Sunday Evening – Auditorium, St. Aurora High
The rehearsal had gone on longer than they planned. But by the time the last steps of the duet were nearly perfect, most of the students had left, even the teachers. The golden-orange light outside had faded into a deep violet, and a soft hush had settled over the now-empty school.
Adah grabbed her dupatta from the chair and slung her bag over her shoulder, sweat still clinging to the back of her neck. Devansh followed silently behind her, wiping his hands with a towel, his shirt slightly clinging to his frame from the effort they’d poured into the practice.
“You’re not so bad,” she said, her voice soft, teasing, as they walked toward the exit of the auditorium.
Devansh smirked. “Is that your way of saying you’re impressed?”
She rolled her eyes, reaching for the door handle. “Don’t push it.”
He chuckled, stopping just behind her.
Adah turned back to glance at the stage once, a lingering sense of something unfinished still dancing in the air between them. “I’ll switch off the lights.”
She reached over to the switchboard near the exit and flicked it off.
Click.
Instant darkness. Only the glow of the hallway lights leaked in from under the crack of the auditorium doors.
She turned the knob.
Opened the door halfway.
Then—
CRAAAAACKK—BOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning shattered the sky outside, the sound ricocheting through the empty halls like it was tearing the world in half.
Adah jerked.
Startled, the key she was holding in her hand slipped from her fingers, bouncing just outside the open door.
In the same moment—
Thud.
The heavy auditorium door slammed shut, pushed by a sudden gust of wind sweeing through the corridor.
“Wait—!” Adah spun, her breath catching.
She turned the knob. Locked.
She looked up at Devansh in shock.
But before she could say anything, another lightning bolt exploded outside, louder—closer—and this time it ripped through her spine like a live wire. Her breath hitched. Her eyes widened in fear.
CRACK—BOOM!
Without a second’s thought, she turned—and launched herself into Devansh’s arms.
Her hands gripped the front of his shirt, face buried in his chest as she shook violently.
“Ansh!” she cried out.
It slipped from her lips without thinking—pure instinct.
His real name. Not Devansh. Not Mr. Flirt. Not Aurora High’s favorite boy.
Just Ansh.
And Devansh stopped breathing.
Time collapsed.
His name—his real name—from her mouth for the first time sounded like a prayer. Desperate, fragile, real.
He didn’t move at first. Just stared down at the girl trembling in his arms, her body pressed close, her scent tangled with the scent of rain.
Then slowly—he wrapped his arms around her.
Tight.
Protective.
One hand pressed to her back, the other sliding gently to her side waist, fingers caressing in slow, grounding strokes.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered against her hair. “You’re safe. I promise.”
Another rumble.
She whimpered softly, clutching him tighter, her fingers twisting into his shirt like he was the only solid thing in the entire world.
“It’s okay,” he kept whispering. “You’re okay. It’s just noise. It can’t reach you.”
His voice was soft, calming, hypnotic. She wasn’t listening to the words anymore, just the warmth of them, the steadiness, the way his chest rose and fell beneath her cheek.
Her trembling began to slow.
Her fingers loosened, just a little.
She noticed the soft brush of his hand on her waist, the slow, steady rub of his thumb. The tension in her spine slowly ebbed, like he was drawing her fear out of her, piece by piece, without even trying.
And that’s when it hit her.
She was hugging him.
Chest to chest.
Arms around him like he belonged there.
Her cheeks turned crimson.
She gasped and quickly pulled back, her hair falling in front of her face, hands flying to her mouth. “I—I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean to—”
But Devansh just looked at her with a soft, unreadable expression.
And whispered—
“Thank you.”
She blinked. “For what?”
“For calling me that.”
Adah didn’t know what to say. Her heart thudded in her chest, loud and fast.
But then—reality hit.
The door.
She turned to it and grabbed the knob again, twisting it hard.
Locked.
Panic flared. “The key. It—it fell outside when I dropped it. And the wind—”
They both looked down. No key in sight.
Adah’s heart dropped. “No…”
Devansh stepped up beside her, trying the door himself. He exhaled through his nose, the reality settling in.
“We’re locked in,” he said quietly.
She stared at the door. The sound of the storm echoed louder now, almost mocking them.
Alone.
Dark.
Trapped together in a place that had just witnessed a dance between two hearts that weren’t supposed to collide.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered again.
He turned to her slowly. “I’m not.”
She glanced up.
His eyes were warm. Steady. Not playful this time. Just real.
And Adah—suddenly—didn’t feel scared anymore.
Because his presence was like shelter.
And his arms… felt like home.
_____
The moment Devansh realized they were trapped in the auditorium, he immediately pulled out his phone.
"I'll call someone to come get the key," he muttered, his brows drawn together in focus.
But the screen glowed dimly and the signal bar at the top blinked emptily. He tapped the browser. No service. Tried again.
