AUTHOR'S POV:

Jhanvi and Reeva had just finished packing the first batch for delivery.

They stepped out of the café door with two boxes when—

A sleek black car stopped right in front of them.

Both froze.

"...Who is this?" Reeva whispered.

They exchanged confused looks.

Then the door opened.

A tall man stepped out, his back straight, broad shoulders visible.

He turned—

And both girls gasped.

Dev.

Reeva instantly leaned to Jhanvi's ear, whispering dramatically:

"Bro... did we sign a contract saying their boss will personally come to pick deliveries?"Jhanvi elbowed her in the ribs.

"Shhh! Kuch bhi...!"

Dev reached them, and without asking, tried to take the box from Jhanvi's hands.

She quickly turned the box away.

"Sir—what are you doing here?"

Her voice was polite, but her eyes were confused.

Dev replied with a soft, amused smile,

"To meet you."

Reeva choked on air.

Jhanvi cleared her throat, completely thrown off.

"Uh... why?"

He didn't answer.

He simply took the box forcefully, letting his fingers brush against hers—deliberately—

and Jhanvi shivered.

She immediately pulled her hand back.

"To check if you're okay," he said casually.

"After what happened yesterday."

Uneasiness curled in her stomach again.

That same heavy, suffocating feeling she always got near him.

She forced a small smile.

"O–oh. I'm fine, sir. You didn't have to come."

Dev handed the box to one of his bodyguards and stepped closer—too close—

leaning down to her level.

He placed his hands on the box she was carrying, resting them on her hands.

When she tried pulling back, he instinctively held tighter.

"Hmmm, true..." he said softly.

"But until I see you with my own eyes... I stay tense."

"Umm... oh..." Jhanvi whispered nervously.

His ring pressed into her skin, hurting her fingers.

Reeva noticed and jumped in immediately.

"That's so nice of you, sir! You're such a gentleman," she said loudly.

"Sir, now that you're here, please try our famous coffee!"

Dev looked at Reeva with a blank face, then nodded.

Reeva grabbed Jhanvi's arm and pulled her out of Dev's grip.

Both rushed inside the kitchen.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Jhanvi gasped.

"See?! THIS is what I was talking about!"

Reeva smirked.

"I see... hmm."

Jhanvi looked at her with the 'I know where this is going' face.

Reeva continued dramatically,

"Maybe he is in love with you. You know... movie style first-sight love?"

Jhanvi glared at her with pure disgust.

Reeva wasn't done.

"Oh god, when he was looking at you na— I swear I thought I was watching a movie scene."

She framed Jhanvi's face with her hands.

"And YOU are the heroine. Now we have to see whether Aryan is the hero or Dev Sir."

Jhanvi placed both hands on her forehead—fully done.

But then Reeva suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Oh my god!"

Jhanvi looked down.

Her hand was bleeding.

"How did this happen?" Reeva asked.

"I... don't know—" Jhanvi whispered.

"Tu ruk! I'll get the medicine box!"

Reeva ran out.

Jhanvi was alone in the kitchen now.

Staff was busy serving customers—especially Dev.

Her mind went back to everything.

Dev's touch.

His stare.

That ring digging into her skin.

The suffocating closeness.

Why does he keep coming near me?

I hate it.

My whole body gets goosebumps... not the good kind.

Was this cut because of him?

She stared at her hand, lost in thought—

Her phone rang.

Her heart jumped when she saw the caller ID.

Aarushi.

Hesitantly, she picked up.

"Hello?"

But her heartbeat doubled when she heard a deep, soft male voice.

"Mumma... dost aap chaloge na?"

It was Aryan.

His voice...

deep, soothing, gentle—

it fluttered in her stomach.

Nothing like Dev's voice, which always brought dread.

She smiled unconsciously.

"Bilkul... chalungi. Hmmm."

From the other side, she heard a small giggle—from him .

Her heart melted.

He cut the call.

She stood frozen, thinking about him, about the way he talked, about the way she felt—

Then a deep, vicious voice whispered right behind her:

"Kaha jaa rahi ho?"

She froze.

Slowly... she turned.

Dev.

Standing so close behind her that his breath touched her neck.

She took a step back—

—and hit the wall.

"S–sir... aap yaha?" she stuttered.

Dev tilted his head, staring straight at her face.

"Hmmm. Kyu? Nahi aa sakta?"

She forced a nervous chuckle.

"N–nahi, mera matlab woh nahi tha—"

He leaned even closer.

"Then what did you mean?"

She moved her neck away, trying to create space.

"I meant... customers aren't allowed here in the kitchen so—"

He cut her off.

"Lekin main customer thodi hoon."

He leaned in further.

"Main toh owner hoon... tumhara."

The last word was almost a whisper, but she heard enough.

"HUH?! Excuse me?!" she snapped.

Dev chuckled.

"Kuch nahi."

Jhanvi tried to slip past him, but he placed one hand on the wall.

She tried the other side—he blocked that too.

"Sir mujhe kaam hai," she said breathlessly.

"Mujhe jaana hai—so please—"

"Jawab nahi mila," he said calmly.

She frowned.

"Kaisa jawab?"

"Kaha jaa rahi ho?"

Jhanvi was DONE.

"Aapse matlab nahi hai."

She bent down, escaped under his arm, and hurried out.

Dev chuckled softly.

He inhaled deeply as if breathing in her presence and muttered to himself,

"Tumhari har cheez ka mujhse matlab hai... Gulab."

