Episode 5

Author POV:

The next letter arrived at sunrise.

Arvisha found it tucked neatly between the pages of her notebook—an elegant contrast of ink against her messy scribbles. Her pulse quickened as she traced the familiar handwriting.

"Sometimes, the best stories aren’t written with ink—they are lived in silence, between stolen glances and unsaid words."

Her fingers trembled slightly. There was something about this letter that felt different. Closer. More intimate.

She glanced around her quiet bedroom, as if expecting someone to step out of the shadows. But, of course, no one was there.

She bit her lip. How was this happening? The notebook had been inside her room all night. Which meant…

Someone had slipped it in when she wasn’t looking.

A shiver ran down her spine.

Who are you?

The question echoed in her mind as she quickly grabbed her phone.

Arvisha: Come over. Now.

Mehru’s reply was instant.

Mehru: Is this about the letters?

Arvisha: Yes.

Mehru: On my way!

Fifteen minutes later, Mehru burst into the room, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Okay, tell me everything.”

Arvisha wordlessly handed her the letter. Mehru’s expression shifted as she read it, her playful smirk softening into something more serious.

“This is… intense,” she murmured.

Arvisha crossed her arms. “I know.”

Mehru’s gaze snapped to hers. “And you found it inside your notebook?”

Arvisha nodded. “Which was inside my room all night.”

Mehru’s eyes widened. “Wait. You mean—”

“Someone had to have placed it there.”

Mehru sucked in a breath. “That means whoever this is… they’re closer than we thought.”

Arvisha swallowed hard. The thought sent a mix of fear and thrill rushing through her veins.

“Okay, okay,” Mehru said, pacing the room. “We need a plan. We have suspects, right?”

Arvisha exhaled. “There’s Kabir.”

Mehru nodded. “And Vayansh.”

Arvisha blinked. “What?”

Mehru shrugged. “Look, I’m just saying—it’s always the mysterious ones.”

Arvisha shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. Vayansh barely speaks to me.”

Mehru smirked. “Exactly.”

Arvisha groaned. “This isn’t a movie.”

Mehru held up her hands. “Fine, fine. But we need to do something.”

Arvisha hesitated. She wanted to know the truth, but part of her was afraid of what she’d find.

Still, one thing was clear.

This mystery wasn’t going to solve itself.

Vayansh leaned against the cool railing of his balcony, the city stretching endlessly before him.

The night breeze carried a familiar weight—the kind that came with secrets too heavy to hold.

Shaurya’s voice broke through the silence.

“You’re playing a dangerous game.”

Vayansh didn’t turn around. “I know.”

Shaurya sighed. “So why keep going?”

Vayansh exhaled slowly. “Because I want to see what happens next.”

Shaurya studied him. “And what if she finds out?”

Vayansh’s grip tightened. That was the question, wasn’t it?

Would she be angry? Would she walk away?

Or… would she understand?

Shaurya shook his head. “You’re overthinking this.”

Vayansh smirked. “And you’re underthinking it.”

Shaurya rolled his eyes. “Fine. But if this backfires, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Vayansh didn’t respond.

Because the truth was—he wasn’t sure he could stop.

The next evening, Arvisha found herself at the café, her eyes darting around the room.

She wasn’t sure what she was looking for. A clue? A sign? A reaction?

Kiran Uncle set down her usual coffee with a knowing smile.

“Deep thoughts today?”

Arvisha managed a small laugh. “Something like that.”

The older man wiped his hands on a cloth, his gaze thoughtful. “You know, sometimes answers come when you stop looking so hard.”

Arvisha frowned. “What do you mean?”

Kiran Uncle simply chuckled and walked away.

Arvisha sighed. That wasn’t exactly helpful.

Her gaze flickered to a familiar figure entering the café.

Vayansh.

He moved with quiet confidence, his sharp features unreadable as he took a seat near the window.

For a moment, she hesitated. Then, before she could second-guess herself, she grabbed her notebook and walked over.

He looked up as she approached, his dark eyes steady.

“Mind if I sit?” she asked.

He raised an eyebrow but gestured to the chair across from him.

She took a deep breath. “I need to ask you something.”

Vayansh tilted his head slightly. “Alright.”

She hesitated. How was she supposed to ask this?

Are you the one writing me anonymous love letters?

Instead, she cleared her throat. “Do you believe that words can reveal more than actions?”

Vayansh studied her for a long moment. Then, he leaned forward slightly, his voice low.

“Words have power,” he said. “But it depends on who’s writing them.”

Her heart pounded.

Was that an answer? A hint?

Before she could press further, a familiar voice interrupted them.

“Arvisha?”

She turned to find Kabir standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable.

And just like that, the tension in the air shifted.

Arvisha felt Vayansh’s gaze on her, sharp and assessing, as if he was waiting for her reaction. But her focus was now on Kabir, who took a slow step forward.

She cleared her throat. “Kabir… hey.”

Kabir gave her a small smile. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I… come here often,” she said, suddenly aware of how awkward this moment was.

Kabir’s gaze flickered toward Vayansh, his expression unreadable. “I see you have company.”

Vayansh didn’t react, merely stirring his coffee with a calculated slowness.

Arvisha hesitated. “Uh, yeah. We were just—”

“Talking about words,” Vayansh finished smoothly, his tone neutral.

Kabir’s lips curled slightly. “Words?”

Arvisha swallowed. “Yeah, um… just discussing something.”

Kabir’s expression didn’t change, but there was something in his eyes—something she couldn’t quite read.

“Well,” he said, slipping his hands into his pockets. “I won’t interrupt. But we should talk later.”

Arvisha nodded hesitantly. “Sure.”