Aman's phone finally caught a signal. It rang.
"Hello? Aman! Brother, where are you?" his friend's voice came through, loud and anxious.
Aman glanced at Saisha, then out the window at the relentless rain. "I'm still at the Airbnb. We were just about to leave."
A sudden urgency in his friend's voice, "No! Don't! Don't come here, bro. A massive landslide just happened. The road's destroyed. Stay right where you are. We're turning back. Once it clears, we'll come get you."
Aman's eyes widened for a second. "Oh… okay. Got it. We'll stay here, then. Be safe."
He hung up. In the car, down the hill…
Angel watched the call end, her nerves fraying.
"What happened? What did Aman say?"
The friend looked at her. Calmly, but with weight. "He's safe. Still at the Airbnb."
Angel leaned in, not hiding her eagerness. "So… he's on the way?"
The friend shook his head.
"No. He's staying back. We told him about the landslide. No one's getting through now. We're heading back to town."
Angel's heart dropped. Her plan had finally, officially, irreversibly failed.
She stared out the window, expression blank but soul in chaos. and somewhere high up in the misty hills, the rain washed down hard like a cleansing truth.
Aman and Saisha… were together. Alone.
Not by choice.Not by design.
But by fate.
Once again, the universe had pulled them back to each other. And this time, it wasn't letting go.
"Angel drugged me. I cannot believe… oh, I'm sorry, I know you wouldn't believe this either," Saisha said.
"I believe you, Saisha. I don't know… she's been acting weird, like she's not the same person I used to talk to," Aman replied. Then he added, "By the way, you were saying something the other day about you being 'the one'?"
"No, I was just trying to protect you from her, so I said whatever came to my mind."
She didn't even flinch while creating another lie, as if someone hadn't just tried to take advantage of her trust. She knew exactly what she was doing. I don't want him to know about me. I don't want all this. I'm tired, she thought, then casually changed the topic.
"You hungry?"
"Mmm… yeah." He noticed the sudden topic change but didn't comment.
Saisha walked into the kitchen to check if there was anything to eat.
"Anything?" Aman asked, following her in.
"Nope, but you can use your cooking skills… or else I'll die out of hunger."
"Yeah, sure." And then it clicked for him. "Wait… how do you know I know how to cook?"
She froze for a second, fumbling for words. "I saw you the other day… cooking for your so-called girlfriend."
Smart, Aman thought.
"Ohh, okay. Anyway… what ingredients do we have?"
He started cooking a meal with whatever ingredients they had. Saisha sat nearby, her eyes fixed on him, pinching herself to make sure it wasn't another dream; he was cooking, and she was watching.
Then, almost shyly, she picked up her guitar.
"You know how to sing, too?" he asked, glancing at her with a small smile. "Talented girl."
"Just a little… I took classes during my school summer break," she replied.
"Great. Then, as I'm cooking, you need to entertain me."
Saisha's heart skipped. She thought this might be the perfect time to sing that poetry, the one that would reveal who his real mystery girl was.
But fate had other plans. Just as she began to hum, his phone rang.
Aman picked it up, and his expression froze.
"Angel… is in the hospital ?" he repeated in shock.
Saisha's eyes widened. How low can this girl go?
Aman wasn't just a way for Angel to get revenge on Saisha anymore; he had become Angel's obsession. And she was ready to protect him in any way possible. In any way.
Aman had walked away without a second thought, leaving Saisha standing there, her world suddenly too quiet. Tears escaped before she could stop them. She couldn't believe what had just happened.
But then, his voice broke through, firm and unyielding."Saisha! Come on. I'm not leaving you here."
She turned and saw him with a bike, the engine still silent. He'd borrowed it from the owner, who was now showing him a map, explaining a different route. The main road was blocked by a landslide.
Saisha stayed near the bike, her fingers brushing the cold metal, her eyes fixed on him. He didn't look at her—not once. She sat quietly, the weight of unsaid words pressing against her chest.
Aman's jaw was tight, his gaze distant, every thought tangled up in Angel. But Saisha could feel it; beneath that wall of silence, there was something else. Something he was holding back. And the worst part was… she wasn't sure if it was for her.
When they reached the hospital, Aman rushed straight to his friend."What happened to Angel?"
"Bro… she started vomiting badly, and then she fainted. The doctors are saying she was poisoned."
"What? But how? When?"
"No idea… we'll talk to her once she regains consciousness."
Aman sat alone on the bench outside, his hands clasped, his mind racing. Saisha didn't go near him; she just stood at a distance, watching him, feeling like the air between them was slowly disappearing. She couldn't understand what was happening, but the heaviness in her chest was growing with every passing second.
After what felt like forever, Angel finally opened her eyes. Aman went to her immediately, followed by everyone else, Saisha too.
Angel's weak hand reached out for Aman, her voice trembling."I didn't know… baby, I didn't even know if I'd get to see you again."
"I'm here, Angel… but suddenly this? What did you eat?" Aman asked, his voice a mix of concern and confusion.
"I don't know, baby… I just had those sandwiches Saisha made."
And just like that, the entire room turned to look at Saisha.
As if that wasn't enough, Angel's eyes welled up, and she whispered between sobs,"Saisha… I never knew you hated me this much."
Saisha froze. Her heart sank as disbelief washed over her. Everyone's accusing eyes burned into her, and she knew… no one would believe her now.
She took a step back, her voice breaking."Trust me… I didn't do anything."
And before anyone could say a word, she walked away, feeling like the ground had been pulled from beneath her feet.