Aarshi's face carried a different kind of happiness after the match, but both she and Ayaan were completely exhausted. The moment Aarshi returned from the garden, she went straight to her room. As soon as she lay down on the bed, her eyelids grew heavy, as if something was forcing them shut. The instant she closed her eyes, she fell into such a deep sleep that it felt almost unnatural—like someone slipping into a coma. She was in an extremely deep sleep, but thankfully, this time she was safe in her own room.
Ayaan was just as tired after the match. His body was drenched in sweat. After Aarshi went to her room, he headed to his own and immediately went to take another shower. Ayaan was very particular about hygiene—to the point that he couldn't even tolerate his own sweat. After bathing and freshening up, he came downstairs, but Aarshi was nowhere to be seen. He knocked on her door, but it was locked from inside. Even after calling her name several times, there was no response. That's when he realized that Aarshi had fallen asleep again.
By evening, Aarshi finally woke up in her room. Her body felt heavy. After playing badminton again after so many days—she had last played before summer vacation at school—her muscles had started to ache. She held her head as a sharp headache began to throb. She had no idea that she had slept for four long hours in the afternoon.
She stepped out into the hall. The fading afternoon light mixed with the dimness of evening created a strange, unclear atmosphere. Nothing seemed properly visible, and she was still holding her glasses in her hand instead of wearing them. She walked slowly into the hall. No lights were on. Gradually, a sense of fear crept in. Ayaan was nowhere to be seen, and the house didn't even feel like he was inside.
She started calling out his name, but there was no response.
Then, slowly… she began to hear footsteps behind her. It sounded like someone was approaching her from the back. Fear dried her throat, yet she didn't move from her spot. Instead, she stood still, continuing to call Ayaan's name, trying to drown out the sound of those approaching steps.
She called out one last time.
Suddenly, a hand landed on her shoulder.
"Why are you shouting?" a voice came from behind.
Aarshi turned her head halfway and saw a boy standing there—but it wasn't Ayaan. She could tell just from his height. The boy wasn't very tall and had a slightly heavy build. In the darkness, Aarshi was so terrified that she screamed at the top of her lungs. Without thinking, she ran toward the main gate, still glancing back repeatedly to make sure the boy wasn't chasing her.
As she rushed toward the gate, looking behind her, she suddenly collided with someone standing there. The impact was so strong that she fell to the ground, her glasses slipping from her hand and landing far away. The collision caught her completely off guard. As she hit the ground, she instinctively shut her eyes, too scared to even open them.
But then… she heard Ayaan's voice.
He was holding her hand, trying to help her up.
Aarshi slowly opened her eyes, and the moment she saw him, her eyes filled with tears. She broke down completely, crying uncontrollably. Her face turned red, and it suddenly felt hot, almost as if she had a fever. Ayaan gently placed his hand on her face and called out softly, "Aarshi… Aarshi… what happened? Aarshi! Aarshi!!"
But she couldn't respond. She just kept crying.
Then, still sobbing, she hugged him tightly. Her face was soaked with tears, and as she clung to him, his T-shirt became wet from them. Ayaan didn't pull away. Instead, he kept comforting her, gently holding her hands and asking again, "Aarshi, what happened? Aarshi… tell me."
But there was no answer.
For Aarshi, this evening had turned into something truly terrifying.
Ayaan couldn't understand what had happened, but it was clear that she was deeply frightened. He began to gently stroke her back, sitting there on the ground with her. He continued comforting her for a long time, until her eyes turned completely red and her body trembled with fear. Seeing her like this filled him with worry.
Slowly, Aarshi lifted her head and looked at him, her voice trembling as she said, "Please… don't leave me… someone is in the house…"
The desperation in her voice shook Ayaan.
He softly caressed her head.
Still crying, Aarshi stood up, and Ayaan wiped her tears with his hands.
Just then, a voice came from behind them—
"Why did you run away?"
It was the same boy.
Aarshi turned back, but her vision was still blurred from crying, and she couldn't recognize him clearly. Ayaan picked up her glasses from the ground, wiped her tears, and gently put them on her.
As soon as Aarshi looked again, the boy spoke—
"Aayesha… you?"
Hearing that name, Aarshi looked up in shock. What she saw was someone she had never expected to see.
The boy stood in front of both Aarshi and Ayaan.
Ayaan looked at him and asked, "Do you know her?"
The boy smiled and replied, "Very well. We've known each other for a long time."
But Aarshi remained silent. Even though she knew him, her legs were still trembling from fear.
Ayaan turned to her and asked, "If you both know each other, then why were you so scared?"
Aarshi said nothing. She just looked at Ayaan with tear-filled eyes.
Ayaan took her inside the house, and the boy followed. He turned on all the lights and scolded the boy, "I told you to stay here. Couldn't you even switch on the lights in the hall?"
The boy laughed lightly and replied, "I prefer the dark."
Aarshi sat quietly, still shaken. The boy kept staring at her intensely, not taking his eyes off her.
Finally, Ayaan asked again, "How do you both know each other?"
Aarshi answered briefly, "We're classmates."
But Ayaan wasn't satisfied with that answer. There was something unusual in the boy's tone when he spoke about her.
Ayaan asked again, "If you're classmates, then how did she not recognize you?"
Aarshi replied, "I wasn't wearing my glasses, the hall was completely dark, and he suddenly touched my shoulder… that's why I got scared."
