It Started With a "Hi"
It all began in November
Just three months earlier, Aanya had finally ended all the communication with someone she had once loved. The relationship had already ended, but saying the final goodbye had taken much longer. That last conversation left her emotionally drained.
Since then, she had been living in her own little world- watching K-dramas and C-dramas, staying away from social media, keeping to herself. It wasn't that she disliked people; she just wasn't ready to let anyone in again.
One day, her friend Riya said, "You can't stay like this forever. You should start interacting with people again." Reluctantly, Aanya logged back to Instagram. Life slowly started feeling normal again.
A few days later, Riya said," I have a friend. I think you two should talk. You haven't really been talking to anyone, and I think you'd get along." At first, Aanya refused immediately. She wasn't interested in meeting anyone new. But after a little convincing, she finally gave in.
"Fine," she said. "Tell him to send me a follow request on Instagram."
A little while later, the notification appeared.
Karthik had sent the request.
Now came the difficult part- starting a conversation.
Aanya was shy, awkward, and very much an introvert. She had no idea how to begin talking to a stranger. So she asked Riya for a favor.
"Take my Instagram ID and start the conversation for me."
"Hi."
That tiny, ordinary word marked the beginning of a story neither of them could have imagined.
After that first message, Aanya slowly took over the conversation herself.
What she expected to be a short ,awkward exchange somehow turned into hours of talking. The conversation flowed so effortlessly that neither of them noticed how quickly time passed. Before long, they had exchanged numbers.
After exchanging numbers, the conversation became easier.
The first thing Karthik texted made Aanya laugh.
" I am a complete harami," he wrote, clearly joking.
Not knowing how to react, Aanya simply replied with the classic side-eye emoji.
That tiny exchange somehow broke the awkwardness between them.
Aanya was quiet, reserved, and someone who preferred listening over speaking. She took time to open up and rarely let people into her world.
Karthik, on the other hand, was warm, outgoing, and effortlessly talkative. He had a way of making people feel comfortable, as if they had known him for years. Conversations came naturally to him, and somehow, he made silence feel less intimidating.
Opposites, as people would say.
Yet, despite their different personalities, they clicked almost instantly. Maybe it was because they had both experienced heartbreak. They knew what it felt like to lose someone they once thought would stay forever. Without realizing it, they found comfort in someone who understood the weight of unspoken past.
Their conversations became easier with each passing day. There was no pressure to impress, no pretending to be someone they weren't. They simply talked- about life, random thoughts, their favorite shows, music and the little things that somehow mattered.
What had started as a reluctant "Hi" was slowly turning into something neither of them had expected.
And neither of them knew where it would lead.
