Chapter 5 — Trapped Together

Shaurya leaned against the wall near the library entrance, smirking as his friends Vikram and Dev whispered.

"Are you sure about this, bro?" Vikram asked, looking uneasy.

Shaurya nodded, his eyes sharp. "Lock the door. I have already bribed the librarian. Make sure no one suspects. Tonight, Aradhya will have no choice but to trust me."

Dev hesitated. "But dude... trapping her? Isn’t this too much?"

"Relax," Shaurya waved him off. "I’m not gonna hurt her. Just... gain her trust. She’ll think I'm helping her."

As planned, Shaurya casually slipped into the library. Vikram and Dev waited for the perfect moment, and once they find everyone went away click — the door was locked.

Aradhya looked up at the sudden sound and frowned. She reaches the door and finds it closed. She walked to the door and tried pulling it. Nothing.

Her heartbeat quickened.

"Why isn’t it opening?" she muttered, panicking slightly.

Shaurya approached with a fake gasp. " What happened, did it get Locked, huh?"

She looked at him, eyes wide. *"Locked? But... it’s late! I need to go back!"* She fumbled with her bag, pulling out her phone — only for it to blink red and die.

"Dead phone?" Shaurya fake gasped, leaning closer to her phone.

She looked frustrated. "Yes! And you? Please tell me you have your phone!"

Shaurya patted his pockets dramatically and shrugged. "Oops. Didn't bring it."

He smirked internally, hiding his phone deep inside his pockets.

Aradhya looked around helplessly, her fingers clenching and unclenching. Shaurya watched her, feeling a twinge of guilt for the first time.

"Don’t get so scared," he said lightly. "It’s just sometime. I am sure my friends will come looking for me. Think of it like... an adventure."*

She glared at him but said nothing, walking to a corner, hugging her knees. Minutes ticked by, silence wrapping around them. The dark, quiet library only deepened her fear.

After a while, she stood and tried pulling the door again, tears pricking her eyes.

"Why isn’t anyone coming...?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

Shaurya, watching her carefully, walked up and held out his hand. "You’ll be fine. Trust me."

For a second, she hesitated. Then slowly — she placed her small, cold hand into his scared.

"I... I’m scared," she admitted in a tiny voice, looking down.

Something in Shaurya’s heart shifted unexpectedly.

He squeezed her hand lightly. "Hey, nothing will happen. I'm here, okay?"

She finally looked up at him properly, her eyes big and trusting. "promise?"

Shaurya chuckled, ruffling his hair awkwardly. "I promise, madam. Shaurya chauhan never breaks promises."

They sat down together on the floor, she was holding onto his sleeve.

There was a beat of silence before she whispered, "Why are you so calm? Aren’t you scared?"

Shaurya leaned back, smirking. "Because I’ve done worse. Library night stay? It's too easy for me."