Chapter 2: "Unseen Presence"
Room bilkul silent tha.
Aarohi apne bed par seedhi baithi thi, phone uske haath mein tha… screen baar-baar on kar rahi thi, phir off. Jaise kuch wait kar rahi ho. Jaise koi message aayega… jo sab clear kar dega.
Par kuch nahi aaya.
9 din ho chuke the.
9 din… aur uske baad complete silence.
"Why…?" usne dheere se khud se poocha.
Uska dimag logically samajh raha tha ki jo bhi tha, khatam ho chuka hai. But dil… dil maan hi nahi raha tha. Itna intense connection… itna real feel hua sab… wo fake kaise ho sakta hai?
Usne phone side mein rakha aur aankhein band kar li.
Flashback automatically start ho gaya.
Wo pehla din…
Unknown number se ek simple "Hi".
Normally wo ignore karti. But us din pata nahi kyun reply kar diya.
Aur fir baat shuru hui.
Simple conversations… jokes… thodi awkwardness… phir dheere-dheere comfort.
Jaise wo ladka usse pehle se jaanta ho.
Jaise wo uski baaton ko samajh leta tha bina explain kiye.
"Tu overthink karti hai na?"
Usne ek baar casually poocha tha.
Aarohi shock ho gayi thi.
"Kaise pata?"
"Bas… feel hota hai."
Us din se Aarohi ke andar kuch change hone laga.
Wo uska wait karne lagi.
Uska "good morning" important ho gaya.
Uska "take care" meaningful lagne laga.
Aur fir… wo 9 din.
Har din kuch alag.
Kabhi hasi… kabhi deep talks… kabhi emotional confessions.
Aur fir…
10th day.
Nothing.
No message.
No call.
No explanation.
Bas silence.
Aarohi ne aankhein khol di.
Dil heavy ho raha tha.
"Maybe… I imagined everything…" usne khud ko samjhane ki koshish ki.
Tabhi…
TING.
Phone vibrate hua.
Uska heart ek second ke liye ruk gaya.
Usne turant phone uthaya.
Unknown number.
Same format… same pattern…
Usne dheere se message open kiya.
"Missed me?"
Aarohi ka haath thoda kaanp gaya.
Ye… ye wahi hai?
Ya koi aur?
Usne reply type kiya… phir delete kar diya.
"Calm down Aarohi… soch samajh ke…" usne khud se kaha.
Phir usne simple likha:
"Who is this?"
Typing…
Typing…
Phir reply aaya:
"Sach mein bhool gayi itni jaldi?"
Uska dil zor se dhadakne laga.
Same tone… same way of talking…
"Ye wahi hai…" usne almost whisper kiya.
Par ek cheez alag thi.
Pehle wala ladka kabhi aise confusing answers nahi deta tha.
Wo direct hota tha.
Yahan… kuch off lag raha tha.
"If it's you… then tell me something only you know."
Aarohi ne challenge kar diya.
Kuch seconds tak reply nahi aaya.
Room ka silence aur heavy ho gaya.
Phir…
"Tum raat ko 2 baje tak phone use karti ho… phir guilt feel karti ho."
Aarohi freeze ho gayi.
Ye… ye baat usne kabhi kisi ko nahi batayi.
Sirf usse.
Sirf us 9 din wale ladke ko.
Uska saans tez ho gaya.
"Who are you?"
Is baar usne directly poocha.
Reply aaya:
"Tumhe sach jaana hai?"
Aarohi ne screen ko stare kiya.
Kya sach?
Kya matlab?
"Yes."
Usne type kar diya.
3 seconds.
5 seconds.
10 seconds.
Phir message aaya…
"Main wo nahi hoon jo tum soch rahi ho."
Aarohi ka dimag blank ho gaya.
"Matlab?"
"Jo tumhare saath tha… wo main nahi tha."
Heart drop.
"Toh phir tum kaise jaante ho sab?"
Kuch der tak silence.
Phir…
"Because… main usse jaanta hoon."
Aarohi ka throat dry ho gaya.
"Kaun hai wo?"
No reply.
"Answer me!"
Still no reply.
