Ritu adjusted her bag on her shoulder and walked slowly out of the college gate.
It had been a long day. Lectures, practicals, assignments — everything felt exhausting.
The evening sky was turning orange, and the road outside was crowded as usual.
Students were laughing, bikes were passing, shopkeepers were calling customers.
It was just another normal day.
Ritu checked her phone.
No new messages.
She sighed and started walking toward the bus stop.
Suddenly… something felt strange.
The noise around her faded.
Not slowly… but all at once.
Ritu stopped.
Her footsteps echoed on the silent road.
A bike coming toward her stopped in mid-motion.
The rider didn't blink.
A dog that was running froze in the middle of the road.
Even the leaves in the air stopped moving.
Her heart started beating faster.
"What… is happening?" she whispered.
She waved her hand in front of a girl standing nearby.
No reaction.
The girl didn't move at all.
Ritu stepped back, fear growing inside her chest.
Everything looked real… but nothing was moving.
Then she heard footsteps behind her.
Slow. Calm. Confident.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She turned around.
A boy was standing a few steps away.
He looked completely normal… except for one thing — he was the only one moving.
He looked at her as if he had been waiting.
"You can see this too," he said quietly.
Ritu's mind went blank.
"Who… who are you?" she asked.
Instead of answering, he walked past her.
The air around him felt colder.
He stopped near the frozen bike and touched it lightly.
Still, nothing moved.
Ritu followed him, confused and scared.
"Did you do this?" she asked.
The boy looked at her again.
"Yes."
Her eyes widened.
"You… stopped everyone?"
"Not everyone," he replied softly.
"Only time."
Ritu couldn't believe what she was hearing.
This wasn't possible.
This couldn't be real.
Before she could say anything, the boy suddenly looked ahead — his expression serious.
"You shouldn't be standing here," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her two steps back.
The moment he did — a loud sound exploded.
Time started again.
The frozen bike crashed exactly where Ritu had been standing.
People shouted.
The dog barked.
Everything returned to normal in seconds.
Ritu's legs felt weak.
If she hadn't moved…
She would have been hit.
She quickly looked around.
The boy was gone.
Completely disappeared.
Her heartbeat was still racing.
Her hand trembled where he had held her.
"Was he… real?" she whispered.
But deep inside, she knew one thing —
Someone had stopped time…
And saved her.
And somehow…
She had a feeling this was not the last time she would see him.