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>> AGARWAL HOUSE <<
By the time Aadhira returned to her neighborhood, the sprawling sky had bruised into deep, velvety shades of twilight blue. Streetlights flickered to life, casting a soft, amber glow across the quiet lane, while a cool, refreshing evening breeze gently ushered her through the front gates. She parked the scooty with practiced care, unbuckled her helmet, and ran a hand through her slightly wind-tangled hair.
The essence of the evening still lingered beautifully within her. The unforced laughter, the rare taste of absolute freedom, and the deep, uncomplicated calm.
Yet, the moment her feet crossed the threshold of her house, the reality of her world snapped back into place.
"Diiii! '(Sister!)
Samar’s booming voice echoed loudly from the living room hall. He was completely sprawled across the cushions of the sofa, his phone clutched tightly in his hands, entirely consumed by a high-stakes mobile racing game. "Aap bohot late aaye ho" [You came back so late,] he accused dramatically, his thumbs flying across the screen without him even looking up to greet her properly.
Aadhira let out a soft, melodious laugh as she set her keys down on the entryway table. "It is not even that late, Samar."
Samar finally paused his game, looking up to level a highly suspicious, narrow-eyed gaze at her. "Bahar se kha ke aaye ho na? "(You ate outside, didn't you?)
Aadhira raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in her eyes. "And what if I did?"
"Traitor!" he gasped, thoroughly offended.
She shook her head, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she walked further into the house. The television hummed quietly in the background, but it was the kitchen that truly breathed life into the home right now, carrying the deeply comforting, familiar aroma of freshly rolled rotis and sizzling, tempered tadka.
Asha moved gracefully around the small space, quietly finishing up the final chores before dinner. "Aa gayi beta? "[Are you back, child?] Asha asked gently, wiping down the counter.
"Haan Maa" (Yes, Mom), Aadhira nodded softly, leaning against the kitchen doorframe. "I dropped Kiara safely at her hostel."
Asha looked up, a knowing, warm smile gracing her features. "How was it, Did you enjoy?"
A genuine, radiant smile broke across Aadhira’s face. "Yeah. It was really nice."
For a rare, beautiful moment, she looked entirely lighter. Softer. Unburdened.
Stepping away from the warmth of the kitchen, she headed upstairs to her sanctuary. She changed into her comfortable home clothes, tied her thick hair into a loose, casual bun, and took her place at her study table once again. As the textbooks were pulled open, the night outside deepened slowly, wrapping the world in shadows.
Downstairs, the heavy click of the front door lock echoed through the silence. Sanjay had returned.
The atmosphere in the house shifted almost instantaneously. It wasn't a loud or violent change, but it was profound enough to freeze the blood. Asha’s posture straightened unconsciously, her shoulders tensing as she adjusted her saree. On the sofa, Samar instantly lowered the volume of his game to a dull whisper.
And upstairs, in her room, Aadhira’s fingers paused over her page. She quietly lowered her gaze, staring at the printed text of her book as a familiar weight settled back onto her chest.
After nearly half an hour of absolute silence, she finally made her way downstairs, holding her notebook absentmindedly in one hand. Asha stood near the dining table, meticulously arranging the stainless steel plates.
Aadhira walked closer, speaking in a guarded, hushed whisper, acutely aware of Sanjay sitting in the adjacent hall. "Maa..."
Asha looked up from the plates. "Haan? [Yes?]"
Aadhira hesitated briefly, her eyes shifting toward the floor before she found her voice. "Aapko pata hai... [You know...]"
The gentle hum of the curry simmering on the stove seemed to fill the pause.
Aadhira spoke faintly, a trace of the afternoon’s joy returning to her tone. "Kiara ne mujhe zabardasti teekhi pani puri khilai. [Kiara forcefully made me eat spicy pani puri.]"
Asha let out a soft, muffled laugh. "Phir? [And then?]"
"Aur phir woh khud hi rone lagi teekha lagne par. "(And then she herself started crying because it was too spicy.)
A small, affectionate smile escaped Asha’s lips.
"Aur upar se mujh par hi blame daal rahi thi ki maine use roka kyun nahi "(And on top of that, she was blaming me for not stopping her), Aadhira added quietly, her eyes crinkling.
For a few fleeting seconds, the conversation felt entirely normal. Light. Safe.
