Rudra walked back into the studio, looking like he'd been through a minor war.

Veer looked up from his guitar, noticing the coffee stains and the dazed look on his best friend's face.

 "Coffe hi lene gya tha na..ye kya kar ke aaya hai?"

Rudra handed Veer his espresso, his mind still at the cafe counter. 

"Bhai... I think I'm in love."

Veer blinked, completely caught off guard. He sat up straight, his own guilt forgotten for a moment. 

"Kya? Love? Kisse? Coffee shop ki machine se?"

"Nahi yaar," Rudra leaned back, resting his head on the headrest. 

"Ek ladki...she was so feisty. So cute."

Veer looked at Rudra with a completely "done" face. 

He stared at his manager's dreamy expression and the brown coffee stains on his expensive shirt, then slowly looked away, shaking his head.

"Tu pagal ho gaya hai, Rudra," Veer muttered, his voice dry.

He didn't have the energy to dissect Rudra's "love at first sight" moment.

 He had his own ghosts to fight.

Meanwhile;

Noor's POV

I marched out of the cafe, my blood still boiling. I could still see that guy's face—smirking one second and shouting the next.

 Who does he think he is? Just because he's wearing a shirt that probably costs more than my semester fees doesn't mean he can be a sarcastic jerk to me.

I saw Vani waiting for me by the curb, looking at her phone with that quiet, worried expression .

I stomped over to her and tapped her shoulder hard.

She looked up, startled, and immediately saw my empty hands and the look on my face.

 She tilted her head and signed, "Coffee kahan hai? Aur tu itne gusse maine kyun hai?" 

"Pata hai Vani, I hate men!" I blurted out out loud, not even waiting to sign. 

"They are just so... ugh! Irritating! Sarcastic! Self-centered!"

Vani blinked, looking confused. She raised her hands: "Kya hua?"

"Ek namuna mila andar," I signed rapidly, my hands flying because I was so annoyed. 

"I accidentally bumped into him—okay, my fault, fine. I said sorry! But then he starts being rude and sarcastic. 'Oh, it felt so good, pour more!'—toh maine daal di!"

Vani's eyes went wide. She actually gasped, a small smile playing on her lips. 

"Tune sach mein...?"

"Haan!" I huffed, crossing my arms.

"He asked for it! Literally! Akkad toh aise dikha raha tha jaise poori Mumbai ki traffic uske ishare pe rukti ho. Sadu kahin ka. If I see that face again, I swear, I'll buy a bigger cup of coffee just to finish the job."

Vani let out a silent, soft giggle, shaking her head at my temper. She signed, 

"Bechara"

"Bechara my foot," I muttered, pulling her along.

"He was a disaster. Anyway, forget him. Let's go."

I signed and we left from there..

Author' pov:

Inside his luxury penthouse, Veer felt like he was suffocating. 

The room was huge, filled with expensive furniture and gold-plated awards, but it felt smaller than a prison cell.

He had spent seventy-two hours in a state of silent war with himself. 

The lights were off, the only glow coming from the city skyline through the massive glass windows.

He was a mess. His hair was ruffled, his eyes were red from lack of sleep, and his soul felt exhausted.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Vani's face. He remembered her chats her words.

But then, the guilt would hit him like a physical blow. I am a liar, he thought.

He looked at his phone sitting on the marble table. 

It had buzzed several times over the last three days.

Every notification was a stab to his heart. He knew she was worried. He knew she was hurt. 

But he feared that the truth would make her hate him ,she will think he was sympathising her.

The pressure inside him reached a breaking point.

He couldn't sit still anymore. He grabbed a crystal glass from the counter and smashed it against the floor.

The sound of it shattering was the only thing that felt real.

He grabbed his black hoodie, his mask, and his car keys. He needed to find her. 

He needed to see her, even if it was from a mile away.

Although he hated rain.

To him, every raindrop was a reminder of the night his parents died.

Usually, when the sky turned grey, he would hide in his soundproof room and play his guitar until the storm passed.

But tonight, he drove his SUV through the heavy Mumbai downpour as if the water didn't matter.

He drove toward Vani's college campus, his heart beating in sync with the windshield wipers. 

He parked in a dark corner, the engine humming quietly. He peered through the rain-streaked glass, searching for a sign of her.

And then, he saw her.

Vani was standing in the middle of the open campus square.

She was wearing a simple, elegant baby pink suit. 

The rain was falling so hard it looked like a white curtain,

soaking her clothes until they clung to her skin. Her hair was drenched, dark and heavy, sticking to her neck.

But she wasn't hiding. She wasn't running for cover. She was dancing.

