Dhiraj was surprised to see Ishani in the gaming store too.
"Oh-hey! Long time", Dhiraj greeted her warmly.
"how's your arm?", Ishani looked at his sling.
"It's healing slowly", Dhiraj said and then looked at Saikiran
"I was not expecting to see you....two here", Dhiraj's expression was calm but firm.
Saikiran extended his hand stiffly. "Saikiran."
Dhiraj shook it briefly. "Dhiraj."
There was no smile exchanged between the two men—just an unspoken current of awareness, like two opposing tides quietly recognizing each other.
Ishani, sensing the tension, quickly tried to fill the space. "Uh… I didn't expect to run into you here, Dhiraj. Are you… into gaming too?"
Dhiraj's expression softened as he turned to her. "Not really. My cousin's birthday. Thought a console might earn me some brownie points."
"Brownie points are important," Ishani grinned.
"She's nice," Dhiraj smiled, nodding at her, "deserves the best." His tone was casual, but his eyes didn't waver from hers.
Saikiran shifted beside her.
"Oh," Ishani said, caught slightly off-guard by the compliment. "That's sweet."
Saikiran raised an eyebrow and glanced between them. "So… you two know each other?"
"Not really," Dhiraj replied before Ishani could. "Just… a couple of random coincidences."
"We keep bumping into each other after we signed the Starking deal. You were not in that project actually" Ishani added, laughing nervously.
"That's a lot of coincidences," Saikiran said with a grin, but his tone was laced with something sharper, "Yes, during that project Atul gave me to work with another app developer."
Dhiraj didn't respond. He simply looked at the PS5 box Saikiran was carrying. "Nice choice."
"Thanks. A gift," Saikiran said pointedly.
"For yourself?" Dhiraj asked, feigning innocence.
"Technically yes," Saikiran smirked. "But gifted by her." He nudged Ishani lightly with his elbow.
Dhiraj blinked. "Wow. That's… generous."
Ishani chuckled. "It's a long story."
"Well," Dhiraj said, "it's good to see you again. I should let you both get on with it. But maybe next time, we meet somewhere less... PlayStation-y?"
"Maybe," Ishani said, smiling politely.
He gave her a small nod, then turned to Saikiran with a polite but unreadable expression. "Nice meeting you."
"Sure," Saikiran replied flatly.
As Dhiraj walked off, Saikiran turned to Ishani. "So… random guy who just shows up wherever you are?"
"It's not like that," Ishani rolled her eyes. "It's a coincidence. Twice."
"Three times now," Saikiran muttered.
Ishani looked at him, amused. "Are you… jealous?"
"Pfft. No. Just—concerned. He gives off main character energy. Dangerous."
She burst out laughing. "You're impossible."
"I know," he said with a shrug. "But if you're handing out PS5s to strangers next, let me know so I can start crying in public more often."
Ishani shook her head, walking toward the exit. "Let's go, PS5 boy."
Saikiran followed, watching her carefully, the smile still playing on his lips—but there was something behind it now. A little unease. A little awareness.
He'd never seen her laugh like that at someone else before.
And he didn't like it. Something pinched inside him.
As they stepped out of the store, the evening breeze was gentle but enough to make Ishani pull her jacket tighter.
Saikiran nudged her lightly. "You know, it's kind of annoying — this random guy keeps showing up around you."
Ishani blinked, caught off guard. "Random guy?"
He gave her a half-smile, eyes teasing but with a flicker of something else underneath. "Yeah, the one with the sling. You know, the 'main character energy' guy."
Ishani tilted her head, puzzled. "I don't even know him that well."
"Exactly," Saikiran said, voice low and playful. "So why's he here? Huh?"
She laughed softly, brushing it off. "Maybe the universe is just being dramatic."
He stepped a little closer. "Or maybe someone's got some competition."
Ishani frowned slightly, trying to read him. "Competition?"
He smirked. "You know, for your attention. Don't worry, I'm not jealous… much."
Her smile faltered, a spark of confusion flickering in her eyes.
Saikiran caught it and laughed quietly. "Relax, I'm just messing with you."
But as they walked side by side, Ishani couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to his teasing than just fun.
DHIRAJ'S POV
Ishani laughed at Saikiran's teasing, her eyes sparkling with amusement as he nudged her gently. She didn't notice the quiet glance Dhiraj shot her from across the store — a look tinged with a shy admiration and something unspoken.
He folded his arms standing, heart quietly fluttering as he watched her. To anyone else, it might seem like just a casual encounter, but to Dhiraj, every smile she gave Saikiran was a small pang he tried to swallow.
He wondered how long it would be before she saw him as more than just a stranger.
Ishani's flat
The hum of the ceiling fan filled the silence between them. Koyel handed Ishani a steaming mug of black coffee and plopped beside her on the bed, folding her legs under her.
