---
*Best enjoyed with "Kya Tujhe Ab Ye Dil Bataye" playing in the background.*
Mahi stood on the rooftop, wrapped in night air and her own whirlwind of thoughts. Her earphones played a soft, haunting tune— a hindi song that always calmed her nerves. The sky above was painted in faint indigo, with distant Eid fireworks still echoing from another part of the city.
She crossed her arms and exhaled slowly.
Mahi (to herself, frowning):
"I came here to relax... to breathe. Instead, my heart's doing cardio. All thanks to that idiot. Huh."
She rolled her eyes and adjusted her kurti. Just as the music swelled in her ears, someone tapped her shoulder gently from behind.
Mahi (without turning):
"Ugh, Meherin, I told you—I already ate dinner. What now—"
She turned... and her voice froze.
It wasn't Meherin.
It was him.
Soumik.
He stood there under the faint rooftop bulb, hair slightly messy from the evening breeze, his white kurta fluttering softly. His eyes—calm, unreadable—looked straight at her. In that second, Mahi's brain short-circuited.
Her earphones slipped. The cord caught for a second, then popped loose. The song she'd been listening to blasted into the silence: a slow, yearning melody, trembling with emotion.
In that jolt of awkwardness, Mahi lost her balance.
But before she could fall—
Soumik caught her.
Time stopped.
His arms wrapped around her waist. Their eyes locked. Her hands gripped his shoulders, and his breath hitched as her face hovered just inches from his.
The music played on.
The yellow rooftop light bathed them like a spotlight.
The world blurred out.
Only the rise and fall of their breathing… her lashes trembling… the warmth between them…
Their faces leaned in.
Closer.
Even closer.
She could feel the heat of his breath. Their noses almost brushed.
And then—
"Mahi! Come quick! Uncle got a lehenga from Pakistan! You'll die when you see it!!"
A cousin's voice pierced through the moment.
Mahi jolted like someone had poured ice water down her spine. She quickly wriggled out of his arms, eyes wide, cheeks burning.
Mahi (muttering):
"I—I'm going—"
She turned to dash, but—
Soumik caught her wrist. Gently.
She froze again.
His voice was low. Unapologetically soft. Sincere.
Soumik:
"If the moon saw your face this close... she'd get jealous."
Mahi's lips parted. Her cheeks flushed a deeper pink. She yanked her hand away and practically ran.
Down the stairs.
Into the house.
Heart pounding like a drum.
Behind her, Soumik just smiled. That slow, smug, maddening smile.
As if he had known…
that moment was going to live rent-free in her mind forever.
---