: The Touch of the Nameless
Aarav's Hostel Room
10:15 PM
Rain still drummed against the window, but inside the room, a strange quiet had settled. The boy with the golden eyes stood near the door, as if still mapping an escape route. His clothes clung to him, water dripping from his black hair onto the floor.
"Come, sit here," Aarav said, gesturing toward his bed. "I'll get a towel. You can change the washroom's there. Anyway..." His eyes skimmed over the boy's torn jeans and stained shirt, "...we're about the same size. Here."
Aarav opened his cupboard, pulled out a plain white t-shirt and an old pair of jeans, and held them out.
The boy gave no reply. He just took the clothes and walked to the washroom. The door clicked shut.
Aarav stood still for a moment, then smiled. Weird guy. He turned toward the small kitchen area. He lit the stove, poured water into a pot. What was better than ginger tea on a rainy night?
"Will you have tea?" he called toward the washroom.
No answer came.
Maybe he didn't hear over the water, Aarav thought, and busied himself with the tea. He crushed ginger, dropped in tea leaves, boiled milk. Just as the tea finished brewing, the washroom door opened.
Aarav turned with two mugs in hand, and his breath hitched.
In his own clothes, the boy looked ordinary—but wearing Aarav's clothes? He looked completely different. The t-shirt stretched taut over broad shoulders and a defined chest. The jeans were slightly short on his long legs, revealing his ankles.
"Whoa!" Aarav said, setting the mugs on the table. "You're built. You work out? Anyway, have some tea. This changing weather's already giving me a chill."
The golden-eyed boy hesitated for a second, then quietly came forward and picked up a mug. His fingers came close to Aarav's, but didn't touch.
Aarav took a sip of his own tea and sat down. The silence began to feel heavy.
"So," Aarav started, "I've been doing all the talking. You're not... a ghost, are you? Or that... age-stealing person?"
The boy went completely still. The mug trembled in his hand. He slowly lifted his head and looked at Aarav. Something flickered in that golden gaze surprise, maybe fear.
Aarav burst out laughing. "Hey, relax! I was joking! At least you're looking at me now. So, tell me your name. What is it?"
"I don't have a name," the boy's voice was flat, dry.
Aarav laughed again. "You're a funny one too! Like me. Seriously, what's your name?"
"I said, I don't have one."
"Fine, don't tell me. I'll call you 'Mr. Stranger'. That okay?"
The boy stayed silent. He took a sip of tea.
Aarav pressed on. "So what do you do? Where do you live? In Mumbai?"
Just then, the sound of rain softened abruptly. The downpour had stopped. The boy stood up instantly, placing the mug back on the table.
"I should go," he said, a new urgency in his voice. "The rain has stopped."
And without another word, he moved toward the door.
"Hey, my clothes" Aarav started, but the boy didn't stop. He opened the door and was gone, the sound of fast footsteps descending the stairs echoing back.
Aarav went to the door and muttered, "Return them... whenever you get the chance."
He closed the door and fell back onto his bed. "Weird guy. No name, no address. Acting like some ghost. Whatever, not my problem. I'm going to sleep now. It's already past ten. Exams tomorrow... but sleep comes first."
He lay down, and within minutes, his breaths grew deep and even.
---
Outside, in the lane, the boy with the golden eyes stood still. His gaze was fixed upward, on Aarav's window, where the light had now gone out. A whirlpool of questions churned in his mind, but one loomed largest who was this human who could stand before his curse?
---
Morning, 9:05 AM
The sharp trill of his alarm tore Aarav from sleep. He fumbled for his phone, rubbed his eyes, and sat up.
"Oh crap... nine o'clock! The exam's at ten!"
He jumped out of bed. "Aarav, you idiot! Wake up!" Muttering to himself, he rushed to the washroom, took a quick shower, threw on the same old jeans and a fresh shirt, grabbed his bag, and bolted out.
He was panting by the time he reached college. He sprinted straight to the exam hall. Two hours later, when he walked out, relief was plain on his face. The paper had gone okay.
"Aarav! Over here!"
He turned. Nayan, his friend, was waving from a distance. Aarav walked over.
"How was the paper, bro?" Nayan asked.
"Couple of questions skipped, rest was fine. You tell me, how was yours?"
Aarav said, laughing, "Too good, man! Hey, how's Karishma doing?"
Nayan smiled. "Oh, come on!"
"Look, there she goes!" Aarav pointed toward the library, where a girl was walking with a stack of books. "Go on, quick, just say 'hi' and come back."
Saying this, Aarav gave Nayan a light shove. Nayan chuckled and started walking that way.
Aarav was smiling, but then his eyes caught a familiar figure standing under the banyan tree. The golden-eyed boy. He was walking slowly, as if trying to blend into the crowd.
Aarav's curiosity sparked. He jogged over.
"Hello, Mr. Stranger!"
The boy didn't stop. He kept walking.
Aarav fell into step beside him. "You know, because of you I couldn't study last night. I was just going home, you showed up, and I got stuck talking to you. And last night... what was that? I asked your name so many times, you never told me. Didn't even tell me you study in my college. Fine, you didn't tell me that, but at least tell me your name now. Look, I'm not crazy or"
Aarav's sentence cut off abruptly.
In one swift, fluid motion, the golden-eyed boy grabbed Aarav's wrist and yanked him toward the wall of a nearby building. Aarav's back hit the bricks. Before he could utter a sound, the boy pressed a finger to Aarav's lips, a clear command for silence.
And then he started to look... straight into Aarav's eyes.
Aarav's breath froze. He couldn't move. The boy's golden eyes began to glow, lit by a soft, internal light, as if an ancient flame had stirred awake inside them. Aarav tried to pull away, but the boy's grip was iron. He felt pinned, trapped before those eyes lost in that deep, golden abyss that was both terrifying and mesmerizing.
And the boy just kept looking... as if searching for a secret buried within Aarav's own gaze.
---
Chapter End