Shuttles And Stars

Neeraj

The playful teasing from Meera and Abhimanyu lingered in the air long after they’d left the room. I watched Sia, fast asleep on my shoulder, her breaths steady, peaceful. I didn’t want to move, didn’t want to disturb the serenity of the moment, but I knew it couldn’t last forever.

Eventually, Abhimanyu caught my eye and gave me that knowing look. “Time to head out, man,” he said with a chuckle. I nodded, carefully shifting away from Sia without waking her.

As we made our way out of the quarters and into the car, the silence between Abhimanyu and me stretched for a bit before he finally spoke up.

"So...what happened before we barged in?" he asked, shooting me a sideways grin as he started the car.

I hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to bring it up or let it slide. But who was I kidding? This was Abhimanyu—he’d pry the truth out of me eventually. "We almost kissed," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck awkwardly, still feeling the lingering electricity from that moment.

Abhimanyu raised his eyebrows and then burst out laughing. “Bro, you’ve been holding that in all this time? Almost kissed, huh?” He leaned back in his seat, still chuckling. "Look, man, she's just back from the hospital, you're spending a lot of time together...it’s probably just the rush of everything. Emotions run high when someone’s recovering, and you’re clearly feeling a bit...overwhelmed."

I frowned slightly. Was it just a rush of emotions? It hadn’t felt like that. It had felt...real. But Abhimanyu wasn’t done. “Just take a chill pill. Don’t overthink it. Don't go making it obvious that you're obsessing. Trust me, the last thing you want is to make things awkward."

I sighed. He had a point. Maybe I was letting the situation mess with my head. But then there was the interview we had coming up. We were supposed to be focused, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was already distracted. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Sia, and the thought of messaging her kept nagging at me.

Abhimanyu must’ve sensed my thoughts because he reminded me, “You remember we’ve got the Aaj Tak interview tomorrow morning, right? It’s primetime, dude, and it’ll be aired tonight at 9 PM. You really want to be thinking about this Sia situation instead of preparing?”

I nodded, letting his words sink in. It was an important interview, and I needed to focus. I couldn’t let my personal life bleed into my professional obligations. But that didn’t stop me from thinking about her.

As we pulled up to the apartment, Abhimanyu clapped me on the back. "Get some rest, Neeraj. You'll thank me for not letting you spiral into this any further."

I laughed, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood, but as I settled into my room, my thoughts inevitably drifted back to her. Sia’s face, the way she had looked at me, the way we had been so close...it wasn’t just in my head, was it?

My phone buzzed in my hand, and I stared at it, debating whether to send a message. Abhimanyu's words echoed in my mind: Don't make it obvious. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was reading too much into it. Maybe this was all just a result of the whirlwind of the past few days.

I placed my phone on the nightstand, deciding against texting her.

But as I lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling, her smile, her laugh, her presence haunted my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if I could simply brush it off as a fleeting moment.

Eventually, exhaustion won out, but even as sleep finally claimed me, I was still thinking of Sia.

And in my dreams, she was always there.

...