Then,
"Asha." Sanjay’s cold, demanding voice boomed from the living room. Both Asha and Aadhira stiffened instinctively, their smiles vanishing in a heartbeat.
"Dinner laga do"(Serve dinner)
The transient softness in the room evaporated completely. Asha nodded at once, her voice yielding. "Haan." (Yes)
Aadhira lowered her gaze to the floor, silently and mechanically helping her mother set the table. Steel plates. Bowls. Hot rotis. Dal. Only the faint, sterile sound of metal utensils clinking against one another filled the suffocating silence now.
Dinner passed in quiet, disciplined isolation. Sanjay spoke briefly and strictly about his workday. Samar answered carefully, choosing his words with extreme caution once or twice. Asha remained entirely composed, serving them diligently, while Aadhira mostly stayed silent, keeping her eyes glued to her plate, eating slowly.
The moment dinner ended, she quietly picked up her empty plate, rinsed it, and immediately went back upstairs.
Her bedroom welcomed her back with its familiar, protective stillness. A soft, warm yellow light glowed near her bed, while the cool night air drifted in from the slightly open balcony doors.
For a long time, she simply sat on the chair near her study table. Quiet. Thinking. Overthinking.
Then, slowly, she glanced toward the bedroom door. She waited. She listened carefully to the muffled sounds of the house downstairs. When she was absolutely certain that no one was nearby, she bent down slightly and opened the lowermost drawer of her study table.
Hidden securely beneath a neat stack of heavy academic textbooks was a - vintage brown leather diary.
Its edges had softened and frayed with time, and a few tiny, colored bookmarks peeked out from between the well-worn pages. This diary carried the quiet, sacred pieces of her life. It held the moments she fiercely wanted to remember, the intense feelings she never dared to speak aloud, tiny dreams, hidden thoughts... and a small, hopeful bucket list filled with things she deeply wished to experience someday.
Aadhira opened it gently, crawling onto her bed and settling comfortably against the wooden headboard. For a moment, she simply stared at the fresh blank page before a soft, genuine smile tugged at her lips.
She uncapped her pen and began to write.
Today felt peaceful.
Her elegant handwriting moved slowly and neatly across the paper.
For a little while... I forgot everything else.
She paused, her pen hovering. Then, her strokes became softer.
Thank you, Mahadev.
The written words came naturally to her, feeling more like an intimate conversation with a protector rather than a formal prayer.
"This diary is special to me beacuse it holds peace and my happiness inked in it, the dreams that I never told anyone, the things I secretly love, and maybe some of the sweetest moment of my life that are very rare in my life", she spoke softly in quiet room, feeling calm and her attachment with the diary since years.
"Aapko toh pata hai na... main zyada kuch nahi maangti"(You already know, right... I don't ask for much) she murmured quietly into the empty room, twirling the pen between her slender fingers. "Bas ghar mein sab theek rahe... aur thodi si peace milti rahe."(Just keep everything okay at home... and let life stay peaceful)
Her smile turned slightly sheepish a second later. "Aur shayad..."(And maybe...), she added softly, glancing upward toward the ceiling as though he were physically sitting there, listening to her, "thoda less overthinking too? Because honestly, I am tired of my own brain sometimes."
A tiny, breathless laugh escaped her lips.
She turned the page slowly. A small, neatly numbered list waited for her there- places she desperately wanted to travel to someday, little experiences she wished to feel, simple, quiet dreams she carried heavily in her heart. Her bucket list. It held nothing extravagant, no grand desires for fame or luxury. Just small, pure pockets of happiness she hoped life would grant her one day.
Beneath it, she wrote about Kiara’s dramatic antics. She wrote about the shifting colors of the evening sky, and about the rare feeling of laughing freely after so many days. It was nothing extraordinary to the outside world, yet it was everything precious to her.
Once she finished, she carefully closed the leather cover and placed the diary back into its hidden spot inside the drawer. It was a secret only she knew.
She walked out onto the balcony. The cool night wind brushed gently against her face, tossing a few stray hairs across her cheeks. Far away in the distance, the endless city lights shimmered like grounded stars beneath the dark sky. Aadhira rested her arms lightly against the cool metal railing and closed her eyes.
