The signal connected at exactly 2:17 AM again.
Ayaan didn't sleep anymore.
He waited for her.
The screen flickered…
And then—
ZARA: Are you there?
Ayaan's heart raced.
AYAAN: I've been waiting.
There was a pause. Three dots blinking.
He imagined her biting her lip. Thinking. Smiling maybe.
ZARA: I shouldn't be talking to you. This feels crazy.
But I feel like I know you.
Ayaan leaned back in his chair, staring at the dark lab ceiling.
"Maybe because we're meant to," he typed… then erased it.
Too intense.
Instead he wrote:
AYAAN: What do you dream about?
Her reply came slower this time.
ZARA: A boy standing under a sky full of stars.
He looks lonely. Like he's waiting for someone.
Ayaan's breath stopped.
That was him.
He had stood on the institute rooftop almost every night for years.
AYAAN: What does he look like?
Several seconds passed.
Then—
ZARA: Like you.
Silence filled the lab.
Across twenty years…
Across time itself…
She had seen him.
💕 Romantic Tension Builds
The next few nights became their secret world.
She told him about 2025 — crowded cafes, rainy evenings, her fear of thunderstorms.
He told her about 2045 — flying metro rails, silent AI cities, how the stars looked dimmer because of pollution shields.
One night she asked softly:
ZARA: Do I exist in your time?
Ayaan froze.
He had searched her name.
He found an article.
"Local Artist Zara Khan Dies in Car Accident, 2030."
His chest tightened.
But he couldn't tell her.
Not yet.
AYAAN: Yes… you exist.
He hated himself for lying.
🛰 Meanwhile… Somewhere in 2045
Deep inside a secure underground facility, a red alarm flashed.
TEMPORAL ANOMALY DETECTED.
A large screen displayed signal coordinates —
Origin: 2025
Destination: Delhi Institute of Space Technology Lab 7
A woman in a black uniform watched the screen calmly.
Director Mehra.
Head of the Temporal Surveillance Bureau (TSB) — a secret government agency created to monitor illegal time communication.
"No one is authorized to access the past," she said coldly.
A technician spoke nervously,
"Ma'am… the signal is recurring. Same time every night."
Mehra's eyes narrowed.
"Track the sender."
On the monitor, Ayaan's face appeared through the lab camera.
"Interesting," she whispered.
"A young scientist playing with destiny."
She turned to her team.
"Prepare containment protocol.
If he alters the timeline… millions could die."
🌙 Back to Ayaan & Zara
That night, Zara's messages felt different.
ZARA: Ayaan… can I ask something strange?
AYAAN: Always.
ZARA: If you could change the future… would you? Even if it destroyed everything?
His heart pounded.
Did she feel it too?
Was time already reacting?
AYAAN: I would change anything… to save someone I love.
He didn't plan to write that.
Silence.
Long silence.
Then—
ZARA: Love?
Ayaan swallowed.
Too soon.
Too dangerous.
But true.
AYAAN: Maybe… I'm starting to.
Minutes passed.
Then the reply came, soft and shaking:
ZARA: I think I am too.
The lab lights suddenly flickered.
Warning alarms blinked on his console.
UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED.
The signal destabilized.
"Zara!" he typed desperately.
Her final message appeared distorted:
ZARA: Ayaan… someone is watching—
The screen went black.
Connection lost.