Prem Kahaniyaan

3.

The sun was setting, casting a soft golden hue over the Mumbai skyline as Arjun sat at his kitchen counter, staring at the untouched cup of coffee in front of him. The apartment, usually a sanctuary, felt suffocating. Zara’s probing questions from earlier still echoed in his mind, and he couldn't shake the feeling that she had gotten too close to something he wasn’t ready to reveal.

Just as he was about to get up, his phone buzzed. It was a text from Zara.

Zara: We’re filming tomorrow at 8 am. Don’t be late.

Arjun sighed, rubbing his temples. He hadn't signed up for this level of scrutiny. He texted back a quick "Fine" and tossed his phone aside.

The next morning, Zara arrived at Arjun’s apartment right on time, accompanied by the camera crew. Her no-nonsense attitude was as present as ever, but today, she seemed to have a different energy—less combative, more focused.

“Good morning,” Zara greeted Arjun, not looking up from her clipboard.

“Is it?” Arjun muttered, glancing at the cameras being set up around the living room.

Zara smirked, catching his tone. “We’ll see. Ready to dive back into your life?”

“Do I have a choice?” Arjun responded with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Zara ignored his comment, flipping through her notes. “Today, we’re focusing on your daily routine. The gym, script readings, maybe a bit about your personal life.”

“My personal life?” Arjun raised an eyebrow, clearly not amused. “And what exactly do you think qualifies as ‘personal’?”

“Whatever you’re willing to show us,” Zara replied, meeting his gaze with a cool professionalism. “But let’s start with your morning routine. You hit the gym early, right?”

Arjun glanced at the clock. It was almost 8:15 a.m. “Yeah, I go around 9.”

Zara jotted something down. “Great. We’ll follow you there. Let’s get going.”

---

At the gym, the camera crew filmed Arjun going through his usual workout routine. Zara stood off to the side, observing, her sharp eyes catching every detail. After about an hour, she signaled for a break.

“Alright,” Zara said, walking over to Arjun, who was wiping sweat from his face with a towel. “You seem pretty disciplined with this. Why is the gym so important to you?”

Arjun glanced at her, his face flushed from the workout. “Because it’s the one place where I don’t have to think. I can just focus on the work and push myself.”

Zara scribbled in her notebook. “Interesting. But you don’t strike me as someone who needs to escape. What are you running from?”

Arjun stiffened, narrowing his eyes. “I’m not running from anything.”

Zara raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. “You sure about that?”

Arjun tossed the towel aside, his tone hardening. “Look, just because I work out doesn’t mean I’m running from something. Not everyone who exercises is trying to escape some deep emotional trauma.”

“I never said it was trauma,” Zara replied calmly, not backing down. “But you did.”

There was a pause, the air between them thick with tension. Arjun ran a hand through his damp hair, trying to keep his frustration in check.

“I work out because it helps me focus,” he said finally. “That’s it.”

Zara studied him for a moment before nodding. “Okay. Let’s move on.”