C16 Thirty-Two Unread Messages
The phone vibrated once.
Then again.
Then again.
Arjun Rathore barely noticed it at first.
He was standing in the dim light of a temporary command tent, dust still clinging to his boots from the mission that had just ended. His shoulders ached, his shirt was half soaked with sweat, and the air around him smelled faintly of diesel and cold mountain wind.
Someone across the tent was speaking.
“…operation confirmed successful.”
Arjun nodded automatically.
But the phone in his pocket kept vibrating.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
A long stream of notifications.
That was unusual.
He pulled it out absently.
The screen lit up.
And froze him where he stood.
32 Unread Messages
From: Aisha
For a moment he simply stared.
His heartbeat slowed instead of speeding up.
A strange quiet settled in his chest.
Because suddenly the loud command tent around him didn’t exist anymore.
His thumb moved.
The message thread opened.
Day 1
Hey soldier. Did you reach wherever you were going safely?
His jaw tightened slightly.
He kept scrolling.
Day 3
Clinic kids asked if I met any heroes in the mountains. I said maybe.
A faint memory flickered in his mind.
Aisha laughing beside the apple orchards.
He kept reading.
Day 9
I found the shawl that still smells like the campfire.
His fingers paused.
The campfire.
The ridge.
The stars.
Her head resting against his shoulder.
Something shifted quietly in his chest.
He scrolled again.
Day 16
Okay rude. Still ignoring me.
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
That sounded exactly like her.
But the next messages changed.
Day 25
Okay I’m officially annoyed now.
Day 27
I hope you're safe wherever you are.
The humor faded from his expression.
He kept scrolling.
Faster now.
Day 30
Hi.
Still no reply.
I hope you're safe.
Arjun exhaled slowly.
A tight breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
Then he reached the most recent one.
Day 32
Okay soldier.
I said I was done messaging you.
But apparently I’m bad at keeping promises.
Benji says you’re probably on a secret mission.
If that’s true… I hope you're safe.
Just send one message when you're back.
Silence filled the small tent around him.
One of the officers nearby noticed his expression.
“You good, Rathore?”
Arjun didn’t answer.
His thumb moved again.
Opening the message timestamp.
Sent: Yesterday — 9:42 PM
Yesterday.
Something cold slid into his chest.
He opened the phone tracker he had installed weeks ago.
A quiet precaution.
One Aisha had never noticed.
Because soldiers didn’t take chances.
Her location appeared.
But something about it was wrong.
The signal was moving.
Too fast.
Not walking speed.
Vehicle speed.
Arjun’s entire posture changed instantly.
His shoulders straightened.
Eyes sharpening.
The officer across the tent frowned.
“Rathore?”
Arjun grabbed his jacket.
“Where’s the nearest satellite connection?”
“What?”
“I need location tracing.”
“Why?”
Arjun looked up.
And the calm in his voice was far more dangerous than anger.
“Because someone just made a very bad mistake.”
The tent fell silent.
Arjun picked up his phone again.
His thumb hovered over the message box.
For the first time in a month…
He finally replied.
Arjun:
Hold on.
I'm coming.
He only hoped the message wasn’t too late
