I heard a strange sound escape Karan's mouth. It was low... husky. For a second, I couldn't tell what it was. Was he coughing?

No.

He was laughing.

Not quietly anymore.

He was openly laughing at me.

"Ugh!" I groaned, marching toward him. I started hitting his folded arms. "Stop laughing!"

"Ow! Shraddha! Stop," he said between laughs. "That actually hurts."

I kept going.

"Shraddha," he warned, still chuckling, "I'm serious. Stop now."

I was furious — embarrassed and furious.

"If you don't stop hitting me," he said calmly, "I'll kiss you again."

I froze immediately.

"Fine!" I snapped, stepping back.

He laughed again.

Unbelievable.

Suddenly, the elevator lights flickered back on — not the dim red emergency lights, but the real ones.

We were getting out of here.

Relief washed over me.

I glanced at Karan. He was already looking at me, smiling.

"Wait," he said softly. "You've got something on your face."

He stepped closer before I could react and brushed his fingers gently across my cheeks.

"Your makeup smeared earlier," he explained. "You were crying."

I swallowed.

"You look like the classy type," he added quietly. "It doesn't suit you."

Despite myself, I smiled.

"I don't think any girl likes smeared makeup," I said, grabbing my luggage handle. "But... thank you."

The elevator jerked slightly and began moving.

"Looks like we're going up," Karan said.

"Obviously," I replied, but I was smiling.

I felt calm now. Too calm.

Wait. Wasn't I supposed to be mad at him?

Forget it. We were about to get out of here.

And then... we'd part ways.

The thought made my smile fade.

He would go his way. I would go mine.

And that would be it.

It was... nice while it lasted.

The sharp sound of my alarm tore me out of the memory.

I jolted upright, breathing heavily.

"Why, God?" I whispered, dragging my hands down my face.

This was the third time this week I'd dreamed about the first time I met Karan.

Or maybe it wasn't a dream.

Maybe it was a reminder.

I know why this memory keeps resurfacing. Things should have ended there — in that elevator. If they had, my life would look very different right now.

I sighed and leaned back against the headboard. Reaching for my phone on the nightstand, I squinted at the screen.

7:02 AM.

At least I was awake. I've been sleeping past my alarms lately, which isn't like me.

Running my fingers through my hair, I groaned. It was a mess. I gathered it into a loose bun and clipped it up. Messy, but manageable.

I hate waking up with bed hair.

But Karan used to love it.

And that's exactly why I hate it even more now.

Another sigh escaped me.

Karan was the most beautiful mistake of my life.

Some people enter your life as a blessing. Others as a lesson.

Karan?

He was the most beautiful lesson I ever learned.

Even though he broke me... I can't deny that once — at one point in my life — he was the reason I felt truly happy.

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Hey guys! How was this chapter? It's a bit shorter than my previous chapters. Please do let me know what you all prefer: long chapters or short chapters? 

But whoa, the elevator fiasco was just a memory that Shraddha was dreaming? 

What happened between them? 

You all have to continue to read in order to find out :) 

Please vote and comment. They do encourage me to write more :) 

Thank you guys for all the love and support!!