“If you have, then why have you changed so much? Please don’t, Muskan. Don’t Change.” In a voice heavy with pain, Jay called out to Muskan, gently pressing his forehead against hers.  

Muskan’s tear-filled eyes remained shut as if she were locking away the storm of emotions within her. Her hands, which had been gripping Jay’s arms in an attempt to push him away, slowly curled into fists. Her nails dug deep into her palms, pressing harder with each passing second. She was hurting herself—desperate to hold on, to not fall apart.  

Flashes of the past flickered through her mind like an unstoppable reel—the frantic run through the rain to the hospital, her parents sobbing outside the operation theater, little Vishi standing there, terrified and helpless, and the letter Jay had left behind. The memories consumed her, replaying relentlessly behind her closed eyelids.  

Her brows furrowed so tightly that Jay could feel their tension against his forehead. His repeated words, spoken with quiet desperation, only unsettled her further.

Before Muskan gathered strength to push him away, Jay himself released her. “My intentions were not to trouble you. I can't bear to see you like this. But maybe this isn't the right time.” And he left.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Not a word, not a scream—just silence. She sat there, unmoving, like a lifeless stone. Her mind was blank, but her eyes remained fixed on the sky as if silently pleading for help.

Even though Jay released her and stepped away, he never truly left. He was secretly keeping a watch on her from a distance. His worry for her never faded for even a second.

Riya secretly captured a photo of them in each other’s embrace and, without wasting a second, sent it to Kareena. And Kareena forwarded it to Vishi. “Having fun?” While she was having fun chatting with Vishi and Kareena in their new chat group, Ted tapped her from behind.

“Woah! You scared me. I thought Musakn Ma’am came.” Startled, Riya replied.

“I took some pictures. Wanna see?” She shared the pictures of the main lead couple with him. Ted has an even surprised reaction. He was aware of the fact that his boss was madly in love, but the speed was insane. Till yesterday, they were not even talking about anything out of work matters, and today, they are hugging each other.

“Where’s my idiot boss? Is he fine? How many slaps did he get?!” Ted asked in a panic. 

“Are you idiot, why would Jay get slapped? In fact, look there.” Riya pointed towards them. Muskan was still sitting and staring at the sky blankly, and Jay was staring at her from behind the pillar.

“Since how long have they been like this?” Ted asked curiously.

Riya checked the time on her phone. “I don’t know… probably 15 minutes.” 

“Shouldn’t we wake them up? It’s been quite some time, no? Muskan’s legs might go numb.“

“Oh yes. That’s true, and we’ll also have to spend the entire day here only.” 

Taking charge, Riya and Ted split up—Ted approached Jay while Riya went to Muskan. They both brought these two tragedy-stricken lovers back to reality. And just like that, they came down from the mountains. 

Muskan was quiet the whole time while packing her things, and Jay was lost in his thoughts in their respective rooms. Meanwhile, Ted and Riya, finding solace in each other, awkwardly texted back and forth—helping one another navigate the strange tension of dealing with their equally complicated seniors.

“Let’s go!” Jay said to Ted suddenly. He packed all his belongings. 

Similarly, Muskan and Riya were also ready to leave. Other team members except Rahul had already left by the time these four returned from the mountain. Now there was only one car left, which had to travel in together.

The group bid farewell to everyone. “Without you and your team’s effort, we couldn’t even dream to come out of Sherma’s clutches. Thank you! Now we all can feel the air of freedom.” The elder of the village expressed his gratitude to Jay for their efforts. The team came for their benefit, and now they were returning with the village’s blessings.

Jay sat behind the wheel, and Ted beside him on the passenger seat. Muskan and Riya sat in the back seats. Rahul’s family made the leave after the afternoon’s lunch, so they were full, and their destination was straight back to the city.

Under the scorching sun, their car drove swiftly on the highways. Riya and Ted, who were tired from mountain climbing, were deep in sleep. At the same time, Muskan leaned by the windows into deep thoughts.

A few hours went by, and Jay got a little tired from driving and stopped at a diner on the highway. They were close to the city. The boys decided to refresh themselves from the tea selling nearby while the girls went to the washroom.

“Muskan ma’am, are you alright? You seem tensed since morning?” Riya tried to poke Muskan out of her serious bubble. But to her dismay, she got a nod in reply. Probably, she was not able to understand Muskan’s situation, or maybe she tried to keep it hidden, thus she stopped right there. After all, Riya was just a colleague and not her family.

Outside, the boys took a good seat with a river view by the bridge for their tea break. “From here on, I’ll drive, you take some rest, Bhai,” Ted said.

“Once we return, I’ll be busy again, right, Ted?” Watching the sun, ready to dive under the river, Jay asked.

“Probably yes. And you’ve taken up on a new venture as well. You’ll be super busy.” Ted replied.

“When will I get time to resolve things with Muskan? It’s getting harder and messier.”

Ted kept his teacup at the seat and turned towards his brother. ”You remember when we started MJs? Back then, we were busier than now. More than me, you were juggling between infinite calls, files, studies and meetings. Remember?”

“Hmm. What about then?” Jay asked innocently.

“Back then, even when you forgot to have your meal for days, you never forgot to take 5 minutes and pray for the well-being of your Muskan. Back then, you could only pray from far, but now she’s this close to you.” Ted brought his fingers right in front of Jay’s eyes to show him how close he was to Muskan.

“How can you say that you’ll be busy to resolve things with her? I trust you. You can do anything, Bhai. With that tacky smile of yours.” After a short motivation session, just like every other younger sibling, Ted didn’t forget to make fun of him.

“You little rascal! My smile is tacky? Girls die for this smile. You know that? Huh?!” Motivated, Jay locked his head under his arms. While they were having fun, the girls arrived. They sat beside them and had their tea while watching the sky’s pink showdown.