Before We Begin... 💗

Welcome to my very first project, sweetie!

If the title or the cover made you curious... then I guess it worked. 👀

First of all, thank you for clicking on this story. Out of millions of stories out there, you're spending your time here, and that means a lot to me.

This is my first novel, so I'll keep learning and improving with every chapter. I hope you'll laugh, wonder, cry, and maybe even lose track of time while reading it.

If you enjoy the story, don't forget to leave a vote, a comment, or simply tell me your favorite moment. Your support means more than you know, and it motivates me to keep writing.

Now, enough talking...

It's almost 11:43 PM.

The world is about to stop.

Enjoy the story. 💗

17 Minutes Before Midnight

Sleep had become a stranger long before midnight ever arrived.

Every night, while the apartment building disappeared into silence one window at a time, Aria remained awake. She never fought her insomnia anymore. Instead, she accepted it like an unwanted roommate.

Her bedroom overlooked a narrow street where life refused to stay quiet. Neon signs flickered outside a convenience store. Rain painted silver lines across the glass. Somewhere below, a motorcycle engine echoed through the empty road.

11:42 PM.

She wrapped a blanket tighter around her shoulders and watched raindrops race each other down the window.

One minute.

She sighed.

"Maybe tonight I'll actually fall asleep."

Her digital clock blinked.

11:43 PM.

Click.

The world...

Stopped.

The rain froze outside her window, every drop hanging in the air like tiny crystals.

The motorcycle below stood perfectly still, its rider leaning forward forever, the spinning wheels frozen in place.

A black cat, halfway across the road, remained suspended in mid-jump.

The traffic light stayed yellow.

The leaves no longer moved.

Even the wind had disappeared.

Silence.

Not ordinary silence.

A silence so complete it made her heartbeat sound painfully loud.

"...What?"

Aria stumbled backward until her legs hit the bed.

She rubbed her eyes.

"No... no, I'm dreaming."

She opened the window.

The cold air didn't move.

One raindrop floated inches from her fingertips.

With shaking hands, she reached toward it.

The drop burst against her skin.

It was real.

Her pulse raced.

Without thinking, she grabbed her hoodie and sprinted downstairs.

The apartment hallway was empty.

The elevator doors remained open forever, as if someone had pressed the button seconds ago.

Outside, the city looked like a photograph.

People stood frozen in the middle of conversations.

A child held an ice cream that refused to melt.

Steam from a food stall hung in the air like a white sculpture.

Aria slowly walked between them.

"Hello?"

No answer.

Only silence.

Then—

Tap.

She froze.

Another footstep.

Tap... Tap...

Someone else...

Was walking.

Her breathing caught.

Impossible.

She wasn't alone.

The footsteps grew closer.

Slow.

Calm.

Certain.

She couldn't see who it was.

Only the shadow stretching across the pavement under the streetlight.

It stopped a few steps behind her.

A voice, low and steady, broke the impossible silence.

"You're not supposed to be awake."

The story continues...

I hope this chapter is worth your time. Happy reading! 🌙

Aria didn't dare turn around.

The silence was louder than her heartbeat.

The voice behind her was calm, almost bored, as if this impossible night had happened a thousand times before.

"You're not supposed to be awake."

She slowly faced him.

A boy.

Around her age.

Dressed in a black hoodie with his hands tucked into the pockets. Rain hung motionless around him like tiny stars, yet not a single drop touched him.

His eyes met hers.

Dark.

Unreadable.

And strangely... familiar.

"You can move?" she whispered.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Neither of them blinked.

Neither looked away.

For a moment, the frozen city disappeared. There was only the distance between them.

He sighed first.

"So... I'm not alone anymore."

"You knew this would happen?"

"I knew someone would wake up eventually."

Aria frowned. "What is this?"

He glanced at the frozen street.

"No idea."

"You're joking."

"I wish I was."

He walked past her, brushing close enough that the sleeve of his hoodie lightly grazed her hand.

Just one touch.

Barely anything.

Yet it sent an unexpected warmth through her fingers.

He didn't react.

Or maybe...

He simply hid it better.

"This happens every night," he said. "Eleven forty-three. Everything freezes for exactly seventeen minutes."

"And then?"

"Time starts again."

"Why?"

"No one knows."

"Since when?"

"I stopped counting."

She followed him through the silent streets.

A woman smiled forever while holding a bouquet.

A taxi remained frozen in the middle of a turn.

A paper airplane floated in the air, refusing to fall.

Everything felt unreal.

Everything...

Except him.

"You've never met anyone else?" Aria asked.

He shook his head.

"Until tonight."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"I guess we're both unlucky."

"Or lucky."

Their eyes met again.

His expression softened for the briefest second.

Then he looked away.

"Don't get attached."

She laughed quietly.

"We've known each other for... what? Five minutes?"

"That's enough."

"For what?"

"To make leaving difficult."

The words lingered between them.

Before she could answer, a distant bell echoed through the frozen city.

He checked the digital watch on his wrist.

"Two minutes."

"Two minutes until what?"

"Until this ends."

Panic settled in her chest.

"Wait... I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"If we're both awake."

She took a step closer.

