Shadows and Lies

Shadows and Lies
Siara paced across her room, phone pressed against her ear as she waited for Ojas to respond. Her gut told her there was more to the Black Serpents than what he had told her. She wasn’t naive enough to believe he had given her the full story.

"Toh? Kya aur kuch mila?" (So? Did you find anything else?) she asked, her voice steady despite the restlessness crawling under her skin.

There was silence on the other end, followed by a long exhale.

"Siara, yeh mera aakhri call hai tumse iss maamle mein." (Siara, this is my last call to you regarding this matter.)

Her steps halted. "Kya matlab?" (What do you mean?)

"Mera system do baar crash ho chuka hai sirf itna sa information nikalne ke liye." (My system has crashed twice just for pulling out this little bit of information.)

Siara’s grip on her phone tightened. "Kisne kiya?" (Who did it?)

"Mujhe nahi pata. Par yeh koi chhoti-moti gang nahi hai. Yeh log dekh rahe hain ki kaun unke peeche aane ki koshish kar raha hai. Aur main ek bloody hacker hoon, koi warrior nahi." (I don’t know. But this isn’t some small-time gang. These people are watching who is trying to dig into them. And I’m just a bloody hacker, not a warrior.)

Siara let out a slow breath, understanding the unsaid words. He was out.

"Toh tum keh rahe ho ki tum kuch aur nahi dhundh sakte?" (So you’re saying you can’t find anything else?)

"Main keh raha hoon ki main kuch aur nahi dhundhunga." (I’m saying I won’t find anything else.)

His tone was final. Unwavering.

"Tum isse chhod do, Siara. Yeh tumhari soch se bhi zyada gehra hai." (Leave this alone, Siara. This is deeper than you think.)

Siara closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Theek hai." (Alright.)

But it wasn’t alright.

And she wasn’t about to let this go.

The call disconnected, leaving behind a silence that felt heavier than it should have.

Ojas was out of the picture.

That just meant she had to find another way.

Because Siara Rajawat wasn’t the kind of woman who let things go.

Her phone rang again. This time, the name flashing on the screen made her pause.

Ekansh.

She exhaled slowly before answering.

"Siara." His voice was calm, as always. "Tum kaisi ho?" (How are you?)

Siara leaned against the edge of her desk, fingers tapping lightly against the wood. "Main theek hoon." (I’m fine.)

A lie.

"Sach?" (Really?)

"Haan." (Yes.)

Another lie.

She heard him sigh on the other end but chose to ignore it.

"Waise, tumhe ek invite dena tha." (By the way, I wanted to invite you to something.) His tone lightened. "Kal Kavya ka birthday hai. Aur woh chahti hai ki tum aaon." (Tomorrow is Kavya’s birthday. And she wants you to come.)

Siara blinked in surprise. "Mujhe?" (Me?)

"Haan, tumhe." (Yes, you.) There was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Pichli baar tum usse milne gayi thi, tabse tum uski favorite ho gayi ho." (Ever since you visited her last time, you’ve become her favorite.)

A small, unexpected smile tugged at Siara’s lips. She had met Kavya only once—Ekansh’s little sister was full of life, the kind of person who could bring warmth to even the coldest rooms. The fact that she remembered Siara enough to want her at her birthday was… nice.

"Theek hai, main aa jaungi." (Alright, I’ll come.)

"Good." A pause. Then, more softly, "Aur tum sach mein theek ho?" (And are you really okay?)

Siara’s fingers curled around her phone.

"Haan, maine kaha na?" (Yes, didn’t I say so?)

"Siara…"

She sighed. "Main theek hoon, Ekansh." (I’m fine, Ekansh.)

This time, he let it go.

"Aur tumne jo kaha tha… ki tum handle karoge…" (And what you said… that you’d handle things…) She trailed off, carefully observing his reaction.

For a second, there was nothing. Then—

"Abhi tak kuch nahi mila." (I haven’t found anything yet.)

Siara narrowed her eyes. That split-second hesitation… it was there.

"Still digging?" she asked.

"Haan." (Yes.)

A smooth answer. Too smooth.

Siara inhaled sharply. He was lying.

"Mujhe lagta hai ki tumhe nahi karna chahiye." (I think you shouldn’t.)

She heard him shift on the other end. "Kya?" (What?)

"Jo bhi chal raha hai, usse jitna door raho, utna behtar hai." (Whatever is happening, the farther you stay from it, the better.)

There was a pause. Then, he let out a slow breath. "Tum shayad sahi keh rahi ho." (Maybe you’re right.)

Siara’s chest tightened slightly at the relief in his tone.

He was glad she was giving up.

Because all he ever wanted was for her to be safe.

Siara held her phone close, listening to the subtle shifts in Ekansh’s breathing. He hadn’t spoken in a while, and for once, she wasn’t sure what he was thinking.

"Agar tumhe lagta hai ki door rehna behtar hai, toh theek hai." (If you think staying away is better, then okay.)

His voice was calm, carrying the faintest trace of relief.

That simple response twisted something in her chest.

She clenched her jaw, exhaling slowly through her nose.

He believed her.

For a man as perceptive as Ekansh, that was rare.

But maybe he thought, that things like this breaks even the strongest and if Siara was giving up willingly there was nothing wrong in it.

"Good," she said, forcing her tone to be light. "Aur waise bhi, mujhe aur bhi kaam hai. Mujhe yeh sab sochne ka time hi nahi hai." (And besides, I have other things to do. I don’t even have time to think about all this.)

Another lie.

Ekansh hummed, a quiet agreement. He wasn’t pushing her for once, wasn’t challenging her words or trying to dissect her thoughts.

And she hated it.

Because it meant he truly believed she was giving up.

"Waise, Kavya ka birthday lunch hai ya dinner?" (By the way, is Kavya’s birthday a lunch or dinner event?) she asked, casually shifting the conversation.

"Dinner."

"Theek hai, main time pe aa jaungi." (Alright, I’ll be there on time.)

"Main tumhe pick kar loon?" (Should I pick you up?)

Siara rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "Main khud aa sakti hoon, Ekansh. Tumhe meri driver banne ki zaroorat nahi hai." (I can come on my own, Ekansh. You don’t need to be my driver.)

"Zaroorat nahi hai, par problem bhi nahi hai." (It’s not necessary, but it’s also not a problem.)

"Main khud aa rahi hoon," she repeated, voice firm but amused.

He chuckled softly. "Jaisi tumhari marzi, Rajawat." (As you wish, Rajawat.)

There was a pause before he spoke again, this time, quieter.

"Aur Siara… sach mein. Agar tumhe kabhi bhi lage ki kuch galat ho raha hai, ya tumhe madad chahiye…" (And Siara… seriously. If you ever feel like something is wrong, or you need help…)

She closed her eyes briefly.

"Main sambhal sakti hoon." (I can handle it.)

"Jaanta hoon," he murmured. "Par iska matlab yeh nahi ki tumhe akele sambhalna chahiye." (I know. But that doesn’t mean you have to handle it alone.)

Her grip on the phone tightened for a split second.

"Main theek hoon, Ekansh," she said again.

"Acha." (Okay.)

He didn’t push, didn’t argue.

But she knew he didn’t believe her.

And yet, that was fine.

Because she didn’t need him to believe her. She just needed him to stay out of it.

Ekansh had already done enough for her.

This fight wasn’t his.

It was hers.

And she wasn’t going to drag him into a storm she wasn’t sure she could even escape from.