Hurriedly, she made her way to the office, the familiar chill of the iced tea pressed against her palm grounding her in a way nothing else could, as if this small routine was the only thing in her life that hadn't changed, hadn't slipped away, hadn't become complicated, and for a brief second, she let herself focus on that instead of everything else swirling in her mind, but of course, that didn't last long because nothing ever did anymore.

By the time she reached the auditorium, her pace had slowed just enough to look composed, even though her thoughts were anything but, and as she scanned the room, her eyes landed on Aashi, already seated, arms crossed, her pen tapping in a steady, impatient rhythm against the edge of her notebook, a silent countdown that only seemed to grow louder the closer she got.

"Well, well... look who finally decided to show up," Aashi said the moment she dropped into the seat beside her, not even sparing her a proper glance before flicking her eyes toward her watch with exaggerated precision, her tone dripping with sarcasm as a faint smirk tugged at her lips, "You are just... on time; miracles do happen."

"I am on time," Nishi whispered defensively, placing her iced tea carefully on the desk, "the meeting hasn't started yet."

Aashi turned to her slowly then, deliberately, raising a single eyebrow in a way that felt far more accusing than any words could be, "Oh, I'm sorry, were we not supposed to meet fifteen minutes before?" 

Nishi winced, mouthing a quick "sorry" while giving her the most exaggerated pleading expression she could manage. "The line was insanely long, okay? I almost fought someone for this iced tea."

Aashi stared at her for a second, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as if weighing the sincerity of her excuse, before letting out a small scoff, shaking her head in mock disbelief. "You chose iced tea over me. That's what I'm hearing," she said, leaning back in her chair with a dramatic sigh, though the faint amusement tugging at her lips betrayed the seriousness of her accusation.

"That is not what happened," Nishi whispered, trying not to smile. "It was a survival decision."

But even as she said it, something in her mind flickered, quiet and uninvited, pulling her away for just a second longer than she meant to allow. It wasn't a clear memory at first, just a feeling, familiar and warm in a way that made her chest tighten before she could place it.

Another version of her, standing somewhere not too different from where she was now, the same cold glass of iced tea in her hand, her fingers wrapped around it just like this.

And him.

Standing beside her, close enough to notice the small things, the things no one else ever paid attention to.

"You always get iced tea."

His voice had been light, almost amused, but there had been something else in it too, something quieter, something observant, like he wasn't just noticing the drink, but the pattern, the person behind it.

"Hmm," Aashi hummed, pretending to think. "Interesting priorities," she continued after a pause, turning back to her with a slow nod, "I should reconsider this friendship."

Nishi blinked, the memory dissolving just as quickly as it had come. "Stop it," she nudged Aashi slightly, softer this time. "I said sorry."

Aashi let out an exaggerated sigh, letting her shoulders drop as though she were carrying the weight of a great betrayal, shaking her head once more before finally giving in, "Fine," she said, though her voice still carried a trace of playful reluctance, "but you owe me, and not one of your lazy 'let's just sit somewhere' hangouts."

Nishi perked up a little. "Okay, deal. What do you want?"

"We're going out. Properly," Aashi said, pointing her pen at her. "And don't even think about cancelling this time." She added, her tone leaving little room for argument.

"I won't," Nishi said quickly, a small smile forming. "Promise."

Before the conversation could stretch into something deeper, the room began to settle, voices lowering as the meeting was about to start, and she leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly, telling herself to focus, to just get through the day, to keep everything else out for at least an hour.

But her mind didn't listen.

Because somehow, despite the numbers flashing on the screen, despite the voices discussing budgets and projections, despite the scribbling of pens and the occasional cough breaking the silence, all she could hear was...

"Was it easy... not talking to me anymore?"

His voice didn't just echo in her head, it stayed, low and steady, the way he had said it, like he wasn't accusing her, just... asking.

Her grip tightened around the pen in her hand, the plastic creaking faintly under the pressure as her fingers curled around it just a little too hard. 

Focus. She forced her eyes onto the presentation, nodding faintly as if she were following along, but the words blurred together, meaningless, distant, like she was sitting in the room physically but somewhere else entirely.

"It-it was fine... I got caught up with work and stuff, you know."

Her own voice echoed back at her, hesitant, uneven, a poor excuse wrapped in forced casualness, and even in her memory, it sounded wrong.

"Hey," Aashi nudged her lightly, her voice barely above a whisper, pulling her back just enough to keep her from drifting too far, "what's the projected figure they just mentioned?"

