R I D A
----

I woke up with the same unusual heaviness in my body.

"Ahh..."

I groaned, holding my head. Sometimes it felt like an elephant was sleeping on me instead of my little dog. I stretched my arms and neck, trying to shake off the strange fatigue.

I glanced at the side table and noticed my headphones lying there. Didn't I sleep with them on? How am I getting so forgetful these days?

I reached for the water bottle but found it empty, so I walked toward the kitchen. That's when I noticed the window was slightly open. I moved closer to check it, and suddenly, I heard a ringtone - a sound I had never set on my phone before.

It rang for a moment and then stopped almost immediately.

My heart started beating so fast.

This could only mean one thing... someone is in the house. I stepped back slowly, moving away from the counter. My eyes fell on the spotless surface, and memories from last night crashed into my brain.

I definitely didn't clean this. I looked at the sink - the dishes were washed too. I hadn't removed my headphones either.

I gulped hard.

Grabbing a small fork as a makeshift weapon, I turned around and ran straight out the door toward Rishi and Neil's house. I banged on their door desperately. The moment it opened, Rishi looked at me, quickly removed his shirt, and wrapped it around my waist.

"What happened?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Ridaa!!" Neil came running.

"There! There is someone in my house..." I blabbered, voice shaking.

Rishi immediately ran toward my house while Neil pulled me into a tight hug, gently caressing my head.

"What happened?" he asked again, worry clear in his voice.

"I think there was someone in my house and... I don't know," I said, voice trembling.

"Come inside," he said softly, guiding me in. I sat on the sofa while he brought me a glass of water. I drank it quickly, my hands still shaking.

Rishi and Neil are the most trustworthy and comforting people you can know - my people. They take care of Max whenever I go out and adore me like family. They're the cutest couple.

Rishi works in construction and Neil is a manager at a nearby restaurant. They met on a dating app, both just trying it out, and stupidly fell in love.

Rishi is the six-pack abs hot hunk, 100% top.

Neil is the cutesy, innocent 100% bottom.

Wait.

I shouldn't be thinking about this right now.

Rishi came back after a few minutes. "Nothing," he said.

"What?" I replied, getting up and walking back toward my house.

They both followed closely behind me.

I barged into my house and started looking around frantically, checking every corner before heading to my bedroom.

"I'm sure there was someone. I heard a ringtone. It wasn't mine," I insisted.

"Where is your phone?" Rishi asked.

"It's here..." I said, unable to locate it at first. Then my eyes fell on it - plugged into the charger. I walked closer.

"I didn't put this here," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Rida, let's call the police," Neil suggested.

I nodded. Soon enough, a police car was parked outside my house. Officers were investigating around, but the most uncanny thing was that all the CCTV cameras in the area were somehow malfunctioning.

After the police left, Neil and Rishi practically refused to let me stay alone.

"You're coming to our house," Neil said, leaving no room for argument.

"And I'm changing every lock in that place," Rishi added.

Honestly? I wasn't about to argue.

Someone had been inside my house.

That thought alone was enough to make my skin crawl.

So I grabbed Max and followed them next door.

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

Rishi spent hours replacing every lock in the house while muttering creative insults about stalkers, burglars, and humanity in general. By evening, new locks had been installed on every door, and a couple of CCTV cameras had been placed inside the house this time.

"If somebody comes back," Rishi said while tightening the last screw, "we'll have their face in HD."

Neil nodded approvingly.

"And then we'll kill them."

"Neil!" I exclaimed.

"What?" he asked innocently.

I rolled my eyes.

By the time everything was finally finished, exhaustion had settled deep into my bones.

My phone rang.

Pammi.

Right... Work.

I answered the call.

"Why aren't you here?" he asked immediately.

No hello.
No good evening.
Straight to the accusation.

"Nice to hear your concern for my wellbeing, boss."

"Rida."

"I had a break-in."

Silence.

Then, "You had a what?"

