He had promised that if I wanted him to, he would come here and get a job so that the distance wouldn't make me forget about him. He had actually done it.
But honestly? From the very deep down of my soul, I hadn't wished for this.
A new kind of fear began to creep in. What if my mind went crazy because of him all over again? I didn't want to act stupid this time. Just seeing him after everything that had happened made a burning sensation of embarrassment crawl up my neck.
Overwhelmed, I grabbed my pillow, stuffed my face into it, and let out a muffled, frustrated scream. I began violently kicking my legs in the air, trying to release the frantic energy humming under my skin.
Just hang in there, I warned myself fiercely inside my own head. He is going to leave in September anyway. Just hold on until then.
Right at that moment, the sharp chime of text notifications shattered.
I paused mid-air, lowering my legs. Maybe the girls are messaging the trio group chat.I tossed the pillow to the side,without much interest, I reached for my phone.But the moment the screen illuminated and I read the notifications.The messages weren't from my friends.
They were from that person.
It was the first time I had ever received more than one message in a single night from that unknown number. Looking down at the glowing screen, a cold determination took over.This time, I made up my mind.
I was going to reply.
"Was there anything wrong?"
"Why were you running out of breath?"
"If anything is bothering you, you can tell me."
Staring at the three consecutive messages glowing on my screen, a wave of bitter anger rushed through me. I didn't hesitate. My fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out a sharp response: Why should I tell you what's wrong with me? You should know that better than anyone else.
The reply came back almost instantly, making my breath hitch.
"How do you know that I'm a 'he' and not a 'she'?"
I frowned.
Could it actually be a girl? But why would a girl text me like this?Everything about these messages made me feel as if the sender had been watching me.Watching my movements.Watching my life.
For a moment, I wondered if it could be Sayma or Alif playing some kind of prank on me. But that theory immediately fell apart.
How would they know what happened after I got off the bus tonight? No. It couldn't be them.I realized that maybe the person had been trying to make the conversation funny and friendly so that I would be more likely to reply. After thinking for a while, I typed another message.
It doesn't matter whether you're a he or a she. Just don't come near my house. And if I ever find out you're stalking me, I won't hesitate to file a GD.
Without waiting for another reply, I tossed the phone onto the bed,pulled the blanket over my head, and finally let exhaustion pull me into a deep, heavy sleep.
The next morning, the piercing blare of my alarm shattered the quiet of the room.I had my theory presentation at 9 a.m.
Surprisingly, I was full of energy.
I jumped out of bed and rushed to the washroom.
While brushing my teeth with my eyes half-closed, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
That person.
Did he reply?
I immediately ran back to my room with the toothbrush still in my mouth and checked my phone. Nothing. No reply.
A smug smirk spread across my face. I pulled the toothbrush out and whispered to my reflection in the mirror, "Looks like he got scared the moment I mentioned reporting him. I know exactly how to deal with a little stalker like you." Feeling a sudden burst of confidence, I got properly dressed, grabbed my presentation materials, and headed out to the bus stop. I only had to wait for about three minutes before I saw the familiar shape of the university bus pulling up, its vibrant red aura cutting through the morning mist.I boarded the bus and scanned the rows. Since it was the official campus transport, the final stop was my university, meaning I didn't have to worry about missing my stop. The moment I slid into an empty seat, I leaned against the window and prepared for a peaceful nap.I don't know how much time had passed when my phone started ringing. My sister.
I frowned.
Why was she calling so early?
I answered the call.
The moment I heard her voice, my heart dropped.She was crying. "Sis?" I immediately sat upright.
"What happened? Why are you crying?"
She couldn't answer. All I could hear were sobs. Panic rushed through me.
"Sis! Tell me what happened!" She couldn't even form words through her tears, her breathing coming in broken gasps. My anxiety spiked, and completely forgetting where I was, I spoke loudly into the receiver, "Tell me what happened! Speak to me!"
Out of the corner of my eye, I could feel the heavy weight of turning heads. The other students on the bus were turning around in their seats, staring at me in silence, but I couldn't care less about them right now. Finally, through the line, my sister's broken voice managed to choke out three words.
"Grandpa is dead."
The world around me suddenly lost all its sound. I couldn't think. My brain flatly refused to process the information. This has to be a joke, I thought frantically. It has to be. How can he be dead? Just a few months ago, we were all gathered together, laughing, eating... he was perfectly fine.
I opened my mouth, but my voice was completely gone. I couldn't speak a single word. On the other end of the line, the sound of weeping continued, but then the phone was suddenly shifted to someone else.
"Come back from wherever you are right now."
It was my dad's voice. It sounded hollow, heavy, and completely broken.
The reality of the situation crashed over me like a tidal wave. Tears flooded my eyes, blurring my vision. My voice finally cracked as I screamed at the top of my lungs toward the front of the bus, "Stop the bus! Please, stop the bus right now!"
The driver slammed on the brakes, and the moment the doors folded open, I stumbled out onto the pavement. But as the bus pulled away and the exhaust cleared, I looked around, and a cold dread seized my chest. I didn't recognize any of it. Where am I? What is this place? I spun around in a circle, my eyes frantically searching the surroundings. The streets, the buildings, the landmarks—everything that should have been deeply familiar to me as part of my daily commute suddenly looked completely alien. Panic choked my throat. I couldn't find my way back home. I was entirely lost in a world that had turned upside down in a matter of seconds.
And then, right in the middle of my blinding panic, a firm hand reached out from behind and gripped my arm.