The water was freezing cold.
When Arian fell into the water, his body went numb almost instantly. All around him were screams, people struggling, the panic of drowning—everything mixed into a suffocating chaos.
But he couldn't hear anything clearly.
Only one name—
Neela.
He tried to lift his head and look around.
Dark water, broken wood, floating debris… but Neela was nowhere.
"Neela!"
he shouted.
His voice was breaking, but he didn't stop.
A piece of wood floated toward him. He grabbed it, but his eyes were still searching—for just one face.
Suddenly—
He remembered.
That first night.
Neela's question—
"If I ever get lost… will you look for me?"
Something inside Arian hardened.
"I will find you,"
he said to himself,
"I will find you… wherever you are."
His body was getting weaker. The cold was slowly taking over him.
But just then—
A faint आवाज came from a distance.
"Over here…! Someone's alive!"
A small boat was approaching.
A few people were pulling survivors out of the water.
With his last bit of strength, Arian raised his hand.
His eyes were slowly closing.
Someone pulled him up.
Then everything went dark.
When he woke up—
There was silence all around.
A small cabin, dim light, a few injured people lying down.
Arian slowly tried to sit up.
His head felt heavy, his body full of pain.
But his first question—
"Neela… where is she?"
No one answered.
An old man looked at him with sympathy in his eyes.
"Many didn't survive,"
he said softly.
Arian's chest trembled.
"No… no… she's alive,"
he said, as if trying to convince himself,
"She won't leave me."
He tried to stand, but stumbled.
A man caught him.
"You need to rest,"
the man said,
"You're lucky to be alive."
Arian looked at him.
There was a strange fire in his eyes.
"I'm not lucky,"
he said slowly,
"If she didn't survive… then nothing survived."
Silence fell.
No one said anything.
Night grew deeper.
Everyone fell asleep.
But Arian couldn't.
He slowly got up and went outside.
The sky was full of stars.
The river was calm now—as if nothing had happened.
But beneath that calmness lay death, memories, and lost lives.
Arian stood looking at the water.
"If you're alive…"
he whispered,
"I will find you."
A soft wind blew past.
He felt something strange—
as if someone was standing very close to him.
He quickly turned back.
No one was there.
But—
For a moment, a reflection appeared on the water.
A face.
Neela.
And then it vanished.
Arian's heart skipped a beat.
"You're there…"
he said softly,
"You're somewhere."
Tears filled his eyes.
But within those tears, a determination was born.
This story is not over.
This is just the beginning.
Because some love—
never drowns.