Chapter 2: The One She Remembered
The room felt suffocating.
Arjun stood near the door, his fingers clenched tightly, as if he was holding himself together from breaking apart.
"Aanya… are you okay?" Rohan's voice was filled with concern as he gently held her hand.
Aanya looked at him, her eyes softening.
"I'm fine now… you came."
Those simple words felt like a knife twisting in Arjun's chest.
Came.
As if he hadn't been there all along.
As if he didn't spend every second beside her lifeless body, praying she would open her eyes.
"Of course I came," Rohan said with a small smile.
"How could I not?"
He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, his touch gentle… familiar.
Too familiar.
Arjun's gaze darkened.
Something didn't feel right.
"You remember me?" Rohan asked softly.
Aanya nodded slowly.
"Not everything… but your name… your face… I remember you."
Arjun's heart sank deeper.
Out of everyone…
She remembered him.
Why?
Rohan let out a relieved breath and smiled, squeezing her hand slightly.
"Good… that's enough."
Enough?
Arjun's brows furrowed slightly.
Why did that sound… strange?
Aanya's eyes suddenly shifted toward Arjun, who was still standing silently near the door.
"Arjun…" she called softly.
For a moment, his heart reacted instantly.
He stepped forward.
"Yes?"
She hesitated.
Then asked the question that shattered him once again—
"Were we… really just friends?"
The room went silent.
Rohan's grip on her hand tightened slightly.
Arjun noticed.
Everything slowed down.
His mind screamed the truth—
Tell her.
Tell her she was yours.
Tell her she loved you.
But his lips didn't move.
Instead, he forced a faint smile.
"Yeah… just friends."
Aanya looked at him carefully, as if trying to read something hidden behind his eyes.
But before she could say anything—
Rohan spoke.
"You shouldn't stress yourself," he said calmly.
"Doctor said you need rest."
His tone was polite.
But something about it felt… controlling.
Arjun's eyes narrowed slightly.
He didn't like this.
Not at all.
"Rohan…" Aanya said softly, "what were we?"
The question hung in the air.
Arjun's heartbeat grew louder.
He waited.
This answer mattered.
More than anything.
Rohan paused for a second.
Then smiled gently.
"We were… close."
Close?
That was it?
Arjun frowned.
That answer was too vague.
Too safe.
Aanya seemed confused.
"Close… how?"
Rohan chuckled lightly.
"You always asked too many questions," he said, trying to change the topic.
But Arjun noticed it.
He was avoiding something.
And that's when a strange feeling crept into Arjun's mind.
A doubt.
A sharp… uncomfortable doubt.
"Doctor ne kaha tha rest karna hai," Arjun suddenly spoke, his voice calm but firm.
"You both can talk later."
Rohan's eyes shifted toward him.
For a brief moment…
The air turned cold.
There was something in Rohan's gaze.
Something dark.
Something hidden.
But just as quickly, it disappeared.
He smiled again.
"Yeah, you're right."
Aanya slowly lay back on the bed.
Her eyes still moved between the two of them.
Something felt off.
She couldn't explain it.
But her heart felt… uneasy.
"Arjun…" she called again softly.
He immediately stepped closer.
"Yes?"
She looked at him for a few seconds.
Then whispered—
"I don't remember you… but when you're far, it feels… wrong."
Arjun froze.
For the first time…
Hope flickered again.
But before he could say anything—
Rohan stood up.
"I'll get the doctor," he said.
Without waiting for a response, he walked out of the room.
The moment the door closed—
The silence changed.
Aanya slowly turned her head toward Arjun.
Her expression was no longer confused.
It was… serious.
"Arjun," she said quietly,
"there's something strange."
His heart skipped a beat.
"What?"
She hesitated.
Then spoke slowly—
"When I look at him… I remember his name."
She paused.
"But when I look at you…"
Her fingers tightened around the bedsheet.
"My heart starts racing… like I'm about to lose something important."
Arjun's breath got stuck.
"And there's something else…" Aanya continued, her voice trembling slightly.
"Just now… when he touched my hand…"
She looked down.
"I felt… scared."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Dangerous.
Arjun's eyes darkened.
That was it.
That one sentence was enough.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
And for the first time—
A dangerous thought crossed his mind.
What if… Rohan isn't what he seems?
Meanwhile…
Outside the room—
Rohan stood still.
His smile was gone.
His expression cold.
His eyes emotionless.
He slowly took out his phone and made a call.
"She remembers me," he said in a low voice.
A pause.
Then—
"But not him."
A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"Everything is going according to plan."