1
A Strange Night Begins**
Aarav had always loved the rainy season, but tonight's rain felt different—
as if the wind was carrying a secret.
It was 11 PM.
Empty roads, wet lanes, and the sky roaring with black clouds.
Aarav rode his Royal Enfield up a hill road. Ahead, only fog and flickering streetlights. His friend had called him to an old, abandoned resort—
"Hill Crown Heritage Stay."
But when Aarav reached, the entire resort was deserted.
The gate half-open.
No guard.
No receptionist.
And in that lonely darkness, he saw her for the first time—
A girl…
Soaked completely…
Wearing a red bridal lehenga…
Long braid…
Eyes glowing strangely.
She was standing in the old veranda of the resort,
as if waiting for someone.
Aarav stopped his bike.
She stood still—silent.
Aarav: "Excuse me… are you alright?"
She slowly raised her face.
Raindrops slid down her cheeks onto the ground.
She said—
"You're late…"
A chill ran down Aarav's spine.
He had never seen her before.
---
**2
The First Moment**
Aarav walked toward her and observed—
The lehenga looked brand new…
Mehendi dark…
But her hands were cold…
And she wasn't shivering despite being drenched.
Aarav: "Were you at a wedding? Did something happen? Some accident?"
Girl: "You brought me here… did you forget?"
Aarav stepped back.
"Me? I've never seen you before."
She smiled lightly.
"What's your name?"
Aarav felt uneasy but replied—
"Aarav."
She said—
"I'm Siya."
Just then lightning flashed—
Siya appeared right in front of him.
She held his hand.
Her hand was ice cold.
Aarav's heart skipped a beat.
"You should go inside; you're soaked," he said.
She nodded and walked into the hall of the resort.
Inside, only a single oil lamp was lit,
right in the center,
as if someone had placed it moments ago.
Siya:
"Maybe this night is going to be very long…"
---
**3
An Empty Resort and a Secret**
There was no one in the resort.
Room doors open—like everyone had run away in a hurry.
Aarav felt cold. He looked for a shawl to give Siya.
He found one, but when he turned—
Siya wasn't there.
Aarav: "Siya?"
She was standing beside the lamp, silently watching him.
Aarav: "How did you—?"
Siya: "I didn't go anywhere. Why are you so nervous?"
Aarav didn't understand who she was.
Her presence was strange, but not scary—
mysterious… mesmerizing…
like she belonged to an old story.
Siya: "Why did you come here alone?"
Aarav: "My friend called me… but no one is here."
Siya looked at the flame and said—
"Sometimes people are called to places where they're meant to be…"
Aarav: "Meaning?"
Siya: "Meaning… this night belongs only to us."
---
**4
A Night's Confession**
The rain had slowed.
Old wooden scent… the dim lamp… Siya's deep eyes…
Aarav sat before her.
Oddly—
he didn't feel scared being near her…
instead a strange calmness.
Siya: "Do you believe in love?"
Aarav: "Maybe… yes."
Siya: "And destiny?"
Aarav: "Sometimes."
Siya:
"Then believe it tonight… because this night… destiny wrote it for you."
She sat close to him.
He noticed—
her body had no scent…
no warmth…
like she might disappear if touched.
She held his hand.
"What if I say… I wanted to meet you… long before this?"
Aarav: "But we met today for the first time—"
She placed her finger on his lips.
"Some meetings are decided beforehand… whether we know it or not."
Aarav's heartbeat slowed—
as if she wasn't wrong.
---
**5
Siya's Story**
It was 1 AM.
The air felt heavy—full of secrets.
Siya opened her braid.
The red lehenga slipped slightly from her shoulder.
Aarav stared for a moment—
Siya teased—
"Don't stare so shamelessly."
Aarav looked away.
She laughed.
Soft… sweet…
like the night itself smiled.
"Shall I tell you my story?"
Aarav nodded.
Siya:
"I got married today…"
Aarav froze.
The lehenga… the mehendi…
Of course…
"But I couldn't go to my husband's home."
Aarav: "…Why?"
Siya sighed deeply.
