The waves of love in my life

Mira sat at her kitchen table, stirring cold coffee she had no intention of drinking. Her laptop sat open beside her, her inbox overflowing with interview requests, memoir offers, and strangers' confessions.

And yet, that wasn't what occupied her mind tonight.

It was Lena.

Specifically, Lena's smile when she mentioned Aariz.

"He's just someone from my past," she had said casually.

But Mira had known Lena long enough to read beneath her tone. That wasn't just anyone.

That was someone.

Someone she had never spoken of.

Someone who could make her voice tremble just a little when she said his name.

Earlier That Day

"I saw Aariz again," Lena had told her while folding laundry, as if she were talking about a familiar old song.

Mira blinked. "Aariz who?"

Lena had paused, hesitant. "We used to… be something. Before everything. Before Dad, before you."

That stung. Mira couldn't explain why.

Maybe because for years she had assumed Lena's life was empty of romance.

Because Lena had always been hers. Her protector. Her safe place.

But now it felt like someone else had once had that version of Lena too—and might have it again.

"So… are you two talking again?" Mira asked, trying to sound neutral.

Lena gave a quiet nod. "We talked. A lot. It felt… unfinished. But honest."

Mira's heart clenched.

Not out of disapproval.

Out of fear.

Because she knew Lena. And she knew Lena didn't let people back in unless she was already halfway in herself.

Now – Back in the Kitchen

Mira pulled out her phone and stared at Lena's name.

Her thumb hovered over "Call." Then over "Delete."

Neither felt right.

Aaron entered the room quietly, setting a bowl of fruit down beside her. He knew that look on her face—confused, tense, unspoken turmoil.

"What's going on?" he asked gently.

"She didn't tell me," Mira muttered. "All this time… years. And she never once mentioned him."

Aaron sat down across from her. "Maybe it was too painful. Or maybe… she thought she had to protect you from it."

Mira's eyes welled up. "But she's always been my protector. My anchor. And now she's… opening up to someone else."

He leaned closer. "You're allowed to feel that, Mira. But you're also growing. And so is she."

"I just didn't expect to feel… left behind."

Aaron reached for her hand. "You're not being left. She's just finding space to stand beside you. Not behind you anymore."

Later That Evening – Mira's Apartment

Lena arrived unannounced. She stood in the doorway with that look Mira knew too well—half hopeful, half bracing for impact.

"You heard," Lena said quietly.

Mira didn't respond at first. She stared at her, lips parted, emotions swirling too fast for words.

"You should've told me," she finally said.

"I didn't know how," Lena admitted. "It was messy. And honestly… I was afraid you'd think I was choosing someone else."

Mira looked away. "It's not that I'm not happy for you. It's just… I didn't think I could lose you to anything."

"You're not losing me," Lena said, stepping closer. "You're finally seeing that I'm more than your shadow."

Mira's eyes glistened. "It's just hard, okay? I thought I knew every corner of you."

Lena smiled softly. "Maybe now you're just learning that I'm still building parts of me."

They stood there in silence. Not angry. Not broken. Just… adjusting.

Learning how to be two women healing side by side, instead of one always saving the other.