Chapter 3
Bad News
17 March 20XX
Siddharth woke up from his bed and followed his usual routine—shower, breakfast, and getting ready for school.
But something felt… off.
His body felt unusually heavy.
A strange dizziness lingered in his head, as if he hadn't rested at all.
Still, he ignored it.
"Maybe I'm just tired," he muttered.
And continued his day as usual.
---
At school, he met Kriti.
She looked at him carefully.
"You're looking very tired," she said.
Siddharth forced a small smile.
"Yeah… I guess so."
"Is it because of your system?"
"I don't know…"
Kriti sighed softly.
"For now, just focus on your health… dear."
Siddharth nodded.
After a brief silence, Kriti spoke again—
"Can we go on a date? It's been so long since we went anywhere together."
Siddharth's expression softened.
"Yeah… sure. I was thinking the same, but a lot of things happened, so I didn't say it."
Kriti smiled.
"Then let's meet on Sunday."
And just like that—
The day passed normally.
---
18 March 20XX
They met at Siddharth Vihar Subway, a place where almost no one usually came.
The surroundings were quiet.
Peaceful.
Perfect for them.
Kriti arrived without combing her hair—just like Siddharth had asked.
When they met, Siddharth greeted her with three beautiful gerbera flowers.
"So… how are you feeling?" he asked softly.
Kriti smiled.
"I've just been thinking about today's date. What about you?"
Siddharth looked at her.
"Just thinking about you."
She blushed slightly.
"How are we going to start our date? And why did you tell me not to comb my hair?"
Siddharth smiled.
"Because… we're going to comb each other's hair."
He opened his bag and took out a small portable chair, along with a comb and hair spray.
Kriti laughed.
"Seriously?"
Siddharth sat first.
"Your turn."
Kriti stood behind him and started combing his hair.
At first, she messed it up on purpose—making weird styles, laughing, and taking pictures of him.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Siddharth protested.
But she didn't stop laughing.
Then—
She carefully styled his hair properly.
And this time…
It looked perfect.
Siddharth was stunned.
"Wow…"
Now it was her turn.
Kriti sat down.
Siddharth gently combed her hair.
He gave her an open hairstyle with soft fringes—something she had never tried before.
But on her…
It looked beautiful beyond words.
For a moment, both of them just looked at each other.
Then they smiled.
They took pictures together, capturing those small, happy moments.
---
After that, they went to eat chole bhature.
They laughed, talked, and enjoyed every second.
Then they walked together, creating memories with every step.
At one point, Kriti asked softly—
"How did you fall in love with someone like me?"
Siddharth paused.
"I don't know… it just happened slowly."
Kriti smiled.
"Then tell me the whole story. How and when?"
Siddharth looked at the sky for a moment.
"Honestly… I always thought that whoever proposes to me, I'll stay loyal to her. I even told you that on the playground, remember?"
"Yeahhh," Kriti nodded.
"But then… I started developing feelings for you."
He smiled faintly.
"Maybe it was some sort of attraction at first…"
Then he looked at her.
"Do you remember that day after school… when you were going home with your friend?"
Kriti thought for a moment.
"Hmm… what about it?"
"I crossed you at that chowk… from behind."
He laughed softly.
"I pretended not to notice you… but I actually did. I thought these feelings were temporary."
He paused.
"But I couldn't ignore you."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"And then… in a very absurd way, I came up to you and said…"
He scratched his head, embarrassed.
"Would you like to give some treat to me ?"
Kriti burst out laughing.
"Seriously?!"
"Yeah…" Siddharth smiled awkwardly.
"I was that nervous."
He continued,
"I didn't know what to say… my mind just went blank."
A brief silence passed.
Then he continued—
"After a few time … on 13th February…"
His expression became a little more serious.
"I decided to properly confess."
"I even thought I would make it smooth… something special."
He looked at her.
"But when the moment came…"
He laughed at himself.
"I still didn't know what to say."
A pause.
"So… while giving you that drink…"
He exhaled slowly.
"I just said—"
'I am proposing you…'
Kriti looked at him, surprised for a moment… then smiled softly.
"Ohhh…"
"And yeah…" Siddharth continued, "after that, everything just moved forward. I proposed to you… and the rest—you already know."
There was silence.
A warm, comforting silence.
Siddharth gently held her hand.
"I promise… I will never leave you."
Kriti tightened her grip.
"I'm always with you."
They exchanged matching keychains as a memory of that day.
A small promise.
A small bond.
---
After the date, Siddharth returned home.
He had dinner.
And went to sleep.
Everything felt perfect.
Too perfect.
---
Somewhere else…
In a dark room—
Siddharth's friend, Raghav, suddenly felt something strange.
A cold presence.
An unexplainable fear.
The air became heavy.
Then—
A black shadow appeared.
It slowly took shape…
And looked exactly like Siddharth.
But its eyes—
Were filled with something terrifying.
It stared at Raghav…
As if it wanted to kill him.
Raghav's body froze.
Fear consumed him completely.
And then—
He screamed.
"HELPPPPPPPP!!!!!"