Chapter 3: The Line Between Watchful and Dangerous
It started with a smile.
Now, it was starting to feel like a hunt.
Avni sat on her bed, her knees pulled to her chest, her mind restless. The letter from the library was still in her bag. She hadn't shown it to anyone. Not Tanya, not even her diary.
Something about it felt... personal.
But not in a sweet way.
In a way that made her look behind her back twice.
She had deleted the unknown message from before, telling herself it was a prank. But now?
Now it felt like someone was walking beside her, without footsteps.
---
The next morning, she entered class and paused.
Her chair—had fresh lilies on it.
Not a bouquet. Just two white lilies, gently placed.
Her favorite flowers.
No card. No name.
But someone knew.
Tanya rushed in and laughed, "Ooh! Someone has a secret admirer!"
Avni tried to play along, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.
She looked around.
He was there.
Same row. Same blank notebook in front of him.
Aarav wasn't writing.
Just watching.
Their eyes met.
This time, she looked away first.
---
During break, she went to the library again. But she didn't sit at her usual place. She sat in the corner — a spot with mirrors on both sides.
She wanted to see him.
If he followed.
Ten minutes passed.
And then — he entered.
His eyes scanned the usual second-row seat. Empty.
Then he turned. Their eyes met through the reflection.
He paused. Walked to a random shelf. Picked a book blindly. And left.
Avni's heartbeat thundered.
It wasn't a coincidence.
---
Later that night, rain began again.
She stood at her window, arms folded, watching water slide down the glass. Her phone buzzed.
Blocked number. Another message.
> You moved seats today. That's okay. I understand. People fear what they don't try to know. I'm not a danger, Avni. I'm just... always around to make sure you're safe.
She felt her skin crawl.
She deleted the message immediately, but the fear stayed.
Safe? From what?
Or from whom?
She didn't want to believe it was him.
But who else?
---
Meanwhile…
Aarav sat in his room — walls covered in Avni's moments frozen in time.
A childhood photo of her from Facebook.
A video clip slowed down of her dancing at the college fest.
Even the library receipt she once threw in the trash. He had it.
He took out an old, worn-down notebook.
On the first page was a single name:
Rhea.
He stared at it, eyes cold.
"She smiled too," he whispered.
---
Flashback — 3 years ago
Aarav was just 17. Quieter than now. Always alone. His only escape was books. Books and that girl — Rhea — the one who had once offered him a chocolate in class without asking anything.
She smiled and said, "You look like you need it more than me."
That moment had clung to his brain like a tattoo on the soul.
He had followed her everywhere — silently, like a ghost.
Until one day, Rhea confronted him.
Laughed. Mocked. Told her friends.
They laughed too.
And something inside Aarav snapped.
The next week, Rhea left school.
Rumors spread — her father had been transferred suddenly.
But the truth?
Only Aarav knew what he had done.
Only Aarav knew what he could do.
---
Back to present
Aarav closed the notebook.
Avni was not Rhea.
Avni was different.
She was meant for him. She just didn't know it yet.
But she would.
---
Next Day
Avni made a decision.
She walked straight up to Aarav during the break. He was alone near the staircase, reading as usual.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked.
He looked up slowly. "Of course."
Avni took a deep breath. "Are you the one… sending me those messages?"
Aarav stared at her — not shocked, not embarrassed. Just calm.
"Does it scare you?" he asked, voice quiet.
She paused. "I just want to know."
Aarav didn't blink. "I would never hurt you."
"That's not an answer."
He closed his book, stood up — tall, composed, intense.
"I watch you because I care," he said. "Others… they look at you for the wrong reasons. I don't. I notice things they miss. You bite your lip when you're nervous. You look at your phone three times before sending a message. You say you're okay when you're clearly not."
Avni stepped back.
"Aarav, this isn't care. This is—"
"Love," he interrupted softly.
"No." Her voice sharpened. "This is obsession."
Aarav smiled. A slow, chilling smile.
"You'll understand. One day."
He walked away before she could say anything.
Leaving her heart racing.
And her skin cold.
---
That night, she got another note.
This time, slipped inside her dorm room under the door.
> Even if the whole world turns away from you, I'll still be here. Watching. Waiting. Loving. Because you smiled once. And I was never the same again.
---
To Be Continued...