Anaya couldn't sleep.
The ceiling fan hummed steadily above her, but her thoughts were louder. Every time she closed her eyes, the message flashed behind her eyelids like a warning etched in fire.
"Be careful who you trust…"
She turned to other side, watching the silhouette of Rose's back. The girl lay peacefully, her breaths slow and even. Too peaceful. Like someone who had nothing to hide. Or someone who hid it too well.
Anaya bit her lower lip and sat up slowly. Her fingers still felt cold from earlier, and her phone screen lay face down on the bed beside her.
She picked it up again. No new messages.
Still the same one, still from an unknown number.
"A prank? Maybe. Or maybe not." Anaya thinking herself.
Anaya didn't like overthinking, but she couldn't stop the stream of thoughts tonight. Rose had been oddly kind these past few days. From ignoring her for six months, to suddenly joining her for lunch, walking with her to class, and now calling her by name like they'd been friends all along?
Something didn't add up.
She climbed down from the bed, careful not to make noise. The hostel floor was cold beneath her feet. She walked to the small window and sat on the sill, looking out at the moonlit courtyard. A few other windows still glowed in the distance were students pulling all-nighters or just unable to sleep like her.
She pulled her knees to her chest.
It wasn't just the message.
It was how fake Rose's smile looked that evening when she said, "Let's forget everything, okay?"
Anaya had smiled back, nodding. But inside, she hadn't forgotten.
The argument. The way Rose mocked her stutter in front of the whole class. The silence that followed for months. It wasn't just a small fight. It had bruised something inside her. Something that hadn't healed completely.
"Maybe people change," Anaya whispered to the night.
Her phone buzzed again.
She flinched.
Another message. From the same number.
"She's watching you."
Anaya froze.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she typed: Who are you?
No reply.
She waited. A minute. Then two. Then five.
Still nothing.
Her heart thudded loudly in her ears. She turned her phone off and went back to bed, curling under the blanket as if it could protect her from the strange chill creeping over her skin.
The next morning, Rose was cheerful. Too cheerful.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" Rose said, tossing Anaya's shawl onto her bed. And said, "You didn't reply to my message last night. Were you sleeping early?"
Anaya blinked. "Message?"
"Yeah, I texted you after dinner. Just wanted to say thanks for being cool with everything again." Rose said.
Anaya reached for her phone and checked.
No such message.
She stared at Rose and said, "Which number did you use?"
Rose answered, "My usual one. Why?"
"No reason," Anaya said, faking a small smile. "Maybe I missed it."
Rose laughed lightly. "Happens. Anyway, hurry up. I saved a seat next to mine in the library today!"
Anaya nodded and watched her walk out of the room, humming again.
She checked the message thread. Only the anonymous numbers. Nothing from Rose's contact.
The smile faded from her lips as quickly as it came.
Throughout the day, she tried to distract herself. She focused on her notes, listened carefully in lectures, But that message lingered like a whisper behind her every thought.
"Be careful who you trust."
"She's watching you."
By evening, she couldn't bear it anymore.
She texted Rhea.
Anaya: Hey… can we talk?
Rhea: Of course. Video call?
A minute later, Rhea's face appeared on the screen. Her curly hair was tied in a bun, and her eyes lit up the moment she saw Anaya.
"You okay? You look tense." Rhea asked with tension.
Anaya hesitated. " Its just that I get some weird messages lately? Like anonymous ones?"
Rhea frowned. "What kind of messages?"
Anaya told her everything. The message. Rose's sudden change. The second message last night.
Rhea listened quietly, then said, "This doesn't sound like a coincidence."
"I don't want to assume the worst," Anaya whispered. "Maybe I'm just overthinking because of what happened before."
"But you have a reason to feel this way. Don't ignore it," Rhea said gently. "Maybe Rose is trying to make up for things, maybe not. But you don't have to rush into trusting her again. But, in my opinion, its best not to be too close with her"
Anaya nodded slowly.
Rhea smiled. "I know you're kind, Anaya. But kindness doesn't mean letting your guard down when your gut is screaming otherwise."
"Thanks," Anaya said, feeling a little warmth return to her chest. "I just needed to hear that."
"Always here for you." Rhea anwered with a little smile.
They chatted a bit more about lighter things. By the time Anaya ended the call, she felt a little lighter.
But that didn't last long.
That night, she woke up to the sound of soft tapping.
She blinked, confused.
The clock showed 2:13 a.m.
Tap. Tap....
It was coming from the desk.
As she looked over.
Rose was sitting at her desk, typing something rapidly on her phone. The light from her screen lit up her face focused, almost too serious.
Anaya watched for a few seconds.
Rose didn't notice her.
Then, Rose stood up and walked out of the room, phone still in hand.
Anaya waited a moment, then got up and walked to the desk.
There was a notebook lying open.
She knew it was wrong to look. But something told her this wasn't ordinary.
She peeked.
One sentence was scribbled again and again.
"She trusts too easily. It's her weakness."
Her heart dropped.
She backed away, chest tight.
Was it about her?
And then suddenly Rose returned.
Anaya jumped slightly, startled.
"Oh, you're awake," Rose said with a tilt of her head.
Anaya nodded slowly. "Just… thirsty."
Rose smiled. "There's water on the shelf. Want me to get it?"
Anaya shook her head. "I'll get it."
She didn't say anything about the notebook.
Not yet.
She just needed to think.
The next day, Anaya kept her distance.
She smiled when she had to. Responded politely. But stayed quiet, watching.
Rose didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she did and pretended not to.
At lunch, Anaya sat with Rhea. When Rose joined them, her smile faltered just a little.
But it stayed.
Still perfect.
Still… too soon.
And Anaya, quietly, was beginning to understand..
Trust is not just about others.
It's also about trusting your own intuition.
Even when it hurts...
"But, we have to find the truth or else it will turned over as a big misunderstanding."
"Even when it means walking away from a friendship that never really was.."
Then, Anaya finally want to ask Rose about those things....