Rohit sat in the back seat of the booked car, a backpack resting beside him as he selected Alka Mall as his destination.

His gaze drifted toward the rearview mirror.

The same biker.

Still following.

The realization wasn’t surprising anymore. If anything, it had become a persistent irritation in the background, like a buzzing mosquito that refused to die.

Outside, the city moved as usual. Pedestrians crowded the sidewalks. Vendors shouted from roadside stalls. Cars and buses crawled through traffic in an endless stream.

Yet Rohit’s thoughts remained trapped in the events of the morning. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

What bothered him most was Raj’s behavior.

If Raj knew about Vijay’s actions, then he should have known exactly why Rohit had reacted the way he did. The entire situation should have been obvious.

So why hadn’t he retaliated?

Why had he chosen to side with them instead?

Arya’s reaction could be dismissed. She had been drunk. Naive. Emotional.

Raj was none of those things.

The only reason Rohit had eventually apologized was because he suspected word about the incident involving Tanuj’s friends at the bar might have reached them. He had assumed Raj had learned enough to piece together the truth.

But that explanation didn’t fit.

Not completely.

It still didn’t explain how much Raj actually knew.

Then there was Arya herself.

Rohit clenched his jaw.

The entire thing had been idiotic.

Just to gauge his reaction, she had suddenly decided to normalize her relationship with that annoying jerk.

For fuck’s sake.

The previous night she had slapped the guy.

Today she was casually talking to him and handing out smiles.

All for what?

To see whether Rohit was jealous?

To check if he regretted walking away after she had brought up exclusivity?

Fine.

Let her play her games.

Neither Arya nor Raj knew that he still held a trump card.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

Ananya was practically within his grasp now.

Once that was settled, he would see how eager either of them remained to continue playing.

By the time his thoughts settled, the mall had already come into view.

Rohit instructed the driver to stop in one of the busiest sections of the parking area. The crowd worked exactly as he had hoped. The biker was forced into another lane while searching for a place to park.

The moment the car stopped, Rohit slipped out and disappeared into the crowd.

Only after taking a circuitous route through the mall and confirming he wasn’t being followed did he head toward the underground parking lot.

Robin was already waiting beside his car.

The second-hand Maruti Suzuki wasn’t particularly impressive, but Rohit ignored that fact. Necessity came before comfort.

Robin shifted into gear as Rohit climbed into the passenger seat.

"Sir," Robin said, his eyes flicking toward the backpack. "You’re carrying a bag today. Feels a little different."

Rohit remained silent.

An awkward second passed before Robin cleared his throat and returned to business.

"So, where do you want me to take you, sir?"

Rohit leaned back and relaxed.

"There’s a gift for a friend."

After a brief pause, he added, "Take me to Akhil’s house. The one we visited that night."

Robin nodded and pulled away.

As they exited the parking lot, Rohit noticed the biker still searching outside. He immediately ducked below the window.

Only after several minutes had passed did Robin speak again.

"I think whoever was following you is gone, sir."

Rohit finally sat upright.

"Fucking nuisance."

He opened his backpack and removed two sealed envelopes.

"Do me a favor."

Robin accepted them and glanced at the names.

One was addressed regarding Raju.

The other made him raise an eyebrow.

"Sir... even this person?"

"Yes."

Rohit transferred another hundred thousand rupees to Robin’s account.

"You might need to bribe a constable. Raju will tell you which one. Give him fifty thousand. Keep the rest."

A greedy smile spread across Robin’s face.

Money was always the strongest motivator.

After a moment of hesitation, he spoke again.

"Sir... that girl we rescued that night?"

Rohit looked at him.

"What about her?"

Robin scratched his neck awkwardly.

"I’ve been trying to get her to date me. Will that be a problem?"

"No."

Rohit turned his attention back to the passing city outside the window.

"As long as you keep your mouth shut."

***

Rohit pressed the doorbell and waited.

A few seconds later, the door swung open.

An unfamiliar girl stood there, lazily chewing gum. She gave him a quick once-over before smirking.

"Are you a salesman?" she asked. "Though your clothes don’t look cheap enough."

Without acknowledging her, Rohit reached past her and pressed the doorbell again.

The girl’s smirk vanished.

"Hey! Are you ignoring me?"

Before she could complain further, another figure appeared from inside.

Akhil.

The boy looked much better than he had on the night of the rescue, though he was still pale and noticeably thinner than before.

