12-11-2025, 04:51 PM
Chapter 2: The Echo in the Silence
The following days were a study in quiet disintegration. Aarthi moved through her classes like a ghost, the memory of her own naive mistake burning in her mind. She had given Sandy her number. In the car, caught in the giddy, foolish rush of her first taste of freedom, it had seemed like a harmless, even exciting, thing to do. Now, it felt like she had handed him a key to her sanity.
She had stopped talking to Priya. Their shared hostel room was a frozen tundra of silent blame and shared shame. Priya's attempts at conversation died in the thick, toxic air between them.
Then, the first message arrived. It didn't come from an unknown number. It came from his number, the one she had impulsively saved as "Sandy - Priya's Friend."
Sandy: You've been on my mind since that night. We didn't really get to talk. How are you, Aarthi?
The politeness was a mask. It felt like a predator testing the fences. Her own past action—typing his name into her phone—had built the very cage she now felt trapped in. She didn't reply. She just stared at the screen, a cold dread seeping into her bones.
The silence from her end seemed to be the response he wanted. It was a game.
Sandy (3 hours later): The silence is loud. I like it. It means you're thinking about me too.
Then, a photo followed. It was a picture of their college gate, taken from the outside, looking in. The timestamp was from five minutes ago.
"It's a shame what happened with Priya. People should be more careful who they trust. Good thing you have me now."
Aarthi’s blood ran cold. This was no longer a game of cat and mouse. This was a declaration. He wasn't just watching her; he was isolating her, severing her last frayed connection to that night, making it clear that Priya was not an ally but a lesson. He was now the only one who understood, the only one in control.
Her breath hitched, coming in shallow gasps. The four walls of her hostel room, once a sanctuary, felt like a glass box. He could be outside. He could be anywhere.
Aarthi: I don't understand what you're saying. What are you talking about? Suddenly, Sandy ! why you're talking about Her? Priya is your friend too. I don't understand what you're talking about. Sandy, please don't play games with me or else don't talk to me. I'm in a state of mental distress.
Sandy: Madam, what's wrong, share me pa anyway, I think you're hiding something, that's why you're talking like this, don't you know what I'm saying? I'm not playing anything, I'm just telling you about our friend's game, you know that, you know, you're acting like you don't know, I know you're a innocent, that's why I like you so much, I don't know how to say it more openly than this.
Aarthi: Hey, I don't understand what you're talking about. i think you tried and you're talking about something else. I dont know okay understand me. I only know you from last night, but that's why I don't believe you, Pa. I know you were in love last night, but you asked for my number. I gave it to you on a whim. What's wrong with you, coming to disturb me like this in the morning?
Sandy: Okay, okay, I've known you for a long time, I love you through Priya, she doesn't even see you, I forgot about myself, that's why I started following you without you knowing, when I came to the theater, I brought my friend just for you, I love you so much, you know that you don't like me, you really don't know about it, and you don't share this with Priya-Please okay, from yesterday you know how priya is, but I already know about Priya.
Aarthi: Hey, I don't understand what's going on. I was talking to a guy. I met a guy who was growing up last night. I came to him last night. There's a big deal. I don't understand. There's a kind of care. What do you say?
Sandy: Fearless Aarti, I'm here, okay, Don't worry ! whatever your problem is, call me, okay, that girl happened yesterday, that's how it is, Priya, he's lying to everyone, you don't understand her, you've been acting like a good person for so long, you don't know about her for so long, that's all, no matter how much you try to draw her, you won't be able to do it, you'll be fine, she wants you to be like her, she doesn't fall for her, so be careful, full of bull, call me anyway, okay
Aarthi: So you know what Priya did then, what are you saying? How do you know all this?
Sandy: Hahahah I know all that. Yesterday when she was going out, I understood why she was leaving. Then you went out a little while later and I came behind you to do your safety. You don't know that, but I was hiding behind you and protecting you. That uncle He followed you to fuck you. he came behind you, he saw me and have run away. Otherwise, you will be suffer in the trap when you came yesterday. Then I saw how the mood in you was enjoying and the two of you were enjoying it. Then I saw you and you hiding your hand and putting it down for pussy area. I know how much you are enjoying. I will help you baby !!!
Aarthi: Shocked ! No reply to him just keep silent for this ashamed - coz she thinks no one knows but she is not able to handle him but feel happily she don't know why.
Sandy: ( 5 min later )Are you there baby?
Aarthi: yes
Sandy: I know you liked me more right?
Aarthi: who said?
Sandy: I know darling
Aarthi : ok ok u know everything go and sleep - now its night she doesn't think how time were running fast ly!!
Sandy: love you
Aarthi: A new image loaded on the screen.
