unspoken Flame

"Aaliyah, what are you doing?" I asked, staring at the mountain of clothes that had accumulated in front of me.

For the past half hour, she had been raiding my walk-in closet like a pirate on a treasure hunt—only, instead of finding something valuable, she had deemed almost every single dress unworthy, tossing them aside in a growing heap on the floor.

"Radhya, do you even own a single good dress?" she demanded, pulling out yet another outfit and flinging it onto the floor with complete disregard, as if it were nothing more than garbage. Her small eyes narrowed in obvious disapproval.

I crossed my arms, already feeling defensive. "What do you mean by 'good'? These are all nice dresses!"

She scoffed. "Nice? Are you serious?" she said, grabbing another dress and mercilessly dropping it to the floor. "None of these are date-worthy!"

I let out a tired sigh. "Aaliyah, you're taking this way too seriously. We're just going to watch a movie. It's not like I'm going on some over-the-top, romantic, Bollywood-style date where I need to squeeze into a fancy outfit and plaster two and a half kilos of makeup on my face," I explained, trying to knock some sense into her. "I'll wear jeans and a top—comfortable and my style."

"And boring," she quipped, making a face as if the mere thought offended her. Clearly, she didn't approve of my plan.

"This is your first date, even if it's just a movie date!" she declared dramatically. Then, as if the mess she had created no longer mattered, she casually brushed aside the pile of dresses with her foot. I winced at the way she treated my clothes, but before I could protest, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me out of my room.

"Come on, I'll find you something decent! Riyansh is going to lose his mind when he sees you!"

Her words made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

Yes, I had agreed to go on this date with Riyansh, but deep down, something felt wrong. Was I really interested in him, or was I just using him as a distraction? Was this just my way of diverting my thoughts from Rakshit—the one person I knew I could never truly have?

It wasn't fair. Not to Riyansh. Not to myself.

Maybe I should call him and cancel. Maybe it was a mistake to say yes in the first place. But just as I lifted my phone to my ear, Aaliyah suddenly hugged me from behind.

"Oh my God, Radhya! I'm so happy for you!"

I blinked. "Happy for what?"

"You and Riyansh, of course!" she squealed. "I knew something was going on between you two! You both are so cute together—like eternal love!"

What the hell? I muttered internally.

"You know, the way he looks at you…" she continued dreamily. "That look alone is enough to make any girl's heart race!"

I rolled my eyes. "Nonsense! And when exactly does he look at me like that? Because I have no idea!"

Maybe I had been too preoccupied to notice anything. Maybe I had been so focused on pushing certain feelings away that I had overlooked the way Riyansh saw me. But before I could say another word, Aaliyah dragged me into her room with newfound determination.

"Forget all that! We need to find you the perfect date dress!"

And just like that, my fate was sealed.

---

By the time she was done, it was already 7 PM. Two whole hours. That's how long it took Aaliyah to transform me.

She had pulled out a stunning red bodycon dress from her wardrobe, one that hugged my curves perfectly. As I stood in front of the mirror, I had to admit—she had done an incredible job. I looked… beautiful. The makeup was flawless, the dress fit like a dream. But still… something about it felt excessive.

"Aaliyah, don't you think this is a bit too much?" I murmured, shifting uncomfortably.

"Not at all!" she grinned. "Riyansh is going to be speechless when he sees you!" She winked mischievously, clearly enjoying this far too much.

I sighed. "You're overreacting. It's not what you think—"

"Oh, I know, I know," she cut me off. "But you never know… after tonight, you might just come back and say, 'Aaliyah, guess what? Riyansh and I are officially a couple!'" She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.

I shook my head in disbelief. There was no use arguing with her.

Just then, the sound of a car horn outside broke the conversation. My heart skipped a beat.

"Go! And don't forget—I want every single detail when you get back!" she giggled, blinking excitedly.

"Fine, fine, you'll get your details," I said, grabbing my purse. But truth be told, I didn't want to keep Riyansh waiting.

I stepped out of my room—only to come face-to-face with the one person I least expected to see.

"Where are you going? And why are you dressed like that?"

His voice was calm, but there was something about the way his gaze swept over me that made my breath hitch.

"To watch a movie," I answered, my voice barely above a whisper, as if I was guilty of something.

Why did it suddenly feel like I was making a mistake? Why did it feel like I was cheating on… someone?

His gaze darkened. "With who?"

I swallowed. He took a step closer, and for some reason, I instinctively stepped back.

"A friend."

"A friend?" he repeated slowly, his expression unreadable.

The air between us shifted. It was intimidating. Heavy.

"You don't know him," I added, my voice cracking slightly.

Before he could say anything else, my phone rang.

Riyansh.

I glanced at Rakshit, who was mid-sentence, then at my phone. Without thinking, I answered.

"I'm coming," I said quickly, ending the call before Riyansh could say anything more.

When I looked back up, Rakshit was still watching me. His expression was unreadable, but one thing was certain—he wasn't happy.

"I have to go," I muttered.

And then I ran.

I didn't look back. I didn't let myself.

Not at the person I loved.

---

I reached the car and bent forward, placing my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath.

Riyansh, who had been casually leaning against the car, raised an eyebrow. "What happened? Why are you running like some ghost was chasing you?"

I forced a laugh. "Yeah… a very handsome ghost."

"Uh-huh." He smirked, pushing open the passenger door for me.

Just as I was about to step inside, I felt it.

A presence. A gaze.

The kind of gaze that sent a shiver down my spine, one that burned even without words.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, I turned my head back toward the house.

Rakshit.

He was Standing on the rooftop, watching me.

His eyes held something unspoken. Something that had the power to consume me whole.