She blinked, the moment snapping like a thread pulled too tight. "Uh... 12%?" She guessed.

The uncertainty slipped through despite her attempt to sound sure, her voice low, careful, as if saying it confidently might somehow make it true, while beside her, Aashi's silence stretched just a fraction longer than usual, enough to make her stomach sink slightly, already knowing she'd gotten it wrong.

Aashi gave her a look, the kind that didn't need words to say she wasn't buying any of it. "That was five minutes ago."

"Oh."

"Where are you?" Aashi asked quietly, her voice stripped of its usual teasing edge, softer now, more observant than accusatory, like she had already noticed more than she was letting on.

"Here," Nishi said quickly, too quickly.

Aashi's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, searching, unconvinced. "You sure? Because you've been staring at the same slide like it personally offended you."

Nishi let out a small breath, her fingers loosening slightly around the pen as she forced a faint smile, one that felt practiced, almost automatic. "I'm listening."

"Liar," Aashi muttered under her breath, but there was no sharpness in it, just concern.

For a moment, neither of them spoke, and Aashi leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms again, but this time it wasn't impatience; it was something else, something quieter.

"You know," Aashi said after a pause, still looking ahead, "I used to do that too."

She glanced at her. "Do what?"

"Pretend I'm fine because talking about it feels... inconvenient," Aashi said casually, like she was talking about something insignificant, but her fingers tapping against her arm said otherwise. "Spoiler alert, it doesn't work."

Nishi stayed silent.

Aashi shrugged lightly. "You don't have to tell me anything," she added, "but don't disappear into your own head either. It's a very boring place to be stuck alone."

Despite everything, a small, genuine smile tugged at Nishi's lips.

"I'm not disappearing," she said softly.

The meeting continued, voices rising and falling, numbers being debated, decisions being made, but this time, she tried harder to stay present, even if a part of her still lingered somewhere else, somewhere between a bus ride, a question left unanswered, and a goodbye that didn't feel like one.

Aashi had been Nishi's best friend ever since she got this job, not in the dramatic, instant-connection way people talk about, but in the quiet, steady way that builds over shared chai breaks, eye-rolls during long meetings, and small moments where she showed up without making it a big deal.

The meeting ended sooner than expected, chairs scraping lightly against the floor as people began gathering their things, conversations picking up again in low murmurs, and they stood up together, stretching slightly before making their way toward the exit, the tension of the last hour slowly dissolving into something lighter.

"Finally," Aashi muttered under her breath, adjusting her bag on her shoulder, "if I had to hear one more person say 'let's circle back to this,' I would've actually walked out."

Nishi let out a small laugh. "You wouldn't."

"Try me," Aashi shot back. "I'm one bad meeting away from becoming unemployed and at peace."

"That's not how it works," Nishi said, shaking her head.

"That's exactly how it works," Aashi replied confidently, then paused before adding, "emotionally, at least."

"Hello, beautiful ladies."

The voice cut through the quiet just as the meeting wrapped up, and both of them looked up almost instinctively, only to find Shaurya leaning casually against the wall near the exit, his expression effortlessly relaxed, that same easy, practiced smile playing on his lips like he had all the time in the world and absolutely no urgency to be anywhere else, as though deadlines and responsibilities simply did not apply to him.

Aashi didn't even break her stride.

"Oh look," she muttered under her breath, grabbing Nishi's arm and pulling her along, "the HR department's unpaid flirt is back."

Nishi bit back a smile as they walked past him.

"Wow, that hurts," Shaurya called after them, his voice carrying easily through the hallway as he straightened up, placing a hand dramatically over his chest as if he had just been deeply wounded, though the grin tugging at his lips refused to fade, "I was just being polite."

"Be polite somewhere else," Aashi shot back without turning around, "preferably... far away."

He chuckled, clearly entertained. "You're just mad because I didn't say it to you first."

Aashi stopped abruptly, her steps halting so suddenly that she had to catch herself mid-motion, turning around just enough to throw him a flat, unimpressed look, the kind that could have easily shut down anyone else, but clearly not him. "I'd be concerned if you did."

"Ouch," he laughed, shaking his head as if genuinely wounded, though the amusement in his voice made it obvious he wasn't taking any of it to heart, "One day you'll appreciate me," he added, pushing himself off the wall now, standing a little straighter as his gaze flickered between the two of them.

"I heard you guys talking about a hangout," he continued, completely unfazed, slipping his hands casually into his pockets, like this was already a conversation he belonged in, "Can I join too?"

