Caught

DING.

The sharp buzz of Jaanvi's phone cut through the quiet like a knife.

Both she and Aditya flinched.

Then — chaos.

Ron, half-buried in pillows on the floor, groaned.
Saachi sat bolt upright.
Kiara's eyes fluttered open.
Aryan fell off the air mattress with a loud "ow."
Meera, Rey, Siya, and Isaar all stirred with a chorus of sleepy groans and mumbled complaints.

And Jaanvi and Aditya?

They basically launched themselves away from each other like they'd just touched a live wire.

Jaanvi rolled off the couch and landed in a sitting position on the floor, her blanket clutched to her chest, hair a mess and eyes wide.

Aditya hit the far armrest and stood up so fast he smacked his knee on the coffee table.

"Ow—crap—what the—" he muttered under his breath, already brushing imaginary guilt off his hoodie.

The entire room stared.

Half-asleep, confused, squinting — but staring.

And then the phone buzzed again.

4:43 AM
Unknown Number

"I was wondering how long you two were gonna stay like that."

Every part of Jaanvi's body went ice cold.

Aditya didn't even look at her — he just closed his eyes for half a second, like he was begging the universe to rewind time.

"What was that?" Saachi asked, rubbing her eyes.

Siya blinked hard. "Did... did that just say what I think it said?"

Ron sat up slowly, looking from Aditya to Jaanvi. "Wait. Wait. Hold on. What were you two—?"

"We weren't doing anything," Jaanvi snapped way too fast, voice cracking.

Aditya cleared his throat. "Yeah. Just fell asleep. That's all."

"Together?" Aryan raised a brow, smirking despite still being wrapped in his blanket like a burrito.

"No!"
"Yes."
Jaanvi and Aditya spoke at the same time.

Silence.

Buzz.

4:44 AM

"Cute. She looked so peaceful on your chest."

Siya gasped softly.

Saachi's eyes darted to the phone. "Okay. What the hell is going on?"

The energy in the room shifted fast.
The sleepy haze was gone.
Now it was thick with unease.

Rey sat up straighter. "That's not just a weird text. That's someone watching you. In this room."

Aditya walked over and picked up Jaanvi's phone before she could.
His brows furrowed as he read the message again.

His voice was low, but full of heat. "They were watching while we slept."

"Wait," Meera said slowly, fully awake now. "You're saying someone's spying on you two? Like... actively?"

"Yes," Aditya answered. "And no matter how many times we block them, they keep messaging."

Jaanvi was still frozen. Her cheeks burned. Her stomach twisted. Her heart was racing not just from fear now — but humiliation.

Saachi stood, walking over to her. "Hey. Hey. Look at me."

Jaanvi's eyes finally lifted.

Saachi reached out and gently held her arms. "It's not your fault. But you have to tell us everything. Now."

Another buzz.

4:45 AM

"Oops. Did I wake the whole gang?"

Aditya gritted his teeth. "That's it."

He turned to the others. "We're not brushing this off anymore."

The room was fully awake now — the tension loud in the silence.

Jaanvi looked around at her friends. At the judgment in some eyes, the worry in others.

And Aditya... still standing next to her. Not explaining. Not making excuses. Just there.

She didn't know what scared her more — the messages...

Or how part of her missed the safety of his chest, even now.

Sometimes it only takes one sound to destroy peace.
Sometimes it only takes one message to expose everything.
And sometimes, when invisible threads are pulled too hard—
they snap. In front of everyone.