"I'm going back."
Arsh said it simply while looking at the flight details on his phone.
Across the table, Siddharth looked up from his laptop.
"So suddenly?"
Arsh closed the screen slowly.
"Yes."
For the past few weeks they had been abroad, constantly traveling between cities for meetings, partnerships, and investor discussions. The company they had started together had finally started gaining real momentum.
Their plan… their risk… had worked.
Siddharth leaned back in his chair with a proud smile.
"You realize what this means, right?"
Arsh raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"We actually did it."
Arsh gave a small nod.
Their company was finally stable.
No more struggling jobs.
No more depending on someone else's decisions.
They were their own bosses now.
Siddharth stretched comfortably.
"After all those years of planning and saving… we're finally here."
Arsh picked up his jacket.
"But before anything else," he said casually, "I want to meet Aakrati."
Siddharth smirked immediately.
"There it is."
Arsh looked at him.
"What?"
"That look."
"What look?"
"The 'I'm going to run to her the moment we land' look."
Arsh didn't deny it.
Siddharth crossed his arms.
"Tell me honestly… are you obsessed?"
Arsh shrugged calmly.
"I just want to see her."
"That's not an explanation."
Arsh replied simply,
"I want her."
Siddharth stared at him for a second before laughing.
"You say it so casually."
"For now it's enough."
"You used to date girls like it was nothing," Siddharth said. "What makes this one different?"
Arsh thought for a moment.
"She's simple."
"And life stays simple?"
"She doesn't like complications," Arsh said calmly.
"So you'll keep things simple?"
"Yes."
Siddharth shook his head with amusement.
"I'm curious now."
"About what?"
"I want to meet her."
"You will."
The next day Arsh landed back in his city.
After weeks of traveling, entering his own apartment felt strangely peaceful.
He dropped his bag near the sofa and looked around.
Everything was exactly the same.
The quiet.
The calm.
The familiarity.
He walked to the balcony and looked at the city lights slowly turning on as evening approached.
His mind drifted to Aakrati.
He wondered if she was angry.
Or if she had simply continued her life normally.
Knowing her… probably the second one.
A small smile appeared on his face.
Just then his phone rang.
Siddharth.
Arsh picked it up.
"You reached?" Siddharth asked.
"Yes."
"Good. I'm coming to your place in the evening."
Arsh raised an eyebrow.
"For what?"
"To finally meet the girl who made you disappear emotionally for weeks."
Arsh chuckled.
"You're impatient."
"Very."
"You'll meet her."
"Good. I want to see if she's really as interesting as you make her sound."
Evening arrived quickly.
Siddharth's car slowed down as he entered the apartment complex. The evening traffic had finally thinned, and the quietness of the residential area felt like a relief after the long drive.
He parked his car right in front of Arsh's building.
The engine turned off, but Siddharth didn't get out immediately. His phone buzzed, and he glanced down at the screen, replying to a message quickly.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," he muttered while typing.
Still looking at his phone, he opened the car door and stepped out.
At the exact same moment—
Shrisha was walking toward the building from the opposite side.
Her bag hung from one shoulder, and her expression clearly showed how terrible her day had been. The office had drained every ounce of patience she had. Meetings that made no sense, clients complaining about unnecessary details, and a boss who suddenly remembered new tasks just when she was about to leave.
She was typing an angry message on her phone while walking quickly toward the entrance.
And before either of them could react—
Thud.
She collided straight into Siddharth.
Her phone almost slipped from her hand.
Shrisha instantly looked up, furious.
"Don't you have eyes?" she snapped.
Siddharth blinked, completely caught off guard.
"You were looking at your phone," he replied calmly.
"So it's my fault now?" she shot back.
"I didn't say that."
"You basically did."
Siddharth sighed softly, trying to stay patient.
"It was just a mistake."
But Shrisha clearly wasn't in the mood to be reasonable.
"People like you just walk wherever you want without even looking!"
"People like me?" Siddharth frowned.
"Yes, people like you!"
He rubbed his forehead slightly.
"Look, I said sorry."
But Shrisha kept glaring at him like he had personally ruined her entire week.
Finally Siddharth let out a breath.
"You're seriously overreacting."
"What did you say?"
"This isn't even a big thing."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Oh really? Maybe if you actually watched where you were going—"
Before she could continue, Siddharth shook his head slightly.
"You know what? Forget it."
He stepped aside, clearly done with the argument.
Shrisha stood there for a moment, still annoyed, before muttering under her breath and walking toward her building.
Siddharth watched her go for a second.
Then he shook his head with a small smirk.
"Crazy."
He walked toward Arsh's apartment building, still slightly amused by the unexpected encounter.
Arsh welcomed Siddharth and started to make coffee.
Siddharth dropped onto the couch and muttered,
"I just met the most aggressive girl in this city."
Arsh raised an eyebrow.
"What happened?"
"Nothing. She started a fight for no reason."
Arsh smirked slightly.
"Interesting."
Siddharth took the coffee Arsh handed him.
"So where is Aakrati?"
Arsh checked the time.
"She usually goes for evening walks around this time."
"You know her routine very well."
"Sometimes I join her."
Siddharth smirked.
"You're down bad."
Arsh ignored him.
After a few minutes he stood up.
"Let's go, drink up fast."
"To meet her?"
"Yes."
Meanwhile, in another building nearby, Shrisha was still complaining about her day.
Aakrati listened patiently.
"Bad day?" she asked softly.
"The worst," Shrisha sighed.
Aakrati smiled.
"Let's go for a walk."
"Now?"
"Yes."
Shrisha thought for a moment.
"Fine."
Aakrati quickly grabbed her phone.
"Let's call Krish too."
Shrisha smirked knowingly.
"Obviously."
Soon Krish arrived.
In his car.
Aakrati immediately crossed her arms.
"I said we're going for a walk."
Krish sighed dramatically.
"Hello miss. I don't live nearby."
"You could have walked."
"I prefer comfort."
She rolled her eyes.
"Fine."
Krish looked at Shrisha.
"Why is this monkey upset?"
Shrisha glared.
"Say that again."
Aakrati laughed.
"Let's listen to her story."
The three of them started walking down the quiet street between the buildings.
Shrisha complained while Aakrati and Krish listened.
Soon complaints turned into jokes.
And jokes turned into laughter.
Then suddenly Aakrati clapped her hands.
"Let's play ice-water!"
Krish groaned.
"You're both insane."
But seconds later they were running around the street laughing like children.
Krish chased Aakrati and finally caught her by the arm.
"Got you."
She laughed breathlessly.
"Cheater!"
At that exact moment—
Two figures turned into the same street.
Arsh and Siddharth.
Arsh had guessed correctly.
This was the exact path Aakrati liked walking at night.
And there she was.
Running.
Laughing.
With someone else.
Krish was still holding her arm.
Too close.
Too comfortable.
Arsh's expression darkened instantly.
Siddharth noticed and sighed quietly.
"I knew something like this would happen."
At that moment Aakrati looked up.
Her eyes widened.
"Arsh?"
She ran toward him without thinking and hugged him tightly.
Arsh hugged her back.
But over her shoulder…
His eyes slowly moved toward Krish.
The anger hadn't disappeared.
Not even a little.
Krish noticed that look immediately.
And in that silent moment—
Something between the two men began.