"Because I ran away."
Aarav: "From whom?"
Siya: "My groom. That life forced on me.
I loved someone else…
but I could never have him."
Aarav: "Then why come here?"
Siya:
"My heart pulled me here.
To someone… who could understand me."
Aarav felt this night was not between two strangers…
but two lonely hearts.
---
**6
A Moment, A View**
2:15 AM.
The rain had stopped.
Aarav gave Siya a room heater.
She held his hand and led him to the window.
"Look," she said.
The moon had appeared between the hills.
Fog cleared.
A sweet chill filled the air.
Siya rested her head on his shoulder.
Aarav whispered—
"Siya…"
She whispered back—
"Don't make noise… don't let this night break."
Aarav felt her close.
Her hair brushed his face.
Her breath touched his neck.
Siya:
"What if this night never ends…?"
Aarav softly—
"Then I want you… to stay with me."
She looked into his eyes.
"Say that again… slowly."
Aarav held her hands—
"Stay with me… the whole night… every moment."
She smiled and hugged him tightly.
This wasn't an ordinary embrace—
it was two broken souls finally meeting.
---
**7
The Moment When Everything Stopped**
A candle burned on the wooden table.
Aarav handed Siya hot tea.
Siya:
"My hands never get warm. No matter how tightly I hold the cup."
Aarav held her hands in his, warming them slowly.
Siya's eyes filled.
"No one ever did this for me."
Aarav:
"Maybe they never understood you."
She set the cup aside and stepped close to him.
Her eyes moist but smiling gently.
"What if I say… I've fallen in love with you?"
Aarav froze.
He lifted Siya in his arms.
She hid her face in his neck.
The silent night echoed with only two heartbeats—
and a deep quiet
that said everything.
---
**8
The One-Night Bride**
Aarav took Siya to the room and seated her.
The red bridal lehenga glimmered softly.
She held his hand.
"Tonight… I'm yours."
Aarav hesitated.
"Siya, I don't see you this way. You're troubled—"
She cupped his face.
"This isn't helplessness… it's my choice."
Her voice soft… deep…
"The house I was going to as a bride… wasn't mine.
But this night…
this place…
close to you…
that's where I belong."
Aarav kissed her forehead.
Siya closed her eyes.
"Tonight, I want to give myself to you… one last time."
The night was long.
Silence sweet.
The distance between them disappeared.
Their love was not just bodies—
but souls merging.
Aarav held her like a bride.
Siya felt his every touch as the most beautiful memory.
That night…
two souls became one.
---
**9
Morning Truth**
Morning light entered the room.
Aarav woke smiling.
He looked for Siya.
But the bed was empty.
The red lehenga… gone.
No bangles.
The room looked untouched.
As if no one had ever been there.
Aarav panicked.
"Siya!"
He ran through the resort.
No one.
At the gate he met an old watchman.
Aarav:
"A girl came last night… in a red bridal dress—"
The old man stared at him.
"Son… there hasn't been a wedding here in five years.
No bride comes here.
Who are you talking about?"
Aarav:
"Siya! I met her here! Last night!"
The old man grew scared.
"Don't say that…
There's a spirit here.
A bride named Siya."
Aarav's heart stopped.
Old man continued—
"On her wedding night…
she fell from this hill.
Wearing a red bridal lehenga.
Since then… on the same date every year…
she returns for one night.
To someone whose heart is broken…
or who is lonely."
Aarav felt breathless.
He looked at the floor—
a faint mehendi stain…
Siya's.
She was real.
She chose him.
The night.
The moment.
The love.
And she was gone.
---
**10
The Final Touch**
Aarav went to the window where they had watched the moon together.
On the sill lay a red rose.
With a message:
"For one night… you were my entire world."
Aarav sat down, eyes closed.
He didn't cry.
He didn't need to.
Siya would live in his memories—forever.
She was a bride…
only for a night—
but her impact…
would last a lifetime.
The night's love.
The soul's touch.
The warmth of her embrace.
All of it…
forever etched in Aarav's heart.
A one-night bride…
but a love for a lifetime.
---