Beyond The Screen|K.T.H. x O.C.

Alone in a Crowded World

Naira Elsher had always been the kind of person who thrived in solitude. It wasn’t that she didn’t crave companionship or long for the feeling of being understood—she did, more than she cared to admit.

But after what had happened, she didn’t think she was capable of trusting anyone again.

Her life was a routine of work and isolation. The soft hum of her laptop was her constant companion as she spent endless hours coding and tweaking lines of programming. Her apartment was small, cluttered with old takeaway boxes, empty coffee cups, and tangled wires from various tech projects. There was no room for anyone else in her life—there had never been much room for anyone after him.

It had all started two years ago, when she’d met Daniel. He was charming, ambitious, and had a smile that could light up even the darkest of days. For the first time in a long time, Naira had felt something more than the usual numbness that had enveloped her heart since her parents’ death years ago. Daniel had been the escape she never knew she needed. They’d laughed together, shared dreams, and spoken about their future—about love, the kind of love that felt real, tangible.

But that was before the lies, before the betrayal.

Naira’s chest tightened every time her mind wandered back to that night. The night she found out. Daniel, the man she had trusted with every fragile part of her soul, had been seeing someone else. It wasn’t just the infidelity that had cut deep—it was the realization that all the promises he’d made had been empty. The whispered assurances that they were building something real… all of it, shattered in an instant.

She had confronted him, of course. There were angry words, tears, and apologies—none of which healed the wound he’d left. He’d tried to explain, to justify his actions, but it didn’t matter. Nothing he said could erase the fact that she had loved him with everything she had, and he had betrayed her without a second thought.

Since that night, Naira had closed herself off from everything—friends, family, even the possibility of love. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to try again, it was just that she didn’t know how. She couldn’t afford to let herself feel that vulnerable again. So, she threw herself into her work—her coding, her projects—and locked away any trace of emotion. Love was a weakness she couldn’t afford.

Her phone buzzed, breaking her from the spiral of painful memories. She glanced down at the screen, rolling her eyes when she saw the message from her best friend, Ayesha.

Aye💅🏻:

You alive? Or have you been sucked into your computer again?

Naira smiled wryly before typing back.

Naira🎀:

Just another day in paradise.

Ayesha’s reply came almost instantly.

Aye💅🏻:

If by paradise, you mean sitting in front of a screen, eating instant noodles, and pretending to be a genius coder... then yeah, sure, I guess.

Naira chuckled softly and leaned back in her chair. Ayesha had been there through it all, even when Naira had shut the door on the world.

They’d been inseparable since college, and though Ayesha had tried countless times to drag Naira into social events and blind dates, she had learned to stop pushing too hard. She respected Naira’s need for space, but sometimes, she couldn’t help but worry.