5-Warning,Secrets and Unwanted Feelings

Kritika didn't sleep that night.

Not properly.

Every time she closed her eyes, the same message appeared in her mind.

Stay away from Love Malhotra.

The words felt carved into her brain.

Someone had taken her photo.

Someone had been watching her.

And somehow...

Someone knew about Love.

The thought alone was enough to make her uncomfortable.

The problem wasn't that she was scared...The problem was that she had absolutely no idea who was behind it.

The next morning, Kritika walked into college looking like she wanted to murder someone.

Anisha immediately noticed.

"Kritika, why do you look like you haven't slept in three years?" she asked while adjusting her bag.

Jyoti frowned.

"Seriously. You look horrible."

"Thank you," Kritika replied dryly.

"We're concerned."

"You called me horrible."Kritika said while making her face.

"Lovingly."

Kritika rolled her eyes and continued walking.

Normally she would've told them everything.

Today she didn't.

Because she didn't want to hear the same thing she was already thinking.

Someone was watching her.

And she hated it.

⸻

The college campus was unusually crowded.Students were running around carrying decorations....Music systems...Banners...Props.

Everything.

"What's happening?" Kritika asked.

Anisha gasped dramatically.

"Oh my God."

⸻

"What?"Kritika said.

"You forgot?"

"Forgot what?"

"The Freshers' Event announcement today."

Immediately the campus noise made sense.Every year the college organized one of the biggest freshers' celebrations in the city.There were performances,Competitions,Guest appearances,

Parties.

Enough chaos to give every professor a headache.

Kritika smiled slightly.

For the first time all morning.

Finally.

Something interesting.

Unfortunately...

The universe wasn't done with her.

Because the moment she entered the lecture hall...She saw him.

Love Malhotra.

Sitting in his usual seat near the window....Reading....Again.

The guy seriously needed a hobby.

Anisha followed her gaze.

Then smirked.

"Oh."

Kritika groaned.

"No."

"Oh yes."

"No."

"You're looking."

"I'm literally looking at the classroom."Kritika said with frustration.

"Through Love."

"I hate you."

"Love him."

"I hate both of you."

Meanwhile...

Love didn't notice any of this.

Or at least he pretended not to.

Which somehow annoyed Kritika more.

The lecture began and  students suffered.

The professors enjoyed it.

Balance was restored.

Halfway through class, Professor Mehta entered with a file in his hand.Immediately everyone became suspicious.Professors carrying files never brought happiness.

"I have an announcement."

The class collectively sighed.

P

"Freshers' Event preparation begins this week."

The room exploded....Students cheered....Some clapped...Some immediately stopped pretending to study.

Professor Mehta waited for silence.

Then smiled.

And that smile worried everyone.

"Participants will be assigned in pairs."

The cheering stopped...Completely.

"Oh no."

"Not again."

"We suffered enough last year."

Professor Mehta ignored them.

"As always, pairings are final."

Kritika felt danger approaching.

Slowly...Painfully..

Professor Mehta began reading names.

And then...

"Kritika Sharma."

Her stomach dropped.

"Love Malhotra."

The class erupted.

Again.

Anisha almost fell out of her chair.

Kabir looked ready to start a wedding ceremony.

And Love...Love simply closed his eyes.

As if accepting his fate.

Kritika pointed at him immediately.

"Sir, can I appeal?"

"No."

"Can he appeal?"

"No."

"Can somebody die?"

"No."

The class laughed.

Love looked away to hide his smile.

And unfortunately...Kritika noticed.

The next few days passed in complete chaos.

Freshers preparations meant students spending extra hours on campus.

Which meant...More time together,For everyone....Especially Kritika and Love.Neither of them liked that fact Or at least that's what they kept telling themselves.

One evening, they were working on an event schedule in the auditorium.Most students had already left.Only a few remained.The large hall felt strangely quiet.

Love sat beside her, writing notes.

Kritika was pretending to help.

Actually she was drawing terrible cartoons in the corner of the page.

Love noticed....Immediately.

"What is that?"He asked pointing at cartoons.

She looked down.

"A masterpiece."

"It looks like a potato."

"It's you."Kritika said while making a pout.

Love stared at her.

Kritika grinned proudly.

For a second...He almost laughed.

Almost.

Which was exactly why he looked away.

Because recently...

Laughing around her had become dangerously easy and he wasn't sure he liked that.Or maybe...He liked it too much.

Across campus...

Someone watched.

Silently.

Patiently.

The figure stood near the parking area holding a Phone in hand and Eyes fixed on two people sitting together inside the auditorium.

A photo was taken.

Then another.

Then another.

The screen lit up.

A message appeared.

They're getting closer.

A reply arrived seconds later.

Then separate them.

The figure smiled.

Darkly.

And walked away.

The next day brought more problems.

Because Riya returned.

And this time...

She wasn't interested in hiding it.

She walked straight toward Love during lunch.

Sat beside him.

Smiled.

And started a conversation.

Across the cafeteria...Kritika watched.

Only because she was bored.

Obviously.

Very bored....Extremely bored.

Anisha nearly died laughing.

"You're staring."

"I'm not."

"You've been staring for six minutes."

"I was looking at the wall."

"The wall is Love."

Kritika threw a napkin at her.

Meanwhile...Love looked uncomfortable.

Which was unusual.

Because Love rarely looked uncomfortable.

Riya leaned closer.

Said something.

Love replied politely.

Then immediately looked toward another table.

Toward Kritika.

Their eyes met.....

For one brief second.

Then both looked away.

Immediately.

And somehow...Neither understood why their heartbeat had suddenly changed.

By evening...

The campus began emptying again....The sky turned orange,Students headed home.

And for a few beautiful minutes...

Everything seemed normal.

Until Love received a phone call.

Unknown Number.

He almost ignored it.

Almost.

Something made him answer.

"Hello?"

Silence.

A few seconds passed.

Then a distorted voice spoke....

Slow,Calm,Dangerous....

"Stay away from Kritika."

Love froze.

His grip tightened around the phone.

"What?"

The caller laughed softly.

A horrible sound.

The kind that immediately made your instincts scream.

"You heard me."

Love's expression darkened.

"Who are you?"

No answer.

Only another laugh.

Then—

The call disconnected.

For several seconds...

Love simply stood there.

Thinking.

Because this wasn't random anymore.

First Kritika...Now him.

Someone was targeting both of them.

And suddenly...

The warning didn't feel like a joke.

It felt real.

Dangerously real.

At the exact same moment...

Kritika opened her locker.

And found something inside.

A single envelope.

No name...No sender.

Nothing.

Her heartbeat slowed.

Slowly.

Carefully.

She opened it.

Pulled out the folded paper.

And froze.

Because inside wasn't a letter.

It was a photograph.

A photograph of her.

Standing beside Love.

Outside college.

Taken from far away.

Without their knowledge.

And written across it in black ink were five chilling words:

YOU WERE WARNED ONCE.

The photograph slipped from her fingers.

And somewhere else in the city...Someone smiled.

Because the game had finally begun.

Some people fall in love.

Some people become obsessed.

And sometimes... the difference is deadly.

That's it for this chapter 😉

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