I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. My mind drifted to Harry. We had met in college and it had been me who pursued him initially. He was my direct senior and the director of our department. When I first arrived at college, overwhelmed and unsure, he had been my guiding light, helping me with my studies and adjusting to campus life. Eventually, our friendship blossomed into romance. Harry was always attentive, never hesitating to give me the stars when I asked for the moon.
But now, doubt crept in. The vividness of the dream, or whatever it was, gnawed at me. Could there be truth in those haunting whispers?
Rachel was a good friend of mine since childhood. We had promised each other in elementary school that we would apply to universities in the same city. We did it. Her school was just across the street from mine, making it easy for us to hang out together, often with Harry. The idea of Harry cheating on Rachel seemed unbelievable to me. Rachel had always looked down on Harry, thinking he wasn't good enough for me because he wasn't as wealthy as my family. When I started dating Harry, she even advised me to break up with him several times.
How could she hook up with Harry?
Despite Rachel's disapproval, my relationship with Harry remained unaffected. If there was any tension between Harry and me, it was because of our differing views on intimacy. Whenever Harry kissed me and wanted to take things further, I would stop him. It wasn't because I didn't love him. I was just conservative, believing that certain things should wait until after marriage. Each time I refused him, Harry would pinch my face and smile helplessly, as if to say he understood and respected my feelings.
Could he have cheated because of this?
From what I knew of Harry, he wasn't that kind of person. He was always patient and considerate. Maybe it was just a strange, unsettling dream, I tried to reassure myself.
However, as I glanced down at my wrist, I noticed that the bracelet my mother had given me had broken. The red sandalwood beads, blessed at the temple after my college entrance exams, were scattered across the floor. That bracelet had never come off, let alone broken.
An ominous feeling settled in my heart. Just then, my phone buzzed with a message from Harry.
"Little fool, it's your birthday tomorrow, didn't you forget it?"