Sajubooks
The rain had stopped hours ago, but the air still carried its damp, earthy scent. Aisha stood by the old wooden bridge, her fingers grazing the railing, eyes fixed on the ripples in the water. She wasn't waiting for him-at least that's what she told herself. But her heart had a habit of betraying her mind.
She heard the faint crunch of footsteps behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was Zayan. His presence was always quiet, like a shadow-uninvited, yet impossible to ignore.
"Aisha..." his voice was soft, almost hesitant.
She exhaled slowly, keeping her gaze on the water. "You're late."
"I know," he said, stopping a few feet away. "But I'm here now."
"That doesn't erase the days you weren't," she replied, her tone sharper than she intended. Her fingers tightened around the railing.
Zayan took a step closer. "I was trying to give you space."
"Space?" she laughed bitterly. "Or silence?"
The pause between them was heavier than any word he could have spoken. Somewhere in that stillness lay everything they never said-every apology, every truth, every unspoken love.
"I didn't choose this silence, Zayan," her voice trembled, "but you made me live in it."
He reached out, hesitating before letting his hand rest gently over hers. "And I'm here to break it... if you'll let me."
Aisha finally turned to face him. In his eyes, she saw the same storm she'd been carrying inside her. Maybe, just maybe, they could find the words to rebuild what the silence had taken away.