chest, over the steady beat of his heart. He held her like something precious. Like something he thought he'd never have again.
The city lights blurred behind her closed eyelids. The wind wrapped around them. The world spun—but in that kiss, time paused.
It wasn't just a kiss.
It was an answer to every sleepless night.
A healing to every scar neither of them had spoken about.
When they finally pulled away—just slightly—their foreheads remained touching. Their eyes closed. Their breaths still entangled.
Ahaan smiled softly, voice low and warm.
> "I've imagined this moment more times than I can count…"
Mahi whispered back, lips still brushing his,
> "Next time… don't imagine. Just find me."
He laughed gently, brushing her hair from her face, as if still making sure she was real.
> "I already have."
---
His hand gently brushed her cheek, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Their eyes met—full of everything left unsaid for years.
And then, slowly…
he kissed her.
Soft. Deep. Shattering.
Mahi's heart broke open in that moment. All the walls she had built melted under the warmth of his lips. She felt safe. Seen. His arms wrapped around her like a promise she had been waiting to hear.
But just as she let herself believe in it—
CRASH!
A loud thunder tore through the sky.
Mahi jolted.
Her eyes flew open.
She wasn't in his arms.
She wasn't on the rooftop.
She was sitting on a cold bench outside the ICU, her fingers clenched in her lap, trembling.
The storm outside was real. The lightning had just struck a transformer nearby.
The hospital lights flickered for a second.
But inside her… everything had already gone dark.
She looked around, dazed—her lips parted, her eyes wet.
"It was just a dream…" she whispered to herself, voice cracking.
And then the weight of it hit her.
The kiss hadn't happened.
He hadn't said those words.
She hadn't touched him.
He hadn't looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.
All of it… a lie her heart had created just to feel him one more time.
She stood up slowly, wiping the tear that had escaped before anyone could see.
Inside that ICU, he lay unconscious. Unaware. Unreachable.
And yet in her heart…
he had just kissed her like he'd never let her go.
Mahi turned away from the glass window, her throat tight.
> "Why now, Ahaan?"
"Why do you still live inside me... when you don't even know what you left behind?"
---
☕ Scene:
Care & Love Hospital Cafeteria – 5:10 AM
The hospital was beginning to stir with soft morning light. The air carried the smell of coffee and antiseptic. The night had been long. Mahi hadn't slept in over 24 hours.
She sat at a corner table, a cup of untouched tea in her hands, eyes staring blankly ahead.
Her thoughts were still in ICU-3.
Still with Ahaan.
"Why does it hurt even now... after everything?" she whispered to herself.
Just then, a voice interrupted the silence.
Saif:
"Doctor Mahi?"
She looked up, surprised. Saif stood there in a clean hoodie and jeans now, looking less like a patient and more like a friend who belonged.
Mahi (forcing a soft smile):
"Oh… Saif. You should be resting."
Saif (sitting across her, gently):
"Couldn't sleep. Thought maybe a cup of coffee would help… and maybe… you needed one too."
He slid a second cup toward her.
Mahi (quietly):
"Thank you… you didn't have to."
Saif:
"Sometimes people don't say it… but they need someone to sit with them. Not talk. Just sit."
She looked at him—grateful. Tired. But her smile was real this time.
They sat in silence for a moment.
Mahi:
"You're very kind, Saif."
Saif (hiding a flicker of pain):
"You think so?"
Mahi (nodding sincerely):
"Yeah. Not many people notice things like that. Especially not now. Not when I feel like the world is falling apart again…"
Her voice cracked slightly at the end. She looked down at her hands.
Saif's gaze softened.
He wanted to reach across the table. To hold her hand. To tell her she didn't need to cry anymore. That she deserved more than broken hearts and half-truths.
But he didn't.
He just smiled gently and said:
> "Whatever's falling apart… you'll survive it. You always do."
Mahi (soft laugh):
"You don't even know me that well."
Saif (in his mind):
> You have no idea how well I know you.
But he only replied aloud:
Saif:
"Maybe not. But sometimes… strangers see the things that people close to us don't."
She looked at him — thoughtful — then smiled again, this time with warmth.
Mahi:
"You're a good friend, Saif. Thank you."
That one word.
Friend.
It hit him harder than any bullet ever had.
But he nodded… hiding everything he felt behind a calm smile.
Saif:
"Always. I'm here… if you ever need to talk."
She got up, touching his shoulder lightly before walking away, her white coat fluttering behind her.
And Saif?
He just watched her leave… again.
So close.
But never close enough.
___
He sips the coffee she left behind.
Cold. Bitter.
Like his silence.
> "One day… you'll look at me differently, Mahi."
"Until then… I'll be the shadow that stays."