Friday.
10:42 PM.
Vihaan's Apartment.
The city outside was still awake.
Lights flickering through glass buildings. Cars moving like distant thoughts that never really stopped.
Inside-
Silence.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just-
Heavy.
Vihaan stood near the window.
Blazer off. Sleeves rolled up. Tie loosened somewhere halfway through the evening and never fixed.
His phone lay on the table behind him.
Screen dark.
But not untouched.
Because he had picked it up-
At least six times.
Put it down-
Every single time.
Because calling her-
Was no longer simple.
It wasn't just a conversation anymore.
It wasn't just-
Work.
And that was the problem.
A sharp knock broke through the silence.
He didn't turn immediately.
"Door's open."
The door pushed open.
"Bhai tu zinda hai ya corporate jungle ne kha liya tujhe?"
Ishaan.
Casual.
Annoyingly relaxed.
Exactly the kind of energy Vihaan didn't have the patience for tonight.
"Why are you here?" Vihaan asked, still facing the window.
"Concern," Ishaan said, walking in and dropping onto the couch like he owned the place. "Aur thoda boredom."
A pause.
Then-
"Also, you've been acting weird."
That-
Got his attention.
Vihaan turned.
Slowly.
"I'm always like this."
Ishaan snorted.
"Nahi. Tu control freak hai. Yeh jo chal raha hai na-this is something else."
Silence stretched.
Because for once-
Ishaan wasn't wrong.
Vihaan walked past him.
Picked up his phone.
Put it back down.
Again.
"...Say it properly," Ishaan added, watching him now. "Kya chal raha hai?"
A beat.
Then another.
And something in Vihaan-
Shifted.
Because holding it in-
Was getting harder.
Every single hour.
"I can't..." he started, then stopped.
Jaw tightening.
Restarted.
"I can't keep this normal anymore."
Ishaan leaned forward slightly.
Interest sharp now.
"Okay... continue."
Vihaan exhaled.
Slow.
Controlled.
But the words-
Weren't.
"I notice everything about her."
Simple.
Flat.
But not light.
"Everything."
Ishaan didn't interrupt.
Didn't joke.
Because the tone-
Was different.
Vihaan ran a hand through his hair.
Frustration building now.
"I know when she skips lunch without asking. I know when she's tired even if she doesn't show it. I know when she's avoiding me-"
A pause.
Then quieter-
"And I know when she's not."
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
"I shouldn't," he added.
Like that would fix it.
Like that would make it logical again.
It didn't.
Ishaan leaned back.
Studying him now.
"Tu toh Anika paglu ho rha hai" he said simply.
Vihaan let out a humorless breath.
"Not funny."
"Main serious hoon."
A pause.
Then-
"Kitna?"
That question.
Simple.
Dangerous.
Vihaan didn't answer immediately.
Because how do you measure something that-
Wasn't supposed to exist?
Then-
He did.
Quiet.
But certain.
"I want to be around her."
A beat.
"Not just at work."
Ishaan's expression shifted.
Slightly.
Because this wasn't surface-level anymore.
Vihaan's voice dropped.
Not softer.
Just-
Honest.
"I want to listen to her talk about random things that don't even matter."
A small pause.
Then-
"I want to..."
He stopped.
Like the next part felt too much even to say.
Ishaan didn't help.
Didn't interrupt.
Just-
Waited.
And that-
That was enough.
Vihaan exhaled.
Gave in.
"I want to play with her hair while she talks about her day."
The words hung in the air.
Unfiltered.
Unprotected.
Real.
"I want to irritate her on purpose..."
A faint, almost invisible shift in his expression.
"...just to see that angry face she tries to hide."
Ishaan blinked.
Once.
Because this-
This was new.
Vihaan continued.
Like once it started-
It wasn't stopping.
"I want to sit with her... do nothing... watch something stupid and fall asleep halfway through it."
A pause.
Then quieter-
"I want to hold her."
Silence deepened.
Because that-
That landed differently.
"Not because she needs it."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"But because I do."
Ishaan didn't move.
Didn't react.
Because this wasn't something to interrupt.
Vihaan looked away.
Voice lower now.
"I want to make her feel safe."
A beat.
"Like nothing can touch her."
Another.
"I want to make her laugh on her worst days."
His hand tightened slightly against the table.
"I want to click those stupid 'don't take my picture' moments..."
A faint breath left him.
"...and still keep them."
Silence.
Thick.
Unavoidable.
"And I don't know when this happened," he finished.
Flat.
But not empty.
"I just-"
A pause.
Then-
"I can't ignore it anymore."
There it was.
Not a confession to her.
But something deeper-
A surrender.
Ishaan leaned back slowly.
Processing.
Because this wasn't casual attraction.
This wasn't passing interest.
This was-
Involvement.
The dangerous kind.
"Does she know?" he asked finally.
Vihaan shook his head.
"No."
A beat.
Then-
"She avoids it."
Another.
"And I let her."
Ishaan raised a brow slightly.
"Why?"
Vihaan looked at him.
Direct.
Because this part-
Was the truth he hadn't said yet.
"Because if I push..."
A pause.
"If I say it out loud..."
His voice dropped.
"I don't think I'll know where to stop."
Silence.
And that-
That said everything.
Ishaan let out a slow breath.
Then-
"Phir bol dena."
Simple.
Direct.
Vihaan almost laughed.
Short.
Dry.
"It's not that simple."
"It is."
"No, it's not."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"Because she'll either walk away..."
A beat.
"...or stay."
Ishaan frowned.
"Dono mein problem kya hai?"
Vihaan's gaze hardened.
Because he saw it clearer than anyone else.
"If she walks away-I lose her."
A pause.
"If she stays..."
His voice dropped.
"...I won't be able to keep this as just anything less than everything."
Silence.
Because that-
That was the real risk.
Not rejection.
But intensity.
Ishaan studied him for a long second.
Then shook his head slightly.
"You're already there."
Quiet.
Certain.
Vihaan didn't respond.
Because he knew.
He already was.
The room fell silent again.
But this time-
It wasn't heavy.
It was-
Settled.
Because something unnamed-
Had finally been spoken.
And once something is spoken-
It doesn't go back to what it was before.
Vihaan picked up his phone again.
This time-
He didn't put it down immediately.
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