The physical tiredness of the long day slowly washed over her body, making her head feel heavy. Walking back inside, she switched off the lights and slipped beneath the warm comfort of her blanket. Within minutes, sleep found her gently. And for the very first time in weeks, her heart felt entirely lighter.
The Velvet room
Across the room at the Velvet Room lounge, Naina and Divya navigated through the pulsing crowd, finally reaching a VIP table near the far corner. A girl stood there, holding a crystal glass loosely in her hand.
Riya.
She wore a striking, deep red designer dress that contrasted sharply against her porcelain skin. The soft, elegant waves of her dark hair fell perfectly over one shoulder, and her makeup was flawlessly subtle- designed to look entirely effortless, yet completely impossible to ignore.
But Riya’s attention wasn't on the music, the luxury, or the party. Her gaze remained rigidly fixed across the crowded room.
On Rajveer.
Even before her friends had reached her side, she had been tracing his every movement. Divya followed her line of sight, a knowing, mischievous smirk appearing on her face. "So, you finally saw him."
Riya finally glanced toward them, her voice smooth. "I saw everything."
Naina dropped dramatically onto the velvet chair beside her, exhaling a sigh. "He is even colder now than he was back in college."
"And incredibly intoxicatingly intimidating," Divya added, shivering slightly.
Riya’s gaze shifted back toward Rajveer. He was sitting completely calm despite the chaotic, roaring atmosphere around him. He looked entirely disconnected from the deafening noise, acting as if none of the people or the luxury interested him enough to deserve a single shard of his attention. That absolute aura of quiet control around him made him stand out from every other wealthy heir in the room.
And perhaps that was exactly why she couldn't tear her eyes away.
"That is the exact reason," Riya said softly, her voice barely audible over the bass.
Divya raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Riya’s lips curved into a faint, calculating smile around the rim of her glass. "He is completely different." There was something much quieter in her tone now- something intensely personal. "I like that."
Across the vast lounge, Rajveer remained completely unaware of the conversation revolving around him. Arjun had once again gotten trapped between a group of loud childhood friends and endless pre-wedding congratulations, while the bass of the music grew louder and more aggressive. Soon, almost the entire guest list began moving toward the center of the flashing dance floor.
Dhruv returned to the table amidst the chaos, fully energized. "Come on," he said immediately, reaching out and trying to physically pull Rajveer up by his arm.
Rajveer didn't even budge, his frame heavy and unyielding. "No."
"You didn't even let me finish my sentence!"
"I already know exactly what you are going to ask."
Dhruv sighed with immense drama. "Just one single dance, Raj. Minimum human participation. Show the world you have a pulse."
"No."
Dhruv narrowed his eyes, thoroughly exasperated. "You are completely impossible."
Rajveer calmly took another slow sip of juice from his glass. "You already knew that before we left the house."
For a second, Dhruv looked like he might actually argue further, but seeing the absolute wall of ice in Rajveer’s eyes, he finally gave up with a heavy sigh. "Fine. Stay emotionally unavailable in your dark corner."
"I am perfectly fine right here."
Dhruv pointed a warning finger squarely at his face. "If anyone decides to kidnap you tonight simply because you are mysteriously attractive, do not look at me to save you."
Rajveer didn't offer a single reaction. Dhruv grinned anyway, turning on his heel before disappearing back into the flashing chaos of the dance floor.
Now completely left alone at the table, Rajveer’s gaze drifted briefly across the crowded lounge once more. It was too loud. Too crowded. Too much. Without a single word, he stood up quietly, slipping away from the suffocating noise and heading toward the attached private balcony nearby.
The cool, crisp night air hit his face instantly. The massive cityscape of Mumbai stretched endlessly below, glowing brilliantly beneath thousands of glittering lights. For the very first time since entering the venue, there was silence. Or, at least, something close to it.
Rajveer rested one large hand lightly against the stone railing, his juice glass held loosely in the other. His expression remained flawlessly calm. Unreadable. Inside the glass doors, the party continued to rage wildly, but outside, under the vast night sky, Rajveer finally looked like a man who could actually breathe.
The balcony offered a serene sanctuary compared to the frantic madness inside. The pulsing music echoed only faintly through the heavy glass doors, while the cool wind swept through the open space, carrying the distant, muffled symphony of the city traffic below.
As Rajveer stood silently near the edge, the flashing strobe lights from the lounge occasionally swept across his sharp back before vanishing into the dark.