It was a photo, taken from a distance with a long lens. It was her. Sitting right here, on her bed, just yesterday, talking on the phone with her mother. The angle was from outside her window.
Sandy: You look beautiful when you're scared. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. From everyone.
The photo felt like a physical violation. He wasn't just watching her; he had trespassed into her most private space. The fear was so immense it momentarily shattered her paralysis. Her fingers, trembling and clumsy, typed a reply.
Aarthi: How did you take this? Were you outside my window?
The response was immediate, as if he had been waiting, his fingers poised over his phone.
Sandy: A man has to look after what's his. Don't be angry. I just couldn't stop thinking about you. You're all I see.
The words were possessive, obsessive. They should have sent her running. But woven into the threat was a twisted thread of devotion. In her isolated, terrified state, it was a lifeline—a toxic one. It was the first time anyone had ever claimed her so completely, even if the claim was a nightmare.
He didn't wait for her reply. Another message popped up.
Sandy: You're not like other girls, Aarthi. You're pure. You need to be protected. From guys who wouldn't understand you. From friends who would lead you astray.
He was reframing her entire world. Priya was the villain. Her family, with their rules, were the oppressors. And he, Sandy, the stalker, was her sole protector. Her savior.
Aarthi: Impressed yeah you are a naughty boy. Take care i have to go for a bed for asleep.
Sandy: Thank you madam i know. take care tooo bye see you tomorrow.
The conversation ended, but the energy thrummed in the silent room. Aarthi felt a strange, buzzing mix of fear and thrill. His "naughty boy" persona was a dangerous game, and she was now a willing player. The next two days passed in a blur of texts and secret calls, their digital world becoming more intense, more insulated.
Then, a disruption. Priya, pale and shaken, packed a bag. "Family emergency, Aarthi. My mother's health... it's serious. I have to go home." The door closed behind her, leaving Aarthi truly alone in the hostel for the first time. The silence felt different now—not free, but expectant.
Sandy's message lit up her phone almost instantly, as if he knew.
Sandy: Alone now? Don't be scared. I'm here. This weekend... let's make it special. An adventure. Just you and me. No rules. No one to interrupt us.
The proposal was electric. An "adventure." It was everything her life wasn't.
But then, another surprise. A call from her father. "Beta, we are in the city. Your mother has a medical appointment tomorrow at the Apollo hospital. We are staying at a lodge nearby. We will see you in the morning."
The following days were a study in quiet disintegration. Aarthi moved through her classes like a ghost, the memory of her own naive mistake burning in her mind. She had given Sandy her number. In the car, caught in the giddy, foolish rush of her first taste of freedom, it had seemed like a harmless, even exciting, thing to do. Now, it felt like she had handed him a key to her sanity.
She had stopped talking to Priya. Their shared hostel room was a frozen tundra of silent blame and shared shame. Priya's attempts at conversation died in the thick, toxic air between them.
Then, the first message arrived. It didn't come from an unknown number. It came from his number, the one she had impulsively saved as "Sandy - Priya's Friend."
Sandy: You've been on my mind since that night. We didn't really get to talk. How are you, Aarthi?
The politeness was a mask. It felt like a predator testing the fences. Her own past action—typing his name into her phone—had built the very cage she now felt trapped in. She didn't reply. She just stared at the screen, a cold dread seeping into her bones.
The silence from her end seemed to be the response he wanted. It was a game.
Sandy (3 hours later): The silence is loud. I like it. It means you're thinking about me too.
Then, a photo followed. It was a picture of their college gate, taken from the outside, looking in. The timestamp was from five minutes ago.
"It's a shame what happened with Priya. People should be more careful who they trust. Good thing you have me now."
Aarthi’s blood ran cold. This was no longer a game of cat and mouse. This was a declaration. He wasn't just watching her; he was isolating her, severing her last frayed connection to that night, making it clear that Priya was not an ally but a lesson. He was now the only one who understood, the only one in control.
Her breath hitched, coming in shallow gasps. The four walls of her hostel room, once a sanctuary, felt like a glass box. He could be outside. He could be anywhere.
Aarthi: I don't understand what you're saying. What are you talking about? Suddenly, Sandy ! why you're talking about Her? Priya is your friend too. I don't understand what you're talking about. Sandy, please don't play games with me or else don't talk to me. I'm in a state of mental distress.
Sandy: Madam, what's wrong, share me pa anyway, I think you're hiding something, that's why you're talking like this, don't you know what I'm saying? I'm not playing anything, I'm just telling you about our friend's game, you know that, you know, you're acting like you don't know, I know you're a innocent, that's why I like you so much, I don't know how to say it more openly than this.
