The Message That Wasn’t Meant to Matter
Chapter 1: The Message That Wasn’t Meant to Matter
College had a way of turning ordinary days into something unforgettable.
For Ananya Rao, though, life had always been quietly perfect.
She was the kind of girl people noticed without her trying. Smart, graceful, endlessly kind, and surrounded by a family that felt like a safe place instead of a battlefield. Her world was structured, warm, and predictable.
Except for one small, ridiculous problem.
She had a crush.
Not on someone she knew.
Not even someone she had properly spoken to.
Just a name.
“Arjun.”
She didn’t know his face.
Didn’t know his voice.
But somehow… the name felt familiar enough to matter.
She had heard it in passing. A few girls whispering, someone laughing, someone complaining. That name kept appearing in conversations like a character in a story she hadn’t read yet.
And somehow, that was enough.
It was strange, she knew that.
Crushing on someone she had never even seen properly? It sounded like something out of a silly story, not something she would ever do.
But still…
The curiosity stayed.
That night, lying on her bed with her phone glowing against the darkness, Ananya made a decision she would later question a hundred times.
“Okay… this is stupid,” she muttered to herself.
Her thumb hovered over the options for a few seconds.
Still, she created a fake account.
No real name.
No real picture.
Just curiosity disguised as confidence.
Her heart beat a little faster than usual, though she couldn’t explain why. It wasn’t like she was doing something serious… and yet it felt like she was stepping into something unknown.
She typed one word into the search bar:
“Arjun”
Dozens of profiles appeared.
Some with sunglasses.
Some with bikes.
Some with quotes about heartbreak that felt… suspiciously dramatic.
“Which one are you?” she whispered, as if the real Arjun could somehow hear her.
One by one, she opened profiles. Scrolled. Judged. Overthought.
“No… not this one.”
“This looks fake.”
“Too much attitude…”
She kept going.
And then… she stopped.
There was something about one account. Nothing special, really. But something about it felt… right.
This was the moment where she could still stop. Close the app. Forget the whole thing.
Go back to her normal, predictable life.
Before she could overthink it again, she sent a message.
“Hey.”
She stared at the screen.
One second.
Two seconds.
Her heart started beating faster for no reason at all.
“This is so dumb…” she whispered.
Just as she was about to put her phone aside—
Seen.
Her breath caught slightly.
And then—
Reply.
“Who are you?”
Ananya blinked.
“That was fast…” she murmured.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard before she typed:
She didn’t want to sound too obvious.
Didn’t want to seem desperate.
Didn’t even know what she was doing.
Still, she typed:
“You don’t know?”
There was a pause this time.
Then—
“Should I?”
A small smile formed on her lips.
“Do you know me?”
“No.”
“Same.”
On the other side of the screen, Arjun Malhotra leaned back in his chair, a smirk forming on his face.
Random account. No DP. No name.
“Someone’s bored,” he muttered.
Arjun wasn’t exactly the kind of guy people trusted easily. He lived fast, joked louder than necessary, and treated relationships like temporary entertainment rather than something real.
So when a mysterious account texted him out of nowhere?
He didn’t question it.
He played along.
Back on her bed, Ananya felt something she hadn’t expected.
Excitement.
It was ridiculous. She knew that.
She didn’t even know if this was the right Arjun.
But still—
“Call?” she typed suddenly.
Then immediately froze.
“What am I doing?!”
Before she could delete it—
“Now?” came the reply.
Her heart skipped.
“Yes.”
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then the call connected.
But the voice that answered wasn’t what she expected.
“Hello?”
The tone was playful. Confident. Almost teasing.
Ananya hesitated. “…Arjun?”
A soft chuckle came from the other side.
“Depends. Who’s asking?”
She frowned slightly, but brushed it off.
“I just… wanted to confirm something.”
“Hmm,” he said, amusement clear in his voice. “And what’s that?”
“That I’m not talking to a random boy pretending to be someone else.”
He laughed—warm, effortless.
“Don’t worry. I’m real enough.”
What she didn’t know…
Was that she wasn’t talking to Arjun at all.
Across the room, Arjun had tossed his phone aside moments after the call started.
“Bro, handle this,” he said casually.
Sitting beside him, Karan Verma picked up the phone, eyes lighting up with curiosity.
“Who is she?”
“No idea,” Arjun shrugged. “But she sounds interesting. Have fun.”
Karan grinned.
“Oh, I will.”
- His voice carried the kind of confidence that usually got him into trouble—and out of it just as easily
Hours passed like minutes.
The conversation flowed so naturally that Ananya forgot why she had called in the first place.
They talked about random things. College. Music. Life.
He flirted lightly. She resisted… then slowly gave in.
Laughter replaced hesitation.
Comfort replaced doubt.
The laughter lingered between them, soft and easy, like they had known each other longer than just a few hours.
Ananya lay back against her pillow, staring at the ceiling, her phone pressed gently to her ear. There was a strange comfort in his voice now. It didn’t feel like talking to a stranger anymore.
It felt… familiar.
“Wait,” she said suddenly, her tone shifting.
“Hmm?” he responded, still relaxed.
“Say your name again.”
There was a pause.
Not long.
But long enough.
“…Why?” he asked, a hint of hesitation creeping in.
Ananya sat up slowly now, her brows knitting together.
“Just say it.”
Another pause. This one heavier.
And then—
“Karan.”
The word didn’t register at first.
It just… hung there.
Ananya blinked.
“Karan?” she repeated, quieter this time.
“Yeah.”
Her grip on the phone tightened slightly.
“I thought… you said your name was Arjun.”
“No, I—” he exhaled softly. “I never said that.”
Her mind rushed back, replaying every part of the conversation.
Every laugh.
Every word.
Every moment.
And then it hit her.
He never said his name.
Not Arjun.
Not even once.
