[ This Book is under editing]
Niharika Verma is a stunning semi-classical dancer who wants nothing more than to travel the world, but the shackles of her dreadful past keep her grounded. On the other end, Asia's well-known businessman and CEO of Ra...
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The rhythmic clicking of the keyboard filled the dimly lit apartment, the glow of the laptop casting sharp shadows across Maanveer’s face. His eyes remained glued to the screen, scanning over lines of data, emails, anything that could keep his mind occupied.
Across from him, Shaurya leaned back on the couch, lazily tossing an apple in the air before catching it again. He had been watching Maanveer for the past half hour, waiting for him to blink, to acknowledge his presence. But, as expected, Maanveer was lost in work—no, he was drowning in it.
"Veer, seriously," Shaurya sighed, finally breaking the silence. "You need to stop. You’ve been glued to that laptop for days now. This isn’t healthy, man. You’re going to burn out. Take a break, at least for a few hours! There’s no way you can keep up like this."
Maanveer didn’t respond. His fingers never paused, never hesitated.
Shaurya exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. "We’ve been here for almost two and a half months, and there’s literally no reason for us to stay anymore. You’ve already done more than enough. Why are you doing this to yourself?"
Finally, Maanveer stopped typing. He lifted his gaze, eyes sharp and unreadable.
That silence—the one where Shaurya could almost hear the weight of unsaid words pressing between them—settled heavily.
Feeling an uneasy shift in the air, Shaurya forced a smirk. "I mean, you’re acting like some tragic hero, like a ‘Majnu’ pining for his lost ‘Mehbooba’!" he teased, hoping to pull a reaction out of his friend.
But Maanveer just stared. No humor. No irritation. Just that same, unnerving silence.
The teasing edge in Shaurya’s voice faded. He bit into his apple instead, acting like he hadn’t just tread too close to a dangerous subject.
"You can’t shut me up just by staring. You know that, right?" he muttered, more to himself than Maanveer.
Still, there was no response.
Shaurya sighed, stretching as he stood up. "Look, I want to head back to India soon. My family’s waiting for me. I’m going to book my tickets."
He was about to leave when Maanveer finally spoke.
"Book two tickets for next week. We’ve got to attend Mr. Knight’s hotel launch party before we leave."
His voice was calm, detached. As if the past conversation had never happened.
Shaurya simply nodded and walked away. But the tension remained, lingering in the air like a ghost neither of them was willing to acknowledge. . . . . . Niharika folded another suit and placed it carefully in her suitcase. Her hands moved mechanically, but her heart was elsewhere. It had been over two months since she came to Pune, much longer than she had planned. And yet, as she packed, she felt no eagerness to return.