AUTHOR'S POV

Jhanvi stepped out of the kitchen, still shaken, and the first thing she saw was Reeva serving coffee to Dev's assistants and bodyguards. 

Reeva glanced at her, bit her tongue dramatically, and rushed toward her.

"Sorry sorry! Voh Dev sir ne bola ki in logon ko bhi serve kar do... toh main bhool gayi," she said in one breath.

Jhanvi's face clearly showed irritation as she hissed,

"Haan... taki voh kitchen me aa sake, right?"

Reeva's eyes widened.

"WHAT!?"

Her voice echoed so loudly that even one bodyguard turned. She immediately muttered three 

"sorry sorry sorrys" and asked in a whisper,

"Par voh kitchen mein kyu aaye the? Hmm?"

Her teasing tone was back.

Jhanvi shot her a dead-serious look.

Reeva's smile faltered instantly.

"Okay sorry... my bad," she said with a nervous laugh.

Jhanvi exhaled sharply. "Mujhe kya pata hoga? Pagal aadmi hai. Ajeeb sa. Khair... main jaa rahi 

hoon."

"Kahan?" Reeva asked.

And that—that—was enough to boil Jhanvi's blood because the same question was still ringing 

in her ears from Dev's mouth.

She snapped louder than she intended—

"Kya yeh tune Kahan laga rakha hai  ? Bola na—Aryan aur uski family ke saath!"

Reeva blinked twice, stunned by the sudden outburst.

"Wow, chill bhai..." she said, hands up in surrender.

Jhanvi rubbed her forehead, guilt washing over her.

"I-I'm sorry... ye bas... I don't know..."

Reeva chuckled softly, patting her arm.

"Chal jaa. Packing bhi toh karni hogi na."

Jhanvi nodded, leaned in, and kissed Reeva's cheek affectionately before heading toward the exit.

She didn't notice the pair of eyes following her every move.

Dev.

Standing quietly near the entrance, coffee cup untouched, gaze fixed on her retreating figure...

jaw clenched, mind repeating one thing.

DEV'S POV:

She walked out of the kitchen in a hurry, head down, breath uneven.

And I followed her with my eyes... like I always do.

I didn't know where she was going.

And that—exactly that—was making me lose my patience.

Every damn time I try to get closer, she slips away.

Every answer she gives is half, every look is confused, scared...

and yet she still manages to pull me in like a magnet.

My jaw tightened.

Where are you going, Jhanvi?

Who are you going to meet?

Why can't you just tell me?

She moved towards Reeva, and before I could take a step, she leaned in and—

kissed Reeva's cheek.

My fingers clenched.

A harmless, friendly gesture.

But my mind didn't see it that way.

My mind saw her soft lips, the way they pressed gently against someone else's skin.

My mind replaced Reeva with myself.

My mind imagined her breath mixing with mine.

I inhaled sharply.

I remembered the moment in the kitchen—

the way her tiny hands trembled under mine,

how her pulse jumped every time my skin brushed hers,

how her breath got stuck when I leaned in.

She thinks she hides it well,

but I can feel it.

She feels... something.

And yes—

I saw that cut on her hand.

The cut my ring gave her.

Intentional.

Perfectly placed.

A reminder.

She winced when it happened.

Tried to pull her hand back.

But she didn't succeed, did she?

That small red mark on her skin...

the one I left...

looked beautiful.

Like evidence.

Like proof that I touched her.

Proof she can't erase.

When she kissed Reeva, something sharp twisted in my chest.

Possessiveness.

Jealousy.

A burning need to drag her back,

push her against the wall again,

and whisper—

"Tum sirf meri ho."

But instead she walked away...

walked out of my sight...

without telling me where she was going.

My patience snapped.

My eyes followed her till the door closed.

And under my breath, low enough for only me to hear,

I muttered—

"Jahan bhi jaa rahi ho... gulab...tumhari har raah mujhse hi jaa kar rukti hai."

Because it didn't matter where she went.

I would find out.

I always do.

AUTHOR'S POV —

Jhanvi sat quietly in the car, beside Aryan, who was drawing something in his sketchbook... completely lost in his own world.

She watched him for a moment—soft eyes, messy hair, the sunlight falling on his face through 

the window—

something about him made her chest feel strangely warm.

From the front seat, Arushi noticed it in the mirror.

She softly nudged Ahaan and whispered,

"Look."

Ahaan shifted his eyes to the mirror too.

A slow smile touched his lips.

He leaned closer and murmured,

"Humne sahi kiya."

Arushi smiled back, holding his hand.

"Bilkul."

You must be wondering why they said that...

Well, this entire trip to Mussoorie was their plan.

A plan to give Aryan and Jhanvi time together.

A plan to let Jhanvi feel something... remember something... even if she didn't understand why.

A plan to let Aryan breathe again.

Earlier, the doctor had told Ahaan quietly:

"He is improving. I don't know what changed,

but he's getting better faster than expected."

Hearing that, Ahaan and Arushi knew exactly what—

or rather, who—

was healing him.

Now, as the car drove through the hilly road, the wind colder, the sunlight golden...

Jhanvi kept stealing glances at Aryan while he drew softly...

And every time she looked away,

Arushi and Ahaan exchanged a knowing smile.

Their plan was working.

Little did Jhanvi know—

this journey wasn't just a trip.

It was the beginning of two people

slowly finding their way back to each other...

even if neither of them remembered how.