Devil's Bride

Missing Him

It had become a habit, an unspoken ritual between Maya and Ayaan. Every night, as the world around them quieted down, their phones would light up with each other’s names.

Maya lay on her bed, her phone clutched in her hand. The soft glow of the screen illuminated her face as she waited, heart racing in anticipation of Ayaan’s message. It always started the same way—a simple “Good evening, Maya,” yet the words never failed to make her smile.

Today was no different. Her phone pinged, and the notification appeared. She opened the message instantly.

Ayaan: "What’s the point of this day if I don’t end it talking to my favorite person?"

Maya’s cheeks flushed, her fingers trembling slightly as she typed back.

Maya: "You’re so dramatic. I’m sure your day was important without me."

Ayaan: "Important, maybe. Interesting? Not without you."

Maya rolled her eyes, trying to keep her racing heart in check, but her smile betrayed her.

Keerthi, sitting on her own bed, watched the exchange with amusement. She leaned forward, smirking as Maya’s face grew redder with each passing second. “There it is again,” Keerthi teased. “That blush. If only I could capture it every time your phone buzzes.”

Maya groaned, hiding her face behind her phone. “Stop it, Keerthi! I’m just chatting. It’s not a big deal.”

Keerthi laughed. “Not a big deal? Sure. Then why do you look like a ripe tomato every time you reply to him?”

Maya threw a pillow at her, but Keerthi caught it with ease, still grinning. “Fine, fine, I’ll leave you alone... for now.”

The conversations stretched into the late hours, filled with teasing, laughter, and moments that felt just a little too intimate.

Ayaan: "Have you eaten today? Or were you too busy saving lives in that hospital?"

Maya: "It’s a college, not a hospital. And yes, I ate. Stop worrying."

Ayaan: "Hard not to when you look like the kind who’d forget meals over books."

Maya: "That’s not true!"

Ayaan: "Prove it. Tell me what you had for dinner."

Maya paused, realizing she hadn’t had anything substantial.

Ayaan: "Exactly what I thought. Maya, you’re hopeless."

Maya: "I’ll do better tomorrow."

Ayaan: "You’d better. Because if I were there, I wouldn’t let you skip a single meal."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, the thought of him caring for her making her chest ache in ways she didn’t fully understand.

One evening, Maya waited for his usual message, but it didn’t come. She stared at her phone, her brows furrowing. Had something happened?

Finally, a notification appeared.

Ayaan: "I’ll be traveling for a few days. Meetings. Don’t miss me too much."

Maya: "I won’t. You’re not that special."

Ayaan: "Liar."

She couldn’t deny it. Over the next few days, she found herself constantly checking her phone, longing for his texts, his teasing words, his comforting presence. Keerthi noticed, of course.

Keerthi: “He’s got you wrapped around his finger, doesn’t he?”

Maya: “I’m just used to talking to him, that’s all. It feels... odd when he’s not around.”