The World That Existed Only for Them - Part 4

 

When Absence Became Noticeable

Routine has a quiet way of becoming personal.

Ananya began visiting the district office twice a week. Sometimes her work was done quickly, sometimes it wasn’t. But almost every time, she found him there—standing near the same pillar, flipping through files, waiting without irritation.

They never planned to meet.

Yet, when he wasn’t there, she noticed.

She would catch herself glancing toward the corridor where he usually appeared, then feel slightly foolish for doing so. It wasn’t longing. It wasn’t disappointment. Just a faint sense that something expected had not arrived.

Aarav felt it too, though he would never have described it that way. On days when he didn’t see her, the office felt noisier than usual. More crowded. Less… settled.

When they did meet, their conversations were small and practical.

“Your letter came?”
“Not yet.”
“It will.”

No encouragement beyond what was necessary. No promises they couldn’t keep.

One afternoon, Ananya wasn’t there.

Aarav finished his work early and left, but the walk home felt longer. He wondered, briefly, if she had finally received her appointment. The thought made him glad—and strangely hollow at the same time.

The next week, she appeared again.

“You were not around last time,” she said, almost accusingly, before she realized she had no right to ask.

He smiled—just slightly. “Site visit.”

“Oh.”

That was all.

But something shifted that day.

They began walking together after leaving the office. Not always the full distance—just until the road split. Sometimes they spoke. Sometimes they didn’t. Neither felt the need to fill the space.

People around them mistook them for colleagues. Some assumed friendship. No one imagined love.

That was the beauty of it.

Nothing about them demanded attention.

Yet, in that unnoticed corner of the world, something steady was forming—not excitement, not desire—but trust. The kind that arrives before you understand why you need it.