Cracks in the Ice

...Chapter 3 – Cracks in the Ice...

Ruhan wasn’t sure when it started.

At first, she was just another name on his phone—a persistent stranger who refused to leave him alone. He’d thought she would get bored eventually. People always did.

But Ananya… she stayed.

Day after day, she popped up in his inbox with silly questions, funny stories, and photos of random things—her messy notes, her late-night coffee mug, even a picture of her tangled earphones with the caption: “Help. They’ve evolved into a new species.”

And against his better judgment, he found himself waiting for them.

---

One rainy evening, while Ruhan sat in his silent apartment reviewing mission codes, her message lit up his screen.

Ananya: “Ugh. Today was a disaster.”

He frowned. Normally she started with jokes or sunshine emojis.

ShadowWalker: “What happened?”

Ananya: “Practical exam. I dropped a tray of instruments. Everyone stared at me like I’d committed murder.”

Ruhan smirked at the mental image.

ShadowWalker: “Clumsy.”

Ananya: “Hey! You’re supposed to comfort me, not roast me.”

For a moment, he considered ignoring it, like he usually did when she demanded more than he was willing to give. But instead, his fingers moved on their own.

ShadowWalker: “Doesn’t matter. You’ll do better next time.”

He stared at the screen, almost shocked. Did he just… encourage her?

The reply came instantly.

Ananya: “Wow. Did you just say something nice to me? Mark the calendar, Shadow finally has feelings!”

He sighed, shaking his head, but his lips betrayed him with the faintest curve.

---

From that day, the tone shifted.

He didn’t suddenly become warm—no, that wasn’t in his nature—but he began to let her in, little by little.

When she asked about his favorite food, he actually answered.

When she teased him about his lack of emojis, he sent a reluctant “🙂” once, which she immediately screenshotted.

And when she disappeared for a whole day, he caught himself checking his phone more often than usual.

That night, when she finally texted, her message was simple:

Ananya: “Sorry, long day. Did you miss me?”

He stared at it for a long time. His instincts told him not to reply, to keep the walls up. But he typed anyway.

ShadowWalker: “Yes.”

Her reply exploded onto the screen.

Ananya: “OH. MY. GOD. I need to frame this message. Cold mister Shadow admits he missed me!!! 🥳”

He groaned, already regretting it. But at the same time… he didn’t.

---

A week later, she sent him a photo. Not a meme, not her notes—just her face, smiling at the camera with her hair tied up messily. The caption read: “This is me after a 12-hour hospital shift. Still cute, right?”

Ruhan froze. He didn’t usually deal with pictures, especially not personal ones. But his eyes lingered on hers longer than he intended.

He typed back.

ShadowWalker: “You look tired.”

Ananya: “RUHAN. That’s not the answer I was fishing for.”

He blinked. She’d typed his name. His real name.

“How—” he started to type, but stopped. Of course. She must have seen it somewhere—his profile glitch, or a tiny slip he hadn’t noticed.

Instead of panicking, he typed back:

ShadowWalker: “So you found it.”

Ananya: “Ruhan suits you better than ShadowWalker. Less dramatic.”

For the first time in years, he let out a genuine laugh.

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