Prologue
The whispers of unsaid love.
Therearetimesinlifewhensilenceisfargreaterthanwords, whenthethingswecannotexpresscan reverberate across the veryfoundationoffact, alteringit indimensions we hardlyexpected. For Inder, silence served as both a protection and a curse. His undergraduate life passed like a calm stream, constantand unnoticed, tillthedayhesawher:Parvati, thegirlwhosejoyflowed intheatmospherelike amelodyhehadneverhear.
Somethingdeep withinhimbeganto grow the minute their eyes almost met.Alove that was supposed to remainburied, anemotionthat had no intentionto be expressed. His soulwas anenclosure ofsilent words, a chamber ofunresolved feelings, but he soon realized that even solitude has limitations. What began as harmless adoration evolved into something darker, tugging at the limits of his reality and connectingthemtogetherinwaysneithercouldcomprehend.
Inthesilentgapsbetweenthethoughtshehad, thecurseofhislovebecamemorepowerful.And, as Inderdelved deeperinto hissilentpassion, hisworld—and hers—beganto transforminwaysneitherof themcouldpredict.
Some loves deserve to be proclaimed from the rooftops. Others are doomed to remain in the shadows.However,whengraspedtoofirmly,shadowsmightcometolife.
Thisisthe storyofhowsilence canspeak louderthanwords, and howthe weightofunsaid desirescan hauntasoulforever.
Tableofcontents
Table ofContents
Chapter1:TheSilentBeginning
Chapter2:TheCurseofUnseenLove
Chapter3:ThePowerofUnsaidWords
Chapter4:TheDescent
Chapter5:TheBreakingPoint
Chapter6:TheAftermath
Chapter1
TheSilent Beginning
Ayoung guy named Inder lived in the middle ofa beautifuluniversity, where greenery attached to the ancientbrick wallsand studentsrushed fromone studio to the next. He wasjustlike the otherstudents, blending into the sea of faces that filled the lecture halls and studios. Yet there was something deep within him that he could never reveal. Something pulled at his insides like a silent curse: a love that wasn'tsupposedtobe.
Inder fellfor Parvatithe first time he met her at first-year orientation. She was sparkling, her laughter resonating around the occupied courtyard as she had conversations with classmates. Her dark brown eyes glowed withenergyand her smile could lighteventhe darkestday. To Inder, she was untouchable —farawayfromreachforsomeone like him. Butthatdidn'tstop his heartfromattachingitselfto herin awaythatfeltmorefatefulthanplanned.
Itwasa secretlove thatbloomed inthe isolationofhisroom, the silence betweenconversation, and the looks he grabbed across studios and cafeteria. He was invisible to her, like a ghost at the outskirts of her universe, watchingbut never approaching. His love graduallybecame a permanent companion, like anunbreakableshadow.
Butthislove,herecognized,wasnotatypicallove.Itwascursed.
Chapter2
TheCurse ofUnseen Love
Inderfailed to recognize the curse rightaway.Atfirst, itseemed like ordinaryheartache, somethingthat anycollege studentcanencounterfroma distance. He convinced himselfthatitwas reasonable to have acrushonsomeonewhowasunawareofhisexistence.Strangethingsstartedtohappen,though.
Inder felt somethingwas wrongduringa partytowards the end ofthe first semester. Parvatiwas there, laughing and chatting with her friends, utterly unconscious that Inder was standing at the edge of the room, as usual, watchingherfromafar. He wanted to approachherand saysomething—anything—but thewordswouldconstantlydieinhisthroat.
Thatevening,whileParvatidancedinthedimlightofstringlights,Inder'sheartsufferedmorethanusual. Hetightened hisfist, quietlyseekinghecould betheoneto makehersmile. Somethinghappened atthat veryinstant. The surroundings felt colder, and Parvatistumbled inthe middle ofher laughter. Her face paled, and for a short duration, she stared at him, her eyes wide with astonishment. The impact was rapidly broken, however. She shrugged it off, blaming her anxiety, and returned to her friends, but Parvatisensedsomethingwasdifferent.
Chapter3
The Power ofUnsaidWords
Days stretched into weeks, and peculiar events flourished. Every moment Inder desired Parvati's attention, somethingslight but odd would occur. Ifhe want for her to notice him, she'd drop her books or lose concentration in studio. If he secretly wished for her to be nearby, she'd emerge in the same cafeteria or library, simplyto leave seconds later, puzzled and uneasy. It was as ifhis unspokenhopes wereexpressinginwaysneitherofthemknewabout.
