All three of them were working with utmost focus and concentration. At one point, Divyanshi slightly tilted her head, letting her gaze wander across the file, trying to understand everything. That’s when Devraj noticed her. He immediately took the file from her hands.

“It’s lunchtime. Go and check if the driver brought the food or not.”

“The driver ate all the food himself and didn’t bring any. Now you can stay hungry…”

Mantra chuckled while reading the file, and once he finished his final task, he quickly signed it and turned to Divyanshi with a smile.

“Forget all that—just tell me, did you buy a dress for tomorrow’s party or not?”

“He never lets me go anywhere alone. And if I go to buy a dress with him, the first one I pick, he’ll say, ‘This is great, take this one. Let’s not waste any more time."

Devraj glanced up at her once and then returned to his work. Watching this, Mantra leaned toward Divyanshi and said softly.

“Why don’t you go on your own? I’ll come along. I’m done with my work anyway.”

Divyanshi smiled and looked toward Devraj because she knew very well that no matter what, he wouldn’t refuse Mantra—he trusted Mantra more than even himself. Since Devraj didn’t say anything, Divyanshi quickly stood up and grabbed Mantra’s hand, dragging him along playfully. As they reached the door, Devraj called out loudly.

“You’re going to buy a dress, not diamonds… So spend wisely!”

Hearing his remark, Divyanshi stuck her tongue out at him and walked out. Mantra laughed at her antics and followed behind. After she left, Devraj looked at the door for a moment, smiled faintly, and then returned to his work. While in the lift, Mantra looked at her and said warmly.

“Buy whatever you want comfortably. There’s no problem. Consider this dress a gift from me—as a friend.”

“Absolutely not… You very well know why my grumpy brother does all this. I understand all his actions clearly, but I keep doing these things just to tease him, to make him smile. You know very well when Dad suffered a loss in business, we were practically on the streets. We lived in a two-room house, and to give Mom and Dad one room for rest, he chose to stay with me in the other. Yet, he would sleep on the floor on a thin mat and let me sleep on the bed just to ensure I didn’t face any discomfort. He would wake up multiple times at night to check if I was okay or troubled in that small, unfamiliar house. Even now, those memories remain etched in his mind. As soon as he completed his 12th grade, he joined Dad and helped restart the business. But once things started running smoothly, he handed everything over to Dad, clearly saying, ‘You handle the family business; now I’ll build something of my own.’ I know very well that my brother isn’t stingy at all. He just wants me to learn how to live in a way that if hardships come again, we won’t struggle like before. Because he has seen those hardships firsthand.”

Mantra listened to her words with a soft smile. He gently tousled her hair and said playfully.

“If my friend heard what you just said, he’d probably cry tears of joy.”

Angered by the mess in her hair, she made a playful move to strike him. But just then, the lift doors opened, and Mantra quickly ran out with a laugh. Divyanshi chased after him, both of them laughing joyfully. They got into the car, completely unaware that two eyes had been watching them closely ever since they exited the building. Mantra drove off quickly.

Mantra continued helping Divyanshi with shopping and noticed her phone ringing constantly, along with a stream of messages. Curiously, he asked.

“What’s going on today? Your phone seems unusually busy.”

“Of course, it’s going to ring. Today all my friends are meeting after a long time. But you know my brother—he doesn’t like me meeting any of my friends. He thinks any friend might hide something and drag me into trouble. If he finds out that I went to a party two days ago and now I’m planning to meet them again, he’ll flip the entire house upside down.”

“So where are all your friends meeting?”

“Just nearby hotel. I was thinking I’ll go just to show my face. I don’t like refusing people repeatedly. But then again, I have to return to the office too, so I might skip it.”

Just then, Mantra’s phone rang. Divyanshi peeked and rolled her eyes—it was Devraj. She knew her overprotective brother would definitely be asking about her.

“Yes, Dev. We’re together; I haven’t left her alone at all. We haven’t found any dress we like yet. We're now heading to the best mall around here. I’m also thinking of buying some nice clothes for Chutki—she’ll love them. And since Divyanshi is with me, it’ll help a lot. So for the next two hours, just manage on your own.”

Devraj immediately disconnected the call. Mantra smiled and looked at Divyanshi, who smiled softly back and said.

“If you had told me earlier, we could’ve brought Mishti along too.”