Then, the sharp, rhythmic click of designer heels sounded against the tiled floor.
Riya stepped out into the cool air. For a long moment, she simply stood a few feet away, watching him in silence. Years had passed, yet somehow, absolutely nothing about him had changed. The same flawlessly calm face, the same unreadable, dark eyes, and the exact same calculated distance from every human being around him.
Back in their college days, she had spent months trying to crack his code, months trying to get him to look at her just once. And Rajveer had remained exactly like this, completely untouched.
A faint, nostalgic smile appeared on her lips as she stepped closer. "You disappeared."
For a moment, he didn't respond. He didn't even turn his head to look at her. His gaze stayed fixed on the sprawling city below, his expression entirely distant, bordering on complete uninterest.
Then, finally, his voice came out low. "It was too loud inside."
"It's a bachelor party," she said lightly, moving to stand beside him. "That is kind of the entire point, isn't it?"
Rajveer said nothing.
The wind pushed a few loose strands of her dark hair across her face as she leaned her back lightly against the railing, studying his profile. "You know," she said softly, her voice dropping to a tender register, "I still vividly remember how everyone back in college used to be absolutely terrified of talking to you."
"Hm."
"And somehow, over the years, you have become even worse."
That final comment earned her the faintest, briefest glance from him. It was barely there, a mere flicker of his dark eyes.
Riya smiled slightly to herself, a small sense of triumph blooming in her chest. Even now, eliciting any form of reaction from Rajveer Malhotra felt like a massive achievement. "You really don't enjoy talking much, do you?"
"I speak when it is necessary."
She laughed quietly, a musical sound. "There it is, that signature, robotic answer."
Rajveer didn't react to the tease. Inside the lounge, a massive roar of cheers erupted loudly as the DJ transitioned into a popular track.
Riya looked at him again, her eyes searching his features. "You didn't even properly meet or greet anyone inside tonight."
"I met Arjun."
"That's clearly not what I meant, Rajveer."
Rajveer remained entirely silent, his silence acting as an unyielding shield. Riya studied his face for a second longer, her gaze drifting down toward his neck, where the slightly folded edge of his crisp black shirt collar was slightly turned inward.
Without thinking much—or perhaps, thinking far too much—she stepped deep into his personal space. "Your collar..."
Before she could even finish her sentence, her manicured fingers lifted instinctively toward his chest, reaching out to straighten the fabric.
Rajveer’s hand shot out, catching her wrist immediately.
The grip wasn't brutal or harsh, but it was incredibly firm- enough to stop her hand completely in mid-air. The movement was blindingly fast. Controlled. Precise. His dark eyes finally snapped away from the city, locking onto hers properly now. They were icy. Dead steady.
"Don't."
A single word. Calm. Flat. But it carried an unspoken authority so absolute that Riya froze entirely in his grip.
For a fraction of a second, raw embarrassment and shock flashed across her face before she desperately tried to mask it with a tight smile. "I was just fixing..."
He released her wrist immediately, stepping back to restore the precise distance between them without a shred of hesitation. The silence that settled over the balcony afterward felt significantly sharper, almost dangerous.
Then, suddenly, the vibration of his phone broke the tension. Rajveer pulled it from his pocket, glancing at the glowing screen.
Aditya.
Instantly, his entire expression shifted- not with emotion, but with a sharp, razor-focused intensity. Important business. He cast one final look toward Riya, a faint flicker of deep irritation dancing in his eyes now. It wasn't because she had spoken to him. It was because she had dared to cross a boundary she had no right to touch.
Without uttering another syllable, he placed his juice glass down on a nearby patio table, slid the phone to his ear, and walked away from the balcony, turning his back on her completely.
"Yes, Aditya."
His deep voice gradually disappeared into the roaring music inside as he strode directly toward the private exit.
Riya stood entirely motionless on the balcony for a breathless second, her hand still hovering where he had dropped it. Then, a wave of hot, blinding anger rose fast beneath her deep embarrassment.
"God," she muttered under her breath, her voice trembling with bitter resentment. "Why is he always like this? Why does he act like absolutely nobody else matters..."
The burning frustration quickly grew hotter than the humiliation. Before she could even stop herself, her hand flew out, grabbing the glass Rajveer had left on the table, and she threw it sharply against the brick wall.
Smash!
