𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞

𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄| 𝐀𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇

𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫…

I padded softly towards the room, my heart doing a nervous little jig. Reaching the door, I twisted the doorknob with painstaking slowness, wincing at the almost imperceptible click before I eased the door open and slipped inside.

The room was shrouded in a deep twilight, thick curtains drawn against the night. I could just make out the shapes of familiar furniture, and knew instinctively that Riti was asleep in our bed.

I moved with practiced quietness towards the washroom, the cool tiles a welcome sensation under my bare feet. I shed my clothes quickly and stepped under the shower, letting the warm water cascade over me, washing away the day's anxieties.

Washing done, I dried myself quickly and changed out of my clothes and into a much more comfortable pair of track pants and a well-worn t-shirt. 

I slipped back into the dimly lit room and climbed into the bed. But as I settled in, a strange unease prickled at the back of my neck. Something was wrong. I reached out, my hand instinctively searching for Riti's familiar warmth beside me. But the space was cold, empty.

Riti wasn't there.

A jolt of alarm shot through me. I flickered on the light, the sudden brightness making me wince. The room sprang into sharp focus, revealing its emptiness. The bedsheets were rumpled, but undeniably vacant.

Panic, cold and sharp, clawed in my chest. My breath hitched in my throat. I jumped down from the bed, the floor feeling strangely distant beneath my bare feet. Every nerve ending screamed at me to move, to find her. 

I rushed towards the door, my heart hammering against my ribs, and stumbled out of the room.

Where was she?

A wave of anxiety washed over me, a cold sweat prickling my skin. I had to see if she was alright. I immediately went to my parent's room, my footsteps echoing in the sudden silence of the house.

“Dad? Mom? Open the door!” I banged on their door, the sound amplified in the quiet hallway. Panic was getting the best of me, twisting my stomach into knots. What if something had happened? What if my worst fears were realized?

The door opened with a soft click, a sliver of light spilling into the hallway, revealing my dad's concerned face.

“Sh, don't make a sound. She is sleeping,” Dad hissed, his voice a low whisper that barely cut through the tension. He looked tired, lines etched deeper around his eyes.

“Dad, Riti, she is–” My words died in my tongue, my breath catching in my throat as I looked past him, into the room. My eyes darted towards the bed, fear momentarily paralyzing me.

I let out a shaky sigh of relief, a wave of exhaustion suddenly hitting me. Riti's sleeping form was nestled near my mom, the tension slowly draining from my body. She was safe. At least, she appeared to be.

“You almost woke her,” Mom spat, her voice sharp despite the hushed tone. She gently patted Riti's arm, which was encircled protectively around her. There was a possessiveness in her touch that I couldn't quite decipher.

“I was worried, okay?” I reasoned, trying to keep my voice level as I looked at my parents. The relief was quickly being replaced by a simmering frustration. Why were they acting so strange?

“Anyway, come let's go,” Dad said, patting my shoulder in a gesture that felt more awkward than comforting.

“Where?” I asked, my brow furrowing. I was completely lost.