After some time, Jhanvi, who had been staring at him the entire time, finally asked, "What's your name?"

Aryan looked up at her for a moment, then lowered his head again and said softly, "Aryan."

When she heard it, her heart skipped multiple beats, and she was lost in the moment, quietly mumbling his name, "Aryan."

Suddenly, the cafe's door burst open. Aahan rushed in, and as soon as he spotted Aryan, he dropped to his knees, grabbed his hands, and said, 

"I'm sorry, bhai. I... I shouldn't have left you alone."

Jhanvi, who had been silently watching the scene, coughed and stammered, "Do you—YOU—"

She suddenly screamed, recognizing Aahan—the man who had dropped her on the ground and was calling her bhabhi.

Aahan quickly got up and immediately turned to her, thanking her nervously.

"Ooh, it's you! I'm really sorry for what happened earlier, and thank you so much for taking care of bhai," Aahan said, stepping forward, genuine gratitude in his eyes.

Jhanvi crossed her arms, a small smile playing on her lips. 

"It's okay. But you knew your brother's condition and still left him alone? Aish, you careless kid!" she scolded lightly.

"Do you even realise those rascals were harassing him? I could've—" She stopped herself, letting out a sigh. "Just... don't ever do that again. "

Aahan gave her a sheepish grin. "I know, I know. I really messed up. I didn't think things would spiral so quickly."

His gaze drifted toward Aryan, who stood quietly beside Jhanvi(Anjali). His bhabhi.

Jhanvi's eyes softened, but her tone stayed firm. "You're lucky I was there."

Aahan looked at her, his smile turning nostalgic. Still the same. Still the same fiery, stubborn, annoyingly protective bhabhi who once used to scold him .

God, how he missed this.

He reached out to help Aryan up, but Jhanvi stopped him gently, holding Aryan's hand.

"Wait," she whispered, her voice soft but steady. 

She pulled out a small, carefully wrapped box from her bag and offered it to Aryan. "Here... a little something for you."

Aryan blinked, startled. He looked at her—really looked—and the air between them shifted.

 The box trembled slightly in his hand, but his eyes didn't leave hers.

She smiled faintly, and for a moment, it felt like time had rewound.

Neither noticed Aahan or Reeva watching silently nearby.

Aahan's throat tightened. His eyes welled up, overwhelmed by the weight of the moment.

Four years.

Four years of separation. Silence. Pain.

And now this—this quiet, raw reunion between his bhai and his bhabhi.

Destiny is cruel, Aahan thought, but love always finds its way back... eventually.

Jhanvi gave Aryan's hand a light squeeze.

 "Take care of yourself, okay? You're not alone anymore."

Aryan just looked at her, eyes glassy. He nodded.

As they turned to walk out of the café, Reeva stepped up beside Jhanvi and folded her arms.

She watched Aryan and Aahan disappear through the door, then looked at her with a raised brow.

"Now. Tell me. Everything," she demanded.

hanvi didn't respond at first. Her eyes were still locked on the café door Aryan had just walked out of. She looked lost — like a part of her had walked away with him.

And then, quietly, she spoke.

"When he said his name... Aryan... something inside me cracked," she whispered. 

"I don't know why, Reeva, but my chest started aching. I felt like crying and I don't even know him."

Reeva frowned slightly. " you've never met him before, right? Unless that holi incident"

She clutched her chest again, her voice shaking. " whenever he's in front of me, I feel like I'm being pulled apart. Like a part of me wants to scream and say 'I know you', but my mind just won't listen."

Reeva moved closer, gently wrapping an arm around her. "Come on, Jhanvi," she said softly, giving her a little nudge.

 "Sometimes things like this just... happen. Maybe you were just overwhelmed. You've had a lot going on lately."

Jhanvi turned to look at her, still confused, still shaken. 

"But it felt so real, Reeva. Like I knew him—like I lost him."

Reeva sighed, brushing a strand of Jhanvi's hair behind her ear. 

"Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's just one of those weird emotional déjà vu things. You know, the brain tricks us sometimes, connects dots where there aren't any."

She smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't overthink it, hmm? You're already dramatic enough."

Jhanvi let out a soft laugh despite the tears that still lingered in her eyes. "I hate when you act like the sensible one."

"And yet you always cry on my shoulder," Reeva teased, squeezing her gently. 

"Let's go, come on. We'll go home, eat something sweet, and pretend you didn't almost cry over a guy you dont know or you don't remember."

Jhanvi sniffled and nodded slowly, but as she stood up with Reeva, her eyes drifted one last time to the café door—where her heart had cracked open without warning.

And quietly, inside her, a name echoed again: Aryan.

As they both were walking toward home—Reeva holding Falak in her arms and Jhanvi quietly lost in her thoughts beside her—a loud engine roar snapped them back to reality.

