Diya and Reena had been inseparable since childhood. From their first day in school to their last day in high school, they were more like sisters than friends.

Their friendship had been the kind people wrote stories about—genuine, unwavering, and filled with laughter that echoed through the school corridors. When they weren’t sitting together in class, they were walking home side by side, sharing dreams and secrets.

It was during one such walk home in fourth grade that Diya, with all the innocence of a child, had turned to her mother and declared, “Amma, when we grow up, Reena and I will marry into the same household so that we never get separated!”

Even years later, her mother would tease her about that, laughing about how serious she had been back then.

After their 10th-grade exams, life took them on different paths. Reena went to a different school, and Diya pursued her studies elsewhere. Though the separation was new to them, they didn't let it affect their friendship. They met during weekends, texted constantly, and never missed an opportunity to call.

Even as they entered different colleges, their bond remained unshaken.

But then, slowly, something changed.

At first, it was subtle. Reena started replying late to messages. The long calls that once lasted for hours became shorter. Then, one-word replies replaced their usual endless conversations.

Diya noticed the change but refused to believe that anything was wrong. Maybe she’s busy… maybe she’s just caught up with life.

But soon, the messages stopped entirely.

The silence was the worst part.

Diya kept reaching out, but Reena never responded. And then, one evening, while casually scrolling through social media, Diya’s heart stopped.

There, on her screen, was Reena.

Dressed in a bridal saree, standing next to her husband, smiling as if she had never been happier.

For a moment, Diya felt nothing. Just an eerie stillness inside her.

Then, the emotions hit her like a crashing wave—confusion, sadness, hurt, and a sharp sting of betrayal.

Her best friend had gotten married.

And she hadn't even told her.

The pain was indescribable. Reena, who once promised they'd be in each other’s lives forever, hadn’t even thought to call her on the most important day of her life.

Diya’s fingers hovered over her phone. She wanted to message, to ask, Why? But as she looked at Reena’s radiant smile, she hesitated.

She looks happy.

Would it be selfish to question her now?

Would it even make a difference?

So Diya chose silence.

If Reena had wanted her there, she would have told her.

The years passed, and life moved on. Diya got married too. She built a life, made new friends, found joy in her own ways. But every once in a while, when she scrolled through old messages or passed by a café they used to visit, she would feel the ghost of their friendship tug at her heart.

Then, one afternoon, while cleaning her childhood home, she stumbled upon a relic from the past—her old school slam book.

A nostalgic smile spread across her lips as she flipped through the pages, reading the childish handwriting, the funny answers, and the innocent dreams they had once written down.

And then, she found it.

Reena’s page.

Diya’s fingers traced the familiar words. Memories she had buried resurfaced instantly—whispers during class, shared lunchboxes, the comfort of knowing someone so deeply.

And then, just as quickly, the pain returned.

Without thinking, she picked up her phone and dialed the number she once knew by heart.

It rang. Once. Twice.

And then—

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end was unmistakable.

For a second, Diya forgot what she wanted to say.

"I found our old slam book today," she blurted out instead.

There was silence. A deep, weighted silence.

Then, a small, hesitant, "Oh."

Diya swallowed the lump in her throat. "Why, Reena?" she asked softly. "Why did you push me away? Why didn’t you even tell me about your wedding?"

A long pause. Then, finally, a quiet confession.

"Because I was broken, Diya."

Diya frowned. "Broken? What do you mean?"

"I was betrayed," Reena admitted. "By someone we both trusted. They said things about me… things that weren’t true. And suddenly, people I cared about started looking at me differently. Judging me. Questioning me. I was so emotionally drained that I didn’t have the strength to defend myself. I didn’t want to explain. I just wanted to disappear."

Diya’s heart clenched.

"But Reena… didn’t you think I would stand by you? That I would believe you?"

Reena let out a shaky breath. "I was scared. I thought even you might doubt me. And in pushing everyone away… I pushed you away too."

Tears welled in Diya’s eyes. She understood now. She understood the pain Reena must have carried. But it still hurt that Reena hadn’t trusted her enough to lean on her.

Yet, as she sat there, she realized something—none of it mattered anymore. Not the years lost, not the silence. What mattered was that they were here, now.

"I missed you, Reena."

"I missed you too, Diya."

A week later, they finally met.

It had been seven years since they had last seen each other.

As soon as Diya spotted Reena at the café, emotions overwhelmed her. There she was—the same Reena, yet different. Time had changed them both, but when their eyes met, it felt like nothing had changed at all.

And then, just like old times, they started talking.

They gossiped, shared secrets, laughed about their childhood foolishness, and spoke about their marriages, their kids, their lives.

The years melted away.

For the first time in a long time, Diya felt whole again.

Some friendships, no matter how lost, always find their way back.