It was raining that day.
Not just rain—heavy, sorrowful rain, as if the sky itself was pouring out its inner pain.
Arian was standing on the deck of a ship. Around him was the dark river, and in the distance, the city lights were blurred. There was no fear in his eyes, only a kind of tiredness—like he had been alive for a long time, but had never truly lived.
He was looking down.
A strange thought kept running through his mind—
If everything suddenly ended, would anyone truly realize that he had ever existed?
Just then—
"Have you ever thought that darkness doesn't hide everything… sometimes it makes certain things clearer?"
The voice was soft, but strangely deep.
Arian turned around.
A girl was standing behind him. Wet hair, a strange quiet sadness in her eyes, and a faint smile on her lips—as if she knew everything, but chose not to say anything.
"Who are you?"
Arian asked.
The girl stepped a little closer.
Raindrops were sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't wipe them away.
"I'm Neela."
The name seemed to tremble slightly in the air.
Arian didn't say anything. He just kept looking at her.
For some reason, it felt like he had seen this girl somewhere before—but he couldn't remember where.
Neela smiled lightly and said,
"You were looking down like that… as if you wanted to fall."
Arian was slightly startled.
"No… I was just thinking."
"Everyone thinks,"
Neela said slowly,
"but not everyone stands so close to the darkness."
A quiet, uncomfortable silence fell between them.
Then Neela suddenly placed her hand on the railing and stood right at the edge.
"Are you afraid?"
she asked.
Arian shook his head.
"If I were afraid, I wouldn't have come this far."
Neela leaned slightly and looked down.
For a moment, something flashed in her eyes—something that wasn't fear or pain… but a hidden memory.
"You know,"
she said slowly,
"some people drown in water… and some people drown within themselves."
The wind suddenly felt colder.
Arian felt it—this girl wasn't just speaking… it was as if she could see the darkness hidden inside him.
"How did you understand that?"
he asked softly.
Neela looked at him.
"Because…"
she paused a little,
"I was once drowning too."
A long silence followed.
Neither of them said anything.
Only the rain kept falling, the river kept roaring, and between them, a strange connection began to form—something unspoken, unexplainable, yet deep.
Suddenly, thunder struck in the distance.
When the light flashed, for a split second Arian saw something—
a strange fear in Neela's eyes.
As if she was hiding something.
As if something dangerous was waiting ahead.
The light faded.
Arian looked again—Neela was standing there just like before.
But this time, she whispered—
"If I ever get lost… will you look for me?"
Arian stayed silent for a moment.
Then very softly, he said—
"Yes."
Neela smiled.
But inside that smile was a sadness—
as if she already knew that one day, that search would break him.
The rain began to fall even harder.
And in the darkness—
a love story had begun,
whose ending no one yet knew.