Aditi hadn't realized what day it was until Nisha casually said it at lunch.
"Ugh, I forgot it's the 23rd. Abhimanyu's birthday, right?"
Her spoon paused halfway to her mouth.
The date.The same date she'd marked every year with handwritten notes, playlists, and poems she never gave him.
Now, it was just a Tuesday.
Or at least, it was supposed to be.
She hadn't wished him.Didn't plan to.Not after everything.
But her chest had other plans — that tight, annoying ache right beneath her collarbone that refused to leave her alone.
She still remembered his favorite cake flavor.Still remembered how he hated surprise parties but loved when she showed up with nothing but a smile and a folded piece of paper filled with her thoughts.
This year? He got nothing.No texts.No calls.No Aditi.
But what she didn't know… was that he never expected anything.
He knew she wouldn't wish him.
Still, at exactly 12:01 a.m., he opened their old chat window.
Blocked.Still blocked.
And yet, he typed:
"I don't expect anything.But I miss how you used to make my birthdays feel like home."
Then he hit delete.Again.
Later that day, back at tuition, Aditi arrived early — again.Habit, maybe.Or maybe something deeper.
She didn't even look at him this time.
But he noticed.He noticed the way she bit her lip — the way she tapped her pen faster than usual.
And he noticed the smallest thing of all:
She was wearing the same earrings she wore on his birthday last year.
Maybe it was coincidence.
Or maybe… it wasn't.
They didn't say a word.But some birthdays don't need candles.They need closure.