The sharp sound of crystal shattering violently into a hundred pieces cut through the quiet balcony air.
Inside the lounge, Dhruv’s sharp instincts turned his head toward the noise. His eyes darted toward the glass doors just in time to see Riya standing under the balcony lights, staring with a tight, furious jaw in the exact direction Rajveer had just exited.
Dhruv immediately understood everything. His brows furrowed slightly. Without saying a single word to the wealthy socialites surrounding him, he quietly stepped away from the crowded dance floor and headed straight for the exit lobby.
By the time he reached the grand elevator bank, the digital numbers were already changing. The elevator doors had closed. Rajveer was inside, descending alone.
Dhruv stared at the closed gold doors for a second before muttering a low, irritated, "Great."
Wasting no time, he turned sharply toward the heavy fire exit doors, pushed them open, and bolted straight down the grand concrete staircase instead. The staircase corridor outside the roaring lounge was far quieter, the thick concrete walls dampening the noise. Only faint, muffled bass and distant echoes of laughter bled through the structure.
Dhruv took the stairs two at a time, his expensive dress shoes echoing loudly. "Idiot..." he muttered under his breath, his chest starting to heave as he descended quickly. "Who leaves a party like that without saying a word?"
By the time he finally burst through the heavy doors of the lower floor lobby, his breathing had grown completely uneven and ragged. He slowed down near the last few steps, one hand gripping the metal railing tightly while his other hand rested briefly against his knee to steady himself.
Then, he spotted him.
Rajveer was standing near the pristine exit lobby, tucked slightly away from the main revolving entrance doors, his phone still pressed firmly against his ear. The sprawling city lights outside reflected faintly against the massive glass walls towering behind his frame. His expression was calm, far too calm. But Dhruv, knowing him for a lifetime, noticed the rigid, razor-sharp edge in his posture immediately.
Work mode had officially resumed.
"...No," Rajveer said calmly into the receiver, his steady gaze fixed on the empty floor ahead. "Do not finalize the deal yet. I want the complete financial breakdown on my desk first."
A brief silence followed as the person on the other end spoke quickly.
Rajveer’s jaw hardened almost imperceptibly. "And reschedule tomorrow’s board discussion to eight sharp. Not a minute later." Another pause. Then, his voice dropped into an even colder, unyielding register. "I don't care how late they have to stay up tonight to prepare it. Get it done."
The call disconnected with a sharp click. Rajveer lowered the phone slowly. He didn't even have to look up to know who was approaching; his sharp senses had already picked up the familiar, ragged breathing behind him.
He turned around smoothly, his dark eyes landing squarely on Dhruv, who was still trying to bring his breathing back to a normal rhythm near the stairs. For a long second, Rajveer simply stared at him, completely unbothered. Then, his gaze shifted slightly toward the concrete staircase behind his friend.
"You took the stairs?" Rajveer asked, a hint of dry amusement in his tone.
Dhruv straightened his posture immediately, looking thoroughly offended. "The lift completely betrayed me, okay?"
Rajveer’s face remained a perfect, unreadable blank slate.
Dhruv walked toward him slowly now, dramatically clutching his chest as he caught his breath. "You seriously scared me, Rajveer" he complained loudly. "I honestly thought you had left the venue alone and completely abandoned me in that loud circus upstairs."
Rajveer calmly slipped his phone back into his pocket. "You would have easily survived. Unfortunately."
Dhruv placed a hand flat over his chest, gasping. "See? This is literal emotional abuse."
A very faint, nearly invisible exhale escaped Rajveer’s nose. It was almost a laugh. Almost.
Dhruv’s sharp eyes caught it instantly. "OH..H..."
"Don't start, Dhruv," Rajveer interrupted flatly, his tone cutting him off before he could celebrate.
Dhruv grinned wildly anyway. For a brief moment, a comfortable, familiar silence settled between the two best friends as the cool night air drifted into the lobby each time the automated glass doors opened for arriving guests.
Then, Rajveer glanced briefly at the luxury watch on his wrist. "It has been exactly thirty-four minutes since we arrived."
Dhruv blinked in utter disbelief. "You actually counted the minutes?"
Rajveer looked at him as if the question itself was completely foolish. Dhruv shook his head in dramatic disappointment. "God forbid you accidentally enjoy life for once, Rajveer."
