Riyan had never known silence could be so loud.
Every day without her was a raw wound—one that bled every time he saw her cousin's shadow near, every time she walked past him with her eyes nailed to the floor. He recognized the stiffness in her posture, the way her fingers twitched as though they longed to write, to pass him something, to reach.
But nothing came.
They had cut her off completely.
And that meant it was his turn.
Riyan
He sat at the edge of the basketball court long after practice ended, the lights buzzing overhead, sweat drying cold on his skin. His friends joked and left, but he stayed—thinking, burning.
He had three choices:
Wait. Let her suffer alone.
Push too hard. Risk getting her punished more.
Strike smart. Risky, but worth it.
The third option was the only one his heart could live with.
His eyes scanned the darkening campus until they landed on someone—Kabir, one of his closest friends, loyal, sharp, and reckless enough to help.
Riyan called him over.
"You're about to do me a favor," he said.
Kabir raised a brow. "This your 'crazy love story' mess again?"
Riyan didn't flinch. "It's not a mess. It's her. And if I don't reach her, they'll crush her. I can't let that happen."
Something in his tone must have struck, because Kabir sighed. "What do you need?"
Riyan leaned in. "A message delivered. No one can know it's from me. Not her cousin, not her parents, no one. Just her."
The Plan
It wasn't simple.
If they slipped a note directly, it could be caught in a bag check. If he tried to approach her himself, suspicion would flare and they'd tighten the chains around her.
So Riyan plotted carefully.
A book. That was the key.One of Ananya's favorite novels from the library—one she always borrowed, always dog-eared, always carried in her hand. He would hollow out a slit in the pages, tuck the note inside, and Kabir would "accidentally" hand it to her in the library with a casual, "Hey, thought of you when I saw this."
Safe. Subtle. Untraceable.
And the note itself would be small, nothing that could be twisted against her. Just a few words:
I see you. I'm still here. Find me where the shadows hide.
Only she would know the meaning.
Only she would know it was him.
Riyan's Resolve
That night, Riyan stayed awake at his desk, carving into the book, every stroke of the blade steady despite the adrenaline flooding him.
His mind replayed her face—the way her lips parted right before she kissed him, the sound of her laugh when she thought no one was listening, the fire in her eyes when she told him once, "I'll never let them decide for me."
They could lock her in cages, surround her with guards, but they couldn't erase that fire.
And he would not let it go out.
By the time dawn cracked, the book lay ready, the note folded neat inside.
Riyan pressed it once to his lips, whispering, "Hold on, Ananya."
Then he slid it shut. The first strike was ready.