⚠️ Warning (18+): This story contains dark romance themes. Reader discretion is advised...
A city glowing with lights.
Colorful balloons, bright stalls , and a Ferris wheel slowly turning in the distance.
Laughter fills the air.
People move around, lost in their own happiness.
Yet somehow… everything feels distant.
Blurry.
Like a memory that doesn't fully belong.
In the middle of the crowd stands a little girl.
Her tiny hands are tightly held by two others—warm, safe, protective. Her wide eyes wander through the glowing lights, the smiling faces, the joy around her.
Somewhere, music plays softly.
But to her… it all feels far away.
As if she's hearing it through a thick fog.
As if this moment… isn't meant to last.
Suddenly—everything changes.
Night.
The bright lights disappear.
Streetlights stretch long shadows across a wet road. Inside a car, a dim yellow light flickers. Outside, the city rushes past like a blur.
Everything was fine… just a moment ago.
Then—
A sharp sound cuts through the silence.
The screech of brakes.
Metal crashes against metal.
A blinding white light fills everything.
And then—
Fire.
It spreads within seconds, swallowing everything in its path.
Glass shatters into pieces.
Smoke fills the air, making it hard to breathe.
Someone is screaming.
But she can't recognize the voice.
She can only feel it—
That fear.
That panic.
Her small hand suddenly slips away.
The warmth disappears.
Then—
BOOM.
A terrifying explosion.
The ground trembles violently.
The sky feels like it's breaking apart.
Flames rise higher, devouring every light around.
The sound is too loud… too overwhelming…
Everything starts to blur.
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
And from within that darkness…
A voice.
A familiar voice.
"Ira…!"
"Ira… wake up!"
"I-RAAA… get up!"
Ira jolts awake.
She sits up on her bed, breathing heavily.
Her chest rises and falls rapidly.
Sweat covers her forehead.
Her hands tremble slightly.
The room is dark.
Silent.
Yet her ears still echo with that explosion.
This dream—
She has seen it before.
Many times.
And every time it feels just as real.
Just as painful.
She doesn't know why.
But every time she wakes up—
The emptiness inside her chest grows deeper.
Like something is missing.
Like someone is missing.
"Ira… hey, Ira…"
"Morning already. How long will you sleep?"
She slowly opens her eyes.
For a moment, she doesn't understand anything.
Where she is.
What just happened.
Her heartbeat is still racing.
Then she sees her.
A familiar face.
Warm.
Safe.
"Mom…?"
Without thinking, Ira sits up and hugs her tightly.
As if letting go would mean losing her again.
Her fingers grip her clothes.
Her face hides in her shoulder.
"Hey… what happened?"
Nilima gently strokes her hair.
"Another nightmare?"
Ira doesn't answer.
She just holds her tighter.
Slowly, her breathing starts to calm down.
"You're growing up, but your fear isn't," Nilima sighs softly.
"Every night you stay up late… and every morning I have to wake you up like this!"
Ira rolls her eyes.
"Oh please, I wasn't scared. You're acting like I'm still eight!"
"Well… you behave like one."
Nilima smiles faintly.
"At this age, who hugs their mother like that?"
Ira pouts slightly.
"My mom is different."
She looks at her with a soft smile.
"You're not just my mother… you're my everything."
Nilima raises an eyebrow.
"Oh really? Last night you called me boring."
"That was in anger!"
"You know I say anything when I'm mad."
"Yes, I know," Nilima shakes her head.
"Now get up. I'm getting late for work because of you."
Ira grins.
"Just wait. One day I'll get a job and won't let you work at all."
"You'll just relax and order me around."
"Future businesswoman, huh?"
"Save that for later. Now go get ready. Don't you have college?"
"Five more minutes…"
"What?!"
"This habit is not good. What will you do after marriage?"
"I'm NOT getting married!"
"I'll stay with you forever."
Nilima smiles faintly.
"That's not how life works…"
Ira gets down from the bed.
Then suddenly—
She stops.
For a moment—
That strange emptiness returns.
Like something is missing.
Like something she has forgotten.
"Ira! What are you doing?" her mother calls.
She smiles.
"Coming!"
Some dreams fade after waking up…
But some—
Stay hidden deep inside the heart.
Waiting.
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