Chapter 72: just for a comic book character."

Seeing the glowing name and the time on the screen, Himanshu’s breath caught in his throat for a second. It was already half-past ten at night. And that’s when it hit him—he had promised to call Priya after 10:00.

?But the weird thing was, he didn’t feel angry at himself for forgetting this time. He didn’t panic or scramble. He just slowly shifted his gaze toward the demon.

?The demon was looking very closely at that same phone screen resting in her lap, where Priya’s name was blinking. Inside the taxi, the faint light from the screen was falling on her calm face.

?This time, Himanshu didn’t try to snatch the phone away from her. He didn’t even reach his hand out. But deep down, his heart was hammering hard against his ribs. His fingers were lightly scratching at the fabric of his own pants. Right now, he couldn’t ask her for the phone, nor could he tell her not to pick up the call.

?He didn’t know why, but a very weird confusion had taken over his chest. An unspoken fear, like if he tried to grab the phone, she would get upset. Himanshu just couldn’t bring himself to do anything that would create distance between them again.

?All of this was really strange, really awkward. Because the bond he previously had with the demon was slowly turning into a completely different kind of relationship now.

?The phone kept ringing. Just then, without turning her face, the demon raised her hand and held the phone out toward Himanshu.

?Himanshu froze in his spot for a second. He couldn’t believe she was actually handing him the phone herself. Sure, it was his phone in the first place, but still...

?Himanshu looked at her face. There were no expressions there, it was completely flat.

?He slowly took the phone and placed it against his ear. For a moment, a weird sense of anxiety started eating away at him. His throat felt dry. What could it be? What’s the reason Priya is calling? I was the one who was supposed to call...

?"[Hello?]"

?"[Himanshu.]"

?The moment he answered, the ’hello’ that came out of Priya’s mouth felt very stiff and measured. There was a strange pause in her voice, like she had been practicing saying these exact words over and over in her head for a long time.

?Himanshu swallowed hard.

"Sorry... I was actually just about to call you," he stuttered a bit. "Work just got a little crazy at the job."

?"[Job?]" A hint of surprise slipped out through Priya’s voice on the other end.

"[You didn’t tell me you worked a part-time job?]"

?Himanshu blinked twice. He lightly pushed back the hair falling over his forehead. Actually, no one had ever gotten this close to him during his school days, so he had no idea what you were supposed to tell someone based on how close they were.

?He thought his friendship with Priya was just limited to the school desks and the manga store, because that was the only thing common between them.

?"Actually... it’s only been a few days." Himanshu said, slightly lowering his neck. "I... I just couldn’t tell you."

?"[Oh? So what do you do?]" Priya’s voice sounded a bit more normal now.

?"Cooking at a cafe. But I’m still learning."

?After that, the phone went completely silent. Neither of them said a word for two or three seconds. Only the sound of soft breathing came through the speaker.

?To escape the awkward silence, Himanshu raised his eyes and looked at the demon again. She was still looking out the window, watching the streetlights race by.

?"[Himanshu, are you free tomorrow?]"

?Priya’s voice broke the silence. Himanshu paused for a second, straightened his neck a bit, and said, "Yeah, I’m free. But I haven’t even finished the last manga yet." He smiled faintly, "No problem though, the manga store never bores me."

?For a few moments, there was no sound from the call. Himanshu pulled the phone away from his ear a little to check the screen, making sure the call hadn’t dropped. And right then...

?A slightly shaky, quiet voice came through.

?"[Actually... we’re not going to the manga store... we’re going to watch a movie.]"

?At first, Himanshu couldn’t believe his ears. His eyebrows pulled together.

"What? I... I don’t get it."

?"[Originally, Monica and I were planning to go. But some urgent work came up for her,]" there was a rushed panic in Priya’s voice now, like she wanted to spit everything out in one breath. "[I absolutely hate watching movies alone and I had already booked the tickets.]"

?Priya took a short breath.

"[So tomorrow... will you come watch the movie with me?]"

?Himanshu’s grip on the phone tightened. His heart started racing. He got so nervous that it took him three whole seconds just to force the word ’yes’ out of his mouth.

?"Ye... yeah.. ah.. okay."

?"[Tomorrow evening at 7.]"

?"What? In the evening?"

?Himanshu’s voice suddenly got a bit louder. He snapped his neck around to look at the demon. She was still looking outside, but Himanshu’s entire body had instantly gone on high alert from the inside.

?He couldn’t leave the demon alone at all, especially not right now. He had firmly made up his mind that from now on, he would go to the job with her and come back with her.

?And right then, the faces of those goons flashed in his mind like a bad nightmare. He remembered how they had walked out of the cafe, staring at her. The fist of his injured hand clenched tightly on its own.

?"[Priya... if you don’t mind... can I let you know in an hour?]"

?His own throat felt heavy as he said it. He knew exactly what he was saying and how this was going to affect his and Priya’s brand-new relationship. But looking at the current situation, the demon’s safety was his absolute top priority.

?There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. And then, letting out a deep sigh laced with a bit of disappointment, Priya said,

?"[Alright... I’ll wait.]"

?Himanshu gripped the phone even tighter. His lips pressed into a thin line. He really didn’t want to mess up this relationship at all, but he had to make a choice.

?Beep...

?The call disconnected with a soft beep, and that same old silence, accompanied by the rustling of the taxi’s AC, fell over them again.

?After keeping the phone near his ear like that for two or three seconds, Himanshu slowly brought his hand down. Without saying a word, he held the phone back out toward the demon.

?While taking the phone, the demon’s fingers brushed lightly against his. Without turning her neck, keeping her eyes fixed outside the window, she said in a very slow, cold, and composed voice...

?"You really shouldn’t ruin your relationship like this... just for a comic book character."