Chapter 3

“Beta , listen to me properly before you interrupt.”

Zivah smiled faintly, tucking her phone between her ear and shoulder as she stepped out of her apartment, locking the door behind her.

“I’m not the one who interrupts, Dad. You’re the one who builds suspense like it’s a movie.”

There was a soft chuckle on the other end.

“That’s because if I say things directly, you’ll just react in five different ways at once.”

“I still will,” she replied lightly.
“So you might as well say it.”

A brief pause.

Then,

“We’ve found a piece of land.”

Zivah’s steps slowed.

“Land?”

“Yes. For the farm. It’s in a village area… and it’s near your college.”

Something shifted inside her instantly.

“Near my college?”
she repeated, more attentive now.

“About forty minutes away. Maybe an hour, depending on the road.”

Zivah stopped walking altogether.

Her mind moved fast, faster than her words could keep up.

Village… soil… water sources… structure… layers…

“Beta?” her father called gently.

“I’m here,” she said quickly, a small breath leaving her as excitement began to build in her chest.

“You want me to check it?”

“Yes. I trust your understanding. See the land properly, soil quality, surroundings, anything you feel matters.

Then we’ll finalize.”

Zivah’s lips curved slowly, but there was something deeper behind it now.

Not just excitement.

Purpose.

“I’ll go,” she said, more certain now.

“I’ll check everything. I’ll even take samples if I can, Dad , this actually helps my project too.

I was struggling to find something practical and this, this is perfect.”

“I knew you’d say that.”

Her voice softened slightly.

“You always do.”

“Because I know you,” he replied.

For a second,
that stayed.

Quiet.

Warm.

“I’ll call you after I see it,” she said.

“I’ll wait.”

The call ended.

But the feeling didn’t.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

Zivah blinked, looking up to find Anamika already watching her with narrowed eyes.

“Like what?”

“Like you’ve just planned your entire future in your head and decided you like it.”

Zivah let out a small laugh, shaking her head as she walked beside her.

“That obvious?”

“Yes,” Anamika said simply.

“Now tell me.”

Zivah exhaled softly, her tone shifting into something more thoughtful as she spoke.

“Dad found land. Near here. A village area.
He wants me to go and check it before they finalize anything.”

Anamika’s expression changed instantly.

“Wait, seriously?”

“Yeah,” Zivah nodded, her gaze drifting slightly as she continued, almost thinking out loud now.

“He said the soil looks promising. And if it actually is… I can use it for my project too.

I won’t just be reading about it, I’ll actually see it, understand it, touch it…”

She trailed off, a faint smile settling on her lips.

Anamika watched her for a moment.

“You’re not just excited,” she said quietly.

Zivah looked at her.

“You feel… connected to it.”

Zivah didn’t answer immediately.
Because that was exactly it.

“It feels real,” she said after a pause.

“Not something I’m just studying because I have to. Something I… want to understand.”

Anamika’s smile softened.

“That’s when you’re at your best, Zi.”

Zivah looked away slightly, a little embarrassed.

“Don’t say it like that.”

“Like what? Like it’s true?”

Zivah huffed lightly.
“You’re annoying.”

“I know.”

“Who’s annoying?”

Shivani’s voice came as she joined them, slipping into place beside Anamika with ease, her hand brushing lightly against hers before settling.

“Her,” Anamika said instantly, pointing at Zivah.

“Always,” Shivani agreed without hesitation.

Zivah rolled her eyes.

“I regret telling you both anything.”

“What did she tell you?” Shivani asked, looking at Anamika.

“She’s going to a village in three days to inspect land like some serious professional.”

Shivani’s brows lifted. “Wait, what?”

Zivah nodded. “It’s not that dramatic.”

“It is,” Shivani said. “And we’re coming.”

Zivah blinked. “We?”

“Yes,” Anamika said, already nodding.

“There are holidays anyway.”

“It’ll be fun,” Shivani added.

“And we never go anywhere.”

Zivah looked between them.

“You both are inviting yourselves into my work trip.”

“Exactly, A break from this place, fresh air, no assignments…” Shivani said

“Speak for yourself,” Zivah interrupted.

“I have a project.”

“Fine,” Shivani waved it off.

“You do your project. We’ll exist beautifully in the background.”

Anamika laughed.

“We’re definitely coming.”

Zivah shook her head, but she was smiling.

“Fine. But don’t complain later.”

“We never complain,” Shivani said.

“You literally complain about everything.”

“Selective complaining.”

Later,

“I need to go to the library,” Zivah said, adjusting her bag as they walked down the corridor.

“For?” Anamika asked.

“A reference book. For the soil project.”

Shivani groaned. “Already?”

“Shivi.”

“I’m just saying,” she muttered.

“You get excited about work too easily.”

Zivah smiled faintly. “Someone has to.”

“I’ll meet you in class,” Anamika said.

“Don’t disappear.”

“I won’t.” Zivah smiled.

The library felt emptier than usual.

Zivah stepped in slowly, her eyes scanning the space.

No one.

Not a single person.

“Of course,” she murmured.

She moved through the shelves, searching, pulling books out, checking titles, putting them back.

Not this one.

Not this one either.

Her brows furrowed.

“Where did they even put it…”
She checked again.

Nothing.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she stepped back.

Her eyes lifted slightly.
Top floor.

She hesitated.

Then,
“Okay… fine.”

The top floor was different.

Still quiet, but softer.

Sunlight filtered in through the large windows, settling gently across the wooden shelves and the empty tables.

It felt… untouched.

Zivah walked slowly, her fingers brushing against the books absentmindedly.

Then,
One caught her eye.
She pulled it out.

A novel.
One she had seen Shivani obsess over.

“Of course,” she murmured softly.

She opened it casually,
And stilled.

There were notes.