"It was your explicit condition," Rajveer replied calmly, stepping toward the exit. "I fulfilled it perfectly."
Dhruv laughed softly, his annoyance melting away as he finally walked side-by-side with him toward the private valet parking area.
Outside, the midnight air felt significantly colder. Sleek luxury cars lined the private, illuminated driveway while the uniform-clad valet staff moved around with silent efficiency under the warm golden floor lights. Dhruv unlocked his car with a click, tossing the key fob lightly into the air once before catching it deftly in his palm.
He turned and proudly patted his own shoulder. "You are very welcome, by the way."
Rajveer opened the passenger door, entirely uninterested in his antics. "For what?"
"For successfully wasting thirty precious, irreplaceable minutes of Mr. Rajveer Malhotra's billionaire life," Dhruv beamed.
Rajveer settled into the leather seat calmly. "You heavily overestimate your importance in my life, Dhruv."
Dhruv gasped with immense drama as he climbed into the driver’s seat. "You wound me on a daily basis, Rajveer. Truly."
The powerful engine purred to life smoothly. For the first few minutes of the drive, only soft, instrumental music played in the background as the luxury car glided effortlessly through the sweeping city roads, which were glowing brightly under the endless string of streetlights.
Dhruv drove lazily, steering with one hand on the wheel. Then, very casually, he broke the silence. "So". He glanced sideways briefly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Riya looked absolutely ready to commit a high-profile murder upstairs on that balcony."
Rajveer’s expression cooled instantly, his eyes sharpening like glass. It wasn't an emotional reaction, just an immediate, defensive tightening. Dhruv noticed it in a heartbeat.
"Ohhh," Dhruv drawled out slowly, widening his eyes. "So something did actually happen out there."
Rajveer turned his head, looking out the passenger window at the passing city. "She crossed a boundary she had no right to cross." The answer came out short. Controlled. Final.
Dhruv nodded once, the smirk fading into a look of quiet understanding. That single sentence alone explained everything he needed to know. He knew Riya’s history. He vividly remembered her desperate attempts to stay relevant around Rajveer back in their college days- the tragic way she constantly mistook his heavy silence for romantic mystery, and his cold distance for a personal challenge she could win.
"So she still hasn't been able to recover from her Rajveer era" Dhruv muttered lightly, shaking his head.
Rajveer didn't offer a reply. Dhruv let out a soft laugh to himself. "Poor girl."
"She should know her exact limits," Rajveer stated, and this time, there was a faint, unmistakable trace of sharp irritation bleeding beneath his calm voice.
Dhruv noticed that too. Which meant the interaction had genuinely bothered his friend's rigid peace.
The traffic light ahead transitioned to a bright red. The car slowed down gradually, stopping beneath the intense glow of the streetlights. Even at this late hour, Mumbai remained beautifully alive. People crossed the streets carelessly, late-night shops remained wide open, and the bright headlights of oncoming traffic blurred across the massive glass buildings towering over them.
Inside the vacuum of the car, however, a heavy silence settled once again. Rajveer sat rigidly beside the window, his posture relaxed but inherently distant, his gaze fixed firmly outside as if the passing concrete structures demanded far more attention than his best friend.
Dhruv glanced at his profile briefly before choosing his next words carefully. "So..." he said lightly, keeping his tone conversational, "kabhi shaadi ke baare mein sochte ho?"(do you ever think about marriage?)"
Rajveer didn't react immediately. Dhruv continued driving casually as the light turned green, keeping his hand loose on the steering wheel. "I mean, your future, your life, and all that dramatic adult stuff."
A faint, sharp muscle ticked once in Rajveer’s tight jawline before completely disappearing back into his skin. "Not interested" The answer came out entirely calm. Expected.
Dhruv smiled faintly, eyes on the road. "In marriage, or in the concept of a girl?"
"In both."
That made Dhruv let out a soft, breathy laugh under his breath. "You haven't even met anyone properly yet, Rajveer."
"I don't need to."
The car moved ahead smoothly, accelerating down the empty highway. Outside, the vibrant neon signs of the city reflected briefly across the sharp, handsome lines of Rajveer’s face before vanishing back into the shadows of the vehicle.
Dhruv glanced at him once more, his voice dropping to a deeply perceptive whisper. "Or maybe... you are just scared."