"Stop playing games!"
Phone screen blank ho gayi.
Last seen… offline.
Aarohi ne frustration mein phone bed par phek diya.
"Yeh kya ho raha hai…?" usne apne baalon mein haath daalte hue kaha.
Sab kuch aur confusing ho gaya tha.
Ek taraf wo ladka jisse wo 9 din tak baat karti rahi… jo suddenly gayab ho gaya.
Aur ab… koi aur… jo uske baare mein sab jaanta hai.
"Ye normal nahi hai…"
Uska dimag ab fear ki taraf shift ho raha tha.
Usne turant WhatsApp open kiya.
Us purane chat ko scroll kiya.
Har message… har line… ab usse alag feel ho rahi thi.
Jaise kuch hidden tha… jo wo pehle nahi dekh paayi.
Tabhi uski nazar ek message par ruki.
Day 7 ka message.
"Agar main achanak gayab ho jaun… toh mujhe dhoondhne ki koshish mat karna."
Us waqt usne isse joke samjha tha.
Par ab…
Ye warning lag rahi thi.
Aarohi ka heartbeat fast ho gaya.
"Why would he say that…?"
Tabhi…
Uske room ki light flicker hui.
Ek baar.
Do baar.
Phir normal.
Aarohi ne turant upar dekha.
"Voltage issue…" usne khud ko calm kiya.
Par andar se wo already uneasy feel kar rahi thi.
Usne paani peene ke liye uthna chaha…
Par jaise hi wo bed se utri—
Uska pair suddenly ruk gaya.
Jaise kisi ne usse hold kar liya ho.
Ek second ke liye.
Phir sab normal.
Aarohi ne neeche dekha.
Kuch nahi tha.
Par uska dil keh raha tha…
"Kuch toh hai…"
Wo dheere se wapas bed par baith gayi.
Phone uthaya.
Network… thoda fluctuate kar raha tha.
Tabhi ek aur message aaya.
Same unknown number se.
"Tumhe usse nahi milna chahiye tha."
Aarohi ka patience break ho gaya.
"WHO ARE YOU??"
Is baar usne caps mein likha.
Reply instantly aaya:
"Jo tumhe bacha raha hai."
Aarohi ka dimaag ghoom gaya.
"From what??"
"Usse."
Silence.
Room ka temperature jaise suddenly thanda ho gaya.
Aarohi ne apne haath rub kiye.
"Ye sab imagination hai…" wo baar-baar khud ko bol rahi thi.
Par uska intuition keh raha tha—
Something is very wrong.
"Agar wo itna dangerous hai… toh 9 din tak mujhe kyun hurt nahi kiya?"
Usne logically poocha.
Typing…
Phir reply:
"Because… tum uski choice nahi thi."
Aarohi ka heart skip kar gaya.
"Matlab?"
"Tum sirf ek part thi… plan ka."
Phone uske haath se almost slip ho gaya.
"WHAT PLAN???"
No reply.
Bas ek last message aaya—
"Stay away. Before it's too late."
Aur phir…
Number unreachable.
Aarohi completely still baithi thi.
Uska mind race kar raha tha.
Questions hi questions.
Koi answers nahi.
Par ek cheez clear thi—
Ye sirf ek love story nahi thi.
Kuch aur tha.
Kuch dark.
Kuch aisa… jo ab uski life mein ghus chuka tha.
Aur shayad…
Ab nikalna itna easy nahi hoga.
Aarohi ne dheere se apni diary nikali.
Pen uthaya.
Aur likhna start kiya—
"Day 10.
Everything changed.
He is not who I thought he was…
And maybe… I was never safe."
Usne pen rok diya.
Window ke bahar hawa tez chal rahi thi.
Curtains hil rahe the.
Aur us beech…
Usse clearly feel hua—
Jaise koi usse dekh raha ho.
Directly.
Aarohi ne dheere se window ki taraf dekha…
Par waha koi nahi tha.
Par feeling gayi nahi.
Wo wahi thi.
Strong.
Unavoidable.
Aur us moment par Aarohi ko samajh aa gaya—
Story abhi shuru hui hai.