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Love From One Side

🇮🇳Dhruv_Gupta_7913
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Synopsis

Chapter 1 - The Unspoken

Lena stood at the edge of the crowded train platform, scanning the railway tracks. The rhythm of her heartbeat harmonized with the clanging of intermittent train wheels against the metal a constant reminder that time, no matter how much she might want to, never seemed to slow down. This was just one of those ordinary mornings in which everything seemed like a blur—except him.

Ethan was always there, in the background of her life, like a melody she couldn't shake. She had known him for three years since he joined the marketing team at her company. His easy smile and the way his eyes crinkled up at the corners when he laughed, the way he always knew exactly what to say—he had this way of making everyone at ease. But not Lena.

To her, Ethan was the unsolvable puzzle. She could not understand why he had not noticed her. She had tried everything: small talk in the elevator, standing closer in meetings, even the subtle shifts in her body language, all to draw his attention. Yet, he never seemed to see her beyond the office colleague. To him, she was just another face in the crowd, another person who occupied the same space but never really mattered.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and Lena fumbled for it, her fingers trembling. It was a message from her best friend, Amy: "You're overthinking it again. He's just not that into you. Move on."

Lena sighed. Amy had been telling her the same thing for months. "It's not like that, Amy," she would always respond, but the truth was, she wasn't sure what it was like. She wasn't sure what kind of relationship she was holding onto—whether it was one-sided, unspoken, unacknowledged. It was like trying to grab onto something intangible, like air slipping through her fingers.

The train came into view, and its screeching brakes cut through the silence. As the doors slid open, Lena stepped inside, her way through the crowd of commuters, and found an empty seat by the window. Her gaze went out at the world again, moving by in a blur of gray buildings and fast-moving vehicles. But it wasn't the city that she saw—it was Ethan, always on her mind.

She remembered when they'd finally had a proper conversation. It had been at one of the team lunches, rather relaxed in a nearby café. He'd made some comment about her trying to make her drink order too elaborate, and she'd laughed, nearly nervously. "You like complicated coffee?"

"I like strong coffee," she'd replied, forcing a smile to her face that, she realized later, was likely far too accommodating.

"You know," he'd said with a half-smile, "I respect that. You don't settle for weak coffee. I think more people should follow that philosophy."

It was small talk, but to Lena it was a moment. A spark. A possibility. But from Ethan's viewpoint, it had meant nothing. A passing moment of interaction. Like all the others.

The train jerked as it picked up speed, and Lena's thoughts snapped back to the present. She adjusted her bag on her lap, eyes darting to the people around her. None of them seemed to matter. It was always the same faces, the same routine. Work, home, and the ever-present ache in her chest.

She used to think she would confide in Ethan about what she felt. She had written words, rehearsed speeches in her head, practiced what she would say. But every time, she hesitated. It wasn't because she thought he would reject her; it was because she couldn't bear the idea of having her feelings thrown back at her like they were nothing. She didn't think she could handle the silence that would follow the confession, the awkwardness that would permanently change their dynamic.

Lena rested her head against the cool windowpane, closing her eyes for a moment. What was it about him? What made her feel this way? He wasn't perfect. He had flaws, just like anyone else. But to Lena, those flaws were part of the charm, part of the reason she couldn't help but fall deeper. It was like a magnet pulling her in, an invisible force she couldn't escape.

She had gone out with other people, even on a few casual dates with folks who seemed interested, but nothing could ever compare the brightness of the sun to a faint light bulb. Nobody could make her feel the way Ethan did. No one had ever looked at her the way he did, with that slight tilt of his head, the subtle way his gaze lingered just a second too long before he looked away. It wasn't romantic in any obvious way, but to Lena, it was everything. Every glance, every word, every little moment felt like a secret they shared, even if he didn't know it.

At the next station, the train came screeching to a halt, shaking her from her thoughts. She pulled upright in her seat, grabbing together the things she had gotten around. Doors slid open and she was up, disappearing into the current of passengers. Time wasn't allowed to consider Ethan anymore. It was time for work now and there was always a mountain of work, a load of emails, or another meeting to get to.

As Lena stepped out of the train and onto the platform, she once again looked down at her phone. Another message from Amy: "Just text him already. You won't know unless you try.

Lena's stomach churned. She didn't know if she was ready to try. To make herself vulnerable in front of him. What if she confessed, and it changed everything? What if it ruined everything? But even more than that—what if he never felt the same? She wasn't sure she could handle that.

She breathed sharply, pushing the thoughts away. She couldn't afford to get lost in this daydream. She had a life to live, a future to shape. But as she walked toward the entrance of the building, she couldn't stop the thought that always lingered in the back of her mind: What if he was the one who would never know how much he meant to her?

The elevator ride to the office was uneventful, the usual awkward silence shared between strangers. Lena stared at the numbers above the door, willing herself to focus. The doors opened with a soft chime, and she stepped out into the office lobby.

Ethan sat at his desk, his back to her, fingers flying across the keyboard. It was a moment of peace for her, a moment when she could pretend things were different, when she could walk up to him and say the words that had been in her mind for so long. But she couldn't. Not yet.

With heartbeats thudding inside, she walked to her desk, which would be her new refuge from time to time. For now, turning to look at him again for the last time was her only choice. The future might tell them so much, or the future might never change it either. But for the present, that was what had to be.

And perhaps that was enough.