Chapter 15

Aria placed the coffee mugs on the table, the warm ceramic grounding her as she took a quiet breath. She had expected tension, maybe even an argument. But instead, Aarav and Kabir were talking.

Not just talking. Animatedly discussing cars.

She hadn't seen that coming.

Aarav, who had been practically vibrating with anger earlier, now leaned forward, nodding along as Kabir spoke about performance tuning and torque distribution. Aria didn't need to understand every technical term to know what was happening—Aarav was impressed.

It was a rare sight.

She lingered near the counter, arms crossed, watching Kabir in her space.

It wasn't just that he was comfortable here. He fit.

Paul shuffled closer to her and lowered his voice. "You should say something."

She turned to him with a slight frown. "What?"

Paul smirked. "You were quick to thank me earlier, but Kabir? The guy who walked you home, let you rant, handled Aarav without making it ugly, and—oh, yeah—calmed your dad down? Not a word?"

Her fingers curled around the edge of the counter. Paul had a point.

Kabir, despite everything, had made tonight easier.

She glanced at him again. He was relaxed, effortlessly holding his own in conversation, not trying too hard, not proving a point. Just there.

Aarav leaned back in his seat, shaking his head with a smirk. "You know, Kabir, if you ever get tired of whatever it is you do, you could totally run a high-end garage. The way you talk about cars? It's almost criminal you're running a Hospitality Empire ."

Kabir chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee. "Noted. Maybe I'll let you invest."

Aarav scoffed, shaking his head. But there was no hostility. If anything, he looked entertained.

Aria blinked, still trying to process how quickly the mood had shifted. A few hours ago, Aarav had been seconds away from losing it. Now, he was complimenting Kabir. In his own Aarav-like way, of course.

Kabir turned his head slightly toward her, his voice effortlessly slipping into the conversation. "Actually, I was thinking… there's an F1 event in Dubai next month. You guys should come."

Aria barely contained her reaction, but she knew the way her posture shifted had already given her away.

Aarav laughed. "Oh, you don't know what you just started."

Kabir's eyes flicked back to her, curiosity sparking. "That so?"

Aarav leaned forward, grinning. "She drives like she's got a death wish. You ever seen someone take a blind turn at full speed just for the thrill of it?"

"Excuse me," Aria cut in, raising a brow. "I don't drive recklessly."

Aarav gave her a pointed look. "Aria, you raced a guy on the highway last month."

She huffed. "That was different. He started it."

Kabir's lips twitched, amusement creeping in. "And you had to finish it?"

She tilted her chin. "I'm not one to back down."

Paul, standing beside her, let out a low whistle. "Damn. You two really are the same person."

Kabir didn't deny it. Instead, he looked at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher—like he was putting together pieces of a puzzle he hadn't even realized was in front of him.

Aria suddenly felt exposed.

She turned away, focusing on her coffee, but Paul leaned in again, his voice barely above a whisper. "See? I told you he's good."

She swallowed, pretending she didn't hear him.

The conversation flowed around her, but she was barely listening. Because suddenly, she was remembering how Kabir hadn't told her what to do when they walked home. How he had simply let her talk, let her lead the way.

No interference. No instructions.

Just a quiet presence.

A sharp contrast to what she was used to.

Aarav pulled her back to reality, nudging her mug. "You didn't put sugar in this, did you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You need to stop drinking coffee like it's dessert."

Kabir smirked. "He puts sugar in coffee?"

Aarav scowled. "It's normal. Not everyone enjoys drinking bitter water."

Aria snorted, and Paul leaned against the counter, grinning. "I don't know, man. You just lost all your street cred."

Aarav groaned. "I take back every good thing I said about both of you."

Aria chuckled, shaking her head. When she looked up, her gaze met Kabir's.

He wasn't saying anything. Just watching.

And she hated how natural it felt.

How easy.

How, for the first time tonight, she didn't mind him being here.