The train platform was almost empty that evening.
The sky was painted in soft orange and purple shades, and the sound of the departing train slowly faded into silence. Sasmita stood near the same bench where everything had started—the place where a random Facebook friend request had turned into something more.
Her phone vibrated.
1 new message.
Her heart skipped.
It was from Srikant.
But something felt… different.
She opened it slowly.
"We need to talk. Not here. Tomorrow. 5 PM. Same station."
That was it.
No emoji.
No smile.
No "miss you."
Just that.
Her fingers froze.
"Why tomorrow? Why not now?" she whispered.
All day Srikant had been acting strange. He didn't reply properly. He didn't call her "pagli" like usual. Even his "good morning" message felt dry.
Something was wrong.
That night Sasmita couldn't sleep.
She kept scrolling through their old chats—
The first "Hi."
The first late night call.
The first time he said, "I feel safe talking to you."
Was all that real?
Or was she just overthinking?
Suddenly another notification popped up.
It wasn't from Srikant.
It was from an unknown ID.
Profile name: Truth_Seeker
Her heart started beating faster.
She hesitated… then opened the message.
"Do you really know him?"
Her breath stopped.
"Before you trust him completely… ask him about Riya."
Riya?
Who is Riya?
Her hands started shaking.
She immediately went to Srikant's friend list and searched.
Yes.
There was a girl named Riya.
Beautiful profile picture.
Same city.
And… recent likes on his photos.
Her chest tightened.
"Why didn't he tell me about her?" she whispered.
Another message from Truth_Seeker:
"Tomorrow you'll understand everything."
Then the account went offline.
Sasmita felt like the ground beneath her was slipping.
Was Srikant hiding something?
Was she just another stop in his "Love Train"?
Next day.
5 PM.
The station felt heavier than usual.
Sasmita arrived early. She wore the blue dress Srikant once said was his favorite.
Her heart was racing.
Every passing train felt like a countdown.
Finally…
She saw him.
Srikant was walking toward her.
But he wasn't alone.
Behind him…
A girl.
Long hair. White kurti.
Riya.
Sasmita's world froze.
Srikant stopped in front of her.
His eyes looked serious.
"Sasmita… I wanted you to meet someone."
The girl stepped forward slowly.
She looked at Sasmita… then at Srikant.
And then she said—
"Hi… I'm Riya. And I think we need to talk about him."
Sasmita felt her heartbeat in her ears.
What was happening?
Why was Riya here?
And why did Srikant look like he was hiding something painful?
The train whistle blew loudly in the background.
And at that exact moment…
Srikant said something that made Sasmita's hands go cold.
"There's something about my past I never told you."
What past?
What truth?
And why did it feel like this love story was about to derail?
To be continued…