Weeks passed, and their secret meetings continued. But Aarav began noticing small, unsettling patterns.
Sometimes, he would see her in a crowd during the day, though she was supposed to be "in 2012." Other times, letters would arrive with details he didn't remember sharing. And once, he swore he heard her voice in his apartment, even though she wasn't there.
Riya noticed his growing unease. "It's happening faster than I expected," she admitted one evening. "Time… it doesn't like being bent. It will try to correct itself."
"Correct itself?" Aarav asked, panic creeping in. "What do you mean?"
She sighed, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Some things in the past… some events, cannot be changed. And if you interfere too much… the consequences could erase what we have."
Aarav's stomach twisted. "Erase us?"
Riya nodded solemnly. "I love you, Aarav. But love is not always enough to defy time."
For the first time, fear mingled with desire. He wanted to hold her, to never let her go. But he understood the invisible walls that surrounded them—walls built by years, fate, and the delicate balance of time itself.
That night, Aarav sat alone, staring at the stars, feeling the weight of a love that was as magical as it was dangerous.