The confession happened accidentally.
Obviously.
Nothing normal had ever happened in this apartment.
It started with noodles.
At 2 AM.
Because emotional people apparently stop respecting time.
Raghav stood in kitchen cooking sadly.
Meera floated nearby.
Supervising uselessly.
“You’re putting too much masala.”
“There’s no such thing.”
“There absolutely is. Your noodles smell aggressive.”
Raghav stirred angrily.
Mostly because Meera flickered twice already that evening.
And every flicker felt like heart attack subscription.
Meera watched him quietly.
Then smiled softly.
“You’ve become louder.”
“What?”
“You used to sit alone in silence.”
Pause.
“Now you argue with invisible woman at midnight.”
Raghav snorted.
“Great character development.”
“Honestly? Huge improvement.”
Silence settled softly.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Dangerous.
Then suddenly—
The gas stove went OFF.
Entire kitchen dark.
Raghav sighed immediately.
“Fantastic.”
Meera floated closer.
“You know what this needs?”
“No.”
“Drama.”
She snapped fingers dramatically.
Nothing happened.
“…I forgot,” she muttered.
“Ghost powers are emotionally unstable now.”
Raghav laughed helplessly.
“There she is.”
Then he looked at her properly.
Really properly.
Fading edges.
Tired smile.
Trying hard to stay cheerful.
For him.
Something inside him broke quietly.
“Stop doing that,” he whispered.
Meera blinked.
“What?”
“Acting like everything’s okay.”
Silence.
She looked away slowly.
“…If I stop joking,” she whispered,
“then this becomes real.”
Raghav stepped closer.
“It IS real.”
Meera swallowed emotionally.
Which again…
impressive for ghost.
“You know what’s funny?” she said weakly.
“What?”
“I spent my whole life wanting someone to stay.”
Pause.
“And now when someone finally did…”
small laugh,
“…I’m the one disappearing.”
Raghav stared at her.
Heart hurting physically now.
Very rude behavior from heart.
Then suddenly—
he snapped.
Emotionally.
“I LOVE YOU, OKAY?!”
Silence exploded across the apartment.
Meera froze completely.
Raghav froze immediately after.
Because apparently his mouth had independent decision-making.
The ceiling fan spun dramatically.
Even it was shocked.
Raghav panicked instantly.
“I DIDN’T MEAN TO SAY IT LIKE THAT!”
Meera blinked slowly.
“…You love me?”
Raghav paced aggressively.
“I was emotional! And sleep-deprived! And noodles are stressful!”
Meera stared.
Then suddenly laughed.
Not small laugh.
Not teasing laugh.
Full unstoppable laughter.
“You confessed like angry customer complaint!”
Raghav pointed dramatically.
“I HAD A LOT OF FEELINGS!”
Meera laughed harder.
Floating slightly sideways.
Then softly…
very softly…
she asked:
“…You really love me?”
Raghav stopped moving.
Looked at her carefully.
No panic now.
No jokes.
Just truth.
“Yeah,” he whispered.
Pause.
“Stupidly.”
Meera’s eyes watered instantly.
Then she ruined it herself.
“Wow.”
“What?”
“You really reached rock bottom emotionally.”
Raghav laughed helplessly.
“There she is.”
She moved closer slowly.
Very close now.
“You know,” she whispered,
“this is probably the weirdest love story ever.”
Raghav nodded.
“My girlfriend technically died before we met.”
Meera grinned.
“Efficiency.”
He smiled softly.
Then suddenly frowned.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Are you my girlfriend now?”
Meera gasped dramatically.
“Excuse me. Where is proposal? Ceremony? Haunted engagement?”
Raghav groaned.
“You JUST said you love me too with your eyes!”
She blinked innocently.
“I did no such thing.”
“You literally floated romantically!”
“That’s my normal movement.”
Raghav laughed again.
And somehow…
through all the fear…
all the fading…
all the impossible sadness…
this still felt like them.
Ridiculous.
Chaotic.
Warm.
Then quietly…
Meera touched his hand again.
This time solid.
Completely solid.
Both froze.
“…Raghav,” she whispered.
“You can touch me.”
He stared at their hands.
Actually holding.
Actually real.
Slowly…
he smiled.
Small.
Disbelieving.
Happy.
And Meera looked at him like she’d already decided something dangerous.
Because love had done what ghosts, fear, loneliness, and death couldn’t do.
It made her want to stay.