"Then tell me your name."

He smiled for the first time.

It wasn't warm.

It wasn't cold.

It was the kind of smile that carried a secret.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because that's the first rule."

"What rule?"

He looked straight into her eyes.

"Never ask each other's real names."

Before she could argue, he stepped backward into a narrow alley.

"Hey!"

She hurried after him.

The alley...

Was empty.

No footsteps.

No shadow.

Nothing.

A second later—

The rain crashed onto the streets.

Cars roared back to life.

The cat landed safely and sprinted away.

The city breathed again.

Aria stood alone, her heart racing.

Then she noticed something lying at her feet.

A black hoodie string.

Still warm.

As if he'd left only a second ago.

The story continues...

— A Name That Doesn't Belong

Thank you for staying. Now, enjoy the chapter.

As if he'd left only a second ago.

The next night...

11:43 PM.

The city stopped breathing.

Rain froze.

Traffic lights glowed without changing.

A pigeon remained suspended above the road, wings stretched wide.

Aria didn't panic this time.

She smiled.

"You'll come."

She didn't know why she was so certain.

Maybe because the silence no longer felt empty.

Maybe because, for the first time in years...

She had something to look forward to.

She crossed the street, passing frozen strangers until she reached the old clock tower.

Footsteps echoed behind her.

"...You're early."

She turned.

The boy stood beneath the clock, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other lazily spinning the black hoodie string she'd found the night before.

"You kept it," she said.

"I wondered if you'd bring it back."

She held it out.

"I almost didn't."

He accepted it, their fingers brushing for the briefest moment.

Neither of them pulled away immediately.

A strange warmth lingered between their hands.

Then he stepped back.

"You'll make this difficult."

She tilted her head.

"You keep saying things like that."

"Because you keep proving me right."

They walked without choosing a direction.

The frozen city became theirs for seventeen impossible minutes.

They climbed onto the roof of a silent bus.

They watched raindrops hanging like glass beads beneath the streetlights.

She reached toward one.

It trembled...

Then shattered into tiny crystals against her fingertip.

"I've been thinking," she said.

"That's dangerous."

She laughed.

"You don't even know what I'm going to ask."

"I have a feeling."

She looked at him.

For the first time, he looked... tired.

Not physically.

Like someone carrying years he never talked about.

"You've been doing this for a long time, haven't you?"

"...Maybe."

"Months?"

Silence.

"Years?"

He didn't answer.

She frowned.

"How many nights have you spent alone?"

His smile was quiet.

"Enough."

The answer hurt more than she expected.

No wonder he never seemed surprised.

No wonder he already knew every rule.

He wasn't used to this place.

He belonged to it.

The thought unsettled her.

"You know..." she said softly, "...it's strange."

"What is?"

"We've met three nights in a row."

"And?"

"I still don't know what to call you."

"You don't need to."

"I do."

"No."

She stopped walking.

"So I should keep calling you 'hey' forever?"

"If that's what keeps you alive."

She laughed.

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

The air between them grew heavy.

He wasn't joking.

Not even a little.

She folded her arms.

"Fine."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Fine?"

"I won't ask where you live."

"Good."

"I won't ask your age."

"Excellent."

"I won't ask why only we can move."

"Amazing progress."

She smiled innocently.

"But..."

His expression changed instantly.

"No."

"But what?"

"I know that face."

"You don't."

"I do."

She stepped closer.

Close enough to see the tiny scar beside his eyebrow.

Close enough to notice his breathing had become uneven.

Close enough to realize...

He was nervous.

"What's your name?"

Silence.

The smile on his face slowly disappeared.

He looked at her with something she had never seen before.

Fear.

Real fear.

"You shouldn't ask that."

"Why?"

"Because rules don't exist for no reason."

"It can't be that bad."

He looked down.

Then...

He smiled.

It wasn't his usual teasing smile.

It was heartbreak disguised as kindness.

"If I answer that..."

His voice almost disappeared.

"...I'll disappear."

She blinked.

"What?"

"I'm serious."

"I don't believe you."

"You don't have to."

She reached for his sleeve.

"Then prove it."

He stared at her hand.

Then back into her eyes.

For a long moment...

Neither of them moved.

Finally, he whispered a single word.

"My—"

His voice broke.

The air rippled.

A crack spread across the frozen street beneath their feet.

His body flickered like a reflection on disturbed water.

Aria's smile vanished.

"W-What..."

His fingertips became transparent.

"No..."

She grabbed his wrist.

Her hand passed through him for just a second.

He was fading.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"I told you..."

His shoulders blurred.

His face dissolved into drifting fragments of light.

"No!" Aria cried.

"Don't disappear!"

She tried to hold him.

Again.

Again.

Again.

Each time, he became harder to touch.

The digital clock on a nearby shop flashed.

11:59 PM.

The first raindrop fell.

Cars exploded back into motion.

The frozen pigeon flew away.

The city roared to life.

Aria stumbled forward—

Into empty air.

He was gone.

Only silence remained.

Then, from somewhere behind her...

A voice she couldn't recognize whispered through the returning rain.

"Now she's broken the first rule."

The story continues...