The alarm rang at 6:30 a.m., like it did every weekday.
Arjun didn't open his eyes immediately. He lay still for a few seconds, listening to the ceiling fan wobble slightly, the same loose screw sound it had been making for months. He had told himself he'd fix it last Sunday. He didn't. Like many other small things.
His phone buzzed once.
A message notification.
That was enough to make him open his eyes.
He reached for the phone on the side table, knocked over an empty glass, and muttered, "Great," under his breath as water spilled on the floor. He ignored it and unlocked the screen.
Riya:
Good morning 🙂
That smiley was enough to calm him down.
The spilled water didn't matter anymore.
Arjun:
Morning. You're up early.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Riya:
Couldn't sleep properly.
Arjun sat up. He ran a hand through his hair, which needed a haircut badly.
Arjun:
Nightmares again?
There was a pause this time. Longer than usual.
Riya:
Not exactly. Just… stuff.
That word—stuff—was Riya's way of closing a door without slamming it. Arjun had learned not to push too much. When she wanted to talk, she did. When she didn't, forcing her only made things worse.
Arjun:
I'm making tea. Want to come over later?
Another pause.
Riya:
Maybe. I'll let you know.
Not a yes. Not a no.
Arjun locked the phone and stared at the wall for a moment. He told himself not to overthink. He always told himself that.
He got out of bed, careful not to step on the wet patch on the floor, and went to the kitchen. The gas cylinder was almost empty. He shook it lightly with his foot.
"Just survive this week," he said to the cylinder, as if it could hear him.
The tea boiled over because he was checking his phone again.
No new message.
By 8:15 a.m., Arjun was on the bus, standing near the back, one hand holding the overhead rod, the other gripping his bag. The bus smelled like dust, cheap perfume, and yesterday's rain.
His stop was twenty minutes away.
He looked out of the window as the city moved past him—shops opening, tea stalls filling up, school kids dragging their feet. Everything looked normal. Boring, even.
That's what scared him sometimes.
When life feels too normal, it usually means something is waiting to go wrong.
He shook that thought away and pulled out his phone again.
No message.
He opened Riya's chat, scrolled up a little, reading old messages without meaning to.
Did you eat?
Don't skip lunch.
Text me when you reach.
Small things. Daily things.
The kind of things that slowly become habits.
The office was already loud when Arjun walked in. Someone was arguing about a broken printer. Someone else was laughing too loudly at something that wasn't that funny.
"Oi, hero!" Sameer called out from his desk. "Late again?"
"It's 8:58," Arjun replied, dropping his bag. "Office starts at nine."
Sameer grinned. "You and your technicalities."
Arjun turned on his system and sat down. Sameer leaned back in his chair.
"So?" Sameer asked.
"So…?" Arjun echoed.
"Did you talk to her last night?"
Arjun sighed. "Why are you so invested in my relationship?"
"Because you're boring otherwise," Sameer said. "And because I like Riya. She's nice."
"She's not a movie character," Arjun said. "Stop analyzing."
Sameer raised his hands. "Okay, okay. But still… she seems off these days."
Arjun paused. "What do you mean?"
Sameer shrugged. "I don't know. Just a feeling. She used to tease you a lot more. Now she's… quiet."
Arjun didn't respond immediately. He logged into his system, pretending to focus on the screen.
"She's just stressed," Arjun said finally. "Family stuff."
"Hmm." Sameer didn't look convinced. "Just saying."
Arjun didn't want to continue that conversation. He put on his headphones, even though no music was playing.
At 1:40 p.m., Arjun checked his phone again.
Still nothing.
He typed a message.
Everything okay?
He stared at the screen for a few seconds, then deleted it.
He didn't want to sound needy.
At 2:15 p.m., his phone buzzed.
Riya:
Sorry, got busy.
That was it. No explanation. No follow-up.
Arjun:
It's okay. Lunch kiya?
Three dots appeared instantly.
Riya:
Yeah.
Just yeah.
Arjun leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
Something was off.
He knew her. He knew her silences, her moods, her pauses. This wasn't just stress.
But again, he told himself—don't overthink.
They met in the evening, anyway.
Riya texted at 6:10 p.m.
Coming to the café near your place. Reach in 20.
Arjun reached in ten.
He sat at their usual table—the one near the window where the AC didn't blow directly. He ordered two coffees without asking.
Riya arrived five minutes late.
She looked the same. Maybe that was the problem.
Same jeans, same loose kurti, hair tied back in a messy ponytail. No makeup, just tired eyes.
"Hey," she said, sitting down.
"Hey," Arjun replied.
They looked at each other for a second longer than usual.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said quickly. "Just tired."
The waiter brought the coffees.
Riya picked up her cup, took a sip, and immediately winced. "It's too hot."
"You always say that," Arjun said, smiling slightly.
She didn't smile back.
She put the cup down and took out her phone.
Arjun noticed her screen light up.
A notification.
She turned the phone face down.
That was new.
"You didn't come yesterday," Arjun said casually.
"I told you, I was busy."
"With what?"
She looked at him. Really looked at him this time. "Why are you asking like that?"
"I'm just asking," he said. "You usually tell me."
There was a pause. Not an awkward one. A guarded one.
"I met an old friend," Riya said.
"Oh." Arjun nodded. "Who?"
Another pause.
"Someone from college."
Arjun waited. She didn't continue.
"Name?" he asked, trying to keep his tone light.
Riya sighed. "Does it matter?"
That question hit him harder than it should have.
"It matters to me," he said quietly.
She looked away. "You're overthinking."
There it was.
That sentence.
She had used it before. Always when she didn't want to explain something.
"I just want to know," Arjun said. "That's all."
Riya picked up her coffee again, even though it was still hot. She didn't drink it.
"It's not a big deal," she said. "Why are you making it one?"
Arjun opened his mouth to reply, then closed it.
He didn't want a scene. Not here. Not over this.
"Okay," he said finally. "Sorry."
She relaxed a little.
They talked about other things after that. Office gossip. A new restaurant opening nearby. A movie trailer.
Normal things.
But the normal felt forced.
Every time her phone buzzed, she checked it quickly and put it back down. Every time Arjun asked a question that went slightly deeper, she redirected.
After an hour, she said she had to leave.
"I'll walk you," Arjun said.
"No, it's okay," she replied too fast. "I've called a cab."
Another new thing.
They stood outside the café.
Riya hugged him quickly. A half-hug.
"I'll call you later," she said.
"Sure," Arjun replied.
The cab arrived.
She got in without looking back.
Arjun stood there until the car disappeared into traffic.
That night, Arjun couldn't sleep.
He stared at his phone, willing it to ring.
It didn't.
At 12:47 a.m., he finally typed a message.
Did I do something wrong today?
He hesitated, then sent it.
The message showed as delivered.
No reply.
He turned the phone face down and closed his eyes.
For the first time in a long while, he felt something cold settle in his chest.
A feeling he didn't have a name for yet.
At 1:32 a.m., Arjun's phone vibrated.
He picked it up instantly.
An unknown number.
Unknown:
You're Riya's boyfriend, right?
Arjun sat up, his heart suddenly racing.
Before he could reply, another message came in.
Unknown:
Do you know who she was with tonight?
His fingers froze over the screen.
Arjun:
Who is this?
The typing indicator appeared.
Then vanished.
No reply.
Arjun stared at the phone in the dark, a strange unease settling in his chest.
For the first time, the question he had been avoiding all day refused to stay silent.
What if this wasn't just overthinking?