Chapter 1
Another summer afternoon. The sun is at its peak forcing its way through the curtains and flooding the room with stubborn heat. Even the fan looks like it has run a marathon which just doesn't seem to end.
She lies on her bed, one hand tucked behind her head and the other holding her phone upright. Her heart pounds loudly in her chest, feeling the heat of her cheeks as they slowly turn red. Her eyes are glued to the screen where the male lead is just about to approach the female lead.
Her phone buzzes
A notification pops up - a new message from Aryan.
She sees it, her heart still pounding, but immediately looks back at the screen. Her lips curl into a shy smile as she watches the male lead proposing the female lead.
For a moment, se isn't only watching it,
But living it.
"Hey you little punk, for how long are you gonna watch that drama huh???", she flinches as the voice of her mother cuts through the hot, heavy air of the room.
Groaning, she pauses the screen and turns her head slightly, "Just a few more minutes Ma... It's about to end."
Her mother looks at her clearly unimpressed. "You have been saying this for the past 2 hours😑"
"No mom please, this time for sure, it's the last... please please please." she insists, sitting up a little, softening her voice and looking at her with puppy eyes.
"Works every time", she thinks proudly.
"If you don't put that phone down in the next 5 seconds," her mother says, crossing her arms and widening her eyes. "I will seriously throw that away out of the window."
She freezes for a moment.
"You're in 12th grade", her mother adds. "At least be serious for this year. After that you can do whatever you want."
She lets out a quiet sigh, moving towards her table, head lowered.
"Do you want a cold coffee?" Her mother asks noticing the heat.
"Yeah..." she murmurs, still upset about what just happened.
She opens her laptop, pulling out her notebooks, pens, and highlighters, and starts her lecture, trying to focus.
From the other room, her mother lets out a quiet sigh of relief as the teacher’s voice fills the house.
Two hours pass in a blur of notes, scribbles, and half-suppressed yawns before she finally decides to take a break.
She pauses the lecture and stretches her arms, a faint crack sounding from her joints as she tries to ease the stiffness.
“Are you done?” her mother asks, looking at her over her glasses.
“Yeah, Mom,” she says softly, letting out a tired sigh.
"Mom, can I please take a break for 10 minutes." she pleads giving her the usual puppy eyes.
Her mother narrows her eyes slightly. “Of course, I was gonna say that. But." she adds, "Ten minutes. Not more.”
A small victory.
“Thank you, Mumma!” she says instantly, her mood lifting as if nothing had happened earlier.
She leans back in her chair, stretching again before lazily picking up her phone.
Just a quick break. Nothing serious.
The screen lights up.
And there it is.
Telegram — Aryan
The unread message still sits there.
Waiting.
Her thumb hovers over the notification.
Who even is this?
She frowns slightly. She doesn’t remember giving her ID to anyone named Aryan.
Maybe it’s a wrong message.
Maybe not.
For a moment, curiosity nudges her again.
But just as she’s about to tap on it—
“Your coffee is getting warm!” her mother calls out from the kitchen.
She quickly locks her phone and places it face down on the table, as if caught doing something she shouldn’t be.
“Coming!” she replies.
She picks up the glass of cold coffee, the chill instantly soothing against her fingers. Taking a sip, she lets out a small sigh of relief.
For a moment, everything feels calm again.
But not for long.
Because now…
it’s not just the heat bothering her.
It’s the thought of that unread message.
Aryan.
