The Last goodbye at the hostel gate - The empty chair

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Chapter 3: The Empty Chair

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The journey home felt longer than the journey to the hostel.

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Nobody spoke much.

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The car that had been full of conversations in the morning was now silent.

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Aisha stared out the window.

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Every few minutes, she expected to hear Arjun's voice.

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But there was only silence.

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When they reached home, Aisha rushed inside.

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For a moment, she forgot.

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"Arjun! We're back!"

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No answer came.

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The silence hit her like a wave.

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Her brother wasn't there.

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He wouldn't be there tomorrow.

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Or the day after.

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Slowly, she walked into his room.

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Everything looked the same.

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His books were still on the shelf.

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His favorite pen was still on the table.

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His old cricket bat stood in the corner.

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But the room felt different.

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It felt empty.

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Aisha sat on his bed and picked up a pillow.

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It still smelled like him.

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Tears rolled down her cheeks.

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That evening, dinner was served.

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Four plates were placed on the table out of habit.

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Mother stared at the extra plate.

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Father quietly removed it.

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Nobody said a word.

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Aisha looked at the empty chair.

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The chair where Arjun always sat.

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The chair where he laughed, joked, and stole food from her plate.

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Now it stood empty.

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And somehow, that empty chair hurt more than the goodbye.

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That night, Aisha couldn't sleep.

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The house was too quiet.

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No footsteps.

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No late-night jokes.

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No annoying knocks on her door.

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Just silence.

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At 10:17 PM, her phone suddenly rang.

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Her heart jumped.

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It was a video call.

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"ARJUN!"

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She answered immediately.

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There he was.

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Smiling.

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The hostel room was behind him.

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Mother and Father quickly came over.

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For the next hour, the family talked, laughed, and shared stories.

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For the first time since the goodbye, everyone smiled.

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Before ending the call, Arjun looked at Aisha.

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"Missed me?"

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Aisha crossed her arms.

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"A little."

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Arjun laughed.

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"A little?"

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"A lot."

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The siblings smiled at each other.

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Maybe things were different now.

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Maybe there would be empty chairs and quiet rooms.

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But some things would never change.

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No matter how many kilometers separated them,

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they were still family.62Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5JiUeb4cDG

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