Arjun didn't sleep after that.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, phone resting on his chest, screen still lit. The typing dots from the unknown number were gone, but the feeling they left behind stayed.
His room felt smaller than usual. The fan was still making that irritating sound, but now it felt louder. Everything felt louder.
He checked the time.
2:11 a.m.
No reply.
He locked the phone, unlocked it again, then opened the chat once more, as if the messages might change if he looked at them long enough.
Unknown:
You're Riya's boyfriend, right?
Do you know who she was with tonight?
That was it. No threats. No drama. Just two lines.
Arjun sat up and rubbed his face. His head hurt. Not a sharp pain—more like pressure, like something heavy sitting right behind his eyes.
"Overthinking," he muttered to himself.
That word again.
He placed the phone face down and lay back, closing his eyes. He tried to remember the day. The café. Riya turning her phone face down. The half-hug. The cab.
Nothing concrete. Nothing he could point at and say this is it.
Still, the unease didn't leave.
At 2:36 a.m., his phone vibrated again.
His heart jumped.
He grabbed it.
A notification—
Not a message.
Just a missed call.
Unknown number.
One ring only.
Arjun stared at the screen, thumb hovering over the call-back button. His instinct said no. His curiosity said yes.
He didn't press it.
The call log stayed there like an unfinished sentence.
He put the phone down slowly and exhaled.
Whatever this was, it could wait till morning.
He woke up late.
The alarm rang three times before he finally turned it off. His head felt heavy, his eyes dry. He checked his phone first thing.
No new messages.
No calls.
Riya hadn't texted either.
That bothered him more than the unknown number.
He sent her a simple message.
Good morning.
Seen.
No reply.
Arjun sat on the edge of the bed for a few seconds, then stood up and went to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, looked at himself in the mirror.
He looked tired. Older than he felt.
"You're imagining things," he told his reflection.
The reflection didn't look convinced.
The bus was more crowded than usual. Someone's elbow kept digging into his side. A kid was crying somewhere near the front. The conductor was shouting.
Normally, all this would irritate Arjun.
Today, he barely noticed.
He replayed the previous night in his head, again and again, like a stuck video.
The bus hit a pothole, jolting him back to the present.
His phone buzzed.
This time, it was Riya.
Riya:
Morning.
That was it.
No smiley. No "sorry I fell asleep." Nothing.
Arjun:
Did you call me last night?
There was a pause.
Then:
Riya:
No. Why?
His fingers hesitated.
Arjun:
Just checking.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Riya:
You okay?
Arjun typed, erased, typed again.
Arjun:
Yeah. Just didn't sleep well.
That was true. Just not the whole truth.
She didn't reply after that.
At the office, Sameer noticed immediately.
"You look like crap," he said, not bothering to soften it.
"Good morning to you too," Arjun replied, dropping into his chair.
"Did you even sleep?"
Arjun shook his head. "Not really."
Sameer leaned closer. "Fight?"
"No."
"Then?"
Arjun hesitated. He hadn't planned to tell anyone about the message. Saying it out loud would make it real.
"Just… something weird," he said finally.
Sameer raised an eyebrow. "Weird how?"
Arjun pulled out his phone, unlocked it, and slid it across the desk.
Sameer read the messages once. Then again.
"Who the hell is this?" Sameer asked.
"No idea."
Sameer looked up. "You sure this isn't some prank?"
"Who would prank me at 1:30 in the morning?"
Sameer shrugged. "Fair point."
He handed the phone back. "Did you ask Riya?"
"I did. She said she didn't call."
Sameer leaned back in his chair, expression serious now. "And you believe her?"
Arjun didn't answer immediately.
"I want to," he said finally.
Sameer nodded slowly. "Okay. Then don't jump to conclusions. But—" he paused "—don't ignore this either."
Arjun looked at the screen again.
The messages hadn't changed. But somehow, they felt heavier.
At lunch, Arjun barely ate.
He poked at his food, scrolling through his phone. Still nothing from the unknown number.
Part of him wanted them to text again. Another part hoped they never would.
At 1:58 p.m., his phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
This time, it was a message.
Unknown:
Relax. I'm not here to cause drama.
Arjun's stomach tightened.
Unknown:
I just thought you should know.
Arjun typed quickly.
Arjun:
Know what?
The reply came after a minute.
Unknown:
That not everyone around you is being honest.
That was vague. Annoyingly vague.
Arjun:
If you know something, say it clearly.
Three dots appeared.
Then nothing.
Again.
Arjun clenched his jaw. Whoever this was, they knew exactly how to get under his skin.
Riya called him in the evening.
That surprised him.
"Hey," she said. Her voice sounded normal. Too normal.
"Hey," he replied.
"Are you free tonight?" she asked. "I thought we could meet."
Arjun hesitated. "Now?"
"Yeah. I'm near your place."
Near his place.
"Okay," he said. "I'll come."
They met at the same café.
Different table this time.
Riya looked restless. She kept adjusting her bag, her dupatta, her hair.
"You okay?" Arjun asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. Just… a lot on my mind."
He waited.
She took a deep breath. "I feel like you're acting distant."
Arjun almost laughed. "I was going to say the same thing."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He leaned forward. "You've been quiet. Distracted. You don't reply properly. You hide your phone."
Her eyes widened slightly. "I don't hide my phone."
"You turn it face down," he said. "You never did that before."
She looked away. "You're reading too much into it."
There it was again.
"Riya," he said softly, "I got a message last night. From an unknown number."
Her head snapped up. "What message?"
He watched her closely as he pulled out his phone and showed her the chat.
She read it.
Her face didn't change much, but her grip on her coffee cup tightened.
"Probably a prank," she said quickly. Too quickly.
"You didn't even ask who it was," Arjun said.
She shrugged. "Why would I? Random people message all the time."
"At 1:30 a.m.?" he asked.
She didn't answer that.
Instead, she said, "Do you trust me?"
The question hung between them.
"Yes," Arjun said. "That's why this is bothering me."
She exhaled and reached across the table, placing her hand over his.
"Nothing's going on," she said. "Okay? I promise."
He wanted to believe her.
He really did.
Later that night, after Riya left, Arjun walked back to his room alone.
He felt lighter. Reassured, even.
Promises did that to him. He always took them seriously.
He lay on his bed, scrolling through his phone aimlessly.
At 11:47 p.m., a new message appeared.
Unknown number.
Unknown:
You met her today, right?
Arjun's breath caught.
Arjun:
How do you know that?
The reply came almost instantly.
Unknown:
Because I was there.
Arjun sat up straight.
Arjun:
Where?
Three dots.
Then a message.
Unknown:
The café. Same one. Different table.
Arjun's heart started pounding.
Arjun:
Show yourself.
There was a pause. Longer this time.
Then:
Unknown:
Not yet.
Another message followed.
Unknown:
But tell me something—did she tell you who she met last night?
Arjun's fingers felt numb.
She hadn't.
He typed.
Arjun:
She said an old college friend.
The reply came slowly.
As if typed carefully.
Unknown:
That's not a lie.
Arjun frowned.
Unknown:
It's just not the full truth.
Arjun stared at the screen, his heart racing.
Before he could reply, one last message appeared.
Unknown:
Tomorrow, you'll see her again.
And this time, you won't be sitting across the table.
The chat went silent.
Arjun's phone slipped from his hand onto the bed.
For the first time, the thought hit him clearly—
whatever was happening wasn't accidental.
Someone was watching.
And Riya was right in the middle of it.