Ananya sat frozen on the edge of her bed, the words echoing again and again in her mind. "Don't you know… Arav got prisoned."
Her heart thudded so loud that it felt like the whole world could hear it. Prison? Arav? The boy who whispered promises of forever, who laughed with her under the college trees, who made her believe in love—how could that same boy now be behind bars?
"No… it can't be true," she whispered to herself, shaking her head violently, as if denying it would make the truth disappear.
Her phone screen still glowed faintly in the dim room. She had called him at least fifty times that day, each ring cutting her soul like a blade when it went unanswered. Her last message still stared back at her: "Arav, please, just reply. I'm scared."
But there was no reply. Only silence.
The night stretched endlessly. The clock struck 10, then 11, then midnight, but sleep never touched her eyes. She lay curled up on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her chest heavy as if someone had chained her heart.
Every memory replayed in her head. The first time he had begged her to accept his love. The morning walks, the secret jokes, the way he looked at her like she was his whole world. Was all that a lie? Or was the boy she loved just lost in the shadows of his own mistakes?
Tears rolled silently onto her pillow. She clutched her phone to her chest as if it were the only thread connecting her to him. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, but she couldn't eat. Even water felt like poison. How could she think of food when the one she loved might be suffering in a cold, dark cell?
At around 2 a.m., her phone buzzed. Her heart leapt so violently she almost dropped it. But it wasn't Arav. It was a message from his classmate:
"It's true, Ananya. He got into a fight with some local boys. The police caught him. I don't know when he'll get out."
Her hands trembled as she read it. She wanted to scream, cry, throw the phone across the room. Instead, she whispered brokenly, "Why, Arav? Why didn't you listen to me? I told you those friends would ruin you."
She had warned him so many times. She begged him to stay away from those boys who smoked, drank, and fought like it was a game. But he always shrugged and said, "Don't worry, Anu, I'm not like them."
Now his choices had dragged him into disaster.
By dawn, Ananya's eyes were swollen, her throat raw from crying. She hadn't slept even a moment. Yet, beneath all the sorrow, something stronger began to rise inside her—determination.
She wiped her tears and sat up, staring into the faint light sneaking through her window.
"No matter what," she whispered to herself, her voice steadier now, "I have to see him. I need to know he's okay."
The thought of him alone, scared, and broken tore her apart. She couldn't just sit in her room waiting. She had to do something.
At breakfast, her mother noticed her pale face and untouched plate.
"Ananya, are you okay? You look sick."
Ananya forced a weak smile. "Just… tired, Maa. I couldn't sleep."
But inside, she was screaming. How could she tell her family that the boy they trusted was now in prison? How could she explain her pain when they wouldn't understand?
Her cousin Riya, who sat across the table, raised her brow. "You should rest, Anu. Dark circles don't suit you," she teased lightly.
As the day stretched, Ananya grew more restless. She called Arav's number again and again, each unanswered ring only adding to her desperation.
By noon, she made up her mind. She couldn't sit idle anymore. She texted Arav's friend:
"Where is he? Which police station? Please tell me."
The reply came quickly:
"Central Police Station. But… Ananya, don't go. His friends are all in trouble. It's not safe for you."
Her chest tightened, but she typed back:
"I don't care. I need to see him."
That evening, as the sun dipped low and the world turned gold, Ananya stood at her mirror, tying her hair back. Her reflection looked fragile, but her eyes burned with resolve.
For the first time, she wasn't just the girl blindly in love. She was a woman ready to fight for the boy she believed in, even if the whole world stood against her.
She picked up her bag, slipped her phone inside, and whispered, "Wait for me, Arav. I'll come to you."
As Ananya stepped out of her house, determination in her every stride, her phone buzzed again. This time, it was her best friend, Meera.
"Anu, where are you? I've been trying to call you," Meera's anxious voice echoed through the speaker.
"I'm going to see Arav," Ananya admitted without hesitation. Her voice was steady, but her heart was still trembling.
There was a pause on the other end. Then Meera almost shouted, "Are you out of your mind? You don't even know what exactly happened. It's dangerous for you to go there alone!"
"But Meera, I can't just sit at home. I need to see him, I need to know he's okay—"
"No, Anu, listen to me," Meera cut her off firmly. "Come to my house first. We'll talk it through and figure something out together. Don't rush into this blindly."
Ananya stood still in the fading light, torn between her heart's desperate pull toward Arav and her friend's cautious words. Her grip tightened around her phone. For the first time since the nightmare began, doubt crept into her resolve.