WHEN FATE TOOK THE WHEEL

PART 1

Naina had always envisioned herself falling in love with a man straight out of her fantasies—a rich, polished gentleman with the charm of a movie star and the sophistication of someone from her favorite K-dramas. Her life was set in a particular direction, a world filled with high expectations, glitzy events, and a sense of security that only wealth could offer.

But fate has its own way of surprising us, especially when we least expect it.

It was an unusually hot afternoon in Mumbai, and Naina's driver had called in sick. With her car parked and no other options, she begrudgingly decided to take a rickshaw. She hated public transport, but she had an important meeting to attend, and there was no time to wait for a cab.

As she flagged down a rickshaw, her expectations were low. But when it pulled up in front of her, she froze for a moment.

The man in the driver's seat looked exactly like Aditya Roy Kapoor.

It took her a second to gather her thoughts. He had the same deep-set eyes, the rugged charm, and that beard—perfectly groomed yet rugged at the same time. But this wasn't a movie set. This wasn't a fantasy. He was just a rickshaw driver, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans, sitting in front of her like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Madam, kahan jaana hai?" he asked, his voice deep and casual, just like Aditya's.

Naina shook herself out of her daze and quickly told him the address of her destination, still struggling to believe her eyes. She climbed into the rickshaw, the entire situation feeling strangely surreal. How could someone like him be driving a rickshaw?

As they weaved through the crowded streets, Naina couldn't help but sneak glances at him from the backseat. He was calm, focused on the road, and there was something about him that intrigued her beyond just his resemblance to the actor. It was in the way he carried himself, the quiet confidence, the ease with which he navigated the chaos around them.

Out of nowhere, he broke the silence. "Madam, I always apply oil to my beard. Keeps it soft, you know?"

Naina blinked, confused for a moment. Did he really just say that? His voice, smooth and deep, caught her off guard, but the randomness of his comment was what really threw her off. Who says something like that?

She couldn't help but laugh, though it was more out of surprise than anything else. "Excuse me?" she asked, half-smiling, unsure if she had misheard him.

But he seemed serious, glancing back at her with a small, almost teasing smile. "It's true. That's why it's soft."

Something about his casual tone made her relax, and before she knew it, her curiosity got the better of her. Her hand, almost without her realizing it, reached forward. She touched his beard, softly at first, as if testing if what he said was true.

To her surprise, it was exactly as he said—soft, well-maintained, but with a rough edge that gave him a certain ruggedness. Her fingers lingered a moment longer than they should have, and the silence between them grew heavy with something neither of them could quite name.

"See? Told you," he said, his voice now quieter, more intimate.

Her heart raced, and she quickly withdrew her hand, unsure of what had just happened. But the tension between them was undeniable. It was strange, surreal even. Here she was, a girl from a world of privilege, in a rickshaw with a man who was nothing like the men she had imagined herself with. Yet, she couldn't deny the pull she felt toward him.

She didn't know why, but her hand moved again, this time brushing against his lips. It was a soft touch, almost hesitant, but the sensation of his warmth against her fingertips sent a shiver down her spine.

Their eyes met in the rearview mirror, and the air between them grew thick with unspoken words. There was no turning back now. In an instant, he turned slightly in his seat, and before either of them could second-guess it, their lips met in a soft, lingering kiss.

It was brief, almost as if it hadn't happened at all. But the moment was real. The city buzzed around them, but in that instant, everything else faded away. Naina pulled back, her heart pounding, unsure of what had just come over her. The kiss had been impulsive, but the feeling was undeniable.

The rickshaw slowed down as they neared her destination, and Naina realized she had no idea how to process what had just happened. She had kissed a stranger, a rickshaw driver, a man who looked like Aditya Roy Kapoor but was miles away from the life she thought she wanted.

As he pulled over to the side of the road, Naina hesitated, unsure of what to say. The driver—Aditya or whoever he was—looked at her with a soft smile.

"I don't know what just happened, but I'm glad it did," he said, his voice low and sincere.

Naina couldn't help but smile back. "I don't know either. But... thank you."

She paid him and stepped out of the rickshaw, her heart still racing as she walked away. As the rickshaw drove off, disappearing into the chaotic streets of Mumbai, Naina knew her life had just changed. She didn't know how or why, but something about that brief encounter had shifted her world.

For the first time, Naina realized that love, or whatever that had been, wasn't something she could predict or plan. It didn't care about social status or what made sense on paper. Sometimes, it happened in the most unexpected places, with the most unlikely people.

And as she walked into her meeting, she couldn't stop thinking about the bearded stranger who had just turned her world upside down.

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