As soon as Mishthi begins walking towards her class with a big confusion on her face, because the whole night was very restless and she feels herself in need of calming down her desires, she feels this type of feeling for the first time for a boy, and the more confusing thing is she has known Devraj for decades. She never thought about him anywhere around herself, but mere thoughts of him now create a different storm in her system.

A boy suddenly steps in front of her. She immediately gives him a sharp look, scrutinizing him thoroughly. The boy smiles and says politely.

“Hello, Mishthi…”

“Who are you?”

At her curt question, the boy stares at her with a puzzled expression. The people standing around them start laughing. Mishthi attempts to walk past him again, continuing on her path, but the boy quickly steps in front of her once more and smirks as he speaks.

“Okay, I’ll accept that you really don’t know my name, but you very well know that I liked you from the first day of our college… I am Rahul.”

Mishthi takes a moment to look at the boy again, this time more intently, then glances at the people gathered around them, all of whom seem to be eagerly waiting for this little drama to unfold. She gives a faint smile and takes a step closer to the boy. Locking eyes with him, she suddenly grabs the collar of his shirt and pulls him slightly down, forcing him to lean closer. Then she whispers sharply into his ear.

“Listen, whoever you are, I don’t care what you are or how much you like me, because one thing is absolutely clear, I don’t like you. And when I don’t like you, then there's absolutely no chance that your feelings for me will matter…. If you want to save your dignity, quietly turn around and leave. That way, no one will talk about you, and no one will talk about me. But if you dare to block my path again, then mark my words, the price you'll pay for standing in my way will be horrifying.”

The boy stares at her, stunned. Mishthi gives him a confident, threatening smile and commands.

“Move.”

He instantly steps aside, and Mishthi walks away without looking back. The group of boys standing nearby burst into loud laughter. They gather around the boy, while he remains standing there, watching Mishthi walk away, unable to hide the embarrassment burning on his face. One of his friends leans in and says mockingly,

“Rahul, I told you clearly this girl isn’t going to give you even the slightest attention. And now look, you just lost every bit of your dignity in front of everyone.”

Rahul, already burning with humiliation and anger over Mishthi’s bold rejection, grabs his friend's collar and snaps back,

“This girl is full of herself, completely arrogant. I was letting everything slide until now because I liked her a lot. But from today, that’s over. From this moment on, the only thing I’ll focus on is destroying her pride… I’ll make sure she regrets humiliating me.”

He storms off, leaving the others behind. The remaining boys exchange uneasy glances. One of them murmurs to another,

“This guy has completely lost his mind. That girl isn't some ordinary college student. Her father’s a top businessman, and now even her brother has joined the family business, as well as established his own company. You hear their name being talked about everywhere these days. If Rahul ends up in trouble, I swear I’m not getting involved. And if he even tries to harm a single strand of Mishthi’s hair, her brother won’t spare his life.”

They remain standing there, discussing the situation, because at the moment, they really have nothing better to do.

Meanwhile, Mishthi finally reaches her classroom, but her mind is too disturbed to concentrate. She’s clearly not in the mood to study. Her eyes are distracted, her thoughts wandering. Just then, one of her close friends walks over and sits beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. Speaking softly, he says,

“I heard you put someone in their place today brutally. How many times have I told you to ignore these things and come directly to class? If Mantra Bhaiya finds out, you know he’ll grill all of us.”

Mishthi, sitting very close to him, hears every word clearly and even responds. But her focus seems to be elsewhere, split between listening and something brewing inside her. She turns to him, clearly annoyed, and replies sharply,

“Did Bhaiya hire you to listen to everything I say or to report every detail of my life to him? Just because he says something doesn’t mean you have to act like his personal messenger. Whatever I do in college doesn’t need to be reported back to him. He’s my brother, not my bodyguard. I can handle my own matters. So stop dragging him into everything.”

Her tone is filled with annoyance, not due to his words, but rather due to her internal unease. Despite the boy sitting so close to her, she feels absolutely nothing, no spark, no attraction, not even the slightest emotional pull. And that’s what troubles her even more. Even when she had grabbed Rahul by his collar and pulled him close, she hadn’t felt anything, not rage, not fear, not even discomfort. Since that confrontation, only one person has occupied her thoughts, Devraj.

Ever since the moment they danced together, when his breath had gently brushed against her face, something strange had stirred within her. The sensation caused shivers to run down her spine. His nearness had made her feel something electric, something unfamiliar.

But today, despite being close to so many boys, she hasn’t felt anything even remotely close to that. No matter how much she tries to replicate that feeling, to test herself by being near someone, it just doesn’t happen.

That one moment with Devraj, his presence, his touch, his breath, had ignited something in her. And no matter how hard she tries, nothing else compares. That realization frustrates her even more, because it’s not just about Devraj anymore. It’s about the power he unknowingly holds over her emotions and the confusion she’s too proud to admit, even to herself.

Mishthi was clearly furious, and seeing this, the boy raised both his hands in surrender and quickly stepped aside. Mishthi quietly tried to focus on her studies, but nothing felt right to her. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone either. One of her friends came over and sat beside her, saying cheerfully,

“We’re planning to party today… You mentioned that we shouldn't have a party without you, so could you please let us know where we should go? Let’s have a blast…”

Mishthi glanced at her, then quickly picked up her things and replied,

“Nothing feels right today... I’m leaving.”

