The Midnight Whisper — Ishq Aur Intezar

It was a chilly evening when Parimal’s phone buzzed with a familiar notification.

Ria: I saw you today… again

Parimal smiled, tapping out a response while leaning back against the wall. The playful tone in her messages was something he had come to enjoy.

Parimal: Haha, where..?

Ria: You were with three of your friends. You, on the left, wearing a black shirt, outside the auditorium hall.

Parimal chuckled. Ria was always noticing the small details, wasn’t she?

Parimal: Yupp — Ahaan! Someone’s stalking me, huh? wink wink

Ria: Look who’s talking! ‘Someone’ started this whole ‘I saw you’ streak, and suddenly, I’m the culprit :)

Her teasing always made Parimal grin, and tonight was no exception.

Parimal: Hehe, just messing with you. Can’t blame me though — you’re just too adorable to leave alone ;)

Ria: And you are…just too cheesy with words these days :) But hey, I spotted you first this time, which means I win! ;)

Parimal smirked, quickly typing back.

Parimal: Cheesy…? Ouch. That hurts… But, I mean, I can’t ever win against you anyway, right? It’s always a tie at best.

Ria: And why’s that?

Parimal paused, fingers hovering over the keys, enjoying the moment before replying.

Parimal: Because between winning and you, I’d always pick you. So, I win either way

There was a long pause before her response, and Parimal could almost picture her rolling her eyes and laughing.

She: Parimal, seriously… Where do you even get these lines from? You’re tooo cheesy!

Parimal chuckled softly, heart light as he replied.

Parimal: Ouch again, Ria! You wound me! But you know I’m not lying — I just speak the words your heart whispers to mine. So really, these are your lines ;)

There was a moment of silence before her message popped up again.

Ria: Haha, you’re pretty smooth, you know. Even he’s smiling now.

Parimal frowned, curious.

Parimal: Uhmm, who’s “he”?

Ria: My uncle.

Parimal blinked, caught off guard by her casual mention.

Parimal: Wait, so your uncle’s been reading our conversation this whole time?

Ria: Relax! He’s chill. Besides, I already scolded him for laughing at us.

Parimal laughed, though something felt a little… off.

Parimal: You scolded him? Why was he laughing?

Ria: No idea, he was just laughing hysterically for some reason. He does that sometimes.

Parimal felt a strange unease creeping up.

Parimal: So… is he okay now?

Ria: Actually… he passed away last year.

Parimal stared at his phone screen.

Parimal: …

Ria: Yeah, he was in a coma and had a heart attack. He didn’t make it.

Parimal felt a chill run down his spine.

Parimal: I’m really sorry to hear that, Aaradhya… but you said he was just laughing a minute ago?

Ria: Parimal, chill. I scolded him already. He’s quiet now. Let me show you —

Before Parimal could even process her words, a photo arrived on his phone: her uncle, smiling eerily in a way that made his skin crawl.

Parimal: Ria… do you realize it’s 1 AM?

Ria: Oh, a new day has started! Actually, today is his death anniversary. Would you come with me to visit him at the cemetery?

Parimal heart was pounding in his chest now.

Parimal: Ria, this isn’t funny…

Ria: I’m not joking. It all happened today.

Parimal sat up, eyes darting around his dimly lit room, a sudden chill in the air.

Parimal: J-Just give me a second…

At that moment, his roommate, Trivedi, opened the door, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

Trivedi: Parimal, who are you talking to this late? Looks like someone’s busy, huh? ;)

Parimal looked up at him, still in shock. Bro… I just saw a picture of a dead guy… at 1 AM.

Trivedi raised an eyebrow.

Trivedi: Okay, but who’s messaging you?

Parimal: She’s a friend — Ria. You know her, right?

Trivedi’s face darkened, concern flashing across his features.

Trivedi: Parimal… there’s no girl named Ria in our batch.

Parimal blood ran cold.

Parimal: No, but I was just… talking to her.

Trivedi: Show me your call log and messages.

Parimal handed him his phone, hands shaking. When Trivedi opened the chat, his face paled.

Trivedi: Parimal it’s blank.

Parimal heart dropped into his stomach. But… I was just texting her.

Suddenly, a notification popped up, cutting through the tension like a knife.

Parimal: Who’s it from…?

Trivedi looked at the screen, his face ashen.

Trivedi: It’s from an unknown number.

Parimal’s heart raced.

Parimal: Trivedi, what does it say?

Trivedi’s hands trembled as he read the message aloud:

Parimal: “I saw you today… again.”