chapter 9

Part 9: The Realisation of the UnsaidIt was Sunday morning. School was on holiday, but Riya woke up early. The sunlight coming through the window was falling on her face, and she had a quiet smile on her face – the kind that is without any reason, but makes the heart feel light.She took out her phone from under the pillow, unlocked the screen – no messages.But she was not complaining.Now the need for words was diminishing.She went down to the garden, touched the roses while watering them – and wondered, does Dhirav like roses or sunflowers?She asked herself, then smiled to herself.Now the questions in her thoughts were also coming to her.Meanwhile, Dhirav was also looking out of his room window. The notebook was open, but the pen was stopped.The same note was going round and round in his mind – “Today I want your smile – the real one.”In the evening, Riya took out a notebook. She used to write her short stories, poems, and photo captions in it.Today she opened a new page and wrote:“Some eyes are not just meant to look — they read, understand, and sometimes even respond, without saying anything.”At that very moment, her phone vibrated.It was a message from Dhirav:Dhirav (5:42 p.m.):“Today I feel incomplete without talking to you.”Riya:“Then why didn’t you talk to me?”Dhirav:“I was searching for words… then thought, maybe you are feeling it.”Riya started typing, then stopped.Then she sent a photo — of the same page in her book where she had written about eyes.Dhirav:“Your pen also feels.”Riya:“Whoever is connected to you learns to feel.”That day something was different.Slowly, a new rhythm started to get added to the beats.On Sunday, Riya's mother suddenly said:"Don't forget school tomorrow, there's a project presentation."Riya felt a little nervous.She loved making things, but speaking in public—she was scared.That same evening, she told Dhirav on a call:Riya:"Tomorrow there's a presentation… I'm feeling nervous."Dhirav:"The honesty in your voice conquers everything."Riya:"It would have been nice if you were there when I was speaking in public."He remained silent for a few seconds.Then he said softly:Dhirav:"I'm always there… behind your words, in your eyes, with you."The next day at school, Riya had prepared, but as her turn came, her hands started getting cold.She moved forward…Her heartbeats were fast.  She took a breath, and looked ahead —In the third row, a face.Dhirav.He just nodded slightly — “You can do it.”Just then, Riya started speaking.The words flowed out on their own.While speaking, she had the same smile on her face, the one someone had asked for — the real one.The presentation ended. There was applause.But the biggest applause for Riya was the eyes that were fixed on her — without blinking.That afternoon, during the lunch break, sitting in the sun, both of them said it all in just one word —Dhirav:“I am proud of you.”Riya (laughing):“Your presence is my strength.”Some relationships are beyond definitions.They blossom slowly, without making a sound.And when they blossom, the world begins to change — slowly, but forever.