“No way… We’ve already got the dress. I’ll keep it in my car. Now you tell me where I should drop you. Go meet your friends, and I’ll head home to check what Mishti bought for herself. Otherwise, that girl won’t let me sleep tonight. Once your friends are finishing up, please give me a call, and I’ll promptly come to pick you up so we can head to the office together.

Divyanshi looked at him, mouth slightly open in surprise. Then she smiled widely, unable to hide her joy, and hugged him tightly. He laughed and hugged her back, saying. He always loves to hug her.

"We’ll celebrate your little moment of freedom later. Let’s go quickly, or your friends will leave.”

She nodded and eagerly held his hand as they rushed out. She immediately made a call.

“I’m coming, one hundred percent!”

Mantra dropped her off in front of a hotel. Divyanshi waved enthusiastically and ran inside. Mantra stayed for a moment, watching her go. Once she disappeared inside, Divyanshi stood at the corner and watched Mantra drive away. Just as Mantra’s car moved out from the hotel premises, a voice came from behind her.

“You really make it so hard just to meet you.”

Startled, she spun around. Standing there, smiling at her, was someone familiar. She immediately grabbed his hands tightly and said.

“Suraj, you truly won’t understand what all I have to go through just to meet you. Anyway, now that I’m here, I plan to sit and talk to you for a long time… I have a lot of time for you today.”

Suraj immediately stepped closer and gently brushed her hair back while speaking softly.

“I really don’t want to stay away from you anymore.”

“Stop being unnecessarily romantic now. Since I’m here, let me talk to you properly,”

She replied, pulling him by the hand and taking him to a corner seat. She covered her face partially as she began speaking with him. Suraj lightly pulled the dupatta from her face and said,

“I can’t even look at you properly, nor talk to you the way I want. I don’t understand what kind of distance lies between us.”

Divyanshi sighed and replied.

“Suraj, maybe we should stop meeting from today. I really like you, but it feels like you're more interested in touching me than in genuinely being with me. Because all your conversations seem to end with a desire to touch me… that’s how it’s started to feel to me.”

Suraj looked at her, stunned, as she stood up and turned to leave. He immediately held her hand, pulled her back into her seat, and said earnestly,

“Of course I want to touch you, I want to hold your hand, to wrap you in my arms, to hug you tightly. And why shouldn’t I feel that way? We’ve liked each other for the past three months, but we can’t even meet openly anywhere…. Look, don’t think there’s any wrong intention behind it... I love you. And if I love you, can’t I expect at least a hug? If I can’t even do that, should I not try? And let me be very clear—I know I have no right to touch you beyond this. I’ve already decided that I will never cross that line before marriage. But the truth is, you won’t even let me meet your family.”

Hearing him out, Divyanshi smiled slightly and sat back down. The two of them continued their conversation quietly, hiding their hands together under the table.

~~~~~~

As soon as Mishti entered the college, all the girls turned to look at her. But as if she didn’t care, she walked ahead with her head held high, not looking at anyone. A few girls started whispering softly.

“Her attitude never ends… Don’t know what she’s so proud of. She always walks around with her nose in the air.”

As she walked toward her class, the boys nearby instinctively stepped aside to give her space. Mishti smiled slightly at their reaction and confidently entered her class. One of the boys muttered,

“Ever since I saw her, my heart has flipped a hundred times. Honestly, college is about to end, and I haven’t even held her hand once.”

“You think you’re the only one? Every guy in class thinks the same. Even the most handsome guys have proposed to her, but who knows what kind of pride she carries? She doesn’t even glance at anyone. But I swear, if I ever get the chance, I’m not letting it go easily.”

The boys burst into laughter, all of them sneaking glances at Mishti, who looked stunning in her ripped jeans and crop top. She joined her group of friends, who talked among themselves as if the rest of the world didn’t matter. Her friend Rohan leaned in and said.

“Anurodh from the other department wants to propose to you, but your attitude has totally scared him off.”

Misty smirked and responded coolly,

“Whatever my attitude is, I love it. I don’t think I need anyone in my life. That’s why I don’t entertain any proposals, and I definitely don’t feel the need to make new friends apart from you all. I don’t like wasting time on unnecessary people. Now, whether someone likes my attitude or not, it doesn’t make any difference to me. Got it… let it be… Oh, and listen—I have a very important party to attend tomorrow with my brother. If you guys plan your night out without me, I swear I’ll hang each one of you upside down.”

Everyone burst out laughing at her confident threat.