Chapter 1: A Song That Haunts

Chapter 1: A Song That Haunts

New York City was alive in ways Aisha had never experienced before. The
streets buzzed with a constant hum of people, lights, and traffic. But despite
the chaotic pulse of the city, Aisha sat alone in her small apartment, gazing out
the window at the endless sea of lights, feeling utterly lost. She had dreamed
of this moment—moving to New York to chase her dreams of becoming a
famous singer and songwriter. Yet, here she was, still fighting against the
loneliness that had followed her since high school.
She had thought moving on would be easy. It wasn’t.
The ache of her past, of him, lingered. Arjun. He had been her world, the
reason she had written her first song. The one she had poured every bit of her
teenage heart into. The song she had written for him, never realizing that it
would be the very thing that held her back from ever truly moving on.
It had been years since she had left her hometown and the boy she had loved
so desperately. When her family moved to New York, she promised herself
she’d let go of the past. But somehow, the song for Arjun had become a
permanent part of her.

Her fingers hovered over her guitar, the familiar feel of the strings beneath her
fingertips giving her a sense of comfort. With a deep breath, she began to
strum, the melody flowing easily, as if it had never left her. The lyrics came
next, words she had written in high school, words that had been tucked away
in the diary she kept hidden under her bed for all these years.
Aisha closed her eyes as the music filled the room. Her voice, raw and
vulnerable, echoed in the quiet apartment. She was transported back to those
high school days, back to the warmth of the school hallways, the laughter, and
the pain of unspoken love. Arjun’s face flashed before her eyes. His smile. His
touch. The way he had looked at her—like she was everything.
As the final chord rang out, she sat there for a moment, her heart racing,
unsure of what to do next. Without thinking, she picked up her phone and
recorded a quick video, singing the song one last time. It wasn’t polished. It
wasn’t perfect. But it was real. It was her heart, unfiltered.

She uploaded it to her social media, hoping it would bring her some peace.
Maybe someone would hear it. Maybe no one would. Either way, she was
done keeping it locked away.

The next morning, Aisha was startled by the flood of notifications that
appeared on her phone. Her song, which had been shared by just a few of her
followers the night before, was now everywhere. Blogs, music sites, even local
radio stations had picked it up. The song was going viral.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she scrolled through the comments. But it
was one comment, in particular, that caught her attention: “Arjun Mehra liked
your post.”
Aisha’s breath caught in her throat. Arjun Mehra? No, it couldn’t be. She stared
at the name for a long moment, as if trying to make sense of it. Was this some
kind of coincidence? Was someone just playing a cruel joke on her?
She quickly tapped on the profile, her hands trembling. And there he was—
Arjun Mehra—but not the high school boy she remembered. This Arjun was a
different man entirely.

His profile picture showed him dressed sharply, smiling
with confidence. The boy she had once known had grown into a man—
successful, well-traveled, and influential. According to his profile, he was now a
prominent sports journalist, reporting for international sports outlets,
frequently traveling between New York and Mumbai for high-profile events.
Aisha’s stomach churned as memories flooded back. She had spent years
wondering where he was, what he was doing. But now that she saw him again,
she wasn’t sure what to feel. It had been so long.
Then, her phone buzzed again. Another notification.
“Arjun Mehra commented on your post.”

“Is it really you?” the comment read. “After all these years, Aisha?”
Aisha froze. Her heart raced. Could it be? Was this the same Arjun? The one
she had loved for so long, the one she had never truly forgotten? She didn’t
know whether to laugh or cry. Her hands shook as she typed her reply: “Is it
really you, Arjun? After all these years, I thought you had moved on.”
Before she could hit send, another message popped up—a private message
from the same account.

“I’m in New York. I need to see you. Now.”
Aisha’s breath caught in her chest. He’s in New York? Her mind raced. What
could he want? Had he heard the song and was he just curious, or was this
something more?
She stared at the message for what felt like an eternity. Her mind was a
whirlwind of emotions—excitement, fear, confusion. The man she had never
truly gotten over had found her again, and now he was in the same city.
Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She whipped around to find her best
friend, Riya, standing in the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.
“Who’s making you look all flustered?” Riya teased, glancing at Aisha’s phone.
“It’s him,” Aisha whispered, her voice shaky.

Riya raised an eyebrow. “Him? Who?”
“A… A… Arjun,” Aisha stammered, showing her the phone. “He’s here, Riya. He
wants to meet me.”
Riya’s eyes widened. “What?! The Arjun? From high school? The one you never
got over?”
Aisha nodded, unable to say more.
“What are you going to do?” Riya asked, sitting beside her.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what to feel anymore. This song… it’s bringing
everything back.”
As Aisha sat in silence, trying to process the flood of emotions coursing
through her, a new notification appeared on her screen. It was a follow-up
message from Arjun.

“I’m waiting for you at the café on 5th Avenue. I don’t want to waste any
more time. I need to talk to you, Aisha. Let’s meet. Please.”
Aisha looked at Riya, unsure of what to do. A part of her wanted to run to him,
to see if the love they had shared in high school still existed. But another part
of her was terrified. What had changed in all these years? Was he still the
same person? Was she?
Riya leaned forward. “Aisha, this is a sign. You need to go. See where this
leads. You deserve the closure.”
Aisha nodded slowly. For the first time in years, she felt her heart stir with
something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Hope.

As she grabbed her jacket and prepared to leave, her phone buzzed again, this
time with an unknown number.
“Aisha, it’s me. Arjun. I’m in New York. Please don’t let this be a mistake.”
Her pulse quickened. She stood up and walked towards the door, her heart
pounding in her chest.
What was she walking into? What did Arjun want now, after all this time?
The unknown stretched out in front of her, but one thing was for sure—she
was about to face a past she never thought she’d confront again.