"Hey, Krish," a voice calls from behind.

I don't need to turn to know who it is, but I look back anyway. Sure enough, Vishal is striding towards me, with Nisha beside him. She flashes me a smile, but there's a hint of nervousness beneath it.

For the past few days, I've noticed something strange. Every time I bring up Vishal, Nisha seems to tense up, and she avoids giving me straight answers. It's almost like she's hiding something-or maybe, she's just uncomfortable around him.

"What's up, buddy?" Vishal's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

I don't smile. My gaze drifts to his hand, tightly gripping Nisha's waist. She's clearly uncomfortable, trying to nudge his hand away with her elbow, but he doesn't budge. The sight makes my fists clench.

I step forward, wrapping an arm around his neck in what looks like a friendly gesture, pulling him close enough to speak low in his ear.

"Tujhe kya lagta hai, mujhe kuch dikh nahi raha? Kya karne ki koshish kar raha hai, Vishal?" I whisper, my tone laced with barely-contained fury.

"Main sirf chup hoon iska matlab yeh nahi ki tu kuch bhi kar sakta hai."

For a moment, I see the flicker of fear in his eyes. But then, he shoves me away, dusting off his shirt as if nothing happened.

He mutters something about having a class and leaves, throwing a last glance at Nisha, promising to meet her later.

As soon as he's out of sight, Nisha turns to me, her eyes curious.

"Kya kaha tune usko? Aise achanak chala gaya bina kuch kahe?"

I shrug, wrapping my arm around her shoulders protectively. She narrows her eyes at me, clearly suspicious.

I let out a laugh.

"Kuch nahi, bas uchal raha tha bohot, toh thoda seedha kar diya."

She rolls her eyes not believing me at all.

'Chal ab yeh ankhen mat dikha aur ice-cream khane chalte hain...bohut din ho gye hum ek sath nahi khaay'

I asked dragging her with me and hearing the word ice-cream ,her excitement got no bound.

Nisha's POV:-

A few weeks later, today, Vishal told me he'd take me somewhere special. When I asked where, he just smiled and replied, "It's a surprise, baby. You'll find out when we get there."

He even brought me a red bodycon dress that stops just above my knees. It's beautiful, but more than excitement, I feel a twinge of nervousness. It's not that I don't want to go out with him, but sometimes his behavior unsettles me. There's an intensity in his eyes, in his touch, that I can't ignore.

I remember what Krish told me yesterday.

"Nishu?" he called softly, his voice full of that familiar concern.

I hummed in response, not looking up from my phone.

"If you're going on this date, keep your phone's location on at all times, okay?" he said, his tone unusually serious.

I looked up, surprised. "Why? Why are you suddenly saying things like this?"

He gave me that look, the one that's half-scold, half-worry. "Jab kuch keh raha hoon na toh use kar...zada questions mat kar."

"But why, Krish?" I pressed, reaching out to hold his hand. "Why are you saying this? He's my boyfriend. I trust him. He'll not do anything against my wish"

He shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Tu nahi samjhegi, Nisha. Yeh sirf ek ladka hi samajh sakta hai... doosre ladke ke andar kya chal raha hai."

There was something in his eyes that made me pause-a mix of protectiveness and a quiet warning.

Without thinking any more, I put my location on and got ready as Vishal would now come anytime.

Within fifteen minutes, I was ready. I tied my hair back in a loose, casual style, allowing a few strands to frame my face. Keeping my makeup minimal, I brushed on a soft line of kajal, a sweep of mascara to open up my eyes, and finished with a touch of lip gloss. It was simple yet felt like just enough.

Taking a final look in the mirror, I took a deep breath, steeling myself for the evening ahead.

Vishal stopped the bike in front of a fancy restaurant. I could tell it was expensive-far beyond the places we usually went. My stomach tightened a little as I took it all in.

"Vishal, tum yaha kyu lekar aaye?" I asked, glancing back at him as I got off the bike.

"Surprise, baby!" he said with a grin, pulling me into a quick hug.

His casual use of "baby" always made me cringe a bit, but I tried to ignore it.

"Vishal, but it's too costly... Hum kahi aur jaate hain na? Something simpler?" I suggested, hoping to ease my growing discomfort.

He smirked and shook his head. "I've already booked the room," he said, giving me a wink.

"Room? What... Room?" I asked, startled, my eyes widening in confusion.

"Yeah, the ground floor is the restaurant," he explained, "and they've got rooms on the second and third floors. I thought we'd make a whole night of it, you know? We can have dinner privately, just the two of us."

Before I could say anything, his hand slid around my waist as he started guiding me inside.

Vishal took the room keys from the receptionist with a quick nod, barely sparing me a glance before guiding me straight to the staircase.

His grip on my hand felt oddly firm, almost as if he feared I might change my mind. With each step we took up to the third floor, a gnawing sense of unease began to build in my chest.

My mind kept drifting back to Krish's warning-his voice echoing in my head like a distant alarm I couldn't ignore.

"Yeh sirf ek ladka hi samajh sakta hai... doosre ladke ke andar kya chal raha hai."

I swallowed hard, feeling my pulse quicken as we reached the door to the room. There was a smoothness to Vishal's actions, an easy familiarity as he unlocked the door and gestured for me to enter first.

He was smiling, but something in his eyes felt different, sharper somehow. I hesitated , forcing myself to take a steadying breath.

I didn't want to ruin the evening he'd clearly put effort into planning, yet a strange tension was knotting in my stomach.

"Come on, baby," he said, nudging me gently, that endearment making me cringe even more now.

I stepped inside, feeling the plush carpet underfoot and catching the faint scent of roses mixed with something heavier-cologne, maybe?

___________________________