I dropped onto the couch and rubbed my forehead.

"Someone was inside my house last night."

The line stayed silent for a few seconds.

"...You're serious?"

"I don't want to be... but I am."

His tone changed immediately.

"What happened?"

I quickly explained everything: the open window, the cleaned kitchen, the phone charging beside my bed, and the missing CCTV footage.

By the end of it, even Pammi sounded disturbed.

"Okay," he said finally. "Forget work today."

I nearly dropped my phone.

"Who are you and what have you done with Pammi?"

"Shut up, Rida," he said. "Take care."

I couldn't help smiling a little.

"I'm trying..."

A brief silence followed before something suddenly clicked in my brain.

"Wait."

"What?"

"The audiobook."

I sat up straighter.

"What about the audiobook?"

Pammi sighed.

"Yeah. We were supposed to submit the audition today. Deadline..."

My face immediately fell.

Damn.

"We'll get more opportunities," I said, trying to sound convincing.

"It paid really well," he replied.

Okay.

That hurt a little.

"There's a chance I might get selected," I said. "I practiced a lot."

"You probably would have."

Probably?

I chose to ignore that.

"But I don't think you should be leaving the house right now," he continued.

The memory of waking up to evidence of someone being inside my house still hadn't left my system.

"Yeah..." I admitted quietly.

For once, neither of us had a comeback.

The silence lingered between us.

Then Pammi cleared his throat.

"Just focus on not getting murdered."

"There he is," I said immediately. "I was wondering where my boss went."

"Goodnight, Rida."

"Goodnight, Pammi."

The call disconnected.

I stared at the screen for a moment before putting my phone down.

The audiobook could go away.

Right now, I had much bigger things to worry about.

Because at the end of the day, my life and wellbeing mattered more than any project ever could.

Sure, the audiobook paid well.

Maybe really well.

But what was the point of earning money if there wasn't another day left to enjoy it?

Who the fuck was I even earning for then?

More audiobooks would come... More projects would come... More opportunities would come.

I only have one life, and I intended to keep it.

I stayed at Neil and Rishi's house.

The fear had faded a little, but every time I thought about the cleaned dishes or my phone charging beside my bed, a chill ran through me all over again.

Dinner was surprisingly wholesome.

Neil cooked while Rishi hovered around him, pretending to help and getting yelled at every few minutes for stealing food before it was ready.

Max was following them around the kitchen like a tiny supervisor.

The rest of the evening passed with good food, random conversations, old stories, and the kind of comfortable silence that only exists between people who truly know each other well.

Later, I went to the guest room, lay down on the bed, and stared at the ceiling fan spinning lazily above me. I reached for my phone and opened the PDF.

The story seemed so cool. Exactly my type. God knows who'll get this project, and when I'll finally get to hear it... but I will. I surely will.

Maybe this wasn't in my destiny after all.

I closed my eyes, but the thoughts wouldn't stop. What if that phone hadn't rung? Would I have even noticed anything? How long has this been going on? The constant fatigue... the body aches... Wait, was I...?

Oh no.

No.

No no no.

I quickly locked the door, pulled down my pajama and underwear, and sat on the edge of the bed. With trembling fingers, I reached down and carefully rubbed around my vulva, checking thoroughly for any sign of soreness, pain, swelling, or anything out of place.

My heart hammered in my chest as I examined myself. After a few long, anxious moments, I finally let out a deep, shaky breath.

Nothing.

Nothing wrong.

No signs of intrusion.

I let out a long breath and lay back down on the bed, my body finally relaxing. But the confusion refused to leave me.

Why the hell would someone break into my house...?

It didn't make any sense. Nothing was stolen. Nothing was broken. They even cleaned up after themselves.

Who does that?

───────✿────────

Next Update - Tomorrow

How would YOU react if you woke up and found your dishes washed, your phone charging, and absolutely no explanation?

You know what the funniest part is? Nirvan bro sabotaged his own plan🥹🫰