Aryan took a step forward, his voice firm but thick with emotion. "Just wait for me, Aarohi," he said, eyes locked onto hers. "I know you think pushing me away will protect me—but I don't care. I'm not giving up on you. I'll do everything I can to save you. No matter what it takes, I'll find a way."
There was a long pause. The silence between them stretched like a fragile thread on the verge of snapping.
Aarohi stood still, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, that familiar cold smile tugged at her lips. It was a smile that didn't reach her eyes. It wasn't the Aarohi he once knew—the one who used to laugh with the wind, who once cried in the rain, who once believed in happy endings. That girl was buried somewhere deep now, under layers of secrets and shadows.
Without saying a word, she turned away. Her footsteps echoed faintly on the cracked pavement as she began to walk off into the dark alley ahead.
"Aarohi!" Aryan called out, desperate to keep her near.
She stopped—but didn't turn around. Her voice floated back to him, calm and cold.
"You shouldn't do this, Aryan," she said. "It's dangerous. I've said the same words to others before. Brave souls who wanted to help… and now no one even knows where they are."
A chill ran down Aryan's spine. Her words weren't just a warning—they were a reality check. She wasn't bluffing.
"Don't put yourself in danger for me," she added, more softly now, almost like a plea.
But Aryan didn't back down. His heart pounded, his fists clenched at his sides. "I already am in danger, Aarohi. But I'm not afraid of it. I'd rather be in danger than live with the guilt of doing nothing. Just this once… believe in me."
He stood there, waiting for something—anything—from her. A look. A word. A sign.
But Aarohi simply walked away, disappearing into the shadows.
For a moment, Aryan stood frozen, unsure if he had lost her for good.
That's when Meera came up behind him, breathless, her eyes wide with concern.
"Aryan, no. Don't do this," she said, grabbing his arm. "Please. This is too much. You don't know what you're getting into. Aarohi… she's not the same anymore. She's not telling you everything. She never does."
Aryan looked at her, but she could already see it in his eyes—his mind was made up.
"Meera," he said quietly, "you have to trust me. I know she's changed. I know there's something dark going on. But that's exactly why I can't walk away. Maybe everyone else disappeared because they didn't know her like I do. But I do. I won't let her drown in this alone."
Meera's voice shook. "And what if you drown with her?"
Aryan didn't answer right away. His gaze followed the path Aarohi had vanished down, the air thick with danger, the night too silent.
"Then I drown trying," he whispered. "But I won't regret it."
With that, he turned and walked away—into the night, into the unknown, after the girl who didn't want to be saved… but who might still need saving.
Meera stood alone now, her heart thudding in her chest. The wind picked up, carrying with it a sense of something dark coming closer. She whispered into the silence, "Please come back, Aryan…"
But the darkness gave no reply.