Chapter 29

I was losing it.

Completely. Utterly. Losing it.

Because this wasn't normal.

This wasn't a coincidence anymore.

The chai? The seat-saving? Fine. Maybe I could brush those off.

But sitting with me at lunch?

That was new.

That was deliberate.

And the worst part?

It wasn't just a one-time thing.

The next day, I walked into the breakroom, half-expecting yesterday to be a fluke.

That Mehul wouldn't be there.

That he'd go back to sitting alone.

That I could finally breathe like a normal person again.

But nope.

There he was.

Same table. Same seat.

And when our eyes met—

For a moment, neither of us looked away.

It wasn't long.

Maybe a second. Maybe less.

But in that short moment, I felt it.

The awareness. The shift.

And then—Mehul broke eye contact first.

He looked back down at his food, like nothing had happened.

Like he hadn't just made my stomach twist in ways it had no business twisting.

I exhaled, trying to ground myself.

And then—before I could make a decision—

I hesitated.

Arjun and Riya, of course, did not.

Riya grabbed my arm and dragged me over. "No backing out now."

Arjun smirked and pushed me forward. "Yeah, wouldn't want to disappoint your lunch buddy."

I glared. "I hate both of you."

Mehul, as usual, was completely unaffected.

As I sat down, he simply asked, "Late today?"

I stared. Did he—?

Did he just notice what time I usually came to lunch?

I fumbled for an answer. "Uh. Got held up."

Mehul just hummed and went back to eating.

Meanwhile, I was having a full-blown existential crisis over a single comment.

"So," Arjun began, grinning. "Mehul. Buddy. What made you decide to join us?"

Mehul didn't even blink. "The food court is too crowded."

I exhaled, relieved.

Okay. That made sense.

Riya, however, wasn't convinced.

She rested her chin on her hand. "Hmm. That's all?"

Mehul finally glanced at me. "Vihaan complains if I don't talk to him."

I choked on my food.

Arjun and Riya exploded into laughter.

I grabbed my water, coughing. "Excuse me?"

Mehul looked completely unbothered. "It's true."

Riya wiped away fake tears. "Oh, Vihaan. You need him."

Arjun shook his head dramatically. "Look at you. Helpless without his attention."

I wanted to disappear.

Mehul, meanwhile, just continued eating like he hadn't ruined my entire life.

After lunch, I tried to pretend I was fine.

Tried to convince myself I was imagining things.

But then—it happened again.

I was at my desk, typing away, when a cup of chai was placed in front of me.

I froze.

And then, very, very slowly, I looked up.

Mehul was standing there. Looking right at me.

I swallowed. "You—You don't have to keep doing this."

He tilted his head slightly. "Do you not want it?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it.

Because obviously, I did want it.

I wanted all of it.

The chai. The attention. Him.

But I couldn't say that.

So I took the cup, fingers curling around the warmth, and muttered, "Thanks."

Mehul just watched me for a second longer.

Then, finally, he nodded. "Good."

And walked away.

Leaving me completely wrecked.