A group of boys sped past in an open jeep, music blasting obnoxiously loud. The jeep swerved slightly as it zoomed past them, causing dust to rise and Falak to flinch in Reeva's arms.

"Aish, these rascals," Reeva muttered under her breath, shielding Falak instinctively. 

"Do they think the roads are a racetrack?"

As they kept walking, still shaken by the sudden jeep rush, the sharp smell of smoke hit them before they even saw the source.

Just a few steps ahead, a group of four men stood near a parked jeep—leaning against the wall, laughing crudely, cigarettes dangling from their lips as they blew out thick puffs of smoke right onto the street.

"F*cking filth," Jhanvi muttered under her breath.

Reeva's nose wrinkled in disgust. "They're still here? Bunch of jobless scum."

As they tried to silently pass, one of the men noticed them. His gaze dragged over the two women with shameless laziness before landing on Reeva's glaring eyes.

"Damnn," he smirked, nudging his friend."Look at that—cat eyes is all fired up."

Another, his eyes red from whatever he'd been smoking, whistled. "Both look hot."

Reeva flinched but didn't stop. Jhanvi, however, slowed down, rage boiling inside her.

One of them licked his lips obscenely and stepped right into their path, eyes fixed on Reeva like a predator.

 He reached out slowly, fingers brushing through her hair as he leaned in close, inhaling deeply.

"Hmm, what a smell..."he sneered, his breath foul as he took in her scent.

Before she could react, his filthy fingers almost brushed Reeva's waist.

Jhanvi slapped his hand away so hard, he stumbled back, startled.

"Touch her again, and I'll break it off and shove it down your throat."

The man laughed mockingly, rubbing his wrist.

"Girls like you make me want to touch more."

His friend cackled and added,"Just give us one night, sweetheart—we'll make you feel like a queen."

Reeva's blood boiled. She shouted, "Shut the hell up, you disgusting pigs!"

Another moved toward Jhanvi with a sick grin."What do you say, you coming with me?"

Jhanvi didn't back down—she kicked his shin, hard enough to make him yelp in pain.

 "I'll shove that filthy mouth of yours so far down your throat, you'll choke on your own words," she growled.

Reeva, pulling her phone out, barked, 

"Smile for the camera. One more word and I'll live-stream your faces straight to the police cyber cell. Try me."

The men, realizing they were attracting attention from a tea stall nearby, began backing off.

 "Aish little who**s" one of them muttered as they retreated toward their jeep.

"Keep walking," Jhanvi hissed, eyes burning.

The women didn't stop until they reached the end of the street, where the road opened and more people were around.

Reeva looked down at Falak, who had thankfully slept through the entire encounter. 

"Thank god she didn't see anything..."

Jhanvi, her hands trembling slightly, muttered, 

"No girl should ever have to."

Next Morning

Jhanvi woke up to the soft morning light filtering into the room. She turned to her side and smiled as she saw little Falak sleeping soundly beside her.

 Reeva's daughter looked like a tiny bundle of peace — cheeks puffed, one fist curled near her face.

Jhanvi gently played with Falak's fingers, whispering softly, 

"Aish, you know what, Falak? Auntie will teach you how to deal with those disgusting types of men, hmm? The ones who think they own the streets just because they drive big jeeps and puff smoke like it's cool."

Falak stirred a bit in her sleep, scrunching her nose adorably. Jhanvi chuckled under her breath, brushing her fingers through Falak's hair lovingly.

Just then, Reeva walked in, a steaming mug in her hand and her hair messily tied up. She paused at the door, smiling at the sight. 

"Giving my daughter a crash course in street survival already?"

Jhanvi looked up, returning her smile. "Well, she should know the world isn't always kind, especially to girls."

Reeva sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.

 "Tell me about it. Last night's mess is still stuck in my head. The way those men looked at us... I wanted to slap every one of them."

Jhanvi's expression darkened slightly.

 "It wasn't just the way they looked. It was the way they came close, like they had every right to cross boundaries. It made my skin crawl. And Falak was right there."

Reeva instinctively reached out and brushed her daughter's hair. 

"Thank God you were there. You handled it better than I could've. Honestly, I don't know what I would've done if I was alone."

Jhanvi shrugged, a bitter smile on her face. "I don't even remember anything after accident, but my reflexes are sharp when it comes to protecting someone."

Reeva looked at her carefully. "Maybe that's muscle memory ."

Jhanvi went quiet for a moment, staring at Falak's tiny hand wrapped around her finger. "Maybe..."

Then Reeva nudged her playfully. "Now come on. I made breakfast. Toast's not burnt this time."

Jhanvi snorted. "Miracle of the century."

The two women shared a light laugh, letting the tension of last night fade into the comfort of friendship and warmth of a new morning.