...[Private Chat – Kashish & Zaid]...
...Kashish: Hey....
...She stared at the single word for a long time before hitting send....
...No typing indicator. No reply....
...Her stomach twisted. She bit her lip, debating whether she should text again. Maybe he was just busy. Maybe she was overthinking things. But deep down, she knew....
...Zaid was never too busy to reply—especially not to her....
...She locked her phone and tossed it onto her bed, letting out a sigh....
...Why was this bothering her so much?...
...Oh, right....
...Because she used to be the person he texted back immediately. She used to be the one who got on his nerves, who made him laugh despite himself, who made his day worse yet somehow better at the same time....
...Now?...
...Now, she was just another name in his inbox....
...And she hated it....
...—...
...[Group Chat – Chaos Unleashed]...
...Jack: Why is this group so dead? I feel like I’m in a haunted house....
...George: Probably because Kashish hasn’t fought with Zaid today....
...Kashish: What’s that supposed to mean?...
...Harry: It means we’re bored. Please go annoy him....
...Kashish: Maybe I don’t feel like it today....
...The chat went silent for a moment....
...That wasn’t normal....
...Zaid and Kashish arguing was practically a daily routine. The fact that she wasn’t up for it? That was new....
...Zaid: Not interested....
...Kashish stared at his message, something heavy settling in her chest....
...Not interested....
...Zaid never ignored a chance to fight with her. Even when he was annoyed, he had something sarcastic to say. But now? He wasn’t even pretending to care....
...Saba: What’s up with you, Zaid?...
...Zaid: Nothing. Just don’t feel like talking....
...Maryam: He’s probably tired from last night. We talked till 2 AM....
...Kashish felt her breath catch....
...2 AM?...
...He had barely spoken to her in days, and yet, he was up talking to Maryam until 2 in the morning?...
...Her fingers tightened around her phone....
...Kashish: That’s great, Maryam. Maybe you can take over my job of annoying him....
...Maryam: Oh, I could never! You’re special to him, after all. Right, Zaid?...
...Kashish clenched her jaw....
...She knew exactly what Maryam was doing....
...She was rubbing it in....
...And the worst part? It was working....
...Kashish: Special? Yeah, right. If that was true, he’d actually talk to me....
...The chat went quiet....
...She had said too much....
...For a second, she thought Zaid would respond—deny it, call her dramatic, say something that would make her feel like she wasn’t completely invisible....
...But he didn’t....
...Instead, he left the chat....
...Her vision blurred for a second....
...He didn’t even care....
...—...
...[Private Chat – Agustya & Kashish]...
...Agustya: I saw the chat....
...Kashish: Good for you....
...Agustya: Don’t let her get to you. That’s what she wants....
...Kashish: I don’t care....
...Agustya: Liar....
...She shut her eyes, gripping her phone tightly....
...Why did he always see through her?...
...Kashish: He doesn’t even notice me anymore....
...Agustya: That’s his loss. Not yours....
...Kashish: Then why does it feel like I’m the one losing something?...
...Agustya didn’t reply right away. When he did, his message was simple....
...Agustya: Because you love him....
...She inhaled sharply....
...She didn’t reply....
...Because she didn’t need to....
...He already knew....
...—...
...That evening, Kashish did something she hadn’t done in a long time....
...She ignored her phone....
...She ignored the group chat....
...She ignored him....
...For the first time in days, she focused on herself....
...She made tea, read a book, watched a show she liked. Anything to keep her mind off Zaid....
...But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts kept drifting back to him....
...Did he even notice her silence?...
...Did he care?...
...Was he talking to Saba instead? Or Maryam?...
...Her stomach twisted at the thought....
...She wasn’t ready to accept that she had been replaced....
...But when she finally checked her phone before bed, she found exactly what she had feared....
...Nothing....
...No texts....
...No missed calls....
...Zaid hadn’t noticed at all....
...Something inside her cracked....
...She had spent so long thinking about him, but he hadn’t thought about her even once....
...Maybe it was time to stop holding on....
...Maybe it was time to let go....
...—...
...[Private Chat – Archie & Kashish]...
...Archie: Did you disappear?...
...Kashish: Just taking a break from the group chat....
...Archie: Good. You need it....
...She smiled faintly....
...Kashish: Why do you always check up on me?...
...There was a pause before he replied....
...Archie: Because I care....
...Her heart skipped a beat....
...She stared at the message, feeling something shift inside her....
...For so long, she had been chasing someone who didn’t want her....
...Maybe it was time to notice the one who did....
...—...
...The next morning, she woke up to a notification....
...[Private Chat – Zaid & Kashish]...
...Zaid: You didn’t say anything in the group chat yesterday....
...She blinked at the message....
...So, he had noticed....
...Her fingers hovered over the keyboard....
...She wanted to say something sarcastic, something to make it seem like she hadn’t spent all night thinking about him....
...But she was too tired to pretend....
...Kashish: Thought you weren’t interested....
...He took a moment to reply....
...Zaid: I didn’t mean it like that....
...Her chest ached....
...Kashish: Doesn’t matter. I’m getting used to it....
...She hit send before she could overthink it....
...She wasn’t going to beg for his attention anymore....
...If he wanted to drift away, she wasn’t going to stop him....
...But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt....
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Comments
Winifred
I wasn't sure about this book at first but boy am I glad I gave it a chance. It turned out to be a truly unforgettable story. 🤩👍
2025-02-11
1