Anaya lay sprawled across her bed, staring at her ceiling.
"…that was not terrible."
A beat.
"…why was that not terrible?"
She turned onto her side, grabbing her phone.
And, as expected—
Noir.R — New chapter uploaded
Her mood shifted instantly.
"Okay, priorities."
Within seconds, she was reading.
Completely absorbed.
But this time—
Something felt different.
A line caught her attention.
Held it.
"Some people feel familiar even when they shouldn't."
Her fingers stilled.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
"…weird."
Her mind flickered back—
To the café.
To him.
She frowned.
"No. Coincidence."
She went back to reading.
Faster this time.
As if avoiding the thought.
Somewhere else…
Reyansh sat at his desk.
The room dim.
Quiet.
His laptop screen glowed softly.
Words already forming.
He didn't hesitate tonight.
Didn't pause.
His fingers moved steadily across the keyboard—
like the sentences already existed.
His gaze darkened slightly as he typed.
Focused.
Lost.
A line appeared on the screen.
"You looked at me like you were trying to remember something…"
He stopped.
His jaw tightened slightly.
The café.
Her expression.
That exact moment.
He leaned back slowly.
"…strange."
The word felt insufficient.
Because it didn't feel like imagination.
It felt like—
Recognition.
But of what?
He didn't know.
Later that night…
Anaya stared at her phone.
A new contact.
Reyansh Malhotra
She tapped it.
Opened the chat.
Closed it.
Opened it again.
"…this is ridiculous."
She typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Finally—
"Hi. This is Anaya."
She stared at it.
For a full five seconds.
Then hit send.
Across the city—
Reyansh's phone buzzed.
He glanced at it.
Opened the message.
A pause.
Then he typed back.
"I know."
Anaya stared at the reply.
"…of course he does."
A second message appeared.
"Hi."
She rolled her eyes slightly.
But smiled anyway.
And just like that—
A conversation began.
Simple.
Light.
But carrying something neither of them fully understood yet.
Anaya stared at her phone.
Again.
The chat was still open.
Still painfully… minimal.
Reyansh:I know
.Reyansh:Hi.
She narrowed her eyes at the screen.
"…that's it?"
She typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Anaya:You always reply in one-word sentences?
She hit send before she could overthink it.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
Reyansh:Only when necessary.
Anaya blinked.
Then let out a quiet scoff.
Anaya:That sounds suspiciously like something you said earlier today.
A pause.
Reyansh:It is.
She stared at the message.
Then leaned back against her pillow, staring at the ceiling.
"…is he serious?"
Despite herself—
A small smile appeared.
Anaya:You're very consistent. I'll give you that.
This time, the reply came a little faster.
Reyansh:I try.
She rolled onto her side, propping her head up with one hand.
Anaya:So do you always talk like this? Or is this a special occasion thing?
A few seconds.
Reyansh:You talk enough for both of us. It balances out.
Anaya froze.
Then slowly sat up.
"…excuse me?"
A second later—
A smile broke through.
Anaya:Wow. That was almost rude.
Reyansh:Almost?
She let out a quiet laugh.
Anaya:Okay, slightly funny. Don't get used to it.
The conversation paused there.
But not awkwardly.
More like—
Waiting.
Anaya glanced at the top of the chat again.
His name.
Simple.
Uncomplicated.
And yet—
Something about it felt… heavier than it should.
She shook her head lightly.
"Stop overthinking."
Her thumb hovered for a second.
Then—
Anaya:So… what are you doing right now?
Across the city—
Reyansh sat at his desk, laptop open, fingers resting on the keyboard.
The screen wasn't blank this time.
Far from it.
Lines filled the page.
Half-written thoughts.
Unfinished sentences.
His phone buzzed.
He picked it up.
Read the message.
A brief pause.
Then—
Reyansh:Writing.
Anaya's eyes lit up immediately.
Anaya:At this hour?
Reyansh:There isn't a fixed time.
She stared at the reply.
Something about that—
A flicker.
Late evening.
A desk.
Someone writing—
Her breath caught slightly.
Gone.
She blinked, frowning.
"…again?"
Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Anaya:What do you even write about?
Reyansh's gaze shifted back to his laptop.
To the line blinking at the end of a sentence.
He typed.
Reyansh:People.
She read it twice.
Anaya:That's vague.
Reyansh:It's accurate.
Anaya exhaled, shaking her head.
Anaya:You're impossible.
A pause.
Then—
Reyansh:You said that like it's a conclusion you've already reached.
Her fingers stilled.
A strange feeling settled in her chest.
Have I…?
No.
She shook it off quickly.
Anaya:I'm forming opinions quickly. It's a talent.
Reyansh:I can see that.
She smiled again.
The conversation felt… easy.
Too easy.
Like they had done this before.
And then—
Without warning—
A memory surfaced.
Clearer this time.
A classroom.
Sunlight falling across wooden desks.
Voices in the background.
And someone—
Sitting near the window.
Head slightly bent.
Writing.
She couldn't see his face clearly.
Just—
The way his hand moved.
The way he paused before finishing a sentence.
Her heart skipped.
"…what—"
She sat up suddenly.
The image vanished.
Gone.
Her breathing felt uneven for a second.
"This is getting weird," she muttered.
Her phone buzzed again.
Reyansh:What happened?
She stared at the message.
Then typed—
Anaya:Nothing. Just zoned out for a second.
A pause.
Reyansh:You do that sometimes.
Her fingers froze over the screen.
Her heart skipped again.
You do that sometimes.
The words echoed.
Not new.
Not unfamiliar.
Her breath slowed.
Anaya:That sounds like you've known me for a while.
The message hung there.
Across the city—
Reyansh read it.
And for a moment—
He didn't reply.
Because something about that question—
Felt too close.
Too precise.
His gaze drifted back to his screen.
To the line he had written earlier.
"You always look like you're about to remember something important…"
His jaw tightened slightly.
"…strange."
He picked up his phone again.
Reyansh:Just an observation.
Anaya read it.
Still.
Quiet.
Then exhaled.
"Okay, now I'm overthinking."
She dropped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her mind replayed everything.
The café.
The way he looked at her.
The way he spoke.
And now—
This.
A thought slipped in.
Uninvited.
What if…
She sat up immediately.
"No."
She grabbed her phone again.
Opened the app.
Noir.R — Latest chapter
She scrolled quickly.
Eyes scanning—
Searching.
And then—
A line.
"Some people feel like memories you haven't remembered yet."
Her breath stilled.
Her mind flickered—
Back to the classroom.
The window.
The boy writing.
For a second—
It almost made sense.
Almost.
Then she shut her eyes tightly.
"This is ridiculous."
She dropped the phone beside her.
"I've been reading too much."
That had to be it.
Stories blending into reality.
Making things feel deeper than they were.
She let out a breath, forcing herself to relax.
"Exactly," she muttered. "It's just the novels."
Simple.
Logical.
Safe.
Across the city—
Reyansh stared at his screen.
At the words he had written.
Something about them felt different tonight.
Sharper.
Closer.
Like they weren't just fiction anymore.
Like they were—
Real.
He leaned back slowly.
"…why does this feel familiar?"
No answer came.
But the feeling stayed.
Persistent.
Unfinished.
Like a story waiting to be remembered.