"When Time Learned Her Name"
25 / 03 / 2025,
Night — City Library,
The library was unusually silent.
Not the peaceful kind—the heavy kind, where even turning a page felt loud.
Under a dim yellow light, a boy sat alone at the far end of the reading hall. Books were scattered around him like a broken circle of concentration. His eyes moved across the page, but his mind was not fully there. It never was.
His phone lay beside the notebook.
[ ZFX: buzz—buzz]
The vibration felt louder than it should have.
He glanced at the screen.
A message.
RAJ: "We found her."
Time stopped.
His breath caught somewhere between his chest and throat. Fingers tightened around the phone, knuckles turning pale. For a second, the words did not make sense—
and then they made too much sense.
He stood up so fast the chair scraped the floor.
[ ZFX: Kirk—!]
Books were left open. Pages fluttered in protest as he rushed out of the library, pushing through the glass doors into the chilly night air. His heart pounded like it had been waiting six years for this exact moment.
"Some messages do not arrive. They explode"
Outside, the city lights blurred.
He reached his bike, hands shaking as he shoved the key in.
One kick.
[ ZFX: Vrrrrooom—!]
The engine roared to life.
And he was gone.
The speed climbed fast.
50….70….90+
Streetlights-streaked past like broken stars. Wind slammed against his face, but he did not slow down. He could not.
Every second felt stolen.
Every breath screamed one thought:
Her.
His phone buzzed again, but he did not look. His eyes were locked on the road, jaw clenched, memories crashing in his head like waves that refused to stay buried.
Then—
A shadow moved.
A child.
Running.
Straight into the road.
"NO—!"
He swerved.
The brakes screamed.
[ ZFX: SKRRREEE—! ZFX: THUD—!]
Time shattered into fragments.
The bike lost balance, skidding sideways. His body flew forward, crashing hard against the roadside bricks. Pain exploded—sharp, blinding, unbearable.
He hit the ground.
Hard.
The world spun.
Warm blood flowed from his head, sliding down his forehead, covering half his face. His body refused to move. The sounds of the city faded into a distant echo.
Above him—
the night sky.
Dark. Endless. Silent.
He stared at it, breath coming in broken gasps.
With pain tearing through every word, he whispered—
"I… will find you…"
His eyes slowly closed.
And the world went black.
"Some promises are stronger than bones."
You must be wondering now.
Why was I rushing like my life depended on it?
Who was she—the person whose name could pull me out of a library and throw me into death's arms?
You already know the answer.
But you do not know the story.
So let me take you back—
Six years ago.
To the moment when everything began.
To the day I saw her for the first time.
To my first meet with her.
— Backward to the past, 6 years ago…
Six Years Ago….
12 / 07 / 2021
The football ground was still breathing.
Dust hung in the air, mixed with cheers, whistles, and tired laughter. The inter-school match had just ended—and we won.
Raj ruled the centre like he owned the field, calm and sharp.
Saya ran forward like fire, unstoppable.
And Arjun—standing between the goalposts—had become the wall no one could break.
When the final whistle blew, victory exploded around them.
Sweaty jerseys. Heavy breaths. Smiles that refused to fade.
That day felt light.
Like nothing bad could touch it.
On the way home, the road became their playground.
Three bicycles.
Three hearts still racing.
"Last one loses!" Saya shouted, already pedalling faster.
They laughed.
They raced.
[ ZFX: whshhh—whshhh—]
The wind screamed past their ears as the road curved ahead—
And then—
A turn.
A sudden figure.
Crash.
[ ZFX: CLANG—!]
Arjun slammed the brakes and twisted his cycle without thinking. The impact was not hard—but it was enough.
He fell first.
So did she.
For a second, everything froze.
Arjun pushed himself up quickly, ignoring the sting on his elbow. Blood had scraped his skin—but his eyes rushed only to her.
She was sitting on the road, holding her arm. Just a small scratch. Nothing serious.
But when Arjun looked at her face—
Time stopped.
His mind went empty.
Only her face existed.
Her eyes.
Her hair moving softly in the wind.
The way sunlight touched her skin.
His heartbeat grew louder than the road.
Faster than the race they were just running.
Is this… love?
Outside his mind, she was scolding him.
"Can't you see? Are you blind or what?"
Her lips were moving. Her voice sharp.
But Arjun could not hear a word.
He was somewhere else.
In a universe where only, she existed.
" The moment her eyes met mine, the world forgot its role,
One glance, and silence learned the language of my soul.
Love did not knock—it arrived and quietly made me whole."
[ ZFX: thap!]
Saya slapped the back of his head.
"Earth to Arjun!"
Reality crashed back.
He blinked. Stepped back. Panic and embarrassment flooded his face.
"I—I'm sorry," he said softly. "It's my mistake."
Raj and Saya apologized too.
The girl stood up, brushed the dust from her clothes, picked up her bicycle—still angry—and turned away.
They started walking in opposite directions.
Arjun took a few steps…
Then stopped.
His heart screamed louder than his fear.
He turned back and shouted,
"Hey! Have we meet before? "
She stopped.
Did not turn.
He again loudly says "Hey at least tell me your name?"
Did not answer.
She got on her bicycle and rode away—anger trailing behind her like dust on the road.
Arjun stood there, watching her disappear.
He did not know her name.
But somehow—
She had already carved her place in his heart.
The school bell was already screaming.
[ ZFX: TRRRRING—!]
Arjun ran.
His bag bounced against his back, shoes hitting the corridor floor in uneven rhythm.
Late again.
He turned the corner near the principal's office—
And bam.
Someone crashed into him.
Books almost fell.
[ ZFX: thud—shuffle—]
"Sorry—" Arjun muttered without stopping. He did not even look up. His only thought was the class, the teacher, the punishment waiting for him.
The girl stood there for a second, confused.
Then Arjun was gone.
Neither of them saw the other's face.
The classroom was already alive.
Chairs scraping. Whispers flying.
"Sorry, ma'am," Arjun said, slipping into his seat, breathing hard.
The teacher looked at him over her glasses but said nothing.
A few minutes passed.
Then the door opened.
The teacher straightened.
"Good morning, class."
"Good morning, teacher," the class replied in one voice.
She smiled.
"We have a new student joining us today. Please welcome her."
The door opened wider.
"Her name is Disha."
Arjun looked up—
And time collapsed.
His heartbeat thundered.
It was her.
The girl from the road.
The unknown name.
The unfinished moment.
Now standing inside his classroom.
Disha eyes moved across the room—
Then stopped.
On him.
Her brows furrowed.
Recognition flashed.
She pointed slightly; disbelief mixed with anger.
"You!"
The class went silent.
Arjun forgot how to breathe.
"Some love stories do not begin with a hello… but mine with a collision"