Untouched Pixel
Chapter 3: Render and Repair
If heartbreak was a render queue, Shyam's was stuck at 99%—dragging on, blinking endlessly, refusing to let go.
But Ayani? Ayani was a one-woman task manager—force quitting sadness and rebooting his life one snack and savage roast at a time.
"You're editing in the dark again," she said during their next call.
"I like the dark."
"You also liked my sister."
"…Point taken."
Days blurred, but Ayani didn't. She became a constant notification, a recurring playlist, a meme generator with terrible timing—but perfect presence.
And somewhere between shared ramen packets and 3AM conversations about the philosophical implications of catgirl VTubers, something shifted.
She started showing up in person.
"Wow," she said the first time she saw his workspace, "It's like a nerd museum in here."
"I prefer the term 'sanctuary of solitude.'"
"More like cave of sadness. Where's your light?"
"You're standing in it," he said, half-joking.
She didn't reply—just smiled. A soft one. The kind that could download itself into your memory and stay there forever.
---
Three weeks later...
Shyam had returned to editing—but this time for himself.
He uploaded a new video to his hidden channel. A raw, beautifully crafted visual story. No thumbnails. No trending tags. Just pain turned into pixels.
It got 41 views. Ayani watched it 18 times.
---
"Hey, you wanna go outside?" she asked one evening.
"Why? Is the router down?"
"Because the world exists, genius."
They went to a local fair. Shyam hadn't seen that many colors since his last RGB settings panel.
He caught Ayani mid-bite of cotton candy.
"You look like you murdered a unicorn," he said.
"Thank you. I was going for sugar demon."
They laughed. For the first time in weeks, his laugh didn't sound forced.
That night, sitting on a bench overlooking the city, Ayani said softly, "Do you still love her?"
Shyam didn't answer right away.
"I think… I love what we were. But I don't know if she ever really saw me."
"She didn't," Ayani whispered. "But I do."
Silence.
Then her fingers found his, slow and careful.
"I know I'm not some mega VTuber or an editing prodigy. But I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."
He looked at her.
This wasn't a grand confession. No fireworks. No sweeping music.
Just her. Present. Steady.
And suddenly, that was more than enough.
---
Weeks turned into months.
Ayani and Shyam weren't flashy. They weren't even official. But they became them—a little chaotic, a little broken, but real.
She'd watch his rough edits, he'd test her patience with his bad cooking. She cheered for every tiny milestone he hit with his secret channel, while he wrote silly little poems just for her.
One day, she found an old notebook on his desk.
"You still keep this?"
He nodded. "It's the first MV I ever storyboarded for Raitha."
She flipped through the pages and stopped at a sticky note:
> "Your voice is starlight. I'll be your sky."
She closed the notebook.
Then gently placed her own note over it.
> "But some stars fall. And I caught you instead."
---
It wasn't until that day—the one Raitha called—that the final render of Shyam's heart truly began.
She messaged out of the blue.
> "Shyam? I saw you're doing some projects again. Can we talk?"
He hesitated.
Ayani sat beside him. "You okay?"
He looked at her. Really looked.
She wasn't just a rebound or a rescue. She was home.
"I think it's time I faced the past," he said.
"Want me to come?"
"Always."
They met at a quiet café.
Raitha looked as polished as ever, dressed in a brand she probably got sponsored for. Her voice? As sweet as always. But her eyes—empty.
"I wanted to say sorry," she began. "I made mistakes."
He nodded. "You did."
"I was scared. Of how much I owed you. Of how much you meant. So I pushed you away."
"You didn't owe me," Shyam said. "You just… didn't see me."
She opened her mouth. Closed it. Then glanced at Ayani.
"You're with her?"
He smiled. "Yeah. She stayed."
Raitha looked away. "She's lucky."
"No," Ayani said, reaching for Shyam's hand. "I'm smart. Lucky is what you wasted."
Mic. Dropped.
Raitha left with tears in her eyes.
Ayani turned to him. "Was that too much?"
He kissed her cheek. "Not enough."
---
That night, he uploaded a new video.
Title: Untouched Pixel – Final Cut
Description: "This is for the love I lost. And the one I never expected to find."