They mocked him.
Joked at his expense.
Tried to make him feel small.
Shiva never answered back.
He simply smiled.
For him, dignity was louder than any insult.
And yet…
Behind that calm smile lived a secret.
Shiva had a crush.
She studied in the same college.
Beautiful.
Confident.
Rich.
The kind of girl who seemed to belong to another world.
A world made of things he didn’t have.
Shiva believed love should never depend on money.
But he also knew reality.
In this world, love often held hands with wealth.
That truth kept him quiet.
He never spoke to her.
Never confessed.
Never crossed the invisible line between his world and hers.
Instead, he loved in silence.
Fixing his hair when she passed.
Straightening his shirt.
Standing a little taller without realizing it.
And strangely…
She knew.
Not from Shiva’s voice.
But from the whispers around him.
They had discovered Shivam’s weakness.
His secret.
His silent love.
And now… they wanted to turn it into a weapon.
Among them, one stood out the most—Karan. Clever. Cruel. Smiling on the surface, poison underneath.
He leaned back in his chair, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Kal main usse baat karunga,” he said calmly.
“Bilkul normally. Use shaq bhi nahi hoga. Phir dekhenge… kitna seh sakta hai.”
The plan was simple.
Break him from the inside.
The next day in college—
Shivam froze.
Karan walked toward him with an unfamiliar smile. Not mockery. Not hatred.
Friendliness.
It felt… wrong.
“Hey, Shivam.”
Shivam blinked, confused.
Why is he being nice to me?
Karan stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“I know your secret,” he said.
“You like a girl… right?”
Shivam’s breath caught.
“How… how do you know?”
Karan chuckled softly.
“I know everything.”
Then he leaned closer.
“She likes you too.”
The world stopped.
Karan continued smoothly, his words dripping hope like sugar.
“I think she wants to talk to you… maybe even invite you to a party.”
Shivam’s heart forgot how to beat.
For the first time in years, something bright spilled into his chest.
Happiness.
“Really?” he whispered, afraid that the truth might disappear if he spoke too loudly.
Karan smiled wide.
“Really,” he said quietly.
“Bas thoda wait karo.”
What Shivam didn’t know…
Was that the girl herself was part of the game.
She wasn’t serious.
She wasn’t sincere.
To her, it was entertainment.
A joke to play.
A heart to use.
And Shivam, standing there with shattered dreams he hadn’t even lived yet…
Had no idea.
The very next day…
It happened.
She walked toward Shivam.
Her voice was soft.
Her smile was sweet.
“Hello.”
And just like that—
Something inside him shifted.
Something he couldn’t name.
Something beyond words.
She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
“Can you come to a party at my house tonight?”
Shivam’s eyes lit up.
A thousand feelings rushed through him in a second.
Hope.
Fear.
Joy.
“Yes,” he replied, barely able to steady his voice.
“I would like to come.”
For Shivam…
It was a dream.
For them…
It was a trap.
Shivam had never been the kind of boy who went to parties.
His life moved in lines:
College to home.
Home to college.
But today felt different.
Today… he felt chosen.
He ran to Karan with a smile too wide for his face.
“
Hey Karan… she talked to me today. She’s so beautiful. I can’t believe she invited me. I think you were right.”
Karan smiled—warm on the outside.
Cruel underneath.
“Yes, yes, Shivam. I told you.”
Shivam hesitated, then spoke softly.
“She also invited me to the party… but I’ve never gone to one before. Can you help me?”
Karan placed a hand on his shoulder, pretending to be a friend.
“Of course. First, wear good clothes. Impress her. And honestly…”
He paused.
“I think she might even propose to you tonight.”
Shivam’s heart stumbled.
Could it really be true?
Doubt flickered.
But hope burned brighter.
This was the first time a girl had spoken to him like that.
The first time…
He felt seen.
So he ignored the warning in his chest
and held on to the dream.
That evening, he walked into a shop.
Carefully.
Silently.
Choosing a new outfit like it might change his fate.
He wanted to look worthy.
He wanted to stand tall in front of her.
For Shivam…
It was the beginning of a dream.
For Karan…
It was the perfect setup for a cruel joke.
And for the girl…
It was just another game.
Shivam was too happy.
For the first time in his life, he felt noticed.
And that feeling…
Lit up his entire world.
He owned an old Nokia phone.
Small screen.
Hard buttons.
Loud clicks.
The kind of phone that did nothing fancy
yet meant everything.
Every few minutes, he checked it—
Hoping.
Believing.
Praying—
That her name would appear.
Before starting anything, his ritual was always the same.
Open inbox.
