Chapter 2
The dream felt so real too real. Shaking it off, I rushed to get ready for lectures. Because I had woken up late, I grabbed breakfast at my usual café.
I sat outside at the same table as always, eating the same food, staring at the same surroundings. Everything felt painfully ordinary. Until, just as I was finishing my meal and preparing to leave, I saw him.
He was standing across the street, smiling at something on his phone. The same confident posture. The same intense eyes. The same man from my dream. My stomach flipped. I froze, heat rushing to my face. For a second our eyes seemed to meet, and embarrassment flooded me. I quickly looked away, grabbed my bag, and left without another glance.
On the bus ride to campus, I kept replaying the moment in my head. It must have been a daydream, I told myself. Your mind is playing tricks on you. I pushed the thought away and tried to focus on my usual routine.
But the rest of the day dragged. Lectures, assignments, the endless pressure of upcoming exams everything felt heavier than usual. I was so tired of the same cycle. The loneliness hit me especially hard that evening as I headed back to my boarding house. I had no one to share the weight with. The only thing that ever listened was my diary, its pages filled with quiet confessions and secret longings.
That night, something inside me shifted. I didn’t want to sit alone in my room again, writing about a life that felt stuck. I wanted to feel alive. So I made a small, reckless decision: I would go to the club. Just for a little while. Just to relax and breathe.
“I won’t do anything stupid,”
I promised myself as I stood in front of the mirror, choosing a simple but flattering black dress.
“I’ll be back before it gets too late.”
Still, as I stepped out into the cool evening air, my heart beat faster. The memory of the dream and the man I thought I’d imagined kept flickering at the edges of my mind.
That night I felt a mix of fear and excitement as I stepped into the club. The black dress hugged my body, giving me just enough confidence to walk through the crowded entrance. The music pulsed through me, loud and alive. For the first time in my life, I ordered a drink. I sipped it slowly at first, then a little faster as the warmth spread through my chest.
The alcohol hit differently than I expected. My head felt light, my body loose, almost like I was floating while being gently carried by the beat. I closed my eyes and let the music pull me to the dance floor. I danced like no one was watching wild, free, and proud of myself for once. For a few blissful minutes, the loneliness disappeared.
Then a local guy approached me with a cocky smile.
“Hey, you look good out here,” he said, moving closer. “Mind if I join?”
I nodded, still riding the high. We danced together for a while, but his hands quickly grew bold sliding too low on my waist, brushing places I didn’t want touched. My stomach twisted.
“Sorry, I need some air,” I said quickly, pulling away.
I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the club, heart pounding. The night air felt cold against my flushed skin. I just wanted to get back to the boarding house safely. But after only a few blocks, a sharp headache slammed into me. My vision blurred. I barely made it to the side of the road before I doubled over and started vomiting.
Tears stung my eyes. This was stupid, I thought. I should’ve just stayed home.
As I tried to catch my breath, I heard footsteps approaching.
“Hey… are you okay?” a deep, calm voice asked.
I turned slowly, still feeling dizzy and sick. When my eyes focused, my heart nearly stopped. It was him the man from my dream, the same one I’d seen at the café. He looked concerned, but the intensity in his eyes made my pulse race.
He crouched beside me and offered a bottle of water. “Here, rinse your mouth. Take small sips.”
I took it with shaky hands. “Thank you…”
“Is this your first time drinking?” he asked gently.
I nodded, half-conscious. “Yes… first time.”
He stayed with me quietly until the worst of it passed. Then he reached out and took my hand with surprising care. “Come on. You shouldn’t be alone right now.” His voice was low and steady, the same voice from the dream. He guided me to a nearby bench and helped me sit down.
“You’re safe,” he said softly, still holding my hand. “Just breathe.”
I looked up at him, my mind spinning. The dream. The café. And now this. My body felt weak, but something deep inside me felt strangely… safe.
I looked up at him, still feeling shaky. That calm, steady presence brought me a strange sense of comfort I couldn’t explain.
“Thank you… for staying with me,” I whispered.
He gave a small, reassuring smile. “No problem. I couldn’t just leave you there like that.”
We sat on the bench for a few minutes in silence before he spoke again.
“I’m Arjun, by the way,” he said, his voice low and warm. “I study at the campus across town. Fourth year, engineering. I’m twenty-three.”
I blinked, surprised he was sharing so openly.
“I’m Priya,” I replied softly. “First year, science faculty. I live in the girls’ boarding house near the main campus.”
