Love Before Graduation-Chapter 66: Where He Left Me

Last Evening...

He had said, "See you tomorrow, Aira."

That was it. His last words. I replayed them a thousand times. Each word crawled under my skin.

I picked up my phone. His name still flashed in the call log, as if he was still here. I pressed the button. Once...twice...five times...no answer.

I opened the messages. My fingers trembled. Typing was hard.

Aira: Shubh?

Aira: This is a joke, right? Tell me this is all a lie.

Aira: Please.

Silence. And then, a reply.

Unknown: Shubh will not answer anymore.

My palms went cold. This wasn't Shubh. Someone else had picked up his phone. Someone "unknown."

Mom didn't stop me. Maybe she had read my face. I ran. Jumped down the stairs two at a time. Knocked on the suhinas door so hard, even his mother flinched. The door opened. Her face was swollen, eyes puffy.

"Aira..."

"Where is Suhina?"

"In her room. She hasn't come out since morning."

I walked in without stopping. freewebnσvel.cøm

Suhina was on the floor. Knees pulled to her chest, face buried in her hands. Her eyes were red. I called her name, "Suhina..."

She lifted her head. Something was broken in her eyes.

"You came to blame me too, didn't you?" Her voice was cracked.

"What? No...I—"

"Everyone says I rejected him, that's why he died. He loved me. When did I ask him to? When did I ever demand his love?" Her voice trembled.

The room drowned in silence. Her eyes were looking at me, but I was somewhere else. Somewhere in that moment when he had said, "See you tomorrow."

I didn't say anything. I just watched her break. Maybe I too was sinking into that same crack.

That night, sleep came in fragments. My head was heavy with pain. I closed my eyes, and there was only darkness.

I was running .

Black smoke everywhere. Footsteps echoed in my ears. Someone was following me.

"Aira..."

I turned around. It was Shubh. Standing far away. His eyes hollow, face pale. Shadows were wrapping around him. His lips moved.

"I trusted you."

My throat went dry. "I didn't know."

"Then why didn't you stop me?"

His voice cracked.

"Shubh, I didn't know!"

He took a step forward. "I want Suhina, Aira. Just give me Suhina."

His hand reached out towards me. I wanted to scream. No sound came out.

I woke up drenched in sweat. Kyara was holding me. Mom sat beside me.

"You were crying in your sleep," Mom said.

I didn't say anything. Just buried my face in her chest. Cried for a long time.

I don't know if I was scared of the dream or the reality that maybe Shubh was never going to leave.