As Alexander was dragged along by Anurag and Abhe, he noticed an unusual tension in the air. Krarth, usually so lively, had a deep frown on his face after seeing him, while Abhe and Anurag were grinning as if they had just witnessed something truly entertaining. Sensing that something was amiss, Alexander decided to ask, his voice calm yet firm.
"What happened?" he inquired, glancing between the three of them.
Anurag and Abhe exchanged glances before breaking into laughter. It was Abhe who finally spoke up.
"Krarth just proposed to Selene!" he announced, grinning widely.
For a moment, Alexander felt his heart stop. He turned to Krarth, who, despite the deep frown on his face, did not deny the statement. That look alone told Alexander that the proposal had indeed happened. But what shocked him more was what followed.
Alexander felt a strange, cold sensation crawling up his spine. He turned to Krarth, searching for some kind of denial, a correction, an explanation—anything. But Krarth simply looked at him and, after a moment, muttered,
"It was just a dare."
"And she said yes," Abhe added, laughing again.
Krarth sighed, clearly annoyed, before continuing, "Abhe dared me to do it. And she didn't actually say yes. It was just a joke."
The cold feeling didn't leave Alexander. Something about the situation felt off. Abhe had always been one for pranks, but this? He looked at Krarth's face again, trying to gauge the truth. He knew Krarth well enough to tell when he was lying—and right now, he wasn't sure.
Unable to shake the feeling, Alexander turned on his heel and left.
"Where are you going?" Anurag called after him.
"To ask Selene myself," Alexander replied without stopping.
His steps were firm but his mind was a mess. He had to know. He had to hear it from her. Approaching her, he kept his voice casual, masking the turmoil beneath.
"Hey, did Krarth propose to you?"
Selene blinked, clearly not expecting the question. She knew he loved her. But she really did not have that same feeling for him.
"Yeah," she admitted.
The cold sensation returned, stronger this time. He fought to keep his expression neutral.
"And... did you say yes?" he asked, voice controlled.
She hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.
"Yeah, I did."
For the second time that day, Alexander felt his world crumble.He had loved her as long as he could remember, yet.... He stood there, his mind blank, his emotions tangled into something too heavy to bear. His fingers clenched involuntarily, nails digging into his palms. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. Not here. Not in front of her. Not in public.
"Oh," was all he managed to say before turning away.
He walked off without direction, his steps unsteady. His thoughts were a storm. His heart ached, but more than that, anger bubbled beneath the surface. Anger at Krarth. At Abhe. At himself. At everything.
As he cooled down, Krarth approached him later that evening.
"Look, man," Krarth began awkwardly. "It was a dare. Abhe dared me to do it, and I figured, why not? I mean, I knew she wasn't actually going to say yes. But she did. And I didn't even get to tell you before Anurag went to fetch you. I swear I wasn't trying to mess with you."
Alexander stared at him, unblinking. The explanation did nothing to lessen the sting. He didn't care if it was a dare. He didn't care about Abhe's pranks. What mattered was that he had been humiliated. He had been made to feel small. And worst of all, he had been hurt by people he considered his closest friends.
He wanted to lash out. To scream. To punch something. If he had a knife at that moment, his weak body wouldn't have stopped him from doing something drastic.
Instead, he swallowed the rage and simply nodded.
"Forget it," he muttered, before walking away.
The event was finally over, but one thing was clear to him now:
If there was one person in the world he hated more than anyone else at that moment, it was Krarth. And he would do anything to make him suffer in a way even psychopaths would dread.
The night ended, and everyone went their separate ways. Krarth went home, Anurag to the hospital where his mother was admitted.
"Mom, huh?" Alexander whispered to himself as he waited at a bus stop. It was strange. Normally, this place would be packed. But tonight, it was nearly empty.
A convoy of vehicles pulled up in front of him, their darkened windows reflecting the streetlights above. The air felt heavier, an unnatural silence settling around him. The doors opened, and without a word, a group of men stepped out, their expressions unreadable.
Alexander barely had time to react before they moved toward him, their movements precise and rehearsed. He took a step back, his mind racing. His instincts screamed at him to run, but before he could react, one of the men reached out and grabbed his arm. A sharp sting pricked his skin, and almost instantly, a wave of dizziness hit him.
His vision blurred as his knees buckled beneath him. The last thing he saw before darkness consumed him was the cold, impassive face of the man standing over him.
And then, everything went dark.