Wait.
But all he ever found were recharge alerts
and useless notifications.
Still…
He never gave up.
Maybe the next one will be hers.
Then something strange began to happen.
His phone filled with unknown messages:
“Hi. Is someone there?”
“Reply plz.”
Too many.
Too often.
Shivam frowned.
It must be fraud, he thought.
And so he ignored them.
Never replying.
Never trusting.
Instead, he slid his phone onto silent mode,
carrying it like a small secret in his pocket.
Every vibration felt like a heartbeat.
Every unread message…
A possibility.
To Shivam, his Nokia wasn’t just a phone.
It was a doorway.
To a dream he was sure was waiting for him somewhere.
Then—
The clock struck 9:00 PM.
Shivam stood in front of the mirror, fixing his hair, straightening his shirt.
His heart pounded louder than the fan above him.
“Please…” he whispered.
“Let everything be perfect.”
It was the first party of his life.
Nervous.
Hopeful.
Breathing dreams with every step—
He walked into the house.
The moment Shivam stepped inside—
The world crashed into noise.
Music roared through the walls.
Lights exploded in color.
Laughter mixed with the smell of expensive drinks and borrowed confidence.
Everyone looked like they belonged.
Everyone… except him.
Shivam stood in a corner, holding a cold drink he didn’t even want.
While others posed for photos, sang off-key, and lived too loudly—
He searched.
Eyes scanning faces.
Not for fun.
For her.
No one spoke to him.
No one noticed him.
He was just another shadow in the crowd.
Then—
Karan appeared.
Smiling.
Too warmly.
“Shivam,” he said gently, leaning close,
“She’s upstairs. Second floor. Her room.”
Shivam’s heart jumped.
Before he could even speak, Karan added—
“She’s holding a rose.”
“I think it’s for you.”
Shivam’s breath broke.
Nervousness and joy collided inside his chest.
For the first time—
He felt special.
The hero of a story that belonged to him.
He didn’t know yet…
This wasn’t romance.
This was rehearsal.
Shivam stood by the stairs, his fingers slightly shaking around his glass.
Then—
She appeared.
Walking toward him.
Smiling.
Each step shaking his world.
She stopped in front of him…
and slowly—
Went down on one knee.
Shivam’s heart screamed inside his ribs.
I knew it. She’s going to choose me. She’s going to be mine.
Then she looked up.
And said—
“I love …
Karan.”
Everything—
Shattered.
Shivam’s heart didn’t just break.
It collapsed.
All his dreams…
All his hopes…
Died at once.
The girl he loved was laughing.
Laughing at him.
And beside her…
Karan.
Smiling like a monster wearing human skin.
He stepped forward and said—
“Kaisa laga, Shivam?”
“Maza aaya na?”
The crowd exploded into laughter.
Every sound stabbed deeper than any knife ever could.
Then she looked at him with cruel eyes and said—
“Pehle apna standard dekho.”
“Kapde dekho.”
“Tumhein kya laga… main tumse propose karungi?”
Her words weren’t just insults.
They were execution.
Shivam couldn’t breathe.
His chest burned.
Tears blurred the world.
But he refused to let them see him break.
He didn’t reply.
He didn’t look back.
He turned…
And ran.
Out of that house.
Out of that party.
Out of that lie.
His hands were shaking when he jumped into an auto.
His heart was screaming.
Anger.
Pain.
Humiliation.
Everything mixed into something too heavy to carry.
Inside, he whispered—
“Why, God?”
“Why always me?”
“This was the first time I believed…”
“And you broke me.”
Something inside him died that night.
In that moving auto, he made a silent promise to himself:
I will never trust love again.
I will never look at a girl again.
Never believe.
Never hope.
Then—
Bzzzz.
His phone vibrated.
He looked down.
The same unknown number.
The same message—
“Hello…? Anyone there?”
Rage filled him.
He threw the phone onto the seat beside him.
Not today.
Not ever.
When he reached home, he jumped out and ran.
Crying.
Choking.
Broken.
Without turning back.
Behind him…
His phone kept vibrating.
The auto driver noticed it.
“Sir! Sir, your phone!”
Shivam heard it.
He turned.
Saw his phone lying there.
He ran back across the road—
And then—
Lights.
A horn.
Screaming brakes.
And—
Impact.
The world threw him into the air.
His body crashed onto the road.
His head hit the ground.
Blood spread.
From his hair.
From his face.
From his dreams.
Everything went silent.
The camera slowly moves to the road…
Then to the phone…
Still vibrating.
Still showing the same message.
On a broken screen:
“Hello…? Is someone there…?”
