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Chapter 16 - The Hidden Link

The photo I found in Nick’s drawer wasn’t just a memory it was a revelation.
There he was, standing with Sourabh, arms slung across each other like brothers. Their faces lit up with that carefree, boyish charm, but to me it looked like a sign. A sign I had been blind to all this time.

Because Sourabh wasn’t a stranger to me. He was the boy who had sent me a friend request the week I shifted here.
He had slid into my life casually asking me about my favorite songs, food, crushes, silly daily updates. Always polite, always friendly, always curious. Too curious.

And now it all made sense.

What if Nick had already known about me?
What if Sourabh wasn’t just my “online friend,” but Nick’s way of watching me… before I even realized it?

I shoved the photo back, my hands trembling. By the time Vedika came down after her shower, yelling about not cooking, I had already wiped the counter spotless, masking my unease. We sat at the dining table with the food I had prepared, pretending it was just another evening.
But I couldn’t keep the question down anymore.
“Vedika… do you know Sourabh? He sent me a request recently.”

Her spoon froze mid-air. Then she laughed like it was obvious.
“Of course I do! Arey, he’s family. Nick’s best friend. They’re like brothers from another mother always have been. Sourabh knows all of Nick’s secrets, every stupid little thing. He’s here all the time, ties me rakhi every year. He’s a nice guy though… engaged now, two years until marriage. Why? Did he say something to you?”

I forced a laugh. “No, no… just curious.”

But inside, my heart was pounding.
So Sourabh wasn’t just some random boy. He was Nick’s other half. And if they were that close, then every word I ever told Sourabh every like, every dislike, every secret — Nick could have known.

The realization made my skin crawl.

I thought back. The way Nick teased me about things I never told him. The way he always seemed to know when I was hungry, or upset, or lying. It wasn’t coincidence. It was calculation.
And then Vedika, unknowingly, sealed it.
“You know what’s funny?” she added. “The day you shifted here, Nick came to me asking about you. He wanted your socials. I thought he was just teasing, but maybe your profile picture was cute, so he told Sourabh to add you. You must’ve caught his eye instantly.”

Her words struck me like thunder.
The day I shifted here. Not months later. Not after we “bumped into” each other. He had known me from the very beginning.

I smiled at Vedika, acting like it was nothing, but inside I was spiraling.

What if I was never the one stalking Nick?
What if Nick had been stalking me all along?

The thought chilled me. Because when Nick looked at me, it never felt casual. His eyes always held something deeper, heavier, like he wasn’t just looking at me he was claiming me.

And now I couldn’t stop wondering…
How much of my life did he already know?
And how long had he been watching me from the shadows?

That night, as I lay awake, I finally admitted it to myself:
Nick wasn’t just mysterious.
Nick was obsessed.