He nodded, listening carefully. “Same city, different worlds, huh?” A gentle laugh escaped him. “What made a first-year like you come out alone tonight?”
I looked down at my hands, cheeks burning. “I… I just wanted to do something different. My routine was suffocating me. But clearly, that was a bad idea.”
Arjun leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees. “First time drinking?”
“Yeah,” I admitted with a weak laugh. “And probably my last.”
He smiled again, but this time there was something deeper in his eyes something familiar that made my stomach flutter. The same look from the dream. I slowly glanced at my hand, still tingling from where he had held it earlier. A sharp headache reminded me this was real. Not a dream. Not my imagination.
“You’re cold,” he noticed, seeing me shiver in my sleeveless black dress. Without hesitation, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. It was warm from his body and carried a faint, pleasant scent.
“Thank you,” I murmured, pulling it closer. For the first time that night, I didn’t feel exposed or vulnerable. I felt… safe. Like I had been waiting to feel this way for a long time.
We sat quietly for a moment. Then he turned to me.
“I actually came out tonight just for a walk around town. Clear my head,” he said. “If you want… you can join me. We don’t have to go far. I’ll make sure you get back to your boarding house safely afterward. Even though this night didn’t start great for you.”
I hesitated, biting my lip. “I… I don’t know,” I said softly. “I promised myself I’d go straight home.”
Arjun looked at me steadily, his gaze holding mine just like in the dream. “I’m not going to force you, Priya. But if you come with me, I promise you’ll be safe. No pressure. Just a walk… and maybe some better company than that guy inside the club.”
His voice was gentle but carried that quiet confidence. I took a deep breath. “Okay… just for a little while.”
We walked side by side through the quiet streets of the town. The night air was cool, and the city lights shimmered softly around us. Arjun pointed out beautiful old buildings and hidden corners I had never noticed before.
“Look at that fountain,” he said, gently touching my elbow to guide me. “They light it up like this every night. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
I smiled, feeling lighter than I had in months. “It really is. I’ve lived here for almost a year and never really saw it like this.”
We stopped at a small late-night street stall and tried warm spiced snacks together. When I took my first bite and made a funny face because it was hotter than expected, Arjun laughed.
“Careful,” he teased, handing me water. “Slow down, Priya. Or do I need to feed you myself?”
I blushed but laughed along with him. We shared stories funny moments from college, favorite foods, even silly childhood dreams. Every time our hands accidentally brushed, a small spark ran through me. He was attentive, protective, always walking on the side closer to the road. A true gentleman.
At one point, he stopped under a string of fairy lights and looked at me softly.
“You know… you have a really pretty smile,” he said quietly. “It lights up more than these lamps do.”
My heart skipped. “You’re just saying that because I looked like a mess earlier.”
“No,” he replied, stepping a little closer. “I mean it. You’re even more beautiful when you’re relaxed like this.”
We completely lost track of time. Laughing, talking, stealing glances at each other. When I finally checked my phone, my eyes widened.
“It’s already midnight…”
Arjun smiled apologetically. “I promised I’d get you home safe. Let’s go.”
He took me to his bike, handed me a spare helmet, and helped me put it on. Before starting the engine, he looked back at me.
“Hold on tight, okay?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my cheek lightly against his back. The night wind was cold, but his body was warm. As he rode through the empty streets, the city lights blurred past us. The speed, the closeness, the steady beat of his heart under my hands it felt like another world. I didn’t want the ride to end.
When we reached my boarding house, he stopped the bike and helped me down. For a moment we just stood there, the engine still ticking softly.
“Thank you, Arjun,” I said, feeling suddenly shy. “For everything tonight. I… I had a much better time than I expected.”
He smiled, that same confident yet gentle smile from my dream. “I did too, Priya. More than you know.” He paused, then added softly, “Get some rest.”
I nodded, a little embarrassed by how excited I felt. We said goodbye with warm smiles, but there was a quiet sadness in my chest as I watched him ride away.
Back in my room, I stood in front of the mirror still wearing his jacket. I looked at myself flushed cheeks, bright eyes. I feel… beautiful, I thought. His words kept echoing in my mind.
I changed into my nightdress, sat on the bed, and opened my diary. I wrote everything the dream, seeing him at the café, the club disaster, the walk, his smile, the way his jacket smelled, the bike ride. My hand moved across the pages until my eyes grew heavy.
I fell asleep with the diary still open on my lap.
The next morning, I woke up to sunlight streaming in. Still half-asleep, I reached for my phone and started checking notifications while eating breakfast. My heart jumped when I saw a new message.