She moved with a slow, heartbreaking grace.

 She spun around, her arms spread wide as if she were trying to catch every drop of rain.

Her head was tilted back, her eyes closed, and a soft, beautiful smile was on her face. 

She looked like she belonged to the storm.

Veer felt a lump in his throat. He slowly pushed his car door open and stepped out.

 The freezing rain hit his face, but he didn't flinch. He stood there, a tall shadow in a black mask, watching her from the distance.

In that moment, everything became clear.

The messy storm inside his head finally settled into one truth:

I love her.

He realized that he didn't just like her company; he needed her like he needed air.

She was the only person who made the "Veer Singh Rathore" part of him feel unnecessary.

He watched her for what felt like hours, memorizing the way the pink fabric moved in the wind.

Suddenly, a girl maybe—her friend—ran out from the building.

 She grabbed Vani's wrist, laughing and signaling something.

Veer watched as she disappeared into the building.

He stood in the same spot,

letting the wind slap his face.

He closed his eyes, and her face was right there, more vivid than the city lights.

He placed his hand over his chest, feeling his heart thumping hard against his ribs. He wasn't just a superstar anymore; he was a man in love.

After Sometime;

Veer reached home, his clothes dripping water onto the floor.

He sat on the edge of his bed in the dark.

He didn't change.

He didn't dry himself.

Instead he took out his phone,and went through vani's messages.

He was tired of the masks. He was tired of the distance.He was tired pretending.

He typed five simple words. No explanations, no more lies. Just a beginning.

Vivaan: "Mujhe tumse milna hai, Vani."

He hit send. The screen showed the message was delivered.

He sat there, staring at the phone, his heart racing as he waited for her reply.

Vani's POV

The hostel room felt warm and quiet. I was sitting on my bed, wrapped in a thick white towel.

 My hair was wet and dripping, but I felt a strange sense of peace.

I have always loved the rain. Since I was a little girl, the rain was my secret language.

It was loud and beautiful, and it made the world feel like it was sharing my silence.

Today, dancing in the rain was my way of letting go of the sadness Vivaan's silence had caused me. I had convinced myself that our "friendship" was over.

I leaned my head against the wall.

When suddenly my phone vibrated.

Ding.

My phone buzzed on the mattress. My heart skipped a beat. I lunged for it, my wet fingers trembling as I swiped the screen.

Vivaan: "Mujhe tumse milna hai, Vani."

I stared at the words on the screen until they blurred. 

The three days of agonizing silence, and now this?. My thumb hovered over the screen.

Part of me wanted to demand where he had been, but a larger part—the part wanted to see the 

man behind the words.

In a fit of nervous energy,I screenshotted the message and sent it to Noor.

In chat

Vani: [Screenshot attached] "Noor! Uska message aaya! Woh milna chahta hai!"

Noor: "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

Noor: "Vani, listen to me. He is a creep. Total red flag behavior."

Noor: "Bhai! Pehle ghost kiya, teen din tak gayab raha, and now suddenly 'I want to meet'? No way. Don't go. Say no, tell him to fuck off, and block him immediately."

Vani: "But Noor... it would be rude na? Seedha block karna?"

Noor: "🙄🙄🙄"

Noor: "Wah! He can ignore your messages for 72 hours, he can leave you worried, but you can't be 'rude'? You are so silly, Vani. He doesn't deserve your politeness."

I bit my lower lip. I know Noor is protecting me, but the pull toward "Vivaan" was stronger than her logic. I typed back slowly.

Vani: "Please, Noor? Ek baar. Just once. I need to know who he is."

A long pause followed. Then, Noor sent a flurry of angry but protective emojis.

Noor: "Fine. You're meeting him. LEKIN ... I am coming too. I'm not letting you go alone with a 'ghost.' I'll sit away from you, If he tries to act smart or makes you uncomfortable, I swear I will come over and smash his head with my handbag. Samjhi?"

I let out a breath of relief.

Vani: "Okay. Deal."

Meanwhile ;

Veer's POV

I was still sitting in my wet clothes when the phone buzzed. I grabbed it so fast I almost dropped it.

Vani: "Theek hai. Kab aur kahan?"

I closed my eyes, a wave of relief washing over me so intense it made my head spin. But then, the reality hit. This was it. The moment "Vivaan" would have to face the light.

I looked at my reflection in the dark window—the Rockstar, the liar, the man who was terrified of 

losing the only girl who didn't know his name.

Vivaan: "Kal shaam. 6 baje. Baki location maine tumhe subhe bata dunga"

As I sent, I looked at the glass shards on my floor. I was terrified. Tomorrow, the debt was coming due.