The moment he saw Rohit, his eyes lit up.

"Bro!"

He rushed forward and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"You finally came. Thank you for saving me that night. I seriously thought I was going to die."

Rohit patted his back before pushing him away slightly.

"Don’t be such a sobbing mess."

Akhil laughed.

"Come on, let’s get inside."

Behind them, the girl stared in disbelief at having been completely ignored.

Before Rohit could take another step, three figures suddenly emerged from the hallway behind a chubby-looking guy.

"Hey, buddy! Long time no see!"

Jignesh was the first to reach him.

"That’s enough. Give daddy a hug."

Subhojit, the resident gym fanatic, shoved his way forward.

"Move aside, musclehead. Here comes the real papa."

The south indian glasses friend, Arvind, lunged in as well.

Caught completely off guard, Rohit lost his balance.

A moment later all four of them crashed onto the floor with a loud thud.

The girl burst out laughing. "Serves you all right!"

"Rohit!"

Kavita came hurrying over while everyone else erupted into laughter.

Forcing a smile, Rohit endured the chaos. They meant no harm, and for now he needed their goodwill if he wanted to learn more about Akhil’s father, Kamalnath.

Then his smile stiffened.

Another woman had appeared in the hallway.

Arms folded, she watched the scene with amusement.

"So it was you, Rohit."

His stomach tightened instantly.

Karishma.

The very woman responsible for the chain of events that had turned his and his freind’s life upside down.

For a brief moment, the urge to slap her crossed his mind.

Instead, he forced his expression into a polite smile.

"Good morning, everyone," he said evenly. "Glad to see you all."

***

Akhil’s room was already crowded by the time everyone settled in.

The girl from the front door turned out to be Deepti, Akhil’s cousin, one year older than him. She had come to stay for an year to train in film direction. Rohit had heard her name mentioned once or twice before, but this was their first actual meeting.

He gave her a polite nod despite their less-than-pleasant introduction.

Now that he got a better look at her, she was undeniably pretty. An oversized T-shirt hung loosely over her frame, paired with shorts and a pair of glasses that somehow suited her face perfectly. She carried herself with surprising ease despite being surrounded by a group of noisy boys.

Then again, being in her cousin’s room probably helped.

Deepti smiled and tilted her head slightly.

"Hi. Should we shake hands?"

Rohit glanced at her briefly.

Jignesh was busy trying to show her a game score on his phone while Arvind and Subhojeet were in the middle of yet another argument, this time debating whether Ronald Trump’s recent election victory in January would ultimately benefit India.

Already exhausted from the morning’s events, Rohit had no interest in entertaining anyone.

"Hah..." he muttered. "Turn the AC on, bro. It’s getting warm in here."

As Akhil moved toward the switch, Rohit began looking around the room.

Old memories resurfaced.

The room wasn’t nearly as spacious as his own, but it was comfortable enough to fit their entire school friend group—and now Deepti as well.

Across the room, Deepti frowned slightly.

She wasn’t used to being ignored.

Most people, especially boys her age, usually tried too hard to get her attention. But unlike some girls, she wasn’t arrogant enough to take immediate offense. She understood she had started things on the wrong foot.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn’t know you were that Rohit. Akhil’s friend who helped him come back safely. Are you still upset about earlier?"

The apology caught Rohit off guard.

Before he could answer, Jignesh jumped into the conversation.

"Forget him. He’s just shy."

Rohit shot him a look.

Jignesh ignored it.

"He even dumped the hottest girl in your school."

Deepti blinked.

"What? Is he that famous?"

Subhojeet immediately joined the discussion.

"What do you know about my friend?" He unlocked his phone. "Look at this. Personal coaching from me. He beat up three bullies by himself."

He shoved a video toward her.

Deepti took the phone and began watching.

Arvind scoffed.

"Don’t listen to this clown. When someone messed with his crush, he couldn’t do a damn thing. Now he’s acting like some hero mentor and stealing all the credit."

"What nonsense!"

Subhojeet lunged at him.

A second later he had Arvind in a headlock while the latter hurled colorful insults back at him.

Jignesh nearly fell off the bed laughing.

Ignoring the chaos unfolding around him, Rohit turned toward Akhil.

"Dude. Want to take a walk with me? I need to ask you something."

The room instantly fell silent.

"Oho," Jignesh said. "Something secret?"

The others burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

Akhil shrugged and stood up.

"Sure. Let’s talk on the rooftop."