Written along the margins.

Not random scribbles.

Not careless.

But… intentional.

Deep.

Emotional.

Her eyes moved across the page slowly.

“Some people don’t leave loudly. They fade… until you forget they were ever there.”

Her breath hitched slightly.

She turned the page.

Another note.

“to love life, to love it even when you have no stomach for it.”

Zivah’s fingers tightened slightly around the book.

There was something about the handwriting,

Something about the words,
That felt… heavy.

Real.

Not imagined.

Not borrowed from the book.

But lived.

This wasn’t someone reacting to the story.

This was someone… speaking through it.

She sat down without realizing.

Reading.

Page after page.

Each line deeper than the last.

Each word carrying something unsaid.

“Who writes like this…” she whispered.

Her mind tried to understand it.

Tried to place it.

But it didn’t fit anywhere.

It just… stayed.

For a moment,
she forgot everything else.

The bell rang.

Loud.

Sharp.

Pulling her out of it.

Zivah blinked, like she had been somewhere else entirely.

“Shit.”

She quickly placed the book back exactly where she found it.

But her fingers lingered on it for just a second longer.

Then she left.

She sat down beside Anamika in class, still a little distant.

“You’re late,” Anamika said quietly.

“I found something,” Zivah replied.

“What?”

Zivah leaned slightly closer, her voice softer, more thoughtful now.

“There’s this book… on the top floor. And someone’s written notes in it. But not like normal notes. They’re…”

She paused.

Trying to find the right word.

“Honest,” she said finally.
“In a way that feels… uncomfortable. Like you’re reading something you weren’t supposed to see.”

Anamika’s gaze sharpened.

“What kind of things?”

Zivah looked ahead, her mind replaying it.

“It felt like whoever wrote it… wasn’t just reading. They were… putting pieces of themselves there.”

Silence.

“I don’t know why it’s stuck in my head,” she admitted quietly. “But it is.”

Anamika studied her for a moment.

“You want to go back.”

Zivah didn’t deny it.

“Yes.”

After class,

“I’m going to get that book,” Zivah said, already standing.

“Now?” Anamika asked.

“Yes.”

Anamika nodded slowly.

“Okay… go. But come back. I want to see what you’re talking about.”

Zivah nodded.

And left.

The library was just as quiet.

Zivah walked faster this time.

Straight to the top floor.

And then,
She stopped.

Because someone was already there.

Sitting by the window.

The book in her hands.

Eraya.

Zivah didn’t move.

For a moment,

she just… looked.

Something about the moment felt… still.

Like she had walked into something she wasn’t meant to interrupt.

Eraya wasn’t wearing her hoodie.

Her hair fell softly around her face, slightly messy, catching the sunlight.

Her brows furrowed faintly as she read,

lips parting slightly, like every word mattered.

And her eyes,

Soft.

Honey-colored.

But there was something in them.

Something heavy.

Something that didn’t match how young she looked.

Zivah’s breath slowed.

She didn’t know why she couldn’t look away.

There was something about this moment,

Something quiet.

Something… fragile.

Like if she spoke too loudly, it would break.

But she spoke anyway.

Softly.

“Did you… write those notes?”

Eraya froze.

The book shifted in her hands.

Her head lifted slowly, eyes meeting Zivah’s for a brief second,

Before something shut down inside them.

She pulled her hoodie over herself quickly.

Like armor.

Like protection.

Standing abruptly.

“Yes.”

The word was small.

Barely there.

And then,
She left.

Zivah stood there.

Confused.

“…what just happened?” she whispered to herself.

Had she said something wrong?
It didn’t feel wrong.

But her reaction,
That felt like something deeper.

The corridor was loud.

“Did I… say something wrong?” she whispered to herself.

Zivah walked slowly, her thoughts tangled.

Then,

A push.

Books falling.

Laughter.

Her head snapped up.

Eraya.

On the floor.

Girls laughing as they walked away.

Something inside Zivah tightened.

Sharp.

Immediate.

She moved without thinking.

Kneeling beside her.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Eraya stilled.

Zivah picked up the books quickly, her
movements careful.

“I’m sorry,” she added softly.

“About earlier. If I made you uncomfortable, I didn’t mean to.”

Eraya shook her head faintly.

“It’s okay.”

Her voice was quiet.

Almost distant.

She took the books.

Turned to leave.

“Wait,” Zivah said.

Eraya paused.

Barely.

“Do you want to have lunch with us?”

Zivah asked, her voice gentler now.

The words came out naturally.

But inside,

Zivah didn’t understand why she had said them.

Why it mattered.

Why she mattered.

Eraya’s grip tightened on the books.

Her thoughts rushed,

Why is she asking?
People don’t ask me.
This isn’t real.
This won’t stay.

“I’m okay,” she said softly.

Polite.

Careful.

And then she left.

“Why are you late?” Anamika asked immediately.

Zivah sat down, avoiding her eyes.

“Library.”

“For that long?”

“I… couldn’t find the book.”

“That’s a terrible lie,” Anamika said calmly.

Zivah blinked. “What?”

Anamika leaned slightly closer, voice softer.

“You’re lying.”

Zivah opened her mouth,

Closed it.

Because she didn’t know how to explain.

Because she didn’t understand it herself.

Anamika leaned back slightly, her tone softening.

“I won’t ask now,” she said quietly.

“But I will later.”

Zivah nodded faintly.

Because she knew,

this wasn’t something she could just ignore.

Shivani cut in, oblivious.

“Guys, focus. Three days. Village trip. I’m already excited.”

Zivah exhaled quietly.

But her mind wasn’t there.

It was still,
On honey-colored eyes.
On quiet words.
On something she didn’t understand yet.

And for the first time,

Zivah wasn’t just noticing.
She was… staying with the thought.
__________

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