The Distance Between Us

At thirteen, Ayaan fell in love with a girl at his sister's wedding-a girl with black eyes and an emotionless heart who would haunt him for five years.
Sana was everything: cunning, mature beyond her years, and completely indifferent to him. Through Instagram messages and awkward video calls, Ayaan poured out his heart-but the words never came out right. Every rejection made him angrier. Every 'you're like a brother' cut deeper. And when she finally said yes, it was only because her real choice had failed.
Fighting anger issues, crippling communication problems, and a faith slowly slipping away, Ayaan learns the hardest lesson of all: you cannot make someone love you, no matter how perfectly you craft the message.
A raw, honest story about South Indian Muslim youth navigating love, family expectations, mental health, and the devastating cost of loving someone who was never yours to love.