Night in Mumbai never really sleeps.
I like it that way.
The city feels honest after midnight. No pretending. No polished smiles. Just neon lights, tired streets, and people chasing whatever keeps them alive.
I leaned against the balcony railing outside The Monkey Bar, cigarette between my fingers, watching the traffic crawl like glowing insects below.
Smoke curled into the warm air.
Calm.
Detached.
Exactly how I liked my life.
Inside the bar, music thumped softly through the walls. Laughter spilled through the open door. Someone shouted for another drink.
Normal chaos.
I stayed outside.
People think I'm antisocial.
Truth is… I just don't care enough to pretend.
"Arjun!"
Riya's voice cut through the noise before I even turned around.
She stepped onto the balcony, heels clicking against the floor, her hair catching the warm light from inside the bar.
"Why do you always disappear?" she complained.
I shrugged, taking another drag.
"People are boring."
She rolled her eyes.
"You say that every time."
"And I'm right every time."
She leaned beside me on the railing, watching the street with me.
For a moment, we were quiet.
Riya was one of the few people who could sit beside me without trying to fill the silence.
That's why she stayed.
The door opened again.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Careful.
I didn't turn, but I already knew who it was.
Kabir.
Riya's boyfriend.
Sweet guy. Office job. Quiet smile. The kind of man mothers instantly approve of.
He stopped a few steps behind us.
"Hey," he said gently.
Riya smiled.
"There you are! I thought you disappeared."
"I was inside," he replied.
Then I felt it.
That look.
You know when someone is watching you?
Not casually.
Not politely.
Really watching.
I turned slowly.
Kabir's eyes met mine for half a second.
Then he looked away immediately.
Interesting.
We went back inside.
The lights were bright, the music louder now. Glasses clinked, strangers laughed, bodies moved too close together.
My kind of environment.
Easy distractions.
A guy at the bar caught my eye almost immediately.
Tall. Confident. The type who thought a charming smile solved everything.
He walked over.
"Mind if I sit?" he asked.
I smirked.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"If you're interesting."
He laughed.
Good start.
We talked.
Nothing serious.
Flirting. Small jokes. Light touches.
The usual.
But halfway through the conversation, something strange happened.
I felt eyes on me again.
I glanced across the room.
Kabir was sitting at a table with Riya.
He wasn't talking.
He was watching me.
Not jealous.
Not angry.
Just… watching.
Like he was trying to understand something.
Our eyes met again.
This time he didn't look away immediately.
And for a brief second…
My face softened.
Then I looked away first.
Later that night, I walked home alone through the quiet streets of Mumbai.
The air smelled like late-night food stands and gasoline.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Riya.
Did you leave already?
I typed back.
Yeah.
Three dots appeared.
Then another message.
Kabir said you looked different tonight.
I frowned slightly.
Different?
I slipped the phone back into my pocket.
Above me, the city lights glowed against the dark sky.
For the first time in a long time…
I had the strange feeling that something had just started.
Something small.
Something dangerous.
And I didn't know yet that Kabir Malhotra was about to become the one person who could break every rule I lived by.