Ayaan looked at the boy.
The boy, still staring at Aarshi, asked, "Why is he calling you Aarshi?"
Aarshi avoided looking at him and replied, "That's my name at home."
The boy smirked slightly and said, "Can I call you that too?"
Aarshi's tone immediately changed. Cold and firm, she said, "That name is only for people at home, not for outsiders."
She looked at Ayaan, as if silently asking something.
Ayaan spoke up, "He's your classmate—Aditya. He's our neighbor's grandson. He comes here every summer. I asked him to stay here while I went out to get food for you."
Aarshi remained silent.
Her clothes had gotten dirty from falling on the ground.
Slowly, she stood up from the sofa and began walking toward her room.
But Aditya… he still hadn't taken his eyes off her.
He continued staring at her, and that made Ayaan feel deeply uncomfortable—almost disgusted.
Even after Aarshi disappeared into her room, Aditya's gaze followed… lingering in that direction.
Ayaan found Aditya's behavior extremely strange. Looking at him, he said firmly, "You can go home now. I'm going upstairs to freshen up."
Aditya replied casually, "It's alright. I'll wait for you. I'll stay downstairs until you're done."
That only made Ayaan more suspicious. It felt as if Aditya was searching for excuses to stay.
Ayaan's expression hardened. "I'm going upstairs, and I have work with my friends too. I'm not free for you. What exactly are you going to do here alone?"
Reluctantly, Aditya left the house.
Ayaan then walked toward Aarshi's room and knocked on the door. At first, there was no response. After a pause, Aarshi slowly opened it.
He looked at her carefully—and noticed the injuries on her hands and feet from the fall. As he gestured toward her wounds, Aarshi instinctively pulled her hand back and walked inside, sitting on the bed.
Ayaan remained standing at the door.
Seeing him hesitate, Aarshi said in a tired voice, "I know… if I don't ask you to come in, you won't even step into this room."
She was right.
With exhausted eyes, she quietly asked him to come in. Ayaan entered and stood beside her. Aarshi looked up at him, and the pain in her eyes was impossible to ignore.
He asked softly, "Is the wound deep… or does it just hurt a lot?"
Aarshi said nothing.
Her eyes filled with tears once again, and she broke down, crying uncontrollably. Ayaan couldn't understand what was troubling her so deeply. He sat down beside her, lowering himself near her knees while she remained on the bed. Gently, he wiped her tears and asked, "What happened, Aarshi? Are you hiding something? Why were you so scared this evening?"
Through her sobs, she kept repeating, "I hate him… I hate him…"
The raw truth in her voice was unmistakable.
Ayaan frowned slightly. "At least tell me something. Is this some kind of past trauma?"
Aarshi struggled to speak between her tears. "When I came out of my room in the evening, you weren't there. I called you, but you didn't answer… and then he came from behind and suddenly put his hand on my shoulder… asking why I was shouting… I got scared…"
Hearing this, Ayaan said lightly, "You got scared over something like that?"
Before he could finish, Aarshi hit his shoulder hard.
"Hey—why did you hit me?" he said, rubbing his shoulder as he sat beside her on the bed.
Then, more seriously, he added, "I know you're hiding something…"
Before he could continue, Aarshi spoke.
"He's my friend's ex."
She was talking about Shanaya.
Ayaan didn't understand. "Why would seeing your friend's ex affect you so much?"
Aarshi lowered her gaze. "Because… he's part of her past. And that past… is connected to me."
Backstory—
Shanaya and Aditya had been in a relationship since the middle of eighth grade. But within a short time, Aditya stopped talking to her. His reason was cruelly simple—he didn't like Shanaya anymore… he liked her friend, Aayesha—Aarshi.
Shanaya was deeply hurt. She stopped talking to Aarshi completely. Soon, the entire class found out that Shanaya had been left because of her own friend. Aarshi became the center of blame. The class began to hate her, and Shanaya never spoke to her again.
As Aarshi finished, Ayaan felt a quiet anger rising inside him—for her.
Aarshi whispered, "I know he won't leave me alone… even now."
Then she looked at Ayaan, her voice trembling, "I don't want to face him. Every time I see him, it brings everything back…"
Ayaan gently placed his hand on her head. "I'm here. I won't let you face him."
Inside, he had already made a decision—he would protect Aarshi from Aditya, no matter what. He wouldn't let her vacation be ruined.
As he softly stroked her hair, Aarshi suddenly hugged him tightly. Her voice shook with fear. "He's not a good person… he can do anything… he'll ruin everything… please save me, Ayaan…"
Ayaan held her steady and said quietly, "I won't let anything ruin your vacation. I promise."
After a moment, he gently moved her hands away so she wouldn't notice the shift in his thoughts. He stepped out into the hall and returned with a carry bag from a restaurant.
Back in her room, he began unpacking the food—noodles and pastry. It had grown cold by now, but he didn't mind.
"Come on," he said softly, "let's eat. It's been too long."
Seeing the food, Aarshi's expression softened for the first time. A small, fragile happiness appeared on her face. They both ate from the same container, quietly sharing the meal.
When they were done, Ayaan took everything back outside, leaving the room calm once again.
Aarshi picked up her clothes and went for a shower.
And as the water washed over her, the fear of the evening began to fade slightly—but not completely.
Because somewhere beyond those walls… the shadow of the past had returned.
And this time, it didn't seem ready to leave.