𝐓a𝐧g𝐥e𝐝 𝐅a𝐭e𝐬

Chapter -1

The room was dark, but not entirely. It was the kind of dark where the shadows lingered but didn’t completely hide what was within. The faint glimmer from a streetlamp outside crept through the small, uncovered crack of the window, bathing everything in a soft, muted glow. It was just enough to make out the shapes of the only two pieces of furniture in the room: the bed and the old chair.

Shubman sat in the chair, his eyes fixed on the bed. His hands rested on his knees, fingers drumming against the worn denim of his jeans. His heart was heavy, though his face was calm, masking the turmoil he felt inside. The rhythmic rise and fall of the figure lying in the bed drew his gaze again and again. Ishan, in peaceful sleep, oblivious to the world around him, looked serene, almost ethereal in the dim light.

How could someone so beautiful be caught in such a terrible fate?

Shubman’s lips pressed into a thin line as the thought crossed his mind. He sighed, the sound barely audible in the stillness of the room. Ishan was a paradox—a soft smile in a hard world, a flicker of light in endless shadow. And yet, the world seemed to have it out for him, a cruelty Shubman couldn’t understand, much less forgive. He felt an almost overwhelming urge to protect him from it all, to guard him from the sharp edges of the universe.

But how could he? Shubman was just a man, sitting in the dark, while Ishan, the boy who had stolen his heart, lay trapped in a fate neither of them could change.

His eyes trailed along Ishan’s face, the way his chestnut curls spilled across the pillow, the gentle curve of his lips, the delicate slope of his nose. He was perfect, Shubman thought, even more so now, in sleep, when the world and its troubles seemed so far away

The silence in the room was heavy but familiar, and Shubman didn’t mind. He had spent countless nights like this—just watching, waiting, hoping. He preferred it to the light of day, where the harshness of reality seeped into every corner of their lives.

A soft murmur escaped Ishan’s lips as he shifted in the bed, the blanket rustling slightly. Shubman tensed, his heart skipping a beat. But Ishan didn’t wake. He simply turned, his body curling slightly toward the warmth of the blanket, his face still peaceful.

Shubman let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

He leaned back in the chair, feeling the wood creak beneath him. His thoughts wandered as they often did when he sat like this, alone with his feelings. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They weren’t supposed to be here, in this empty room, with only the soft glow of the night keeping them company. There were supposed to be bright days ahead, laughter, joy, love.

But life had a way of twisting plans into something unrecognizable.

“Ishan…” Shubman whispered, the name tasting bittersweet on his tongue. It felt like a confession, even though no one else could hear him. He spoke to the room, to the shadows, to the universe that seemed intent on keeping them apart.

He wondered if Ishan could ever understand just how much he meant to him. How every moment with him, even in silence, was a treasure Shubman held close. There were things he could never say out loud—things he kept buried deep, locked away in the quiet spaces of his heart. But sitting here, in this dark room, Shubman felt closer to Ishan than ever.

A part of him wanted to reach out, to touch him, to feel the warmth of his skin under his fingertips. But he didn’t. Not tonight.

Instead, Shubman watched, content for now to be in the same space, to share the same air. He knew this peace wouldn’t last forever—there would be more battles ahead, more nights filled with worry and fear. But tonight, for just a little while, he could pretend that everything was alright. That the future wasn’t something to be afraid of, but something they could face together.

As long as Ishan was there with him, Shubman thought, maybe they could survive whatever was coming.

The night wore on, the soft ticking of the clock the only sound that marked the passing time. But Shubman didn’t mind. He could stay like this forever—guarding Ishan’s dreams, hoping that when the morning came, it would bring a little more light into their lives.

And until then, Shubman would keep watch.