The ringtone cut through the darkness like a blade.

Siya froze.

Her phone screen glowed against her trembling hands.

UNKNOWN NUMBER

Rain hammered against the windows now, violent and relentless. Somewhere downstairs, her mother complained about the power cut while searching for candles, but the sound felt distant-muted beneath the thunder crashing inside Siya's chest.

The phone kept ringing.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

"Pick up," Aaru whispered through the still-connected video call. Her tiny face flickered weakly before the call lagged. "Siya, don't be stupid. Don't pick up. Wait-actually maybe pick up? Oh God, why is this becoming a Netflix thriller?"

The call disconnected.

No signal.

The unknown number continued ringing.

Siya swallowed hard and answered.

"...hello?"

For a moment, there was only static.

Then a man's low voice.

"Your inverter will restart in exactly thirty seconds."

Her blood turned cold.

"What?"

"Don't panic," he said calmly. Too calmly. "Lightning hit the transformer near the market. The backup will return soon."

Siya stood abruptly from her bed.

"How do you know that?"

Silence.

Then-

"You skipped lunch."

Fear crashed into anger so suddenly it made her dizzy.

"Who ARE you?" she snapped, voice shaking. "What do you want from me?!"

Thunder growled outside.

The man exhaled softly, almost tired.

"You already know who I am."

The inverter clicked on.

Lights flooded her room again.

Exactly thirty seconds.

Siya's stomach dropped.

"No," she whispered.

On the other side of the call, Shashwat stood alone on the balcony of his penthouse, rain soaking through his black shirt while the city glittered below him like a corrupted constellation.

"You looked back at the temple," he murmured. "Most people wouldn't have."

Siya gripped the phone tighter. "You're insane."

"Probably."

"You've been following me."

"Yes."

"That's not romantic, you psycho!"

A pause.

Then unexpectedly-

"I know."

That answer stunned her more than denial would have.

No manipulation.

No excuses.

Just brutal honesty.

Siya started pacing her room. "Then stop!"

Another silence stretched between them.

When Shashwat spoke again, his voice had changed. Softer now. Dangerous in an entirely different way.

"If I stop watching," he said quietly, "someone else will."

A chill crawled down her spine.

"What does that mean?"

"You should lock your balcony door tonight."

Her heart nearly stopped.

"What?"

"I'm handling it."

"Handling WHAT?!"

But the line disconnected.

11:48 PM

Siya checked the balcony twice.

Then three times.

Nothing was there except rainwater dripping from the railing and the distant barking of stray dogs.

Still, she locked the door.

Then pushed a chair against it.

Then another.

By midnight she was sitting on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest, textbooks forgotten beside her.

Her phone buzzed again.

This time it was a message from Aaru.

> Tell me you blocked Batman Mafia.

Siya typed back instantly.

> HE KNOWS ABOUT MY INVERTER.

Aaru replied immediately.

> Okay no that's actually terrifying.

Another message appeared before Siya could respond.

Unknown Number.

> Drink water before sleeping. Stress headaches start behind your left eye first.

Siya's breathing hitched.

Because her head had already started hurting there.

7:00 AM - The Next Morning

The campus buzzed with exam panic.

Students rushed through corridors holding notes and half-finished assignments while professors threatened surprise tests nobody was emotionally prepared for.

Siya sat beneath a tree near the commerce block, aggressively memorizing economics formulas while sipping terrible canteen coffee.

Aaru dropped beside her dramatically.

"You look horrible."

"Thank you."

"You have eye bags."

"You're such a supportive friend."

Aaru snatched the notebook from her hands. "No, seriously. You need sleep. Also preferably therapy."

Siya opened her mouth to respond-

Then stopped.

Across the road outside campus gates, a black motorcycle stood parked beneath the shade of a gulmohar tree.

The rider wore a black helmet.

Completely still.

Watching.

Aaru followed her gaze and immediately went pale.

"Oh hell no."

The biker lifted one gloved hand slightly.

Not waving.

Acknowledging.

Then rode away.

Siya's phone vibrated.

Unknown Number.

> Study first.

Panic later, Meera.

She stared at the message so long that Aaru finally whispered-

"Siya..."

"...yeah?"

"I think your stalker is emotionally intelligent."

Siya looked horrified.

"That's WORSE."

To be continued