The Silence Between Us

Silent Confessions

                         -- 𝘼𝙮𝙖𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙊𝙑--

"Hey, Ayesha," Rishabh says, his tone cheerful, completely oblivious to the tension lingering between us.

"Oh, hi," she says, making awkward eye contact with me before turning her attention to him.

He stands beside me now, and they share a brief, side hug, exchanging sweet smiles.

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

"Yeah, who invited you?" I add, my tone sharper than intended.

They both turn to stare at me, surprised by my words, but I don't bother to correct myself. I mean, really, who invited him? Why did he have to show up and interrupt us?

Despite the awkwardness between us, he looks at Ayesha and says, "I was free today, and I remembered you mentioning the project site. So, I thought I’d drop by and see you."

"Oh, I see! Well, it's great you came. Now you can see how I work," she laughs, a light, warm sound.

"Yeah, that’d be cool," he responds.

I suppress the urge to tell him to leave. I can barely stand him anymore.

"But it's dangerous on a construction site," I say. "You should go back or watch from a safe distance."

Rishabh glances at me, then says, "If you're all working here, I can watch from a distance. I'll follow Ayesha's directions."

Ayesha meets my gaze, like she's trying to read my thoughts. Then she looks at him and says, "Sit under that shade and watch from there, okay?"

"Um… okay," he agrees, sounding a bit unsure.

Did she just read my mind? I don’t know, but I feel like I still have a chance with her, more than this potato-faced guy.

A while later, as Ayesha is absorbed in her work, I’m inspecting the construction. While walking, I accidentally step on a rock, twisting my ankle. I lose my balance, hit the ground, and feel a sharp pain as a stone strikes my forehead. Blood starts trickling down, and I’m fighting to stay conscious when I see Ayesha running toward me, shouting my name.

Her presence keeps me holding on, just barely. It’s not the dramatic moment I’d imagined where she’d hold me up. Instead, the nearby workers help me stand, and as I get up, I see her in front of me, worry written across her face. They lead me to the shaded area.

In a panicked voice, Ayesha yells, "Rishabh! What are you looking at? You’re a doctor—treat him!"

Her voice is firm, yet filled with worry, and her eyes reflect a pain I hadn't expected.

She quickly hands Rishabh the first aid kit. He starts to treat my wound, wrapping several rounds of bandage around my head. I hadn’t realized how serious the cut was until now.

"Is…is he okay?" she stammers, her voice shaky.

"Yeah, don’t worry," Rishabh reassures her. "He’s absolutely fine."

Hearing his words, Ayesha sinks to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes as if releasing all the tension she’d just felt.

I can’t take my eyes off her. It’s not that I’m happy to see her so tense, but rather, there’s a strange relief flooding over me. The biggest worry in my life—that I might not have a place in her heart—seems to fade away. Seeing her so genuinely concerned, it’s like realizing, maybe for the first time, that there’s someone in this world who truly cares about me.

In this moment, I'm not the only one watching her with worry in my eyes—Rishabh is too.

"Are you okay?" he asks, his voice gentle.