Riyan's fingers drummed restlessly on the wooden desk of his hostel room, the rhythm uneven, frantic. He had spent the last two nights pacing, his mind a battlefield of plans and doubts. Every path seemed dangerous, every move a risk—but inaction was worse.
Ananya was locked away. Suffocating. He couldn't shake the image of her in that house, the walls pressing in, her parents' voices weighing down on her spirit. If he didn't reach her now, she might begin to believe the silence they had forced on her was permanent.
He refused to let that happen.
The Reluctant Ally
"Are you out of your mind?" Kabir hissed, glancing around the empty basketball court where Riyan had cornered him. The setting sun cast long shadows, making the space feel secretive, conspiratorial.
"Yes," Riyan shot back, his jaw tight. "And I don't care. I need you."
Kabir rubbed his temples. "You realize if her father catches me, I'll be finished? He already watches me like a hawk. And if anyone connects me to you—"
Riyan stepped closer, his eyes fierce. "Kabir, listen. She's in there alone. No phone. No books. No air. Do you know what that does to a person? I can't… I can't let them erase me from her world. If I can't get in, you'll have to."
Kabir stared at him for a long moment, his expression torn. Then he sighed, defeated. "What exactly do you want me to do?"
The Message
Riyan pulled a folded sheet of paper from his pocket, worn from being opened and rewritten too many times. The words inside were his heart poured raw, but not reckless. He had chosen each line carefully, knowing Ananya's parents could stumble upon it at any moment.
A message of hope. A promise. A lifeline.
"She needs to read this," Riyan said quietly, placing it in Kabir's reluctant hand. "Hide it in something ordinary—a notebook, a novel, anything her parents won't suspect. Don't give it directly. Make it look natural."
Kabir glanced at the folded paper, then back at him. "This could ruin both of you."
Riyan's throat tightened, but his resolve was unshakable. "Or it could save us."
The Plan in Motion
Two days later, Kabir finally called Riyan into the library's deserted corner. His face was pale, voice hushed.
"I slipped it into her old literature book. The one her mother sometimes lets her read."
Riyan's chest tightened. "And?"
Kabir shook his head. "I don't know yet. She hasn't found it. Or maybe she has, but she can't show it. You'll have to wait."
Wait.The word was torture. But for the first time in weeks, Riyan felt the faintest spark of relief. The seed was planted. Somewhere, in the walls of that suffocating house, his words waited for her.
Alone but Not Defeated
That night, he sat by the hostel window, staring out at the city lights. His hands still trembled with the weight of what he had done, but his heart beat steadier.
Ananya was still caged, yes. But now, the cage had a crack.And through that crack, a single beam of defiance had slipped.
She would know. She had to know.
I'm still here.