The night air was cooler than he expected, the Mumbai skyline stretching endlessly before him. He had parked his bike at the edge of the road, his hands gripping the handles but making no move to start the engine. He needed a moment.

Maybe more than a moment.

A familiar voice cut through the silence. “Leaving already?”

He turned, exhaling sharply when he saw Daksh Patel leaning against a lamppost, hands tucked into his jacket pockets. Aarav should have known he’d follow.

“Didn’t feel like staying,” Aarav muttered.

Daksh smirked. “Gee, I wonder why.”

Aarav didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. Daksh already knew.

“So, what’s the plan now?” Daksh asked, stepping closer. “Gonna keep pretending it doesn’t hurt? Or are you finally gonna say something?”

Aarav scoffed. “And say what, exactly? ‘Hey, Tanya, I know you’ve spent years chasing Jay, but surprise—I love you’?” He shook his head. “Yeah, that’ll go well.”

Daksh sighed. “You don’t have to say it like that, idiot. But you also can’t keep running away every time she chooses him over you.”

Aarav clenched his jaw. “She hasn’t chosen him.”

“Hasn’t she?”

The words stung more than they should have.

Aarav stared at the ground, his thoughts tangled in a mess he didn’t know how to escape. “I just… I don’t want to lose her.”

Daksh’s expression softened. “You already are.”

Inside the party, Tanya sat on a couch, barely listening to the conversation happening around her. Jay was somewhere nearby, talking to a group of his friends, and Esha had gone to grab drinks. But Tanya’s mind wasn’t here. It was outside.

With Aarav.

Esha’s words echoed in her head. He didn’t look okay.

Aarav had left. And she hadn’t even noticed.

She glanced around, suddenly restless. The music was too loud, the laughter too forced. She needed air.

She stepped outside, wrapping her arms around herself as she scanned the street. He was gone. Of course, he was gone. Why would he still be here?

A sigh left her lips, frustration and something else—something she wasn’t ready to name—settling deep in her chest.

Why did she care so much?

She turned to head back inside, only to pause when she spotted Daksh walking toward her.

“Looking for someone?” he asked casually, hands in his pockets.

Tanya hesitated. “I—no. Just needed some air.”

Daksh studied her for a moment before sighing. “He left, you know.”

Tanya bit her lip. “Yeah. Esha told me.”

“He wasn’t okay.”

The words shouldn’t have affected her as much as they did, but they did. Her chest tightened. “Why are you telling me this?”

Daksh shrugged. “Because for some reason, it looks like you care.”

Tanya opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out.

Because maybe, just maybe, he was right.

Maybe she did care. More than she was ready to admit.