The first two days of Reyansh's Australia trip had passed in a blur. Despite the time zone difference, he and Ishani managed to speak briefly for about ten minutes each night. Their calls were short but comforting. Reyansh sounded exhausted, his voice soft and laced with sleepiness.

"Reyansh, aap bohot tired lag rahe ho," Ishani had said gently on the first night.

"Haan thoda... kal subha se hi back-to-back meetings thi," he replied, rubbing his forehead.

"Toh sojaaiye... main hoon na yaha, don't worry," she had whispered.

He had smiled weakly. "You sure? Bas thodi der baat kar lete hain..."

"Nahi, kal baat karenge. Aap rest lo, please."

The second night had been no different. Reyansh was even more drained, and Ishani could hear it in his voice. So once again, she insisted he sleep. She wanted to talk more, to tell him how her day went, how much she missed him already but she held back.

But after that, there were no calls.Not even a message.

Ishani kept checking her phone every few hours. She tried to distract herself with work, with family, but her heart wasn't in it. Every morning, she woke up hoping for a simple "Good morning" message from Reyansh. Every night, she waited for this call. And every time, disappointment quietly replaced her hope.

What she didn't know was that Reyansh wasn't ignoring her. He was busier than he had ever been. The issues in the project were bigger than expected, and every moment was consumed in trying to fix them. Meetings extended late into the night, and by the time he got free, it was already 2 AM in India.

He'd often unlock his phone, stare at her name on the screen, and then lock it again.

"She must be asleep," he'd say to himself, not wanting to disturb her.

But with each day of silence, something was shifting in both of them.

One night, Ishani sat on her bed, staring at the last message she'd sent him three days ago: "Hope your day went well. Take care." It had no reply.

She sighed, whispered into the silence of her room, "You were right, Reyansh... I really do miss you."

She didn't want to disturb him. She respected how serious his work was. But her heart ached. It wasn't about constant chatting. It was about his absence his voice, his silly teasing, his calmness that made her feel safe.

Reyansh, on the other side of the world, wasn't doing much better.

During a rare five-minute break between meetings, he sat in a quiet corner of the hotel lounge and scrolled through their old chats. He smiled seeing her emojis, her "hmm" replies, her shy "haan."

He realized how much she had become a part of his routine. How much her voice had started to matter. How she could calm his worst days just by listening.

"Ishani," he mumbled, "I didn't know I'd miss you this much."

The week passed.

Then two more days.

A full nine days.

Back in India, Ishani was pacing in her room one evening. She looked at the calendar on her phone. Wasn't he supposed to come back today? she thought. But there was no message.

Finally, she picked up her phone and typed: "Hey... hope you're okay. When are you coming back?"

Her thumb hovered over the send button. She hesitated, then sent it.

Half an hour later, her phone buzzed.

Reyansh: "Ishani... I'm so sorry. Trip got extended. I didn't even get the time to tell you. I miss you. A lot."

Tears welled up in her eyes. She smiled through them.

Ishani: "It's okay... I understand". She instantly replied.

Reyansh: "Can I call you? Just for a minute."

She replied yes and the screen lit up.

His face appeared - tired eyes, unshaven face, but that smile... her smile.

"Hi," he said, voice softer than ever.

"Hi," she replied softly.

"I didn't know it'd get so tough. Without hearing you, it felt like something was missing."

Reyansh smiled softly, his voice a little tired but filled with warmth. "I miss you, Ishani..."

Ishani's breath caught for a second. She looked away from the screen, trying to hide her smile. 

There was a small pause.Reyansh noticed the silence but didn't push. He could see the pink in her cheeks even through the screen.

Ishani finally spoke, her voice low, "Aap thak gaye ho... rest kijiye."

He understood her silence. A smile played on his lips. "Thik hai... only because you're telling me."

She nodded slightly and softly said, "Good night."

"Good night, Mrs. Agarwal," he teased gently.

She didn't look up, just smiled and ended the call.

After a long 11-day trip, Reyansh finally came back home. He reached around 2 p.m., met his family, had lunch, and then went to his room to rest. But he couldn't stop thinking about Ishani. He had missed her so much.

He decided to surprise her.

At 6 p.m., he got ready and left for Ishani's house. When he reached there, Ashirit and Kirti were sitting in the living room.

Ashirit looked surprised. "Reyansh? Tum yaha?"

Reyansh smiled and said, "11din se baahar tha... ache se baat bhi nahi ho paayi. Socha, kya main Ishani ko dinner par le ja sakta hoon?"

Kirti gave a small smile, "Haan, bilkul."

Ashirit teased, "Ab to vo aapki hi hai... jahan le jaana hai le jaiye!"

Reyansh smiled shyly and looked upstairs.

Kirti noticed and said, "Upar hi hai... aap chale jaaiye."

He quietly walked up and gently knocked on Ishani's door.

After a few seconds, the door opened.Ishani stood there, wearing her soft pink top and shorts. She looked surprised.

"Aap?" she said softly.

Reyansh smiled, "Haan main... kyun? Mujhe nahi aana chahiye tha?"

Ishani was still trying to believe he was really there. Before she could say anything, Reyansh said, "Main hi hoon... andar aa sakta hoon?"

She slowly nodded.He came in, and as she turned after closing the door, Reyansh gently hugged her.

"I missed you," he whispered. 

Ishani stayed quiet. She felt shy and her heart was beating fast. She didn't say anything, but her silence showed she had missed him too.

After some seconds,Ishani slowly wrapped her arms around Reyansh and hugged him back.As soon as she did, Reyansh smiled softly and held her even closer.They stood like that for a few minutes, quietly, without saying anything. It was peaceful - like both of them had found their comfort again.

After about 4-5 minutes, they gently pulled away from the hug.Reyansh looked at her lovingly and then leaned in to place a soft kiss on her forehead.Then he took a step back, lowering his head a little - he didn't say anything, but it was clear he was feeling something deep.

Ishani saw that. She understood the silence.Without saying a word, she stepped closer and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead too.Neither of them spoke. But in that quiet moment, they had said everything.After the forehead kiss, Reyansh smiled and looked at Ishani.

"Aap aise bhi bahut acchi... aur cute dikh rahi ho," he said softly, his eyes still admiring her.

Ishani looked down, a little shy, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"But," Reyansh added with a small playful smile, "hum dono ko bahar  jana hai. Toh... please thoda sa tayyar ho jaiye. Main neeche wait kar raha hoon aapka."

Ishani nodded slowly, still blushing a little. "Okay," she whispered.

Reyansh gave her a soft look, then turned and walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.As he walked down the stairs, his heart felt light - this moment, this feeling, was everything he had missed.

As Reyansh stood in the living room with Kirti and Ashirit, he heard footsteps from the staircase. He looked up - and there Ishani was walking down slowly in a black Anarkali suit, her hair open, eyes lowered slightly. The moment he saw her, he couldn't look away. A soft smile appeared on his face without even realizing it.

Kirti noticed his expression and smiled quietly. But Ashirit, being himself, leaned closer and teased, "She's just going with you, man. Don't look at her like that."Reyansh got a little shy and scratched his nose, not knowing how to react.

Ishani reached them and gave a small smile. Ashirit looked at her and said playfully, "Bacche, I've known this man for three years. I never thought he'd turn into such a love-sick puppy."

Ishani blushed, looking at Reyansh, who just smiled and gently looked away.

Then Reyansh turned to Kirti and said, "We'll leave now, aunty."

Kirti nodded with a warm smile. "Go, enjoy your evening."

And with that, the two stepped out into the evening - hearts full, eyes quietly shining.

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So are you guys ready for their first official date???