Rajveer finally snapped his head around, looking at him fully. His expression was entirely unreadable, but his eyes were dangerous. "Of what?"
Dhruv’s fingers tapped lazily against the leather steering wheel. "Getting attached to someone."
For the very first time since leaving the chaotic party, Rajveer’s intense gaze sharpened significantly. It was subtle, but it was entirely visible to the naked eye. "Focus entirely on the road, Dhruv."
Dhruv smiled faintly to himself, turning his eyes back to the highway. There it was. He had successfully touched an old, buried nerve.
A heavy silence returned to the car for a few long seconds. It wasn't awkward, just deeply thoughtful and heavy with unspoken history. Then, Dhruv leaned back slightly in his seat, his voice becoming quieter, stripped of all his usual jokes. "Tell me something honestly, Raj. Why don't you believe in love anymore?"
Rajveer looked back out the side window, his tone completely flat. "I believe in stability."
Dhruv frowned instantly. "And you think love isn't stable?"
"It complicates things unnecessarily." The answer came without a single shred of hesitation, delivered like a hardened corporate law he had decided upon long, long ago.
Dhruv studied his profile carefully now. He realized that whenever the concept of marriage or love was brought up, Rajveer never got violently angry. He didn't loudly argue, and he didn't even mock the idea with cruelty. He simply became entirely distant. It was as if a massive, thick stone wall quietly rose around his soul every single time, shutting the entire world out.
"So your solution is to avoid it for a lifetime?" Dhruv asked, searching his face intently through his peripheral vision, looking for a crack in the armor.
"If necessary" Rajveer’s cold answer came instantly, sharp as a blade.
Dhruv shook his head lightly, a soft sigh escaping him. "You know what your absolute biggest problem is, Rajveer?"
Rajveer’s tone remained entirely flat. "I am completely sure you are going to tell me regardless."
"You think absolute control can protect you from everything in this world."
The heavy words settled quietly inside the car, hanging in the air between them. Rajveer’s facial expression didn't change a fraction, but something deep within his dark eyes hardened into steel.
Dhruv noticed the shift and immediately understood that he had officially reached the dangerous line in the sand. So, he leaned back into his seat, letting the subject drop and allowing the quiet night air to breathe instead of pushing his friend any further.
Outside, the brilliant city lights blurred past the glass windows, while somewhere deep beneath all that rigid, calculated calm, Rajveer’s unspoken thoughts remained louder than ever.
A small, helpless laugh escaped Dhruv anyway before they reached their destination. "Or maybe," he said, his voice calmer and filled with a strange warmth, "you just haven't met that one specific person who will force you to reconsider everything."
This time, Rajveer didn't answer at all. His expression remained perfectly composed, but his heavy silence lingered much longer than it ever had before.
Outside, the city roads slowly emptied as the luxury car entered the exclusive, hyper-quiet residential sector of the elite. The tall, towering iron gates finally appeared ahead through the windshield.
The Malhotra mansion.
The private security guards immediately recognized the vehicle and opened the massive gates as Dhruv’s car rolled smoothly inside the estate. Soft, golden floor lights illuminated the incredibly long, pristine driveway, while the grand marble fountains shimmered quietly under the dark starry sky.
As the car came to a final stop near the grand entrance steps, Dhruv turned his body slightly toward him. "You know, Raj," he said casually, a faint smile on his face, "life has a funny way of surprising even the most disciplined, controlled people."
Rajveer opened the passenger door with an air of absolute calm. "I don't believe in surprises, Dhruv."
Dhruv’s smile widened slightly, his eyes holding a mysterious depth. "That is only because yours hasn't arrived yet."
Rajveer stepped out of the vehicle without offering a single word in reply. He automatically adjusted the luxury watch on his wrist as his usual composed, untouchable corporate expression settled perfectly back into place. The bright lights of the grand mansion reflected sharply against the harsh, chiseled lines of his face. He was a fortress once again. Untouchable.
Then, as Rajveer walked up the grand steps toward the mansion entrance, Dhruv leaned back against his leather seat for a quiet moment, watching his friend's solitary figure disappear through the massive front doors.
And somewhere deep in his mind, for the very first time in a long, painful while- Dhruv genuinely, truly hoped that life would find a way to prove Rajveer Malhotra entirely wrong someday.
✨ Thank you so much ✨
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