Nishi opened her mouth almost instantly, the response forming without much thought, "Yeah, sure, why not—"

"No."

Aashi's answer cut in before she could even finish, sharp, and immediate, leaving no space for negotiation.

Nishi blinked, caught off guard, her words stopping midway as she turned to look at her. "Aashi—"

"What?" Aashi shot back, turning toward her with her eyebrows raised, her expression daring Nishi to argue, "We're not running a public event."

Nishi groaned softly, grabbing Aashi's arm and pulling her forward. "Okay, that's enough; let's go."

"Aashi," Shaurya called out behind us, "you're breaking my heart."

Aashi didn't even turn back, just raised her hand mid-walk and showed him a very clear middle finger.

"Right back at you!" he shouted, and Nishi didn't even need to turn to know he'd done the same.

"Gosh, you two are impossible," Nishi muttered, shaking her head as she tightened her grip on Aashi's arm and dragged her a little further down the corridor.

"He started it," Aashi said immediately.

Nishi shook her head, amused. "You're unnecessarily rude to him."

"I'm appropriately rude," Aashi corrected without hesitation, tilting her chin up slightly as if that settled the matter entirely, "there's a difference," she added, her voice carrying that same quiet conviction that made arguing with her both pointless and oddly entertaining.

"He's not that bad," Nishi said.

"He called us 'beautiful ladies' like he's in some 2005 rom-com," Aashi scoffed, scrunching her nose in exaggerated disbelief, her expression bordering on offended as she waved her hand dismissively, "I refuse to take that seriously."

Nishi laughed softly, the sound feeling lighter than she expected.

Just as she was about to get back to work, her phone buzzed against the desk, and the moment she saw Rhea's name flash across the screen, a sigh escaped her almost automatically because she knew exactly what this meant; this wasn't going to be a quick "check-in" call; this was going to be at least an hour of talking, probing, overanalyzing, and somehow circling back to things she wasn't ready to revisit.

She glanced sideways at Aashi, who looked like she was deeply focused on her screen, shoulders slightly hunched, fingers moving just enough to sell the act, but the occasional suppressed laugh and the way she bit her lip gave her away completely.

"Working hard?" Nishi muttered under her breath as she stood up.

Aashi didn't even look at her. "Extremely," she whispered back, quickly minimizing something on her screen, "very productive day."

Nishi shook her head, already walking away, making her way toward the lounge area where it was quieter, where she could take the call without half the office overhearing her life unravel in real time.

She paused for a second, staring at the screen, thumb hovering, and then finally swiped right.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Rhea's familiar voice came through, light and warm, almost too normal for everything sitting heavy in her chest, and she let out a slow breath, leaning lightly against the wall as if she needed something steady to hold onto.

"The morning was anything but normal."

There was a brief pause on the other end, the kind that meant Rhea was already paying full attention. "Okay... that sounds serious. What happened?"

Nishi closed her eyes for a second, her fingers tightening slightly around her phone as the memory replayed far too easily. "I met Ishaan."

Silence. 

Not the empty kind, the processing kind.

"Where?" Rhea asked immediately, her tone sharpening, alert now.

"On the bus," Nishi said, her voice softer, steadier than she felt, "same route, same time... just out of nowhere."

"What?" Rhea almost laughed in disbelief, the sound sharp with surprise. "Out of all the places... on the bus?"

"Exactly," Nishi said, running a hand through her hair. "I didn't even see him at first, and then suddenly he's just... there. Sitting. Looking at me like no time has passed."

"And?" Rhea pressed immediately, her voice tightening with curiosity. "What did he say?"

Nishi hesitated, just for a second, like even repeating it would make it feel heavier again.

"He asked me if it was easy... not talking to him anymore."

Another pause followed, softer this time, more careful.

"Oh," Rhea said softly this time.

"Yeah."

"What did you say?"

Nishi let out a dry, humorless laugh, her head tilting back slightly against the wall. "I lied."

"Of course you did," Rhea replied without missing a beat.

Silence stretched between them again, not uncomfortable, but heavy, and she could almost see Rhea somewhere on the other side, sitting still, thinking the way she always did before saying something that would hit a little too close.

"Maybe meeting him is a good thing," Rhea said finally.

Nishi frowned instantly, pushing herself off the wall slightly as if reacting physically to the idea. "How is that a good thing?"

"Because you saw him again," Rhea replied simply, like it was obvious, like it didn't need explaining. "Because it didn't stay unfinished in your head."