Aarthi: Hey, I don't understand what you're talking about. i think you tried and you're talking about something else. I dont know okay understand me. I only know you from last night, but that's why I don't believe you, Pa. I know you were in love last night, but you asked for my number. I gave it to you on a whim. What's wrong with you, coming to disturb me like this in the morning?
Sandy: Okay, okay, I've known you for a long time, I love you through Priya, she doesn't even see you, I forgot about myself, that's why I started following you without you knowing, when I came to the theater, I brought my friend just for you, I love you so much, you know that you don't like me, you really don't know about it, and you don't share this with Priya-Please okay, from yesterday you know how priya is, but I already know about Priya.
Aarthi: Hey, I don't understand what's going on. I was talking to a guy. I met a guy who was growing up last night. I came to him last night. There's a big deal. I don't understand. There's a kind of care. What do you say?
Sandy: Fearless Aarti, I'm here, okay, Don't worry ! whatever your problem is, call me, okay, that girl happened yesterday, that's how it is, Priya, he's lying to everyone, you don't understand her, you've been acting like a good person for so long, you don't know about her for so long, that's all, no matter how much you try to draw her, you won't be able to do it, you'll be fine, she wants you to be like her, she doesn't fall for her, so be careful, full of bull, call me anyway, okay
Aarthi: So you know what Priya did then, what are you saying? How do you know all this?
Sandy: Hahahah I know all that. Yesterday when she was going out, I understood why she was leaving. Then you went out a little while later and I came behind you to do your safety. You don't know that, but I was hiding behind you and protecting you. That uncle He followed you to fuck you. he came behind you, he saw me and have run away. Otherwise, you will be suffer in the trap when you came yesterday. Then I saw how the mood in you was enjoying and the two of you were enjoying it. Then I saw you and you hiding your hand and putting it down for pussy area. I know how much you are enjoying. I will help you baby !!!
Aarthi: Shocked ! No reply to him just keep silent for this ashamed - coz she thinks no one knows but she is not able to handle him but feel happily she don't know why.
Sandy: ( 5 min later )Are you there baby?
Aarthi: yes
Sandy: I know you liked me more right?
Aarthi: who said?
Sandy: I know darling
Aarthi : ok ok u know everything go and sleep - now its night she doesn't think how time were running fast ly!!
Sandy: love you
Aarthi: A new image loaded on the screen.
It was a photo, taken from a distance with a long lens. It was her. Sitting right here, on her bed, just yesterday, talking on the phone with her mother. The angle was from outside her window.
Sandy: You look beautiful when you're scared. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. From everyone.
The photo felt like a physical violation. He wasn't just watching her; he had trespassed into her most private space. The fear was so immense it momentarily shattered her paralysis. Her fingers, trembling and clumsy, typed a reply.
Aarthi: How did you take this? Were you outside my window?
The response was immediate, as if he had been waiting, his fingers poised over his phone.
Sandy: A man has to look after what's his. Don't be angry. I just couldn't stop thinking about you. You're all I see.
The words were possessive, obsessive. They should have sent her running. But woven into the threat was a twisted thread of devotion. In her isolated, terrified state, it was a lifeline—a toxic one. It was the first time anyone had ever claimed her so completely, even if the claim was a nightmare.
He didn't wait for her reply. Another message popped up.
Sandy: You're not like other girls, Aarthi. You're pure. You need to be protected. From guys who wouldn't understand you. From friends who would lead you astray.
He was reframing her entire world. Priya was the villain. Her family, with their rules, were the oppressors. And he, Sandy, the stalker, was her sole protector. Her savior.
Aarthi: Impressed yeah you are a naughty boy. Take care i have to go for a bed for asleep.
Sandy: Thank you madam i know. take care tooo bye see you tomorrow.
The conversation ended, but the energy thrummed in the silent room. Aarthi felt a strange, buzzing mix of fear and thrill. His "naughty boy" persona was a dangerous game, and she was now a willing player. The next two days passed in a blur of texts and secret calls, their digital world becoming more intense, more insulated.
Then, a disruption. Priya, pale and shaken, packed a bag. "Family emergency, Aarthi. My mother's health... it's serious. I have to go home." The door closed behind her, leaving Aarthi truly alone in the hostel for the first time. The silence felt different now—not free, but expectant.
Sandy's message lit up her phone almost instantly, as if he knew.
Sandy: Alone now? Don't be scared. I'm here. This weekend... let's make it special. An adventure. Just you and me. No rules. No one to interrupt us.
The proposal was electric. An "adventure." It was everything her life wasn't.
But then, another surprise. A call from her father. "Beta, we are in the city. Your mother has a medical appointment tomorrow at the Apollo hospital. We are staying at a lodge nearby. We will see you in the morning."
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