Still nothing.
A groan escaped his lips. "Damn it. No reception."
Adah wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing them slightly. The storm outside was howling now, wind seeping in through the cracks of the old building. The temperature had dropped, and goosebumps rose across her bare arms.
Devansh noticed immediately.
Without a word, he unzipped the thick black biker jacket he had tied to his bag earlier and walked over. “Here,” he said softly, draping it around her shoulders.
Adah blinked, surprised, but the warmth of it was immediate. It smelled like him. Earthy. Clean. Something sharp, masculine, and comforting.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, slipping her arms through the sleeves.
He nodded, then noticed the way her body shivered again.
“Come sit,” he said, guiding her gently toward the corner of the stage where thick velvet curtains provided some insulation from the wind.
She sat, the jacket tugged tighter around her.
Devansh sat beside her, his arm close, not quite touching—but near enough for their warmth to mingle.
The power cut out.
Click.
Darkness.
Total.
Only the occasional flash of lightning lit up the large room for mere seconds before fading into pitch black again.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice lower now.
Adah nodded. “Yeah.”
“You don’t like thunder, huh?”
She shook her head. “I love rain,” she whispered. “But the thunder—it’s too loud. Like the world’s falling apart.”
Devansh didn’t respond. He just let the silence fill the space, let it settle like a blanket.
Then, after a pause, Adah said softly, “My parents are out of town. At a wedding. That’s why I didn’t get any calls. They probably think I’m studying at Kiara’s.”
Devansh tilted his head toward her. “So... no one’s going to be worried?”
She looked at him and smiled. “Nope. And thank God.”
He chuckled. “So you’re saying being trapped in a dark room with me is a blessing?”
She gave him a sharp look but smiled, biting her lip. “Don’t get ahead of yourself, Ansh.”
His heart skipped.
That name again.
She said it with such ease now. As if she’d been calling him that all her life.
He wanted to record it. Replay it. Drown in it.
They sat in quiet for a few minutes before he broke it again.
“What’s your favorite thing to eat?”
She laughed softly, the tension fading from her shoulders. “Chocolate cake.”
He looked surprised. “That’s it? No complicated dish? Just cake?”
“Chocolate cake,” she repeated firmly. “The richer, the better.”
He smiled. “Noted. Chocolate cake. Mental sticky note filed.”
She turned to him. “What about you?”
“My favorite food?”
She nodded.
“Mom’s mutton curry. But only hers. No one else makes it right.”
She smiled. “You’re a mama’s boy.”
He didn’t deny it. Just shrugged. “Unapologetically.”
She smiled again. Their shoulders touched briefly as she shifted, and both of them froze for a heartbeat. The contact was innocent. Accidental. But it sent a ripple through them.
Her hand rested close to his, the backs of their fingers nearly brushing. Devansh’s little finger twitched.
Their hands touched.
Just barely.
The jolt was real.
A breath caught in Adah’s throat. Her eyes flicked to their fingers.
Neither moved away.
Their fingers stayed just like that—barely connected. Like the start of something they hadn’t named yet.
Devansh whispered, “Favorite color?”
“White,” she whispered back, voice quieter now. “Yours?”
He looked at her, his eyes reflecting the distant glint of lightning.
“It used to be black,” he said slowly. “But now... I think it’s white.”
She turned to him, startled.
He added, “Ever since you wore that white Anarkali.”
A shy smile curved on her lips. Her cheeks flushed. She looked down.
Silence wrapped around them again, but it wasn’t empty this time. It was full—of unspoken truths, quiet confessions, fluttering hearts.
She turned slightly toward him, curling into his jacket more.
“Favorite book?” she asked.
“The Alchemist,” he answered. “You?”
“Little Women.”
He smiled. “That fits you.”
“How?”
“You’re like Jo. Fiery, stubborn, quiet when you need to be. But... deep.”
She didn’t respond for a while.
Then whispered, “You’ve read Little Women?”
“I read everything.”
Adah nodded to herself, impressed.
Another minute passed. The storm outside roared, but they were wrapped in a different kind of stillness.
Warm.
Safe.
Intimate.
Adah's voice was fading now. Sleep tugged at her.
She shifted again, unintentionally leaning her head sideways. Her cheek brushed his upper arm. Then slowly—delicately—she let her head rest on his bicep.
Devansh stiffened.
Her breath fanned his arm.
He turned his head slowly, looking at her profile—bathed in shadow, soft and peaceful.
Her lashes fluttered.
She was asleep.
She looked divine.
A quiet halo of innocence wrapped around her. Her lips parted slightly in sleep, her hands tucked inside his jacket.
Devansh didn’t move.
He didn’t dare.
He sat there, in the middle of a storm, locked inside a dark auditorium, with the girl who had unknowingly brought him to his knees—leaning against him as if she trusted him more than the world itself.
And in that moment, for the first time in years, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.
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