"It's still unfinished," Nishi said, a little sharper than she meant to, the frustration slipping through.

"Exactly," Rhea countered, calm but firm, "which is why maybe it's time you stop avoiding it."

Nishi shook her head instinctively, even though she knew Rhea couldn't see her. "Rhea..."

"No, listen to me," Rhea continued, her tone firm now. "You can't keep pretending it didn't affect you. It clearly still does."

"That doesn't mean I should go back," Nishi said quickly, almost reflexively, like the thought itself needed to be shut down before it could settle.

"I didn't say go back," Rhea corrected, her voice steady, measured, "I said face it."

Nishi stayed quiet after that, her gaze dropping to the floor as her fingers tightened slightly around the phone, the silence stretching just enough to say more than words could.

"I did what I had to do," she said finally, her voice quieter now, stripped of the defensiveness it carried before, as if she was trying to convince herself just as much as Rhea.

"I know," Rhea replied, softer this time, the firmness easing into something more understanding, "I'm not saying you were completely wrong... I just think you didn't give it a real chance to be fixed."

A small, bitter smile formed on Nishi's lips. "You've always thought that."

"Because I know you," Rhea said simply. "And I know when you're protecting yourself versus when you're just... scared."

Nishi didn't respond, because this time there wasn't a quick comeback waiting, no easy defense to hide behind, just the uncomfortable weight of a truth she had been carefully avoiding, settling in far too clearly.

"So, what now?" Rhea asked after a pause, her voice gentler this time, like she already knew there wasn't going to be a clear answer.

"I don't know," Nishi admitted, the words slipping out more easily than she expected, as she leaned her head back against the wall.

"He looked the same," she added, almost to herself, her voice quieter now, more reflective, "just... quieter."

Rhea didn't interrupt, didn't fill the silence, and just let her continue, the way she always did when she knew something real was about to surface.

"And it felt like nothing had changed," she added again after a moment, her brows pulling together slightly, the contradiction settling heavily in her chest, "which is the worst part."

"Or maybe," Rhea said gently, choosing her words with care, "it means something is still there."

Nishi let out a slow breath, her grip on the phone loosening just a little, though the weight in her chest didn't ease. Because the truth was, it wasn't just something.

Rhea was nudging her forward again, pushing her to move past it, to talk to him once more, as if it were that simple, as if conversations could undo years, as if closure were something you could just walk back into, but was it really that easy to go back, to stand in front of someone who once knew you completely and pretend you hadn't spent all this time unlearning them, or worse, to realize you never really did?

Office hours ended in their usual rush, laptops shutting, chairs sliding back, people already halfway out the door before the clock even struck, but Nishi stayed back, leaning against her desk, waiting for Aashi who, as expected, was still "wrapping up," which mostly meant doing everything except actually leaving.

"Five minutes," Aashi said without looking up, her fingers still moving rapidly across the keyboard like she was racing against some invisible deadline.

"You said that ten minutes ago," Nishi replied, crossing her arms as she leaned against the desk, watching her with a mix of amusement and impatience.

"Time is a social construct," Aashi muttered, completely unfazed, still typing.

"You're unbelievable."

"And yet you're still waiting for me," Aashi smirked, finally shutting her laptop. "That says more about you, so where are we going? And don't say 'home' because I will personally disown you."

Nishi thought for a second, tilting her head as she considered it. "Mall?"

Aashi's face lit up instantly, the shift in her expression almost dramatic. "Yes. Shopping. Food. Air conditioning. Emotional healing."

"Emotional healing?" Nishi raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile.

"Retail therapy is a valid coping mechanism," Aashi said seriously. "Don't question science, and you're paying for coffee."

"Why?"

"Because you chose iced tea over me this morning."

"That again?"

"Yes, I hold grudges," Aashi nodded firmly.

They had barely stepped outside when a familiar voice joined in, as if summoned by chaos itself.

"Did someone say mall?"

Both of them turned.

Shaurya.

"Of course, you heard that," Aashi muttered under her breath.

"I have excellent hearing," he said proudly, already falling into step beside them like he belonged there, like he had always been part of the plan, "so, what are we planning?"

Aashi groaned, dragging a hand down her face in exaggerated frustration. "Why are you like this?"

And just like that, effortlessly and annoyingly, he tagged along, slipping into their space as if he had always belonged there, his presence loud and easy, filling the gaps between Aashi's mock complaints and her reluctant laughter, while Nishi walked beside them, quieter than usual, her steps in sync but her thoughts somewhere slightly out of reach.

★★★

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