Morning came quietly at the Mehra house.
No rush. No chaos. Just the soft sounds of a day beginning.
Ishvik stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his shirt cuffs with practiced calm. His face looked composed, almost relaxed — the kind of calm people learned to wear after years of discipline. If someone looked at him right now, they would think everything inside him was steady.
But it wasn’t.
His mind hadn’t stopped since last night.
Her
There was no doubt in that. Not even a little. The way she looked, the way she spoke, the way she thanked him with that soft sincerity — everything inside him screamed the same truth.
She’s here , in front of him
Real, alive
And yet…
She hadn’t recognised him.
Not even a flicker.
Ishvik exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the washbasin for a second longer than necessary. His reflection stared back at him — calm eyes, controlled expression.
“Control yourself,” he murmured under his breath.
“Abhi nahi.”
Downstairs, laughter echoed faintly.
Kriyansh’s voice.
“Bhai, kya hai tujhe? Ye sab ghas phus kha kese leta hai tu??” he said with his dramatic antics, pointing towards the salad that rita was preparing to plate for breakfast.
Ishvik walked down, already wearing his easy smile.
“Haan to teri tarah kha kha kar fula hua cylinder dikhne ka koi shauq nahi hai mujhe, isliye.,” Ishvik replied casually, picking up a glass of water.
"Ohh hello , marte hay log meri iss handsome and fit body pe,huhh" kriyansh huffed like a sulking child.
Akshika raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me aap dono subah-subah roasting karne ke full mood mein hoo.”
Kriyansh grinned. “Arre nahi Akshuu, main toh bas Ishvik ka mood decode kar raha tha.”
Ishvik shot him a warning look, which Kriyansh caught instantly — and respected.
“Breakfast kar lo dono,” rita said, placing plates on the table. “Office ke liye late ho jaoge.”
They sat together, the rhythm familiar. This was normal. This was safe.
And Ishvik played his part perfectly.
He laughed at Kriyansh’s nonsense. Listened to Akshika’s stories. Nodded, smiled, responded.
But inside him, questions kept circling.
Why didn’t she recognise me?
Was it shock? Was it time? Or something worse?
He hadn’t said a word to anyone yet.
Except one
____________________________________________________________________________
Across the city, the Mathur house was equally alive.
Reva stood near the kitchen counter, sipping her tea while Dhriti leaned against her, scrolling through her phone.
“Tu kal ka scene yaad hai?” Dhriti said suddenly, smirking. Reva told her last night about her foot slip and that incident.
Reva groaned. “Mat yaad dila. Bas ek awkward moment tha, okay?”
Dhriti looked up. “Awkward? Tu usually awkward moments ko ignore nahi karti. Kal se tu unusually normal banne ki acting kar rahi hai.”
Reva rolled her eyes. “Stop overanalysing. Main bilkul fine hoon.”
Kavita smiled softly from the stove. Mothers noticed things daughters tried to hide.
“College ke liye late ho jaogi,” she said gently. “Aur Reva, scarf le lena. Thand hai.”
Reva nodded, but her mind drifted — uninvited.
That moment in the corridor.
The way he had caught her.
The way his eyes had looked at her — not curious, not polite — but something else. Something deeper.
Familiar.
Why did it feel like I’ve known him before?
She shook her head.
Bas imagination hai, Reva. New city, new people.
____________________________________________________________________________
College brought distraction — thankfully.
Architecture studios were alive with sketches, models, discussions. Reva threw herself into her work, pencils moving confidently across paper. She corrected lines, erased mistakes, redesigned elevations.
This was her world. Structure. Logic. Creation.
And yet…
Her pencil paused more than once.
Her mind wandered back to eyes she couldn’t forget.
Dhriti, on the other hand, was slowly settling into her own rhythm.
Journalism classes were interactive, discussion-heavy. She listened, took notes, and even spoke up once — her voice soft but confident.
Later, outside the classroom—
“Tum phir mil gayi,” a familiar voice said.
Dhriti turned — and frowned. “aap?”
Kriyansh smiled. “Good morning to you too.”
She crossed her arms. “College ke paas kya kar rahe ho?”
“Office site inspection. Aur tum?” he asked innocently.
She narrowed her eyes. “Obviously mera college hai to padhne hi aaungi na."
Their banter flowed easily — light, teasing, unforced.
Mayuri watched them from a distance, amused. “Tum logon ka equation interesting hai.”
Dhriti scoffed. “Annoying hai.”
Kriyansh grinned. “feelings are mutual miss.”
____________________________________________________________________________
That evening, fate nudged them again.
Not dramatically. Not loudly.
Just… naturally.
A small bookstore café near the main road.
Reva and Dhriti stepped in for coffee. Almost at the same time, Ishvik and Kriyansh entered from the other side.
There was a pause.
Not shock.
Not recognition.
Just awareness.
Eyes met.
Reva’s heart skipped — just slightly.
Ishvik felt it like a quiet storm inside him.
Dhriti broke the moment first. “Oh. Aap.”
Kriyansh chuckled. “Looks like Dehradun is shrinking.”
Ishvik smiled politely at Reva. “Hello.”
She returned it. “Hi.”
Nothing more.
But everything unsaid hung between them.
They stood there, talking casually, ordering coffee, discussing traffic and weather — like strangers.
Only Ishvik knew how much effort it took to keep his voice steady.
Only Reva knew how hard it was to ignore the pull she didn’t understand.
Later, as they parted—
Kriyansh murmured, “Bhai… kuch toh hai.”
Ishvik nodded once. “Haan.”
Reva walked away, glancing back once — unconsciously.
Why does leaving feel heavy?
____________________________________________________________________________
That night, two rooms. Two lives.
Ishvik sat on his bed, phone in hand, staring at nothing.
“I’ll find out,” he whispered.
“Par bina use hurt kiye.”
Reva lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
“I don’t know you,” she thought.
“Phir bhi… kyun lagta hai jaise kuch chhoot gaya ho?”
Outside, the city slept.
And somewhere between past and present, fate waited — quietly smiling.
_________________________________________________________________________
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