“What?… What happened so suddenly?”

All her friends called after her, but she didn’t respond to anyone and walked away without a word.

~~~~

Devraj and Mantra were discussing something, but Devraj could clearly notice that Mantra was unusually disturbed today. Picking up on that, Devraj went quiet. Mantra, however, seemed completely unaware. He kept his eyes on the file in front of him. A few moments passed in silence. When he finally realized there was no response from Devraj, he turned to him. Devraj gently pushed his laptop aside and asked,

“What’s wrong? Something’s bothering you, talk to me.”

“No, it’s really nothing… I just haven't been feeling well since the party. Even Mishthi said she didn’t sleep all night. She looked disturbed too. When I dropped her at college today, she didn’t seem in the mood at all. I literally had to force her to go, thinking she’d feel better if she met her friends there.”

Devraj listened carefully, but the moment he heard Mishthi’s name, a strange tightness gripped his chest, like something had suddenly clenched inside him. Without commenting much, he went back to his work, trying to mask whatever he was feeling. But Mantra says.

“I’m going inside to rest for a while. Just call the driver; it’s time to pick Mishthi up from college.”

Devraj's hands stop on the laptop. This is not the first time that they are taking care of each other's sisters, but today something is changing. He holds himself back from this request, but something in him totally says the opposite.

“I have a meeting at the Vardaan Hotel, so I’ll be heading toward the driver anyway. I’ll ask him to drop me off first and then go pick up Mishthi. Or maybe I’ll pick her up myself after my meeting…. You should just head home. Why exhaust yourself here unnecessarily? I’ll handle everything.”

“There’s no big problem. Just an hour of rest will help. I’m not in the mood for lunch anyway. Once the lunch break starts, I’ll rest then. There isn’t much pending work right now, and if you’re leaving, I’ll get some peace too. However, please monitor Mishthi closely. If she appears to be unwell, please contact me right away. I forced her to go out today only because no one was home. Otherwise, she ends up doing something reckless. That’s why she needs to be watched closely.”

Devraj smiled slightly and stood up, replying,

“What would she do home alone, set the house on fire?”

“Honestly, with her, anything’s possible. I don’t trust her one bit. The truth is, I know she’s started drinking wine and smoking cigarettes recently. If she were home alone, she’d definitely try to do this. I don’t want that happening. You know me; I don’t interfere unless necessary. If she quits these habits on her own, great. But if not, I have no problem stepping in. And to be honest, sending her to college is safer; at least there are professors and others there, so she can’t do anything too crazy.”

Saying this, Mantra walked into the private room connected to his office. Devraj clenched his phone tightly, his jaw tensing with rising anger. He inhaled deeply to calm himself, then stepped out of the cabin without wasting another second.

Meanwhile, outside the college, Mishthi walked slowly. She knew her brother had forced her to attend college today, which meant she couldn’t go home early. But in truth, she was desperately craving a cigarette. She also knew that if the driver came to pick her up, she would be able to smoke freely. She had already decided to quietly smoke a cigarette in the car before the driver dropped her off at home.

As she neared the car waiting for her, she quickly checked her bag for the cigarette pack. She opened the car door, sat inside, pulled out a cigarette, and placed it between her lips. While she rummaged through her bag looking for the lighter, someone suddenly snatched the cigarette away from her lips. Startled, she looked up and froze.

Devraj was sitting beside her, staring at her intensely.

Seeing him so close, her heartbeat raced. Words refused to leave her lips. He grabbed her bag instantly, silently reached for it, pulled out the entire cigarette pack, and crushed it tightly with his fist. Mishthi remained completely speechless. Something in his gaze terrified her; she was suddenly afraid he might tell Mantra.

She immediately moved a little closer and, with a pleading voice, said,

“I’m not addicted… It’s just something I picked up while hanging out with a few friends. I’ll quit slowly. But please, don’t tell Bhaiya.”

Devraj looked at her for a moment. He didn’t tell her that Mantra already knew everything. His anger was burning inside him, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he spoke in a calm but firm voice.

“Whether someone is a good friend or a bad one, you must always remember to adopt only those habits, even from the worst people, that are good. Only what helps you move forward should progress in your life, not what leads you down the wrong path.”

Mishthi rolled her eyes and turned her face toward the window. She purposely opened it, rested both her arms on the edge, and stared out. She refused to look at him or acknowledge what he said because she already felt something uneasy in his presence. More importantly, she didn’t want his words to affect her.

Devraj glanced at her. Today, her attire consisted of jeans and a top. When he saw her walking toward the car earlier, he had smiled faintly, it had been a while since he’d seen her in clothes that actually suited her personality. But now that she had turned away, he noticed her top was backless. His fists clenched tightly.

Without saying a word, he opened his laptop, pretending to work. Because he knew talking to her was useless. She wouldn’t listen, and he didn’t want to show how her presence affected him. He kept reminding himself she was his friend’s younger sister. Keeping distance was the only way to maintain boundaries.

He didn’t know why he had come here in the first place. He was already angry at himself for showing up. And now, sitting this close to her, he kept repeating in his mind, She’s just Mishthi, the same girl you’ve known since childhood. And she needs to stay in that space. Only that space.