Aarya
Three days had passed since the incident near the temple.
Three days, and yet his face still hovered in her mind - soaked kurta, unreadable eyes, and that maddening calmness. He hadn't been intimidated. He hadn’t even been curious. He just... existed in front of her like she was no different than the rain behind her.
That indifference made her restless.
Aarya Rathore had dealt with rivals, spies, traitors. She had interrogated people with her eyes alone. She had turned hearts to ash just by walking into a room.
But this boy - this nobody - had simply looked at her like she was just a person.
And then walked away.
She sat now in her office above the nightclub her syndicate operated, the lights low, a glass of whiskey untouched on the table. A dozen conversations were going on in the room behind her, all about weapons, routes, payments. But her mind wasn’t in this room.
“Find him,” she said softly, barely turning her head.
Kabir, her right-hand man, looked up from a tablet. “Who?”
“The boy. Temple lane. White kurta. Walked past my car like I didn’t exist.”
Kabir blinked, then smirked faintly. “Are you... offended?”
Aarya didn’t look at him.
“I don’t like being forgotten,” she said. “Not even for a second.”
Vivaan
Vivaan hadn’t told anyone about the night he met her.
He had no idea who she was, not by name. But there was something about her that lingered — like smoke after a fire. Not fear, but curiosity.
It wasn’t often he met someone who made the world go quiet around them.
But even so, he didn’t dwell. He had too much to do. His days were filled with temple duties, feeding stray animals, helping elderly devotees, teaching children after sunset.
The world had enough people chasing noise.
He had chosen stillness.
And yet, once or twice, when he paused at the ghat steps or closed his eyes in prayer, a flicker of memory returned.
That moment when she stepped out of the car.
Her eyes.
There was rage in them — and loneliness too. The kind of loneliness that didn’t come from being left alone... but from choosing to push everyone away.
Still, he let it pass. Or tried to.
Their Second Meeting
It was early morning. The temple bells had just begun ringing when Vivaan stepped out with bags of prasad. The street was waking up, golden sunlight touching the edges of rooftops.
He was adjusting his dupatta when he felt it - not a sound, but a presence.
A sleek black car pulled up beside him. Slow. Silent.
Vivaan paused.
The window rolled down.
She was inside.
This time she wasn’t in black. She wore a pristine white blazer over matching trousers, her hair neatly tied back. Expensive. Untouchable.
"Get in," she said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Vivaan stared at her, confused but calm.
“Why?”
She didn’t blink. “You saved something that day. I wanted to say thank you.”
He tilted his head. “You could’ve said it then.”
Aarya leaned slightly forward. “You walked away before I could.”
He gave a soft laugh. “You’re used to people waiting?”
She didn’t answer.
“I don’t take rides from strangers,” he added, stepping back.
Her eyes narrowed, not in anger - but in disbelief. “You think I’m a stranger?”
Vivaan offered a half-smile. “A woman whose car nearly ran me over, didn’t apologize, and now wants me to step in without reason? Yes. That’s stranger behavior.”
And then - again - he simply walked past the car.
Not rudely. Not dramatically.
Just... like he had somewhere more important to be.
Aarya sat frozen.
Her fingers, always steady, tapped once against the steering wheel.
Aarya’s Thoughts
She wasn’t sure what irritated her more — the fact that he didn’t obey, or that he didn’t even argue. He didn’t fight for dignity. He didn’t beg to be seen.
He was just unmoved by her presence. Her power.
And Aarya hated being irrelevant.
She hated being unseen.
So, as the car slowly rolled forward behind him, not close enough to be creepy, but not far enough to lose sight...
She whispered one word to herself.
“Interesting.”
To be continued......
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