"Dare me…" she whispered softly.
Vyom's eyes lingered on hers for a moment. Then, without a flicker of doubt, he said softly and casually, with a quiet boldness, "…Kiss me."
---
Keya froze for a second, eyes widening in shock. Then, almost without thinking, she slowly stood up and leaned forward—actually coming closer to kiss him.
But Vyom panicked.
"Hey—wait! I was just joking!" he blurted, waving his hands. "Tomorrow… just give me a treat."
Keya paused. A faint sadness flickered in her eyes, but she forced a small smile.
"Just a treat? Okay."
Vyom blinked. "Wait… you were really going to do that?"
Keya looked away. "Why do you think?"
"Because you actually got up and came in front of me," he said, surprised.
Keya nodded shyly. "I do whatever task you give me."
Vyom went completely silent. Shocked. Speechless.
After a moment, he stood up quickly. "I think… I'm late. I should go now."
"Please stay a little longer," Keya said softly.
"No… it's already 6 p.m., and I have a lot of work at home."
He paused, looking serious for the first time.
"By the way… don't play this game with anyone else."
Keya's eyes softened. "Okay… but wait a minute. I'll walk you halfway."
"Alright. I'll wait in the drawing room. Come fast."
"Two minutes," she said, hurrying to her room.
Vyom walked into the drawing room. Keya's father was already sitting there, reading the newspaper. Vyom sat quietly.
"Vyom, such a long time," Keya's father said with a gentle smile. "How are you?"
"…I'm okay," Vyom replied.
"And how is your study?"
"I try… but what happens in the end, I don't know," Vyom said honestly.
Keya's father chuckled. "Good. Keep it up."
A few minutes later, Keya walked in wearing a white frock decorated with small red flowers. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders, making her look calmer, softer than usual.
Vyom immediately stood. "Uncle, I'll go."
Keya stepped forward. "Dad, I'll walk him halfway."
"Come back soon," her father said. "Don't go too far."
Vyom waved slightly. "Aunty, I'm going."
They both stepped outside and began walking silently along the familiar road.
After a moment, Keya asked quietly,
"Do you… have a girlfriend?"
"No," Vyom said. "But why are you asking? Tomorrow's treat is fixed."
"Okay, I'll give you," she replied, sounding a little annoyed but still speaking softly. "You've changed a little these days. Did something happen?"
"Just started studying seriously," he shrugged. "But I think I should be the one asking you that."
Keya looked down. "Nothing… but if something happened today, then… it was my first time. I felt sad, but it's okay."
Vyom raised an eyebrow. "What? I only asked for a kiss. What were you thinking?"
Her face turned red instantly, and she lowered her head.
Vyom smiled lightly. "…And you do things like that only for someone you love."
Keya immediately changed the topic. "Anyway, why did you start studying suddenly?"
"For you," Vyom said without thinking.
Keya stopped walking. "What??"
"I mean," he corrected quickly, "you're known by our family, and you're good at studies. How can I fail? In college, I only have two classmates—Anand and you—and both are good."
Keya whispered, "I'm just a classmate… not a friend."
"No. It's not like that," Vyom said firmly.
They reached the point where their paths separated.
"I've come far enough," Keya said softly. "I'll go now."
"I'll go too. Bye."
He began to turn away, then looked back.
"But one thing."
Keya stopped. "What?"
Vyom's voice softened. "Even if I said 'classmates'… I don't have any real friends except you. You're special to me. Anand I met in college… but you're my childhood friend."
Keya didn't say a word. Her cheeks turned pink, and she lowered her eyes. Then she quietly walked away.
Vyom watched her leave, a small sadness settling in his chest.
When she disappeared around the corner, he sighed softly and began walking home
The sun had already set, and darkness was slowly spreading. As Vyom walked, a bit of tension grew inside him—he couldn't stop wondering, "Did Keya reach home safely?"
And somewhere deep inside, a small ache stirred in his chest… though he didn't know why.
Vyom reached home, studied for hours, and eventually drifted into sleep.
But when he opened his eyes again… he wasn't in his room anymore.
There was no ground beneath him.
No sky above him.
No air, no sound—just an endless emptiness.
A world made only of faint glowing grid lines stretched infinitely in all directions, like an unfinished space between reality and dreams.
Vyom's breath trembled. He turned slowly, trying to understand.
"Where… am I again?" he whispered. His voice echoed softly, swallowed by the void.
He looked down.
The ring on his finger—the one he always wore—was glowing again.
The thin green line around it pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.
He swallowed hard.
This time… I should try to find something.
So he walked.
Hours passed—at least it felt like hours.
There was nothing.
Only the green glow on his hand and the endless grid beneath his feet.
Eventually, exhausted, Vyom stumbled and fell to his knees. While catching his breath, he noticed something strange:
The green line on the ring kept filling up…
then emptying…
then filling again.
Like a clock hand rotating in a loop.
He watched it repeat at least five cycles.
"What is this…?" he muttered, gripping the ring.
He tried to pull it off—but it wouldn't move. It felt fused to his skin.
Tired, he rested.
Then he walked again.
Then rested.
Walked.
Rested.
No matter how far he went, the space never ended.
Finally, he sank down in the empty grid world and sat quietly. A heavy sleepiness washed over him.
His eyes slowly closed…
and right before he lost consciousness, a bright light flashed in front of him—a blinding white spark cutting through the void.
Vyom gasped—
—and woke up on his bed.
Vyom woke up with a sudden breath, his heart still beating fast from the strange dream. He sat up on his bed, running a hand through his hair.
"Yesterday… the ring's green line kept going full and empty… full and empty… why does that even happen?" he murmured to himself.
As he kept talking, something subtle happened.
The green line on the ring slowly began to shrink—decreasing little by little.
He blinked and shook his head. "Hallucination," he whispered to himself. "I'm just imagining things."
But he didn't notice that his wall clock—the one hanging right behind him—
was not moving at all.
Soft morning light spilled across Vyom's room as he sat on the edge of his bed, still shaken by last night's strange dream. His mind replayed the endless grid, the glowing ring, the emptiness. "What was that…?" he muttered, staring at the ring—its green line shrinking again while the clock behind him stayed frozen.
---
(To be continued...)