Chapter 24
4 PM. Majestic.
It was just chai.
I had repeated that sentence so many times that it had completely lost meaning.
It was just chai.
It was just casual.
It was just Mehul.
Except, nothing about it felt casual.
Because for the past twenty-four hours, I had been obsessing over what this meant.
And now, standing outside the tea stall, heart doing stupid things, I was realizing something else.
I had no idea how to act normal.
I had reached first.
Obviously not because I was excited.
Just… because.
And then—he appeared.
Mehul, walking toward me, hands in his pockets, completely effortless, completely calm, like this was just another normal day.
Like he hadn't just thrown my entire world into chaos by texting first.
He stopped in front of me, glancing around. "You're early."
I scoffed. "So are you."
Mehul just hummed, then turned to the chai stall. "Two, please."
And just like that, he made the decision for both of us.
Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Like… we did this all the time.
And that thought?
It ruined me.
We took our chai and sat on the plastic stools, the familiar smell of ginger and cardamom filling the air.
It should have been normal.
But something was off.
Not in a bad way.
Just… different.
Mehul was always quiet. Always composed. Always impossible to read.
But today, as he stirred his tea, he seemed… more present.
Like he was actually here, in this moment, not just existing next to me.
I watched him, waiting for him to say something.
But he didn't.
He just sipped his chai, slow and unbothered.
And somehow, that was worse.
Because now, I was hyper-aware of everything.
The way he tapped his fingers lightly against the cup.
The way his lashes framed his amber eyes when he looked down.
The way he was just sitting there, in front of me, doing absolutely nothing—
And still making my heart react.
This was so bad.
"So," I said, forcing my brain to work. "Why are we here?"
Mehul glanced up. "For chai."
I rolled my eyes. "You know what I mean."
A pause.
Then, casually, like he wasn't about to wreck my entire existence, he said:
"You seemed… off."
I blinked. Brain short-circuiting.
"Off?" I repeated. "What does that mean?"
Mehul tilted his head slightly. "Like you wanted to say something. But didn't."
…Excuse me?
I let out a shaky laugh, trying to play it off. "Wow. You psychoanalyzing me now?"
Mehul just sipped his chai. "I just noticed."
That.
That right there.
He noticed.
And somehow, that single fact made my entire chest feel too tight.
I looked away, gripping my cup. "I was just… thinking about the project."
Mehul hummed. "It's done now."
"Yeah." I exhaled. "Guess we won't be working together anymore."
I meant it as a passing comment.
A casual statement.
But as soon as I said it—something shifted.
Just for a second.
Something in the way he looked at me.
Like he was thinking about it too.
Like maybe—just maybe—he didn't hate the idea of us working together.
But before I could even process it, he simply set his cup down and said:
"Guess not."
And just like that, he stood up.
Leaving me completely destroyed.