"So let me get this straight," Koyel said, already raising an eyebrow. "You went to Sudhir's, and then to some gaming store for your niece—totally normal—and boom, both Saikiran and Dhiraj show up? Like, at the same time?"
Ishani held the cup close to her face, letting the steam hit her skin. "Mhm."
Koyel narrowed her eyes. "And you're telling me they just stood there awkwardly while you played peace ambassador?"
"Sort of," Ishani mumbled. "It was... weird."
Koyel leaned in. "Define weird."
"Saikiran was... tense. Not like yelling tense. But the kind where his smile doesn't reach his eyes."
"Possessive?"
Ishani rolled her eyes. "Don't start."
Koyel grinned. "Oh, I've already started. So? Was he?"
Ishani hesitated. "Maybe a little. But that's just Sai. He gets this way whenever something or someone throws him off. He's always been competitive."
"But he's not competitive with you," Koyel said softly.
That landed heavier than Ishani expected. She looked down at the swirls in her coffee.
"He's just... I don't know. He teases me all the time. Flirts. But it's harmless. That's just his thing."
"Flirting isn't harmless when it starts bothering him that another guy exists in your orbit," Koyel said, tapping her mug.
Ishani didn't respond right away. Finally, she looked up, voice gentler now.
"But he didn't say anything. He brushed it off. Like always."
"That's the thing, Ishu," Koyel said. "He never says anything. He just waits around with that half-smile like he's okay. But he's not. You saw it, didn't you?"
Ishani didn't answer.
After a long pause, Koyel added, "What about Dhiraj?"
Ishani blinked. "What about him?"
"He didn't seem the jealous kind?"
"No," Ishani said quickly. "He was polite. A little too calm, actually. Almost like… like he'd already sized up the situation and accepted it."
Koyel raised an eyebrow. "Accepted what, exactly?"
Ishani shrugged. "I don't know. Me. Sai. The whole thing. I think he misunderstood our situation."
Koyel tilted her head. "And how did that make you feel?"
Ishani thought for a long time.
"…Unsettled."
"Why?"
"I don't know," she said honestly. "It felt like... I was being watched. Like I'd accidentally stepped into something and now both of them were looking at me like I was supposed to know what happens next."
Koyel leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Well, whatever it is, I suggest you figure it out before one of them ends up doing something stupid."
Ishani scoffed, but her voice was soft. "They're not those kind of guys."
Koyel looked at her knowingly. "Maybe not. But the heart doesn't always wait for perfect timing, does it?"
Ishani didn't have an answer. All she had was the memory of their reactions.
Saikiran's POV — Midnight, Alone in His Room
He should be happy.
The PS5 was here. It sat on the floor like a trophy, unopened, untouched. Still wrapped in the shopping bag. He had waited years for this damn thing. Bugged friends about it, joked about it, even guilt-tripped Ishani into it with the stupidest smile he could summon.
And she had done it. She had actually done it.
Bought it for him. No hesitation.
And yet, the moment he touched the box, it felt like holding something too heavy to deserve.
Saikiran ran a hand through his hair and sank back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling, muscles tight with an energy he couldn't burn through.
It wasn't about the PS5.
It was about her.
And him.
Dhiraj.
He clenched his jaw. The name alone crawled under his skin like a splinter.
He hated that guy's calm. The way he looked at Ishani—not like she was just someone passing by in his day, but like she was a moment. A full stop. Something he'd been waiting to meet.
And Ishani… she didn't flinch. She smiled. Laughed, even.
That laugh.
The same one she used to give him back in college, before everything got complicated. Before she became his senior, his team lead, and—without realizing it—his axis.
He sat up suddenly, unable to stay still anymore.
Was it always this obvious? That he was the one who watched her too long? That he listened too closely when she spoke in meetings? That every sarcastic thing he said was just a way to get her to look at him?
Maybe not.
Because if she'd noticed—if she knew—she wouldn't have looked at Dhiraj like that.
She wouldn't have smiled like that when she said, "That's sweet."
He mimicked the words under his breath, bitter.
"That's sweet."
Yeah. It fucking was.
Dhiraj had a sling on his arm, and somehow still looked more put together than Saikiran on his best day. Calm voice. Big eyes. Clean aura.
Perfect guy for a woman like Ishani.
But Saikiran wasn't perfect.
He was restless, messy, emotional. The kind of guy who didn't know how to say what he felt unless it was hidden inside a joke.
And right now, the joke was choking him.
He slumped back, arms thrown over his face.
He wanted to be the one she turned to. Not just to laugh. Not just to yell at in meetings. But the one she trusted when things got quiet.
The one she reached for, even if she didn't know why.
Instead, he was the guy she bought a PS5 for—out of guilt, or nostalgia, or affection, he didn't even know anymore—and then laughed with someone else right in front of him.
And he'd smiled through it. Like a good boy.
But inside, something simmered. A little raw. A little ugly.
You don't get to fall in love with someone who doesn't even know you're bleeding.