However, there was a darker side to it. The curse grew stronger as Inder's emotions became more intense. Whenhe feltheartache—whenhe sawherwithothermenorwhenshe smiled atsomeone else —something bad would happen. A glass would break nearby, a chair could fall over, or someone in Parvati's circle would be injured in minor but unexplained incidents. It seemed as if the universe was respondingtothepainhecarriedwithin.
One night, Inder experienced a dreamofParvati. Inthe dream, she appeared near the university's Bell Temple, turning her back to him. He yelled her name, and when she turned around, her eyes flooded withtears."Whydoyouhauntme?"sheinquired,hervoiceechoinginthesilentnight. ❖
Inderawoke ina freezingsweatwithhis heartbeatingrapidly. The dreamseemed too intense, too near tothetruthhecouldn'taccept.Hislovewasnolongercompletelyforhim;itwasimpactingher,dragging herintoaspiralfromwhichnoneofthemcouldescape.
Chapter4
The Descent
By the second year of university, Inder's emotion had intensified, as had the curse. Parvati, once enthusiastic and full of brightness, began to become different. She got isolated and worried, as if something unseen weighed on her. She stopped going to parties, spent less time with friends, and frequentlysatalone,herlookfarawayanddisturbed.
Inder watched froma distance, regret choking him. He knew that he was responsible, but he had no idea whyor how. His love, once innocence and wordless, had transformed into a darkness beyond his control. He tried to separate himselfinthe hopes ofbreakingthe spell, but everytime he saw her, the cursetightenedaroundbothofthem.
One rainy afternoon, Inder caught himself hanging across the corridor, soaked, peering through the window at Parvati. She reclined at a desk, her head rested on her palmand her glasses blurred over fromtiredness. He wished to go to her and confess every single thing, but the thought that something awfulcouldoccurstoppedhim.
Instead, he mumbled her name, barelyheard over the rain. Parvatiraised her head outside the studio, her eyes widening with horror. She glanced regarding, as if looking for something or someone. For a briefmoment, both oftheir eyes connected through the window. Inder's heart raced in his chest. She wasawareof.Shecouldsenseit,too.
Chapter5
The Breaking Point
❖
The amount ofquiet phrases grew chaotic. The curse had bonded both ofthemin ways they couldn't escape,anditwasruiningthemboth.Inderunderstoodheneededtofacethetruthandtheeffectsofhis quietemotion.
❖
Inthe evening, he discovered Parvatialone nearthe Belltemple, the exactlocationfromhisdream. Her once-bright vision were now darkened with a mixture of confusion and misery. She recognized his existencebeforehespoke.
❖
"Inder…"Thewayshespokeshivered."WhywouldIfeelasifIhaveknownyoueverlasting?"Whydo IeverfeelasifIcan'tleaveyou?"
❖
Indermoved closerasthe rainbeganto pouraround them. Hisheartripped witheachsymbol. "Inever intended this situation to happen. "I never intended to hurt you." His voice was hardly audible in the storm."Iadmiredyoufromadistance…yetthatlove,it'scursed."
❖
Parvati's eyes streamed withtears. "Youmust have discussed to me, Inder.Youmight have spokenup. Thiswholemoment...Ihavefeltstalked."
❖
"Iknow."Inder'svoicetrembled."Iunderstand."AndIapologize."
❖
Atthatpoint, the rainended. The revelationappeared to destroythe curse whichhad previouslybound them. Butthe harmhad earlierbeendone. Inder's unsaid love took a heavytollso there was no turning back.
Chapter6
TheAftermath
Parvatiabandoned himlongafterthe event, seekinga newbeginningawayfromthe darknessofInder's silent love. Inder remained back, contaminated by the consequences of his deeds. His love, once so brilliantandoptimistic,turnedintohisworstregret.
❖
He never looked at Parvatithe same way again, but he was frequently thinking about her, wondering what would have happened if he'd had the confidence to speak up earlier. In the silent areas of the university, inthe deserted hallswhere theyhad previouslypassed eachotherwithoutsayinganything, he feltthecontinuingechoofhiscursedlove.
❖
Some people believe curses are created ofsupernatural, but Inder knew another way. His curse was nothinggreater thana burdenofunsaid words, powerfulenoughto destroytwo souls who were never destinedtomeetinquietness.
❖
Hefellinlovewithsomeonewhowasn'tdestinatedtomeethim.