""Aarav, hurry up! Breakfast is ready, don't be late on your first day of work." My mother's voice echoed through the stairwell to my room.

"On my way, Mom," I responded quickly as I made my way down the stairs.

Hello, readers! My name is Aarav, and the lovely woman you just heard is my mother. I recently graduated from Delhi's National Law University with honors and was accepted into one of the most prestigious law firms in India. Today was my first day of work.

My father died while my mother was still pregnant with me, and she raised me single-handedly, despite many hardships. However, now that I have a job, I can finally be an earning hand for our family, and my mother can take a break from working long shifts.

All of our relatives who never bothered to help us during our hard times are now envious of us, and I'm enjoying all the attention. I was finally able to relieve my mother of all her responsibilities and allow her to relax at home now that our trying days are over.

Now, let's get to the meat of the narrative.

As I descended the steps, I noticed my mother, a middle-aged woman in her 40s, with black straight hair and a round, lived-in face that appeared incredibly young for her age, thanks to Indian Ayurvedic recipes. "Hurry up, you idiot," she said with a sneer and gleaming brown eyes.

"Mom, you have to understand that I work as an advocate for one of the largest firms in our nation. I'm not the same little kid I used to be. Please don't treat me like a child." I said as I approached the table where breakfast was ready.

"You will always be my little Aarav, no matter how successful you become. So, please refrain from telling me that you've grown." She said as she sat down next to me.

I exhaled heavily, "Aren't I supposed to be stubborn here?"

"What did you say?" She asked with a frown.

"Nothing!" I stopped arguing as I knew how obstinate my mother could be.

I ate quickly, putting up with my mother's nags, and then hurried to leave the house. But my mother suddenly stopped me.

"Aarav!"

"Yes, Mom?" I replied.

"Take this talisman with you. It bestows luck and riches," she said with worry.

"What is this?" I said with a curious expression, as she handed the talisman to me.

"You don't need to know that, just wear it. It will help you in a difficult circumstance."

"Okay," I said, sensing a glimmer of sadness from her as she tied the talisman around my neck, but I didn't give it much thought since I was running late. I said goodbye and ran to the office.

On my way to the office, I realized it was my mother's birthday that day. I made a promise to myself that I would properly apologize and present her with a gift the following evening after work. I pulled out my phone and started reading an article about how to have a successful first day at work.

Later, after a briefing and introduction at the office, I began working on a task assigned to me and had a successful day. All of my nerves about the first day of work were unfounded, and everything went off without a hitch.

"Now let's celebrate Mom's birthday with a bang."

***

On his way home after buying a bunch of Yellow Asiatic lilies (mom's favorite) and a strawberry cake for a birthday celebration, Aarav observed an incomparably stunning girl standing in the middle of the road. She had long black hair that reached her knees and emerald green eyes. There was something peculiar about her, apart from the fact that she was some lunatic standing in the middle of the road.

He laughed as he turned to go, "I guess the whole situation seems kind of weird."

"Are you the person that summoned me?" In Aarav's head, he heard a voice.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Aarav panicked and lost his balance, falling to the ground on his hips.

As he stood up, he again looked in the direction where the strange girl was still standing in the middle of the road.

She was wearing a black dress that almost completely covered her shoulders and went down to a lovely round neckline. It was a tight fit that served to highlight her breasts without being cheesy. Her arms were covered, and the sleeves were loose at first, then tightened as they got closer to the bottom, where they gracefully wrapped over her wrists.

The waist of the dress was large, but it had a loose fit, wrapping a fabric ribbon around her and tying it at the front. The dress featured a pleated shape below the waist and fit snugly around her. The dress was the same length all the way around and reached down to her feet.

"What odd fashion choices? Is she a theatre artist? Why does no one pay any attention or try to stop that strange girl standing in the middle of the road? Do I need to contact the police?" As he remained there in a daze, numerous questions flooded his mind.

'There's something off about her, maybe it's a remnant of her traumatic background, maybe it's just a sense of misery.' Nonetheless, he wanted to be close to her, hug and caress her, and convince her that as long as she's with him, he could fight the entire world. 'Wait, what am I thinking, and how do I know what she's feeling when it's the first time I saw her? Why is my heart racing so much?' He thought.

'Unfortunately, I believe I have lost my mind! I should have listened to my mother and stopped reading those fantasy online novels because now I'm procrastinating over some strange-looking girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.' He sighed.

As he resolved to leave this strange infatuation behind, their gazes locked. His thoughts came to a halt, and time paused for him. He could feel his soul being drawn to the darkness she emitted. He began to think aloud with a stammering voice after a while, "Life and happiness have been replaced by dismal greys all around her, as if she were a prisoner of fate, unable to flee. I want to help her and be there for her."