The office had a completely different feel at night.

Gone was the usual chaos—the ringing phones, the constant chatter, the hurried footsteps of people chasing deadlines.

Now, it was just quiet.

Dim desk lamps cast a soft glow across the space, and the hum of the AC was the only thing breaking the silence.

I wasn’t sure why, but it made everything feel… different.

Maybe because, for the first time, it was just me and Mehul.

I groaned, stretching my arms. “I can’t believe I’m still here.”

Mehul, as usual, barely reacted.

“You could’ve worked faster,” he said, typing away.

I narrowed my eyes. “Wow. Thanks for the support.”

No response.

Of course.

But then, unexpectedly—he closed his laptop.

I blinked. Wait. He’s stopping?

Mehul leaned back slightly, rubbing his temple.

And for the first time all day, he actually looked… a little tired.

Something about that made my chest do a weird thing.

I ignored it. (Bad plan.)

“You hungry?” I asked, trying to sound casual.

Mehul paused.

Then, to my absolute shock, he said, “A little.”

I nearly dropped my pen.

Wait. What?

He saw my expression and sighed. “You overcomplicate things.”

That was probably true.

I quickly pulled up a food delivery app before he changed his mind. “Fine. What do you want?”

Mehul shrugged. “Anything is fine.”

Of course.

Fifteen minutes later, food arrived.

I unwrapped my sandwich while Mehul quietly worked through his.

For a few minutes, we ate in silence.

Not awkward silence.
Just… quiet.

And somehow, that was worse.

I wasn’t supposed to feel comfortable around him.

I wasn’t supposed to like this silence.

I cleared my throat. “So, do you usually stay this late?”

Mehul took a sip of his black coffee. “If necessary.”

Of course. Classic Mehul answer.

Then, after a pause, he said, “You could’ve left earlier.”

I frowned. “Huh?”

“You didn’t have to stay this long.”

I scoffed. “Uh, yeah, I did? We’re working on the same project.”

Mehul gave me a look.

One of those half-glances that made me feel like he saw straight through me.

I swallowed. Okay. Moving on.

I picked up my chai, taking a sip—and froze.

Mehul was watching me.

Not in an obvious way. Not intensely.

Just… observing.

Like he was noticing something.

I set the cup down. “What?”

Mehul blinked. “Nothing.”

Then he stood up, gathering his things. “I’m leaving.”

I frowned. “You finished eating in, like, five minutes.”

Mehul slung his bag over his shoulder. “Efficiency.”

Of course.

He nodded at me. “See you tomorrow.”

And just like that, he walked out.

I exhaled, rubbing my forehead.

This was getting dangerous.

Because I was getting used to this.

Used to him.

And that?

That was the most dangerous thing of all.